Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-12-07
THE pHILADELPHIA HVISTAR
P4hTJES.'
[Trom Forney's Progress. ]

P4hTIES.'
Iron Forney's Progress
But this Saturday Club dates back for more
| than half century; it is revival of the old
''Wistar parties, which arose in ISIS, after the
death OF DR.. Caspar Wistar, the eminent pro-
lessor and philanthropist His receptions were
| every saturday night, and were largely attend
| ed by men OF learning. He was born in 116l.
| read medicine in London, and graduated in Ed
! ingburgh; and his career In Philadelphia was
! very distinguished. His companions resolved
! to meet weekly after his death, and their club
! was called WfStar parties, at first confined to
| twelve, afterwards extended to twenty-fOur. to
! which others were invited. until as many as
| hundred met at times. WiStar parties con-
tinued till just before the war, when they fell
off, and gave way within a few years TO the
| present saturday Night Club.
Wien the Wistar parties began, Philadelphia
was the chief city in the United states. Her So
| cety and science, her artists and inventors. her
medical colleges were confessedly the best
EoStOn only aspiring to be her rival. DR.. Wis
! tar Knew Washington and his associates and
81 BENJAMIN Franklin, David Rittenhouse
and Robert Fulton, and the parties called after
him We're the social gatherings at which the
fathers OF the BinneyS, IngersollS, 11lghmanS
Reads, Rushers Cadwa'aderS, BiddleS, and
Caleys met and mingled They were the creme
ia OF the period of Jefferson, Monroe Mad
ison. A. j. Dallas, Gallatin, and their cOntem-
| lorarieS. How they were attended and con-
ducted the character Of the liquors and food
they consumed, and, above ALL the cost, present
such a contrast to the breakfasts, dinners, and
suprers of the present day, that the difference
/ l.
ateS OF Dr. Caspar Wistar, was Chief Justice
11lghman. OF the supreme Court OF PennSyl-
vania. He gave number OF the parties, after
the death Of the great Doctor in 1918, on which
| occasion the Justice pronounced, before the
! Philosophical Society, eulogium upon his en-
! fnent friend. The chief justice kept memo
randum OF the guests and expenses, and have
| been permitted, by one of his kinSmen, TO eX-
| anime the curious and instructive record. The
| difference between that distant period and the
/ extravaganza and luxury OF the present time
/ could not be more powerfully Illustrated than
by these faded manuscripts
| There are eight memoranda of eight parties
given by the old chief at his residence, on Chest
! nut street, north side, below 18th, on the site
/ afterwards occupied by the Arcade, and now
covered by the great establishment of DR..
/ jayne. / take that of December 9th. 1S23-fifty-
| flVe years ago. There were f0rty-One persons
! present.
! Copy Of the Bill Of Fare and Cost of the Party
Cream, 25c; cakes, 81; 800 oysters. S.; 5 quarts
| ice-cream, 1915: pnts whisky, $3.50; bottles
| CoTbenneX, Sl.3a; l bottle Madeira, 81; 2 dozen
| lemons, pound candles, tea, coffee, sugar, and
! waiter, 81 80; total for IL guests, $13.33!
! The next memorandum enumerateS the guests
| at the Chiefs NiStar party, February 9TH, 1925
the bill of fare and the cost In 1925 these guests
| were known as well in what was Republican
| America then as they still are in the old famt-
t lies OF Philadelphia now Invited, 60; those who
| came, 81; 'memberS and their sons, IL; gentle
men OF the city, not members, 81; strangers, 9
| 3D." Now read the roster: General Caldwalder
/ and son 1.-THE present Judge John OF General
! George, Mr.. Short, Henry Carey, jr. (our sub
| iecN, Captain Biddle brother OF Nicholas,
Bishop White {head of the Episcopal Church),
. p. A. Browne, Robert Walsh Uournalist), Lang
! don CheveS of South Carolina, William Mere
| dith Gather OF William NJ. Incredibly, z. S. Du-
| ponceau, Joseph HOpkinSon, the author of
! "Hafl Columbia" Prince Canine, Mr.. Stokoe,
| Mr.. Roccioli, and others. Bill of fare, in the
handwriting of the chief justice: Cream q
quarts, 5Gc mullins 31c.; cakes, $3.50; 400 oys-
/ tiers, -; whisky q quartsl, 81; bottles French
wine, 81 SO; Of Madeira, 81; waiter (Mr. Chew
! seryant), 5Oc.,-total, s1l.95.
