Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1885-05-22

/ sf~' !. III if'1litt'iN a jli''Itl "a
/ -r.ai Tor the burial q! journalists dying
without means in our noi-EhorhoI. \ meet
iuS If ,.lltor~ and reporters AT Mr.. Bonar'S
ufo. la- resulted in an agreement to vest the
| Ilut II ground presented 10y President Miles
nnl hi ,"llcaGue, Mr. briggs, of the Cypress
/ lIll cemetery Boarl. L. that untirinc hcne
ii a association known Is the Journalistic
fraternity and composed Of gentlemen con-
n"t.t,'l with the pres, Of New York"
Newspaper writers were provided then. al
rn-t nnliancou>,v with club and a Gene
tcr,-h"ih meeting places.
VI n gathering # til" Journalistic Frater-
NJ IN b-:r'A'r. lN.t. it was decided unani-
ruu~lv - call the ass, iation The New York
Pre- Cub Th club had been Instituted"
Nrtualiv on december (. lN12. all is now
therefore in il thirteenth year. In ISL the
roll of membership comprised about sixty
names To-Day there are ncarl, five hundred
names on the roll James Pouton acted a.
president IN -; AMI 1874. George f. VIII
lamS in lN,i. Charles II. Bladan in lS.G
Charles II. Pulham in 1871, John b.
W""d IN 1873 and $50 William NJ. Pen
ney in l>eO, John C.. Henes,y in 1881,
TIucman \. Mcrrinian in 1859. The
pre- Idcnt AT this moment is Amos j. Cum
min.s Of The Sun. one of the most gifted and
experienced journalists connected with the
American press Mr.. Cummings is an asso-
cintc editor Of The Sun, and is also one of its
stockholders
The persons eligible to active membership
in the Press Club are those connected with the
press IN and near the city of New York, either
n propri tors. publishers, editors, reporters,
regular contributors, artists. or correspond
ents: also editors and correspondents of papers
abroad residing i'll this city, and persons en-
gagged in literary work. No ono is eligible
who has not been connected with the press or
engaged i'll literary or art work for at least a
year Honorary members may he elected by
| n vote If nine tcnthS of the members present
at a regular meeting. Officers are elected an
nually in December. The dues are slight
so for initiation and 81 n month. The club
room j. oI.n from "a Ii morning until )
ia follow ing morning.
The club house on Nassau street is in very
Convenient situation for journalists. Ii is
81, ~ {" all the leading newspaper Offices. 1t
is entered through an unpretentious door.
from which n staircase runs upward to an
other door. On passing through the second
door one secs in front u small dinng-room-
rather Pleasantly FIRE, and ca>y-anl on the
left a cosy, vcll-farni>hcd parlor. The i,lid-
Ing Is high and deep, though narrow. On
| the floor above the dining room and parlor is
the work room. which is large apartment
supplied with tables, desks, newspaper files
and other commodities. An equally large
apartment, with profounder sobriety about
il. is on the next floor. This is the library
Hundreds of valuable Dooks-irany of them
useful handbooks aud dictunaries--stand ON
the shelves and good literature is copiously
illustrated there. The bound files of New
York newspapers, a gift to the club from Mr..
Oakley Hall, occupy two big sections of the
library. a billiard room-one of the
brightest in town-and n card room are on
the top floor The walls of all the rooms are
decorated with pictures AMI portraits, some
fine engravingS and prints among them. The
club is naturally eager to collect the portraits
of distinguished journalists. On the whole,
this club house is delightfully."- arranged, and
it is a place that the visitor is always willing
To visit n second time 1t offers extraor-
binary comforts and facilities to journalists
and writers who like to work quietly, beyond
the reach Of interruption.
| At present, as have said, there are nearly
five hundred members of the Press Club.
Among these are +. S. Beard, Noah Brooks,
Thomas Bonar, Henry Chadwick, Henry
Ward Bcecher, George w. Childs, Mark
Twain, Ashley W. Cole, Charles II. Gran
dali, d. &. Croly, Amos j. Cummings, Henry
+. Gillig, Henry George, Z. S. Gilmore,
Blakcly Hall, Oakley Hall. John C. Hen.
Messy, Joseph Howard, Jr.. Thomas l..
James, j. W. Keller, Horatio c. King, Hugh
McDermott T. 4. Merriman, James Red.
path. Simon Sterre, c. W. Tayleure, F. b.
Thurbcr. Salem II. Wales, George F. vii
Jams, John Russell Young, and scores OF
others who have won positions Of trust and
honor in Journalism.
There is one member whom | have moi
named, though one that has place Of pecu
liar distinction on the list. This is Miss Anna
Ballard. Miss Ballard is, l believe, the only
woman in our country that has been elected
to membership in club of men. She was
admitted to the Press Club through the infu
ence Of the late John d. Wood familiarly
known rs Doc" Wood and the Great Con
denser." She was then a regular contributor
10 The Sun. AT present she does good dea
Of miscellaneous work, and she is often seer
in the club rooms, either writing industriously
or studying or reading She is well liked
by her fellow members, and, while they ad
init readily that no other woman, whatever
her ability may be, shall be elected to mem
bership, they tolerate Miss Billiards. pres
ence gallantly.
Miss Ballard did not enter the club without
an effort. When her name was proposed ant
seconded it was subjected to the crucible o.
the executive committee, in accordanc,
with the rules. The outcome of then
examination was that, although sh,
was found to be, personally and pro
fessionally, without q blemish, the committe,
reported unfavorably. The club had not beer
, designed, they explained, for women, and they
regarded the admittance of Miss Ballard as
dangerous and unwse precedent. Before thi
report was offered the chairman of the com
mittee wrote courteously to Miss Ballard AM
advised her to withdraw her name Miss Bal
lard's response was bright and tart, AMI he
clever letter helped to win the membership
Her name was presented finally to the club
The chairman of the executive committee thel
denounced any action which would bind tn
club to recognition of women. His arg,l
ment was met vigorously by Dr. Wood. Ate
long and acrimonious debate, during whicl
. some excited persons menaced the chairman
with impeachment, a vote was cast. Thor
were thirty four members present, all of whom
: voted, twenty -four in favor Of and ten agains