Litchfield enquirer., 1871-06-22
THE BUTTON NINE.
FROM THR YALE LITERARY MAGAZINE.

| Litchfield hath her victories as well as War. Litchfeld, in comparison to whose eminences the seven hills, of imperial Rome were as but the s'small dust of the balance" !" and which can give long odds to Washing
 ton itself in the way of Insignificant dis tances," Litchfeld, we say, is still par ea,. celence renowned as the home of the Out ton Nine. The possession of this club it is which makes her, as aforesaid, the rival of war. A slight sketch, then, of this com- pany on whose banners victory would have so often lit, if any had ever been purchased for her to perch on, showing it's peculiar organism, discipline and history, will no doubt be acceptable and certainly useful to every one at all interested in the nation ial game.
 Its organism is peculiar, so much so in fact that rival clubs have applied that ad- jective to the organization in Bret Hartian sense. The first peculiarity of the club is it's marked political basis. Like another famous club, the Mutuals, of New York, it is an organ of Democracy. The nine is. l therefore, free trader, supporter of easy naturalization laws, and prone withal to avail itself occasionally of the ''repeaters. :" It is these eccentricities which have laid it open at times to the envious slurs just u4Cu sAOu0u. Illus At B6GA0E0 AGS CuamP1OAS from Waterbury. Bridgeport, New Milford gesting them for sixty short days. changes them into veritable ''Duttons." And then it does not, to say the least, discourage re- beating Particular mention would, per- haps, in this connection be, as the papers say, invidious, yet even with our modesty l we cannot refrain from recalling one guile less youth whose auburn locks futtered in the Derby breezes three timesin as many clubs during the space of four weeks, while being at the same time regular member of two clubs more. This gay deceiver, we regret to say, was afterwards welcomed to the Duttons. But such eccentricities are happily among the things that were, and this year we believe no member owes di vided allegiance. e' .asHasa @1 's@ As we have mentioned several particulars in which the club evinces Democratic or- igin and policy, it is but fair to mention one esse ntial feature in which it radically differs from Tammany. The club is not a pecuniary success, and so love rather than money is the incentive to official ambition among its members. All envy and picker. ing and back biting is removed by the sim- pie expedient of letting the officers. or officer flor the government is despotism), be responsible for all expenses of the club. Much of the wire pulling and soreness con- sequent upon annual elections is eliminat- ed by this happy provision. In other clubs each officer may be envied by his subordi- mates; but as Mr. Milton in his invaluable work goes on to suggest, who here will en- " him whom the highest place exposes foremost to stand the opponents aim, and condemns to greatest share of endless pay- in?
 Iwould not have thought, however, that that the uniueky favorite whohas the great ness of the consolidated officers of the club thrust upon him does, in fact, bear all the expenses of the concern. Time would fail to tell of the loyal and patriotic citizens of the hill whose hearts and purses are always open to his occasional appeals. A stroll through the billiard or bar rooms of the Mansion House, or few moments lying in wait at the Post Office, is the potential measure of many dollars. In fact 1t some times becomes necessary to restrain the impetuous generosity of the s'backers'' lest there should really be that not-to-be- thought.ot contingent surplus @'
 In saying that the club organization is ''one man government,'I I have done great injustice to another most diligent and Cin- dispensable official of the club who rejoices in the classic name of Epaphroditus Har- rison, abbreviated to Paph by his more in innate friends--among whom are included the entire Litchfield species of the human race. doubt if Mir. Harrison ever sprang from sea foam, unless possibly from the Black sea variety, for though most ~em- phstically shining light in the club, his brightness is rather the luster of ebony than the brilliancy of silver. He is not an Apollo, 8 Beau Brummel nor 9 Murray, but Paph, peculiar and sat yeneris. like the club he serves. His character may be defined in word as obiiging. He car ries messages, presides over the water pail and takes care of the bats, carrying them patiently to and from the field either on his sturdy back, or as is more commonly reported, in his mouth, which latter mode of conveyance is said to be the reason why so many are annually lost. This tradition must be considered superstition merely, but it is certain that the receptacles he uses for the safe keeping of the club para phernalia are almost as strange as the abysr nal gulf where rumor keeps them. Out of rat holes, and from under steps and piazzas and behind bars and managers, the bats is- sue at the appointed time ia readiness for victory. But Paph is helpful in other ways 1 than as a stoor-r0om. He IS servant whose energies never tire, a partizan whose loyalty never falters, g (theoretical) packer
 whose hope and pluck never fails. an eulo- logist whose tongue never sleeps. Poor Paph! he would die without the Duttons, and we are not sure that the Buttons could live without him. rat. fss8 We had intended to give some sketch of the many enthusiastic packers of the nine, and brief resume of it's very peculiar dis cipline and glorious history, but our cour-l age fails us before such . gigantic task. and we leave to abler hands subject so worthy l of the ablest. .# F t.4a 9a THE LITERAL. DONNIE. Rev. MT. T., of Hartford, stated in my hearing once that he had either heard or read of . clergyman who was so rigidly and frigidly literal, so denssly and swinishly m imaginative. and matter. of-fact, that he was wholly incapa- ble of entertaining or comprehending 9 metaphor of any kind whatever ;; and in- stanced the fact that this clergyman believ- ed to his dying day that Shakespeare's mind was oYerstrained and confused by too intense application when he wrote that there be I..ss,as,s s.ss a - sermons in stones,
 Books in the running brooks,
 @ And good in everything,
 and contended that it was perfectly plain | xI,ax ,rf,oA t,s s,,oonk fn sey swag fhAk there