Vhn 1;ctof
and bill of fare for the WiStar party, December
oath, 1925: Invited, So; engaged, % came, g.
! Among the names were those above enumer-
ated, and r: Peters, yr:, Judge OF the District
and son, Mr. Clay, Gather OF Joseph c. Clay,
Rev. Or: Abercrombie; Bill OF fare: Four gal
Ions whisky punch, which required two quarts
OF whisky, and a dollars worth of lemons; four
| bottles MADEIRA and four of Sauterne, cakes, Ice
cream, four hundred oysters, two fowls, two
pheaSantS, a turkey, rib Of beef, ham, chicken
salad-.'a0t enough Of THIS, plenty Of cccrything
etse," says the CHIEF, as he gravely adds, mo
tea or Coffee
tains the names OF Mr.. Binney, Mr.. John Scar
gent, Mr.. Nicholas Btddle afterwards of the
| United states Bank, b. Chew, Jr. {. w. Peale,
samuel Chew, Charles Carroll (of CarrolltoI),
! George nj. Dallas, DR.. Bache, e. V. Merrick,
Gerard RalSton. Richard WiStar, w. RawIe. ST.
! Mir. Bayard grandfather OF the present Sena-
tor, Judge Gibson (Bannister), Rev. Mr.. Fur
/ less father CT W. H.. )-I9 invited, OF whom -
/ cane. Bill of fare: Wine, say s. 90; cakes
Sl.G0; fowls, sl.oo; sugar. sl.5o; whisky. S1.eo;
lemons Sl.l2; cream and mullins, 60 cents; oyS-
terS $780, celery, g CENTS lights, 81 90; waiter
80 CehtS-tlJ.t2.
March seth, 1925. This was large party.
The Chief says:-"' There were two ROOMS open,
and the company near one hundred Among
the guests were our young friend Henry G.
Carey and his father: Charles Carroll. General
| Cadwalader and his son John. Prince Charles
lie Canine, DR.. Chapman, Reuben Haynes Judge
Mexican. afterwards President Jackson's Sec
| rotary OF StateD Mr.. Joseph Reed and son W.
b. Reed, Mr.. Lab0uchere, of England; Colonel
Reckwith, of England, who lost leg at Water
loo; Mr.. owen, OF Lanmark, Scotland, grand
! father OF Robert Dale Owen,) Moses Levy. and
others. This was very distinguished assem-
bly,, and cost the enormous sum of $24.09!
| shall only notice one more, that OF January
9th, 1876. seventy eight asked, and forty came.
| Laid the large dining table, says the Chief
land two ends' Entire cost about SIS. There
| were four gallons OF whisky punch; lit takes a
pint and ID half Of whisky to each gallon :"
| Among the guests were young Charles j. In
gerson and his brother. Joseph r., Mr.. Frank
White, and Mr.. Hazard, of Mauch Chunk, the
| Prllssian Charge dAfaireS, Mr.. Steen, Danish
| Minister, Mathew Carey, and his son Henry c.
such was the state OF society in Philadelphia
making Progress" since, in the cost, II not in
the quality, OF our entertainments. The men
who made up the company at the Wistar par
ties were known throughout the world for en-
| terplise, science and craftsmanship; and yet
| they lived with singular frugality and sfmplf-
city! You Will notice that champagne, johann
| their appearance in 1926. The eanvas-back,
! II 1t was seen at all, was rare, and terrapin
seems to have been among the undiscovered
| treasures. | might complete the contrast by
producing the bill OF Saturday night party In
this era; and that would be nothing to the cost
OF political dinner at the Republican Club, or
Union League of Philadelphia, or the Demo-
cratic Manhattan Club OF New York. or a No.
vemoer game supper at Tafts, Point Shirley,
near Boston. Such accounts as these would
make tie members Of the old Wistar parties
stare If they could be recalled from their hon.
ored graves, and would stir the bones of the
efeminate Romans themselves with envy at
the lives and luxury Of the Republicans OF the
nineteenth century.
| E Capt Kershaw, at the age of 90, married a
! girl Cf IL They lived together unhanojly a fe "