, 1876-03-05
oco Hurdred Clubs, and a Mem.
bership Of Fifty Thousand.
1ybat the Clubs Are, What They
Cost, aud Their Objects.
rrnpous Impressions of Cluh-Life Set
Right-..Political Clubs.
qhs War Between the Lotos and Arcadiau
Clubs, and Its Occasion.


.rstem that can onIy bs appreciated BY thos
rho lye here and witness the distinct types o
s1stauee brought ont by clnb-life and it's df
f,rsot phases. With nervous wives aud mother
The uame OF club is synonymous with gamb1in;
end dissipation. This ls as serious bIunuer il
;ts Wholesale application to the facts Of the cas-.
,uu BE- imagined. Other people think only O
r,nb as 3 stepring-s stone to social position
This il likewise mistake. The club system a.
Conducted ia NeW York, neither adds nor takes
sgaya social position. for nowhere is mat
1aessured for nearly his exact value socially
fn,nca,ly. politically. intellectually, aud his
1oo,sl WORTH as in the club There is still an
ohey popular error on tle subject OF clubs
which ought to be corrected. 1t ID a common be
lief on tie part Of thcuFands thata club ia ar
e1peusiyo luxury, ard only to be enjoyed by thf
r;ch. An experiment in this Ine will prove the
contrary.
CLUBS As COOPERATIVE 1SsTtTCrIoNs.
Considering the quality Of the living obtained
for ths money, the club-system as conducted in
this city is decidedly cheaper than housekeep-
tpe OF living in first~class hotels or boarding
houses It Is practically cooperative IN
ordinary price of living on the. European
psan ia this city is 5.5 per week, which
znc1udes meals at q restaurant and modest lodg-
ipes. Now, dczen gentlemen agree to contrib
isyesr upon Which 70 kcop house. They hire
~ elegant furnished hoase q $1,000 per
,yeH, and have still left $3.50 for
n1b!e expenses, which is more than equal to tho
necessities of the case. TINS they obtain stvl-
ish apartments and excellent fcoa and t4bl.-
lssssice for less money thau lodgings and meals
,1hirh marked their daily existence previously
10 their combination of resources. Theirs arc
NUMEROUS advantages lu method like this
'whleh no hotel Or boa:ding-buuse can oter md
1t is not surprising, therefore, that thera arc
not less than 5000 Young men in this city to-
DAY aho are living en- club. It is doubtful if
one in hundred wcrld lie willing to exchange
shit mode Of life for any other yet invented.
TIE SrMBEH OF Clubs AND THE MRMEERsu1p.
New York is second only to London in tho
number Of ia clubs. There arc now in nctiyo
operation in its limits not far from 100 regularly
organized clubs, with q membership estimated
On tic basis OF reliable Statistics at $1,000.
4 s1snse delusion exists in the popular mind
thai these associations are mainly composed Of
unmarried mea, While tho fact is inst the re-
verse. At least threo-foursas Of the club mem
tet1 in this City are married men. and more than
hsi are leading cltizeas.-.a ono sense the
hesvy men Of tho communicable bankers
aad soia merchants. This is not new
1srelatlon elther. Tho orlY1nators of clubs in
tits city rere the substantial men. From the
esrhest days Of the Hone aud Kent Clubs in
~ fo-,5aS 80 panhas, ,1ae,.. .a,'..
sented 1hc cream OF he wealth and talent Of
the city.
THE EARLY c1rBs.
These institutions lid the foundations OF
:heir Successors, aud, III spite Of modern idcas
the aims Of the original projectors OF ths clubs
uf New York have been faithfully copied.
-, :,,, e.-aN ' 11aea nt
-. $3.50 II" o1'oneu, omlooA utapet' tuoma7
3lieston James Watson Webb, and the
Henry Clay Wing aristoc1acy, in its
q. Seward were honorarv members. The Kent
Cab reoresentad he rnl;no snir;ts Of tho Amer;
can Bar, and included such shining lights a. j.
Prescott HaII. the legal father Of Wiliiam NJ.
ouent" Edward Curtis Judge Nelson, Peter A.
jsy ard Charles O'Conor. it also embraced q
literary circle IN Washington Irving, George +,
Norris, Edgar a. Poe, G. Fenno Hoffman, and
William c, BRYANT, SELDOM surpassed.
rzoer 7p.1 u.rr D7s.poF.rrn
m..~,..- 49, - .1,,,. -. ..-
a.-1 - fs sa' -n' ~ ~us s ~-As ,'a -e.u'
I'm. 49,. ~. 49, e.',, 1.e-' 1;s,a"S.:e 49,
~. -. e. -.
~ ~ <n.'1o ns~ - 4,,a n,s.. 49, t.rp p - ~
1.i,nr.s ~. tt.+ - ~ Naa, WI, G,nb IT,
r.aas.oat 49, ~ r;f.t, faa;a
~ nas c,1x r. n.s ad as:e,1.s .S
rrs.t;aa sol - s%a ,pco :. e,,a."es
n ~an. -. hax.sa-,,. .n,oaa;. ~ a,a.nha,s ~
.,n indsr+odaas. 49, I;1e . as,,-a- 1ro~-, ..a
i,e ,.a,a ~, ~ s'' Ss.,. - ,.~.,,ss |
1annons f,;l1-a va wss " ~ tha Fc1act;c occnov-
ing handsome rooms Opposite ,he Hotel Brurs- |
wick On Fifth ayenue. The most renowned |
however, OF the suspended clubs was the !
tFheaaun, which fifteen or twenty years |
atp stood in tho front rank. none more {
sought after, none more coveted, ard !
apE arent1y houriahiug. Il died OF severe /
Eta u OF "Debt, brought On BY gradual
aban. tonment of its apartments by the mem-
ben, Ind their joining other, younger, fresher,
Ind nj ire attractive ciubs- It did not need nem-
bera 50 much as patrons. This Is an e7ll which
q sfactn nlsny more OF the leading clubs,
Ehoagh OF to inch an extent as to impair their
Tha-e are hundreds Of leading citi-
!ans, Like Alexander T. Stewart e. H Ciafln,
lohn J. Cisco. William IL. Evarts, Royal Phelps.
aoses Taylor, vi liam E. Dodge, aud others, |
mo are members ct three or four clubs: bus ere
arey inside the rooms Of either, excepting upon
5EeAt occasions.
,rE UNION CLUB.
This ha;n, +,,s olaeat 10 entit,ad n tho first
,ot;ca 1'Dk =. .,e 7 .,,,a;,sa s;..aa.at;a
.e"e. u IS tne nAnie oAe'osNer "17'ociA1e'
NO mgh-toued organization to-day as 1t was
Then starre1 in 1R3f: bv phiin Hone J. DeDevs- |