The New York herald., 1871-03-16
A LITERARY BANQUET.

COnviviaI HumOrs of the knights Of the
QuilI-A Good Dinner, Good Company,
Appropriate Speeches and Pleasant
Evening.
Around large and b0untifully spread table In the
grand banquet hail Of the ST, james Hotel, bright
with fruit and flowers and cleaning with glass ana
silver the publishers OF the 4dne gathered together
last evening the best known New York wits,
journalists aud men OF letters to fttingy
celebrate the triumphant success OF their
monthly venture 1t was pre-eminenty
literary banquet Not single unprofessional
face Get the rowing eye OF the journalist as it made
The circuit OF the festive board. Knights OF the quill
OF every rank there OF them the big fish,
who write the big books ana gam by letters the an
nual guerdon of the President of the United States
others scarcely so great, who exc out respectable
salaries on the great journals by the manufacture Of
an occasional respectable volume, and others again.
the small fry OF the literary fish pond who live by
reporting fires, and dinners, and palls and courts
and primary ward meetings, and dreadful railroad
massacres. The pressreliglous and secular, sporve
and sedate commercial and Observation-Disclosures
each It's anatomical mite TO tni, grand collection OF
successful pen drivers. Mr.. Beecner, beaming with
good humor ana every one OF his many gray hairs
IN his case, III sober truth, the witnesses OF early
pety-eecirned BY the spirit OF the occasion stand
head, presided. At his lett, missing Mr. Sutton, the
hos sat the prophet of the Gotden Age Mr.. Tilton,
whose face OF ''ruggedly intellectual beauty"
ligHtened and darkened with passing spasms OF
divine emotion. AT the right OF the President
was the bald head the white whiskers, the calm
face the slender form and the ever-wakeiul brain OF
the greatest OF American poets.' Mr.. Bryant
Radating from this galaxy OF genius were all sorts
and degrees OF literary lights-nashng stars OF the
Fourth Estate e-from the second down 10 the lorty.
third degree OF magnitude and brliaGCy.
The dinner was very good and the speaking was
also very good, and, for banquet OF Its kind very
gCod-hnmored well. or course few
passing clouds cast now ana then an evanescent
shade of gloom over the festive sky. Mr.. Tilton
made almost an offensive aluson TO the success OF
his new paper, anu MIR. Beecher retorted by asking
him to 'mprove his success' religiOus readers
Ing orother's deah'D by following the example Of
the Aldtne publisher and giving grand spread Mr..
Beecher said he was quite ready at the shortest pos
sble notice TO eat another colossal dinner.
''The sage or Chappaqua' also put his foot In
1t by throwing a few pleasant sluls upon the i'm
portance Of the pulpit lie thought the press the
greatest agent OF civilization and the most i'm
portant means of educating and refining public
sentiment. Mr.. Beecner again took up the cudgels
and belabored the bran bread philosopher with
lrOnical laudatons of his well known piety.
In one thing, however, all the speeches agreed
that the Abit was credit to American illustrated
tom OF healthy national taste.
Altogether the DINNER was "a charming Interrupt
ton OF the ordinary mhl-horse routine OF journal
Ism and literature, and there prevailed among the
guests a very unanimous hope that SO good an eX-
ample would ind many imitators.