New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-04-15


DR. HOLMES.
" About eighty members OF the Lotos Club sat down
TO an informal dinner last evening at the club
bouse in Fifth-ave. The dinner originally in
tended to be q sort of club reunion. The occasion
was rendered particularly enjoyable by the presence
oftw distinguished gentlemen now visiting this
city, The Hon. Joseph Medill, EditOrn-chIef of The
| CHICAGO Tribune and ex-Mayor of Chicago,
came IN about o'clock, and was warmly re-
ceived Half an hour afterward DIR. FOrdyce
| Barker and DIR. Oliver Wendell Holmes appeared.
These gentlemen had just arrived from the house
of Cyrus W. Field, by whom a dinner was given
last night in honor of DR.. Holmes
The members of the club rose to their feet as DR..
Holmes entered, and continued cheering until he
had taken his place at the Presidents side. when
| he bowed his acknowledgements and took his seat.
After a few moments spent in general conversation,
the company called to order and the distin-
guished guests presented by Mr. Reid to those as
sembled.
DR.. Holmes responded in a charming speech,
full of gratitude to the club and to New
Workers for the hospitality that he had
received every hand and at every
hour during his present visit TO NewYork. He
could think of nothing better moro club
like to talk about than his expert
cnccs in n somewhat kindred club in Bos-
| ton-tho Saturday Club-with which he had
been connected for thirty He enumerated the
members-Longielow, Agassiz, Lowell and others
and devoted to each few sentences of personal
portraiture. In the midst of this, he
turned to the reporters and specially
asked that q specific account of what he was
saying should not be printed, as what he was will
ing to say to the club he would not feel warranted
in saying in any more public way. His
remarks received with constant applause,
every sentence being interrupted with the clap
ping of hands and as he took his seat
the whole company again and cheered to the
echo.
A poem by Edmund c. Stedman. written for
DR.. Holiness birthday. was then read by Mr..
Burbank. Mr.. Reid then called on DR.. FOrdyce
Barker, who responded briefly.
The president then introduced the Hon. Joseph
MedIll, ex- Mayor of Chicago and Eiitor and
chief proprietor of The Chicago Tribune. an old
chief under whom he had served, and added sore
playful personal charac teristcs
This my first appearance among you. and find that
was mistaken in the meaning Of the name Of your "a
ISOLATION or club. supposed that after YOU had dis
cusssl the viands you wOnld pass off into drcamani
that the Lo os leaf would be passed around.
and that toe American fralty o, speccA-masins
meeting" in other words n had supposed that the
present predIcament, think would have taken my
leaf at Eoue aud sent my regrets Laughter
before you with mingled feelings Of lriendsnip aud
anger Wen. / have feelings also fLaughtcrl Ihave
service without due invitation provocation, as
thought. He was snatched out from position
was making 0Dia' good deal Of money for
the newspapers at the time that Reid was doing
Washington for the Chicago Tribune The hrst tning
knew, lie was leaving NE ON SPORT notice ana no pruc
. .afg Smt Be never said &C. a%gcr lie gui
Chicago came TO NcwYorg and took charge ~ another
anG would come back to his original cnplcymcnt but he
is away vet. and an afraid be is really azure here
and that we viii have to declare his pl'ce vacant and
FL 1t with another man. ILaugherl
have been spending les weeks pasi IN what was
country. ] found 1t was liaiy with some e1repton1
speak nov Of Florida. A 1t was the American laiy
Inc, Obliged TO do little penmansip myself 20
TO Italy. l discovered pretty soon that was getting
myself trouble Yolr President Of New-lork, ne
President o. the United states. evidently had
been reading these letters. lie came down to
Italy 10 the county. lLaughterI was talking
Early Rose potatoes. aisators and ne shooting aud
canva'oack Gne1si sfe ~ o, @ % down , i'm
express train-I presume u see whether my description
the country was ushabe and about that time mad
business N0rth ana lolI; i uto ai ~ ~, ~ , no
/ may well saw TO on here that asked what a man
should .lk about at dinner Ike ths and your Presi
dent told could talk about everything and they
would let me tax on until got through Laushjerl
So being restricted, Will Tel you what brought me
TO Ncw-York. Fora long tine, running la X to whcre
the memory Of man Iunnelh not. we have been in the
habit III the West in political matters, IN the party
Presideotiai candidate to the East when
We felt Gat Wet that Rd he SGnlS NJ:
found could make mn T. "a We call 1t Laughter.
the convention would adorn the White House II has
custom ont West to nominate onc OF our own
sides uSueRcr have had some notion gentlemen
for some time pa. thai possibly about the best thing for
York. you name the candidate" lLanghter.l After
twenty OF tlr'y years we VIII ne sen5tou, ,, 30
friends in New-York to say thls to them.
intended Say 10 Mr. Reld when We got together
and talked sharp 10 one another That u the yarona
get together and name their nan-Why We would Try to
whOop them up Laughter ana applause
Meeting Or. Holmes here this evening Is m uncT-
Pcatned sjIcc 7 came here thai your cnb eI.
pocted him"t6a your President wa, sangnne mot
sangunc Doctor had been reading that You had been
Lere and that the orthodox physicians had pre-
scribeI for you and ! did not suppose That
Won would be able to put In an appear
ance lIIugherl mad dream last night that some
Of tie nags as hiding down Bro sdway III an ouni-
bus wer, halimast, account o prescriptions nom
60 many doc,Ors-but 1t was only cream. Laughter
wa very happy to meet my old friend scrosa the
fable Nj Knox when came IN, before tsklog my seat
tent aud also fed from my service For several years
past 1 have only met MI Knox gong 10 iaT dis.ahl
Countries returning from some country ht further
Of Inc last time saw Mr. Knox he dhi not see me- II
was IN Paris last SUMMER lie wac crossing one 0 tNc
boney1rdS assisting ddy-protecting ncr from being
az sort OF policeman, Imagine or
Something else. lLaughterl ran after
lin forgetting waSln very pOhe Guy shd hhDuIcu
.E'ox KuOx Knox" but he din't hear mo a9d ID DC
c,IrIed 10 tnat hadn't the proper accent and /
co,,id NOT think OF the French name. iLahgDterJ
am happy, gentlemen, 10 meet you ALL and 10
~ We your acquaiutlnce. and WncH 1 become "a
ii,f1e more battered In the bat1e Of lie /
assU Dro.aDiy Ike great many
ofIer Western do 10 Newly Ork {" pass de-
ClinIpg DAYS When That time arrives shall nope TO be
rereiyed as member Of your CLUB and now make my
aupHcation for memDcIshlp lApl lmscI
Alter a few remarks by a. A. Cohen, DR.. 4. L.
Macdonald made speech, filled with humor and
with pointed ausion, to several persons present.
Referring to DR.. Holmes. he said:
I'VE have never entertained DR.. Holmes before.
We have tried to get him here often but he has
always shown that reluctance about leaving Massa-
chusetts so characteristic of the people Of that place.