HOAX ON A CITY REVEALED

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 16 June 1926, Page 9

HOAX ON A CITY REVEALED

CIVIC WELCOME TO BOGUS

MANDARINS

Aj distinguished art, collector,, ".Mr -John Hilditch, F.U.G.S., lias just confessed thai lit; was (.lie author of aijoke played on < the..M&ncheßler City Council'.thirteen years'ago/ ' •<

"I have been collecting rare works of .Chinese and .Tapanefle art for the last thirty years," said Mr Hilditch, ,; and when in 15)13 an exhibition of Chinese and Japanese art was arranged I offered my collection to the City Art Galleries.'

"My offer was rejected, mainly, I knrtw* through the jealous intervention of different dealers, who wished to pinv chase portions, of the collections for themselves. I determined that my colJection should be represented in some form nt the exhibition. THE RUMOUR j i "As a means of carrying out my plans I circulated the rumour that several great Chinese noblemen were visiting Manchester to make a tour of the city and its sights. '"'J • enlisted the services of three friends, and it was arranged that tliey should be attired in jeweled robes taken from my collection, it being my intention, in view of the poor display at the galleries, to show the public the veal thiitg' on the backs of human beings. " "Tho arrived on; the up* pointed day, and were accorded a civic reception by the then Lord Mayor, alderman, and other officials. "Since the 'mandarins' were supposed to be unable to understand English) J was called upon to act as interpreter, • • ; - . ! ' "We were conducted to the art galleries where the exhibition was in progress. On the steps of the building we posed for our photographs, while «*i large crowd held up the whole'* tramway service. "I was asked presently what my friends thought of the show, and from the gibberish which they 'spoke I 'translated to the effect that they were not impressed, as some of the exhibits were unreal. . FTRE-FTGFTTIXG "Our next call was at the Manchester Public Free Library, and from there we went to the tire station, where the captain had arranged a display of firefighting on our behalf. : "On being-asked hoW they liked our methods, I interpreted that they were disappointed once more, since in their own country, if one had dpsired to know how they- beheladed criminals they would behead one specially on your behalf, and jn the present instance they' considered that a warehouse should be set on fire in order that the firemen could show their prowess.

"We were taken to the Midland Hotel, where we consumed a sixteen-cburs-3 luncheon consisting of curries, and... .ofther 1 . specially. • prepared foods, which my friends, who had been practising for a fortnight, ate with chopsticks in a manner worthy of real Orientals."