The New York herald., 1870-05-12
TIE WASHINGTON CLUE.
A New Club Orgunixation in Harlem nnd
RriIlinnt Recognition Festivities.

A New Club Organization in Harlem and
Brilliant Reception Festivities.
A marked feature OF our modern metropolitan life
Is the rapid growth Of CLUB organizations. Pleasant
evenings in pleasant clubs with all the social con.
vivality and delight, though perhaps, with less
the aesthetic and Intellectual element OF
THE SPACIOUS TINES OF GREAT gLIzABErH,
OF poets in consultations, OF the shining era Of
which Shakespeare was the central figure, OF tnose
primal club days when Johnson and Gold
smith and Garrick and Sir Joshua Reynolds
met and ate and drank and gossipped
OF politics and literature and the arts are one of the
grandly crownlng victories Of the present times.
The city abounds In these pleasant cubs-from those
occupying palatial brown stone front quarters on
TO fame unknown As the city extends It's these
club organizations extend with II. Not long since
NE iemersca ,n GG n was ~ ~ aorkve
fashion and refinement to the further end OF our
island new club has Just been formed, calling
quirlers In Harlem, at No. POS East Roth street,
and II requires no gift Of prophecy to foresee that
far and attractive club as Is now the only one IN
the upper section OF the city.
Last evening was the first reception OF the Wash.
ingOn Club To say that II was brilliant affair Is
only tame description OF It.. The club has leased
whole building, and throughout IL Is furnished with
the most elaborate but elegant TASTE Its parOrs
large and snmptuons Its supper rooms neat AMI
spacious, its billiard rooms capacious and airy, and
Its card rooms pleasant anu cOsey While well chosen
paintings and pictures adOrn ITS walls Very few
OF city clubs have more perfect and fitting ap.
pointments. ls purpose is s0cabllity, and Its mem
bers comprise the leading influential citizens of the
Twelfth ward. irrespective OF differences In nation
aliry religious or political creed. The present
officers are:-Jonn Hall0ran, President; Archibald
Philips Jr, Vice President; Francis d. King Trea-
snrer; James A. Sherry, Secretary, and w. d. Welch
Financial Secretary. About three hundred invita-
tions seat out for last evening reception The
company began assembling about nine O'Clock, ana
with the ladies In attendance. unpropitous as the
evening was. made about double this number pre-
sent The Astor House string band furnished most
agreeable music while the numerous guests stroed
through tine spacious and elegant rooms, admirng
the beauty and completeness OF their appointments.
AT eleven O'Clock the party sat down to o magnl1
ana brilliant speeches followed. The President
made the opening speech, which bubbled over
with the choicest wit ana sentiment. Mr..
Francis D. King responded In the most felcitous
STRAIN to the toast Of "Washngton,n and rich and
racy response was made by Mr. Sherry to the toast
"The Ladies'--that universal toast, but responded
TO with such general unvarying tameness. Other
speeches, iniermingng she boldest light Of impas-
stoned Oratory, plainness OF speech, sparkling wit
and piquant and amusing anecdotes, were made by
Mr.. William Httchman, late Speaker of the As
sembly; Senator Henry w. Genet, Hosea b. Perkins,
Lawrence ID. Kiernan, Alderman Long, Colonel
George r. Webster James Sullivan, John Hart, Will
liam Wood and others. After The supper and
speeches succeeded music and dancing. lt was a
most enjoyable OCCASION ami as Understandable a. IL
enjoyable II was late when the festivities ter
minated. f| a. +