Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1878-12-15
The London EIahs.

The London CIdbs-
From the London Week, November 9Th:
"There are many clubs at which, for various
offenses, as for want of punctualliy IN pay
ing subscriptions, playing for stakes higher
than those allowed by the club rules, remain
ing beyond the hour fixed for closing, and SO
on, fines are imposed. But there : only one
club in London where sentence Of tempo
rary Punishment may be passed upon mem
Der, whose conduct Is considered worthy OF
blame. though not sufficiently so TO desc rye
expulsion. At the last established OF the
great political clubs, the Devonsl;re, IN St.
James street, the committee possesses the
right of exiting a member for Tear, during
which period the prescribed one must pay
his subscription as If he were continuing to
enjoy the advantages OF the club. The posi-
ton of member thus formally and elective
" sent to Coventry cannot be a pleasant one.
His feelings Oh returning to the society OF
those who have found 1t desirable to keep
him at a distance for an entire twelve
month must be far from enYIabe- On
due reflection, however, he would doubt
less prefer suspension to expulsion.
zone of the latest Clu0S n London seems 10
be the Beef-Steak, and here the lateness
of the hours sometimes kept Is sufficiently
indicated by the rules. he club IS supposed
to close at three O'Clock; and after three
O'Clock the head waiter Is empowered to call
the attention of tue manners remaining to
the fact that It l. past three. At four o clock
he enjoys the right Of tas-,ag down the names
of the members still at tle club, and may,
| further, at the fast convenient opportunity,
exercise the privilege OF submitting them to
| the committee. Ii several Of the late-stay-
| ers proved 10 be members Of the committee,
no very serious consequences would follow
from strict application OF this rule.
1.-Two of the dearest clabs n London, SO
| far as regards the sum charged tor entrance
| snlsgrTnt1On
| Travellers and the Reform. At each OF
| these clubs the entrance fee l. 81 los, the
annual subscription $40 los. AZ the Carlton
| the entrance fee is 920, the annual subscrp-
ton $40 los. At the Junior Carlton the
| entrance tee is $50 IS, the annual subscrip-
ton eS IS. Often, however, the charges
| for dinners, wines and refresh
meuts are il inverse proportion
| to the charges for entrance ard subscription.
Thus, to judge by the cost OF articles of Ie
freshmen cut Of which no great profit Is
likely to be mad, at the Beef Steak club,
where the entrance fee is $40 los, the annual
subscription 81 IS, the charge for q cup OF
| tea with cream Is sixpence. At the Arts
club, where the enhance fee Is SO los, the
annual subscription e6 g., a cup OF tea with
milk cost fvepence. At the Reform club
! (entrance, 81 los; annual subscription,
| $40 lOS), a cup OF tea with cream costs four
! psDce At the artistic clubs Arts, Beef
| Steak, Savile) q half bottle OF ordinary
| French wine is charged one shilling or Is 81.
| At the Reform the same description OF wine
! can be had for siXpe1ce the half bottle. At
! the large clubs, on the other hand, the
charge for table money, especially for
! strangers table-money, Is IN some cases I'M
reasonably high.
There seems in the development Of club
| life to be growing tendency toward admit
ting strangers on all possible occasions. Forty
| years ago, until n the year 1887 the Army
and Navy club was established, there was not
CLUB IN London at which q member could
entertain 8 friend. At the Senior United
Service, the AthenBum and the Carlton, a
member, now IS when these clubs were first
started, cannot offer q visitor any refresh
| ment. At the Reform club a member may
! invite friends TO dinner and entertain them
as literally as be Raseq n curing aud TIA
/ of refreshn1ents to a visitor whom he has not
formally invited at least two hours before
! hand to dine with him.
! At the Garrick club strangers may be IN
vited to dine, and any kind Of soup, fish,
made dish and pastry may be offered to
| them; but they are not allowed to have a
slice from the joint A particular kind Of
steak has been invented at this club, as If for
| the consolation of visitors, to whom It Is
| served in lieu of roast meat.
