Fountain of Ninevah

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Comment by William Douglas 6 hours ago

A PICTURESQUE CHIEF MAGISTRATE: MR JAMES DRYSDALE.
In the order of things, we now come to Bridge of Allan’s picturesque Chief Magistrate, Mr James Drysdale. Elected a Commissioner of the Burgh in 1870, Mr Drysdale was chosen as Chief Magistrate in 1886. He served as Chief Magistrate for two terms of three years. He thereafter served a further term of three years as a Commissioner and retired from office in November 1895, after twenty-five years service at the Council table. Provost Drysdale’s chief contribution to the good government of the Burgh was the alacrity with which he induced the Commissioners to take over the management of the highways in the Burgh on the passing of the Roads and Streets in Police Burghs Act of 1891. Many, many pence in the pound has the transfer of the roads from County to Burgh control saved the ratepayers of Bridge of Allan, but, with his long experience of public life, nobody would have been more surprised than Provost Drysdale had anybody suggested that he deserved the thanks of his fellows for what he had done !

But we do not think of Provost Drysdale only as the occupant of a seat in the Council Chamber. Churchman, Sunday School superintendent, social reformer, politician, traveller, local historian, County Councillor, Parish Councillor, member of the School Board, member of the County Licensing Court, bowler, curler, golfer, all-round athlete, who, at seventy, could walk a man of twenty-five off his feet, and took a wicked delight in doing it; skilful angler, humorist, what was he not? I have quite accidentally, mentioned Provost Drysdale’s capacity for humour last. May I give a typical sally? Many years ago, when motor charabancs were not, and, instead, there reigned the three-horse brake, the members of the Y.M.C.A.. were wont on the. Queen’s birthday holiday to drive to some such place as the Trossachs or Lochearnhead, and there spend the day. On one occasion, after some happy hours, on the Edinarnple side of Lochearn, the party having crossed from the hotel side in boats, the driver of our brake, a genial fellow who rejoiced in the name of Winter, at four o’clock came to the side of the loch and shouted across to us that it was time to go, home. At once Provost Drysdale took up the challenge, and, in that stentorian voice of his, expressing the feeling of everyone, shouted back: ” Gloomy Winter, go away!’-‘