The Washington herald., 1913-09-28
NEWLORD MAYOR
TO BE ELECTED
London Prepares for Unique
Annual Ceremony, Won
derful to Behold.
RELIC OF MIDDLE AGES
Everybody Knows Who Is Going to
Get Job, but that Doesn't
Matter.
RELIC OF MIDDLE AGES
eciaI o,bIe . Th. w.shinston HeraId.

|
OF the coronation of the King. Great
Britain has no more imposing ceremony
than the election and installation of a
Lord Mayor of the city of London. Con-
sequently. every Londoner is anXiously
awaiting the election of the new Lord
Mayor on Monday. TO succeed Sir David
Burnett, the incumbent.
Despite the fact that the Lord Mayor
is elected there is never any doubt
as to who will be the next chief mag
istrate. Following the custom of years,
the Lord Mayor will be chosen from the
members of the Board OF Aldermen. and
il is always the senior alderman. who
must have served as Sheriff OF London,
who is elected.
Sir Vansittart Bowater. a wealthy
paper manufacturer will be the next
Lord Mayor. In order to be Lord Mayor
one has to be extremely wealthy, for
the chief duty of the Office is that of
entertaining. consuming much roast beef
at imposing oficial banquets and wear
ing gorgeous robes of ONCE with becom-
ing dignity. II the Lord Mayor had a
sense of humor. but apparently no Lord
pretty well to survive occupancy OF the
office.
Must Have Money.
Outside an American Ambassadorship
to a European capital. there probably is
no quicker way of spending money than
to be Lord Mayor of London. To be
sure the incumbent of that once re-
ceives a salary of $4,000 a year, but
this is a mere drop of the bucket COM
pared to what he must spend. If he
hasn't a large fortune he might as well
not become chief magistrate, for the gov
ernment only spends about $4,000 a year
to maintain the dignity Of the office
The occupant of it must spend not only
his salary. but about 10000 additional.
He must simply! Why? Because every
Lord Mayor OF the past has done il
odd, isn't it? Custom. v know. old
top. 1t has er-er always been done. v
know Which is quite sufficient for an
Englishman.
The Lord Mayor, who always is elected
on Michaelmas Day, September 90. takes
office on November 9. following. and
that is the occasion for another i'm
posing ceremony. After that his life is
just one imposing ceremony after an
other.
The Lord Mayors authority extends
no further than the borders of the one
square mile of the Corporation Of Lon
don, which has a resident population of
only about 5000. In the daytime the
small area probably holds about 10000
people, and it is in many ways the center
of Great Britain. Within this territory
the Lord Mayor is supreme. Should the
King or Queen visit the Lord Mayors
square mile they should have to OBJ
tain permission from him before enter
ing. Word would be conveyed to the
chief magistrate that his majesty was
about to visit, and the Lord Mayor
would greet his majesty at the border
line and present him with the key to
the gate. There is no gate, but a trifie
like that doesn't interfere with the cere-
mony, because you see. in the ages of
the past, there really were some gates.
British troops cannot enter the square
mile without permission OF the corpora
ton. The Lord Mayor is the head Of
a police force which has no connection
with any other police force in London
or Great Britain. Even the Home ofice
has no control over it.
Must Be Alderman.
In order to become Lord Mayor one
must first become an alderman. You
to that office of honor. Then you have
to become a Sheriff. That is where
YOU get through with the rate payers.
They can't do anything more for you.
having already elected you an alderman
for life. You now turn your attention
to the liverymen, or ACKNOWLEDGMENT,
who elect two Sheriffs every year. The
principal occupation of a Sheriff of Lon
don is upholding the dignity Of the law
with the aid Of many magnificent robes
and chains Of once and much insignia.
While much of the time of a Sheriff
is spent upholding the dignity of the
law and taking part in ofiicial banquets,
he manages somehow to find leisure in
which TO study the Lord Mayor, for
some day one of the Sheriffs or both
will become Lord Mayor
Like everything British, there is much
solemnity attached to the election of a
Lord Mayor. Also there is much riga
marole: many colored robes, chains, and
things pleasing to the eye. An Ameri-
can studying the Office might be justified
in coming to the conclusion that the
principal qualifications for il are
thorough knowledge Of form" the peer
age and baronetage. an excellent appe-
tite and good digestion, plenty Of money,
an amiable disposition. and an imposing
figure on which to drape the robes of
Office
A week before the election OF a Lord
Mayor a summons is sent to the masters
and wardens of the city guilds. COM
manding them to assemble the Iiverymen
at the Guild Hall on Michaelmas Day.
The civic sword bearer summons the
Lord Mayor, the aldermen and the
Sheriffs.
sembled in the Guild Hall, with all of
the city insignia, mace, sword, robes of
scarlet. and costly furs. 1t is compara-
lively safe to wear furs in London In
September. 1t Is always pretty sure 10