Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-06-25


| SOMETHING ABOUT LIBERAL" cruss IN w.su
| lNGToH-THR THOUGHr kxcBAx6s ANrt Trs
| LkADBRs-AN UNwHoLKsoMs NEST.
IL Is an fll-wfnd that blows nobody good The
Thought Exchange" has prodted. in one way.
by the recent free love scandal In which it /,
chairman, Mr.. Burlingame. figured Ia no favor
able light The attendance since the puolica-
ton OF Burlingame's matrimonial troubles has
ne ally doubled. as the increase IN the number
OF nickels In the little basket held by the door
| eper Will testify. Since Burlingame made his
personal explanation" 10 bis free thou mt cro-
ms fortnight or more ago, there has been no
special ref renee made 10 freelove or the Oh air.
| man divorce suit. though there are undouot-
eoly some among the new corners who have
/ ATTENDED solely. through morbid curiosity
| hoping that The subject Of free love will bs
brought up for discussion. Washington city is
| one OF the
| MOST CHRISTIAN CITIES
In the Union, SO far as observing religious forms
| and keeping the Sabbath is concerned. While
other cIti,s have their theatrical entertain
| ments and questionable sports on Sunday.
| washington keeps the dayfa Puritan fashion
even the bells being taken from the street cars
! is worked OIL by means Of Sunday excursions
| aIo Part OF the community is carried do IN
ne river. where it can De boisterously irrev-
ere1t without inturing the reputation the city
has fer sabbath day quiet.
| ALSO A GOOD MANY INFIDELs
Still, 1t is said. there Is no other city OF the
size Of Washington, where one viii find a
greater number of protesting inidels, and OF
| people Of the most liberal and Conscience
Easing religious beliefs. Washington has been
| TOT several years the home OF Bob Ingersoll
out long before that leader In skepticism came
| there were circles Of So called liberals There
"a mas lod any years past always been some sort
OF organization here. wherein have been gath
/ eftd The skepticS, sctners, spirtualists and
Others, whose religious views. IL they had any,
| ran counter 10 the general current. A Germsp
4 FOL flfta
| tendencie OF modern German nberallsts find
vent, has been in existence some years An
o1ga h s1 for known as The Philosopher
hall on street. This club, Ike all free
thought" clubs, chose sunday for It's delioera-
| tlohs, as II TO show in that act their lack OF
reverence for religious usages. Here sharp
young men who had read VoItaire and Tom
Paine used to defy Christian people to discuss
Christian people ever found their way into the
! wtp woven for them, but occasionally some
| IGckless wight would fall into the hands OF
| these wordy Phihstfnes, and woe 20 him IL he
were not quick of Wit and ready OF tongue. He
| would hase Ti6icule, sarcasm, and defiant skep-
tclsm hurled upon him until he cursed the hour
Sunday path. This philosophical CLUB was
! broken up about three years ago. Just about the
! time thai Mr.. Hammond was conducting q big
| revival here. One OF the most prominent and
active numbers, the secretary Of the club, was
| found one night
| KNEELIEG AS CONVERT
! at Hammond meeting. Il Is stated that
others were also converted, but this the sur
viving members OF the club Indignantly deny.
Mr.. Hammond, however, in addresses in other
cities, has mentioned that In consequences of
| his revival here, club OF 1nf1dels Was broken
up. The Philosophical club was succeeded by
| The Thought Exchange" composed OF people
| OF all Sorts OF peculiar beliefs-or lack of
| bellef-lnhdels, spirftualists and free lovers.
