Fifty Years of Progress 1880-1930

SIR MONTAGUE SHEARMAN nating account of the early history of the sport and the opinions which prevailed in those days. A great deal might be written about the earlier stages of the Association's existence, but we may briefly record that our late President, possessing the priceless gift of" getting on well" with all classes of people in those days-as in later years-scored a remarkable success in reconciling and making the best use of apparently divergent interests. He was Hon. Secretary from I 880 to 1883, when he was succeeded by Charles Herbert, of the Civil Service A.A., and after acting as one of the Vice-Presidents, he was, in r916, on the death of Viscount Alverstone, Lord Chief Justice of England, unanimously elected President of the Association. It was said of him that he did not conceal the fact, when at the Bar, that he wished one day to be a Judge, and we are probably correct if we assume that, as a founder of the Association, he looked forward to the day when he might become its President. We clearly remember a remark-spoken in his delightfully friendly way-at the conclusion of an Annual General Meeting a few years ago, "As long as you really want to have me with you, I shall be pleased to come." At meetings, as on the Bench, he combined a courteous and sympathetic manner with absolute impartiality and the strictest adherence in letter and spirit to " the rules of the game." The youngest delegate received the same patient hearing as the most ex– perienced official, and no one who might be ruled " out of order" de– parted with any sense of grievance. Indeed, a speaker once declared that he would rather be "reproved" or ruled "out of order" by Sir Mon– tague Shearman than praised by other chairmen ! Whenever he presided at the Annual General Meeting, he con– trolled men of all classes, representing every type of Club, in the most delightful way. His one aim was to facilitate the business of the meeting, and to arrive, if possible, at the right decision in controversial matters. When listening to long speeches in other spheres, we sometimes think of his remark to a speaker who was elaborating his argument at considerable length. Sir Montague leaned forward and, in his quiet voice, genially remarked, "Mr. --, I think the meeting sees your point." The hint was unmistakable, the courtesy was sublime, and the speaker sat down in a few more seconds ! The President, at various times, did a great deal to preserve and strengthen the good feeling between representatives of various nations at the Championships and elsewhere, and it was largely due to his influence that the rupture between the A.A.A. and the N.C.U. in 1910 and 19rr was healed. We might add that at the A.A.A. Championships in 1922, Sir Montague Shearman, as President, received the King, the Patron of the Association. Sir Montague Shearman was a life member of the London Athletic Club, in which he had taken a personal interest since he became a member, in 1876. A glance through the Club's earlier annual handbooks often revealed a reference to a fine performance by" M. Shearman," and when 23