The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1904-03-18
RELIC OF BYCONE DAYS.
Ancient Mummery "nd h"ia"e""ss
FictIon Ia Connection with Eiee-
ton of London's Lord Mayor

ample, LONDON is BTduha's iN'e
good many OF its old customs lapse In
TO what ex-President Cleveland called
.innocuous desuetude," but the me-
tropolis has not yet got up-to-ua,s
enough TO begin electing It's lord may
ors In a businesslike fashion.
Here IS a veracious resume OF the re-
markable procedure gone through WIN
annually in the heart of business Lon
don. and whose chief result Is 10 give
a dignified old gentleman the priNliess
for one short year OF wearing magnih-
cent robes and chains OF once rluihs
about In wonderful gilded COACH eat
ing prodigious luncheons and dinners
and otherwise doing his best 10 speno
twice the $4,000 salary which he se.s
for unfolding the prestige OF his niue
domain OF one square mile.
The lord mayor actually is voted iof
by the so-called liverymen OF the city,
those being members of the ancient
CITY guilds. A few days before the day
of the "election"-the result of when
every one knows in advance-ail the
liverymen are commanded TO appear
at the guild hall TO choose the new
mayor. The lord mayor In OF
fee with his plumed hat, err
mine robes and gold lace, Is sum
moned also by the civil sword-bearer'
and so are all the aldermen, in their
quaint robes. They gather In the
great council room of the gulld nan
where is laid out also the citys PROUD
insignia. the mace, the sword, furs and
SO on. Before the balloting is begun
however. the whole powdered, ermlneo
and bedizened outfit marched over te
the nearby church of ST. Lawrence
Jewry for prayer After which the IL
lustrous swordbearer has to ask th'
rector of the church TO lunch Win th'
city dignitaries at the guild hall-an'
goodness knows what awful calamlt.
would happen if this invitation wer'
not rendered. Now, imagine the entlr'
assemblage back in the guild nan am
that important functionary, the com
mon crier. announcing that the elecuol
is about to take place. This announce
ment having been made, the superDl
upholstered city reporter comes LOT
ward and informs the company ina
the lord mayor and the aldermen wh
have passed the chair Will Win
draw so as mot TO influence the livery
men" in their decision which ever
one knows in advance-and these dis
nitaries do withdraw with all graVlt
Then the common sergeant reads o
the names Of the aldermen who haN
not Yet been lord mayor, and the ~
ervmen select whichever two hay
been longest in Office Then the r
sult" of the election has TO be mae
known to the serving lord mayor an
the other aldermen, waiting outsid
and this done by a deputation consis
inc of the common crier, the common
: ecreeant. two shorfls in their chail
of Office and another official carryll
the great mace Now ii is the busine
= of the lord mayor and the other aide
: men to ponder over the names OF q
two candidates selected and TO choo
: the senior Of them, just as every o.
= knew they would. whereupon the cleo
! ed one. who probably has been savil
y up for years so as to be able TO ano
= the Office. is hailed as "the right no
orable the lord mayor elect while I
other candidate is almost as happy
the assurance that he will be elect
next year
= After this there are simply no end
y other ceremonies TO be gone throu
e with. most of them even more POI
u nous and stilted than that hastily
scribed. but there is not space here
: cnumerate them. One. however, tai
2 the form Of visit TO the house
II lords on the part Of the new mayor
receive the sOvcreign's permission
= his holdinng oflice-which never !
been known 10 be refused. Then
10 elected one has TO be Invested W
p his official sword and diamond scep
= and seals Of Office at the guild b
le a..ain. and finally, browning JOY. to
~ the Observed of all observers at
lord mayors show. on November
ne II is estimated that all this mu
az merry costs London 100000 every ii
ca II is gone through with.
- Sir James Richie, who follows.
We Marcus Samuel as keeper OF the CT
D! dignity. is an elder brother OF c.
~ Richie. NJ p. the retiring chance
no of the exchequer, and is GS years
'es Beginning his city political career
M 1891. in 1897 he held office of she
"a of the city, riding in the diamond j.
n lee procession of Queen Victoria.
ny politics he is a conservative and
al longs IN tho Carlton Garrick and
~ stitutional clubs.
les AS Mr.. Ritchies wife died in /
al the eldest of his six daughters will
az rs lady mayoress during her faith
en- term Of Office. Cor. st. Louis Gl'
" Democrat
s.
worlds Fair Hotel
w IT, Innidn Inn L. q laroo fro %