"At most OF the theatrical clubs strangers
are freely adniitted-so freely, indeed, taat
| at the Arundel cases are sad to have occurred
| in which members arriving late at night
found that there was nothing for supper, the
provisions having all been consumed by hun
CRY visitors. The Garrick can scarcely be
considered a theatrical club, though a certain
number of actors still belong to it. 1t Is con-
sidered an advantage, however, In being pro-
posed for the GarrIck, not to have anything
| to do with the stage, as it Is desirable at the
Ather@um not to have written book.
"a certain number of actors and good
many musicians are members OF the West
minister club, in Albemarle street, sand to have
been founded chiefly for the convenience Of
certain number of gentlemen ut the West
Ead who happen to be engaged IN trade.
Probably no club in London mas better cock
or a better cellar than the Westminster.
Here, as at the Arts club and the Savlle, a
house-dinner is served daily II td6te-d note
fashion at very moderate charge. There
seems to be no limit at the Westminster ID
the number of friends whom member may
invite, either to dinner or to supper. 1t IS
one of the few large clubs at which good
deal of supping together with certain
amount of late card playing( takes place.
At the large West End clubs OF the hrst rank
an order for supper causes certain sensa-
ton. After ten O'Clock the servants consider
that the day g work Is at an end; the dlnlng-
room is impertectly lighted; and the chop,
the steak or the slice OF cold meat has to be
| eaten in solitude and gloom.
cit is very difficult to diae late and after
wards to sup; this feat being one which, as
rule, can only be performed by young men
with digestive powers fully developed and
not vet impaired, or bJ actors, who, dining
| early. need ID second meal at night. All the
| clubs, then, to which a certain number OF
| actors belong, are supper clubs. Inc last
| established of the theatrical cin5s, the Green
Room, differs from all the cther clubs IN
ha.ing o.Ie nighf each week set apart for
musical performances. Every ctuo has
| right to make its own rules, out the IntroCuc-
| ton of amateur singing may well be objected
| to by two classes OF members-ih1ss yyho
| cannot endure music and those who really
| like it.
cat the Devonshire club strangers may be
| invited to lunch, a practice not permitted at
| the Reform. : ) The youngest and n some
respects the best OF the military clubs-the
| Naval and Military in Piccadllly-garden
parties are given during the summer, to
| which, naturally, ladies are invited Ladies'
| too, are INVITED to the coHrcrsGzi0ns of the
| Arts club, and ladies are in other and more
direct ways and OF their own accord, without
invitation OF any kind, entering gradUA y
! into club life.
"The most liberal club, to judge from the
| terms of the written constitution, is the Carl
| ton, and the next is the Reform. At several
of the conservative clubs-the Junior C2rl-
| ton, fOT instance, the Conservative, and, also,
| the Junior Conservative ID candidate IL re-
| quired not only to be a conservative bat 70
| declare himself follower OF the recognized
leader of the conservative party. At the Re-
| form club 1t is only necessary to be 'Se-
| torlaef,i ana until ouf laws and methods Of
! legislation and of political administration are
| absolutely perfect, who can say he IS not in
some degree a reformer? At the Carlton no
profession of faith whatever is demanded
from candidetc
TAT the Travellers club the primary condi-
ton of membership is that the candidate
! shall have travelled out of the British islands
| TO a distance of at least five hundred miles in
| a straight line. This, in the present day IS
| not a very formidable requirement. At the
| new Travellers, however, 1t Is snot even stIpu-
| lated that the candidate shall have been as
far as Brighton.
There is a certain pretentiOusness IN one OF
| the rules Of the Union club (since adopted by
| the Oriental), which sets forth that the club
is to consist of so many gentlemen of the
! first distinction and character The ideal
! here proclaimed is rot bad one TO aim at.
| But both at the Oriental and the Union there
are plenty of men who, whatever their char
acter may be, are certainly not of the first
| distinction
Members are not allowed to take anything
IN the shape of wine, liquors or provisions
| into a club, nor to take anything of the kind
out. Sat the Senior United Service
club, however, they are all permitted by a
special rule to introduce game, venison or
! turtle, but nothing else, for the use of them
| selves Or of other members