The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-09-06
TIE SMITHS AT PEAPACK.
PETER j. UELCOMING 1880 or THEM
TO THE OLD HOMESTEAD.
An Orator who Traced the Name Rack 20
IIoiiand-P hotogrnphinrn ms Many OF Yester-
days Multitude rs Could he q OF Into Focus.

An Orator VINO Traced the Name Hack to
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ns Many Of Yester-
days Multitude rs Could he q ct Into Focus.
IL Is related OF a keen tactlclan, that. GO
ing once into London Theatre he found the
throng so largo that he was unable to obtain
seat but. by shouting: Mr. Smith. your house
il on fire." ne sont about sixth OF the audience
hurrylng out and there was plenty Of room.
Had this ruse been practised with proportionate
success yesterday. on the handsome New Jcr
soy farm Of Mr.. Peter Y. Smith. not less. prob
ably than three thousand persons would have
hastcncd to their homes in various parts OF the
State
II was not really the day set apart for the
Smith picnic. That annual festival. under moro
nuspicous circumstances. should have been
celebrated on Wednesday. But in the early
morning tho skies were lowering 30 threaten
ingly that hasty meetings Of the great Smith
family were held IN all of the chief towns and
villages Of Now Jersey. and pos,poncment
until yesterday was decided upon. tele-
graphic dispatches being sent from one
meeting TO another. But. although this de-
cison was adopted by large majority Of
tho Smiths in the State Of New Jersey. It was by
no means to be expected that among 30 numer-
Gus n family there should be no headstrong and
refractory members. There were many such.
and they resolved to go TO the picnic grounds
despite the threatening aspect OF the weather.
Few of thcm. however, reached the old farm,
for nj ii O'Clock the rains descended ana the
winds cnme and bent upon those elf-reliant
Smiths until they were forced 10 take refuge IN
places NJ shelter. and think less sternly OF what
had previously seemed to them an excess OF
caution ON the part OF thoir many namesakes
Nevertheless they rcaped some benefit from
so near the picnic grounds that they had only
short distance further TO 20 and 1t would be
hard. indeed. to discover place more 1lcult
81 access than that scattered village glorying in
the cuphoniOus tito Of reapack. II IL not on
any line Of railroad mud is twelve miles from
the nearest station. It can only b. reached by
driving over very bad roads or walking, Many
Of the Smiths chose the latter method MS the
II is not easy for superficial observer TO dis
cover at first why this .out,of-the-wny place
should have been chosen for the annual gather
ing. hut the reason is that the old farm h9use IL
occupied by n direct descendant OF John Henry
and Margaret Ann Smith. the first q the name.
II II avowed who ever settled in New jersey.
The house IL unchanged. and Peter u. smith
received the .pi"nickcrs with a courteous and
old-fashioped hospitality that delighted them
H. was ably seconded 10y his son Isaiah Smith
OF. Mlburn, who presided over the assembly
II was nSt Necessary th"m 9nytn r6b 10
their own provisions with them. which WIS n
thoughtful thing 10 do for had they gone empty,
handed all Peapack could not have supplied
! them with anything like sufficient food.
They began IN arrive as early Ms o'clock,
most 81 the nrst c9mers being those VINO hnd
stopped in the vicinity on the preceding day.
when the untimcly rain checked their anticpa-
tons. They care fastcr as the hours rolled on.
and ms noon approached the rugged and muddy
roads leading from all tho railroad stations
and large towns within radius OF twenty
miles were. alive with crowded vehicles Of
| probably not loss than fifteen hundred
wagons Of various kinds on the farm. and 1t
/ was estimated that upward OF $500 persons
were present They were not all Smiths, how
ever. There were certainly 1900 pleasure
! seekers hearing other names hut II stranger
| had addressed one of the picnickers nj random.
| and rs kcd INN what his name was, the chancrs
p py wonI have BEEN Sir my n1no h T. smith
! and il is not improbable that II would have
been John Smith. for it is almost needless to
/ say that there were far more Of this tlme-hon-
/ orui name than Of any other.
At noon dinner was spread upon the tables,
/ and ~ every one knew the natur" Of the meal
and the exact quality Of the cookery. there was
no disappointment when the dishes were uncov-
| cred. But there were many pleasant inter
! changes Of provisions and compliment Thus
Dan Smith commended Robert Smiths appo-
tito. ard offered tn bartcr chicken for veal, and
! Smiths hat, but went So fnr rs 10 give her soy.
eral slices 81 ham for nm equivalent in cold
! roast beef Alexander Smith changed cheese
/ Tor bacon, and James smith, who had nothing
/ of any const Quence. offered 10 give IL all for
glnss Of ale. Blu; Intoxicating liquors were not
| ensily procured. ana II may De- credited To- tho
Smiths ~ New Jersey TINT. SO far rs could be
sern. there was not drunken man among
| them.
There did not seem to be much genius for
| oratory in their ranks, for when. after dinner.
the speakers assembled stand that had been
/ dozen orations. the Smiths were silent. Not one
of them figured among the speakers. hut the
| HcN. Mr. Frigcs. WHO made the chief address.
said he had discovered within the past year that
he had some Smith blood in his veins Tho
Smiths. he said came originally from Holland.
ana they hnd literally made that country
only made II great politically, hut redeemed its
Soil from tho sea. He DIES 'ribed Holland. with
its peculiar system ~ dykes. emhankments. and
drainage. and claimed that none but the power
ful race OF Smiths could have kept II above
water.
Amnng tho other snoakors ypre the Roy & +
Woodruff 81 Duuell@n and the Rev. MIR Andcr-
son. who both praised the Smiths warmly. Tut
mad" no effort 10 establish any claim OF con
nrction with them.
Al the close of the oratory the Smiths were
informed that n photographer was present. and
group. They hockcd before his camera. but. OF
course. only Il comparatively small number
could be- brought into IN" focus although a vast
thron.. with und! shnllc features formed
n pleasing background. The artist said the
photograph WAS u EreAt success.
There WINS no music ur dancing, for tho Rari-
tan band that had been hired for the previous
day had gon" home and rs there were some
fears entertained that yesterday. too might be
wet. they were not told to come back.
The picnic necessarily broke up early and II
WIS matter of wondcrment 10 the inhabitants
Of Pcapack where all the people went 70. Most
OF them, certainly. found accommodation IN the
ncShhorhood. and one old lady tried vainly for
~ hour 10 got a conveyance 10 tako her to
pull-'cm-up" Nobody knew 81 any place SO
called, until gentleman Of the name OF Smith
suggested that perhaps she alluded 10 n town
with somewhat similar nHme * miles from
PcapAck. She said she did. and she was driven
pronounced Pluck -'rm-in." and spclt with an
Il instead OF " e before the IN.