, 1874-01-11

and their Club Trends were lAsarIAp4y
the winners. Members in good standing
lost money and became suspicious. and
in sho1t time the !" friends " Ee1e marked
men. Tho officers took prompt notice. OF these
offeuses, and the Club, when called upon Tor &C.
tion Oh the matter, to its credit, perempto11ly
little while nil went well, but the old plague
again attackcd the Club; more professionals we're
introduced, more money vas lost ug 1oonfn
members the matter became scandalous 1t
peut and influential members were implicated
and finally the great bulk Of the members With
drew in disgust, and the Club came to m end. 1t
was an ignoble end, and one which should be re-
1uembored- The offending members are stl1!
marked men, and, should another club be formed
in any similar way, pains will be taken to e1-
cluds them
THE PRESS CLUB.
The next club which was formed in Chicago
Of the Bohemian order was "The Press Club
1t WAS at begt but a feeble institution. We for
bear to give the names Of the gentlemen who or
capizeA it because they are yet Bore on the sub-
1ect. The writer was member Of that Club.
His first experience OF membership was polite
request for dollar. With fond faith in tho
upseltshness Of human nature he paid that dol
lar, He was then invited into the beer saloon
which flourished under the old Sherman House.
and introduced to two other Journalists"
who wero connected, one with an inaurance
monthly the other With = publication devoted
to improving the minds Of the young. There
we're also preaent gentleman connected then
and now with triumphant German daily. and
another young man whoee vocation was to popu-
larize Art with elaborate essayB, which he sup
plemented by peddllng 80 chrome at popular
prices" The gentleman who had requested
dollar from the writer wrote bis name down IN
book, and told him he was member OF the
"Press- Club" (which was q very gratifying an
pouncement), and further Informed him that he
could vote at the annual meeting which was
about to be held. The recipient Of the dollar
then ordered beer, and subsequently, Rhine wlne-
Without doubt as to the purely unselfsh
character OF these generous proceedings on the
part of the gentleman with the dollar, the party
sat round their table, and wondered why the Ut,
tendance wns not larger. :" gave the notice."
posed at least all the Staats- zeitung gentlemen
would como to a German {Sherman) House."
ELauehter.] ave will now proceed to BUSH
ness" continued tho man with the dollar.
''Gentlemen, viii you hear tho minutes OF Last
To which, Of course. the gentlemen with the
Rhine wine responded afirnatiyelY, md the
minutes we're read.
There i tust qqGsn@ spsgsstod gg Cd
any other business, remarked ho, - besides the
election Of onicers?"
Tho writer candidly replied that he did not
know Of any, and it appeared from their remarks
that his companions didn't either. "The old
officers we're as followe,' said TIE m man N With tue
qure that the election be by ballot. Let us pro-
coed to ballot"
The writer, with grateful appreciation of the
potency Of money, nominated the only man who
appeared to have any,-the man with tho dollar.
Ind an examination of the ballots showed that
this gentleman was duly elected. Other officers
were similarly procured, and highly respecta-
ble set of names adorned the Fagca Of the book
Of records.
x,I,1 c1.n ~ Sr,f 1ns1r
papers, great dissatisfaction vas expressed At
the Jestlltical manner (the disappointed candl-
dates thought it Jcauitlcal of courso) In which
tho election had been carried. But the Clubwas
pretty well satisfied with the result. The man
with the dollars {for lie subsequently acquired
quite = number Of them) was = very enel2 2etic
aud efficient President, md but for his efforts
the Club would have lived only short time.
Under his faithful management, vigorous and
well~attended meetings were held aud when he
resigned Lis important trust to hla successor the
membership had Eearly doubled.
During it's career of nearly two years, this or
gapization accomplished some very uscfnl WORK.
It supplied eeveral sets OF pait-bearers, ind III"
dorsed aone highly eulogastle and eloquent yeso-
1utions of respect fer the memory OF deceased
members.
But its cl,ef-d'nuyTe was accomplished in
quite another raanper- It gave Dauquot at tho
old Briggs House, where all the members OF the
press paid for admission The traditional " COM
those members who Came i'll 3 professional ca
pacity, the CLUB well knowing how little enjoy
ment can be obtained from festival at Which
tha feaster is obliged TO attend to business OF 3
hirhly exaspel atlng nature. That banquet Was,
it WAS hoped the first Of series OF annual reun-
ions. to which members could bring their families
and indulge in a great deal OF friendly coin
munion But tho good Intentions which are
said to compose the sombre mosaic OF the
realms below could have been but Nicolson after
all, for the Fire swept them away with great
deal Of other useful matter. Oct 8, 1871, it
needed no formal gathering to declare tho press
Club dissolved. It's members were scattered aud
had other things to think OF, and no effort has
beeu made to reorgenlze.
It began rather ins'gnifcantly, and departed
this life in 8 blaze Of glory
THE ME1RoPoIIrAS CLUB.
The club8 whose history We have endeavored
thus briefly to present to the world, WITH nausht
creatures of the antc-fro period: They belonged
To Old Chicago, and have very little IN common
with the new. The memory Of them is mel
lowed bv tine their shortcomings half Con-
cealed in tho desert OF smoke which towers up
betyenn ue aud the DAYS of their primo, and VIC
sn,ile at Their follies and achievements, as re
would over the queer do1ng3 narrated IN Air.
Pepys' lis diary. Many Of tue members
Of the three organizations whose chronl-
are still among Us, but they are not quite tho
same individual beings. The old order
hss ;Re2Ee fn sd9s mir pssa dss0es 70 1eo5 Dsw
q model unlocked for in the
dayg no have written OF. The times have
changed, and they have changed with the tines-
Were they to start again, they might, III thelr
chastened experience. reach results such as old
ULYSSES in his moment Of loftiest enterprise
never dreamed Of; found little communities
that would shame the Carleton and the Lotos,
and make names that would live in less perish
able records than those OF dai}y journalism. But
with these gentlemen We have done, and their
deeds and misdeeds have nothing to do with the
next club OF which We shall write, aud with
which We ehal close this chapter of reminiscen-
ces. Only one name mentioned above is hero to
be repeated. Ho was Vica-presideut Of the
first club, and Vice-PreBident Of this ho
was victim to that and q victim to this.
The genial proprietor Of NcVicker's Theatre
plays the same part set down to him by the Bo-
hemians, the stage upon which the farce waB
enacted in Old Chicago being practically tho
same % that upon which he appeared AZ
comedian in the new city. McVicker's Theatre
is the scene Of the story, J. H. McVlckcr the
person most interested.
As the palaces Of stone and marble gaze tow,
erins above tho streets whereon once watched
the iowlier buildings Of tile past, so did the
gregarious gentlemen of tie Metropolitan Club,
.,,porZoritr cror {ha 11on7qfs WIN fhrnya