Every other year they came from all over Europe, descending upon the German city of Mainz with their precious bundles: a tent used by Napoleon after his escape from St. Helena, a canopy that supposedly shaded Queen Victoria during her coronation parade, a pup tent designed by Lord Baden-Powell for use by his newly created boy scout organization, a piece of canvas said to have been part of P. T. Barnum’s original circus tent.. A few were for sale, some belonged in museums, and some were just odd configurations of canvas. But the owners had one thing in common: membership in the Biennial International Gathering of Tents on Parade (BIGTOP).

But when they began making plans to attend this year’s gathering of BIGTOP they learned that the burgermeister of Mainz had instructed the city council to debate the issue of whether the gathering should be allowed. Mayor Ostermann professed to be concerned about the damage the tents did in the city parks, killing the grass beneath the tents and creating an eyesore. His critics contended that the city was upset at the revenues lost because all the attendees were camping out rather than renting expensive hotel rooms. Regardless of the criticism, the mayor has instructed the council to debate the following question:

Should old and quaint tents be forgot and never brought to Mainz?



TEd