THE sPIRITUALIsTs
| In the city, though they have no organic alton,
have always had an understanding, aud when
| ever any noted medium arrives In the CITY,
| the intelligence travels among them very rap.
| idly. Several OF the founders and active lead
! erS In the Thought Exchange" were splritu al
tsts. A large number Of them. however, were
| as ready 10 scott at spiritualism as at the
| church. Some attended the meetings through
pure cussedness,' as they liked to talk. Tue
| meetings were held Sunday afternoons as Tall
madge Hall. Persons who wanted to talk were
| allowed five minutes each. For months the
Thought exchange met, and the attendance
| every Sunday afternoon was large enough to
| have astontshed some OF our preachers, who
| find il hard to get, congregation, especially
during the summer big enough TO half oil a
| church. Seeds OF diSsension were Sown In this
! happy family, however, few months ago.
which resulted In complete breaking up If
the organization. Burllngame, who acted
as master OF ceremonies, IL Is stated, persisted
| In turning the sunday afternoon gathering into
q sort OF spiritualists' meeting. He produced
mediums OF different kinds at the meetings,
discussion In exhibitions OF medIumistic"
power. This was dlstasteful to a large num-
Der OF the members.
A SCANDAL AMONGST TIKI PEOPLE OF ADVANCED
THOUGHT.
just as the di satisfact on was at its height
scandal concerning Bull ngame ami Mrs. My a
Hall, one OF his mediums" which has since
taken shape In divorce court, was Whispered
about, and, ft Is alleged, completed the work
OF disoTg anization. Burlingame, however, re-
n hc fho ooff basaT
Exchange" at his house On Pennsylvania av-
enue, near 50 street. SHINY attended meet
ings were held here for some weeks but as
stated the recent pub fcatlons concerning IT.
liIgams has caused temporary increase In
the auendance. Burlingame'd house is a sort
CT =" lberaf' boarding. house. The LEX change"
mas It's headquarters In the cTpetleSs front
paTlor.
HOW THE FRER-THINKERS EXCHANGE THOUGHTS.
Sunday afternoon chairs are ranged three
deep on one side Of the room for those who
have thoughts to exchange, while spittoons are
placed at convenient distances for those who
md that tie reception Of Liberal" views is
aided by the mastication OF tobacco The chair
man sits at table fronting the congregation.
A sofa and some easy chairs On one side OF The
room are reserved for the female liberals"
Papers, pamphlets and books are scattered
about the room. The afternoon sessions are
devoted TO the discussion of a stated question.
The question which has been under discussion
for the past year, both at Tallmadge Hall and
BurlDgame's is
"wHAT SHALL WE DO TO BIZ sAvKD?"
The fact that the question has been disc used
so long without any definite result being
reached, leads TO the inference that the
Thought Exchange is beyond salvation.
Every Sunday some one makes a demonstra.
ton OF advocating the orthodox doctrine OF
salvation. A police officer who fTequentet
Ly ceum hall In the days of the Old Philosoph-
zeal club. and there argued In behalf OF scrip
ture teachings, still performs the same part at
the meetings OF the Thought Exchange and
serves as a foil, or as the boy In q bowling
alley, to set up the pins for the skeptics TO
knock down. This pOlicemans perslstency
deserves commentator, II he is hanging on
With the expectation OF, some day, converting
the bold 1nf1dels OF the Thought Exchange TO
the belief he processes. In the evening lecture
is given by one OF the shining lights OF the
Exchange" and when ii Is over the subject on
which he speaks Is open for general dis cusSlon.
TIE proceedings are generally opened by Bur
lingame, who reads a liberal" or "inspira-
tiODal' poem just as a clergyman would begin
service by reading from the Scriptures The
leading characters I'm the Exchange are Bur-
lingame, the chairman; Judge Maddox, an
elderly gentleman, with benevolent look and
Horace Greeley sir, and who has advanced
views on political economy and governments;
Isaac Cohen, who achieved notoriety here some
years aga as labor agltatoI; Dr. Boyd, a former
politician and liberal" on general PRINCIPLES:
:. NJ. Baldwin, q well-knOwn spirtIualist, and
Mrs. Myra Hall, the two hundred pound spir-
ftual medium, whose magnetic loneliness is
alleged TO be the cause OF the separation OF