Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-01-03

tendencies, though the inheritor of mil
lion and a good old name. Looking ~
him as he stands, introducing the subject
and the speaker Of the evening, in the
earnest, easy, natural manner habitual
with him, one sees slight, blonde
man, with brown hair parted In the
middle, reddish brown muslache
and blue-gray eyes, whose somewhat linn.
tied vision Is aided by glasses. This de-
scriptlon Of extenals, which might apply
to thousands of other men in New York
and elsewhere, gives no idea Of the sin
gular clearness, sincerity and refinement
of Mr. Palmer's appearance, temperament
and character. He is himself 80 such an
extent as to DO unique, but like the author
of "Ecce Homo" he recognizes his Kin
ship with everything else that is human.
This Is not the genius or the temperament
of the money maker, and Mr.. Palmer is
therefore better known for what he gives
than what he makes, and could not by any
possibility become hundred millionaire
In fact it seems almost a misfortune that
he has never known the necessity for
earning money, for his ability both as
writer and speaker would have won him
distinction in almost any field in which it
might have been eXerted. As it Is, he
has been foster father to many beautiful
but forlorn hopes and enterprises, born
ahead of their time and therefore cut off
before coming to maturity Born N
Fourteenth street, in what was then
NSl3) the extreme upper and most fash
ionablo portion OF New York city, OF old
English IAN English ancestor, Walter
Palmer, settled In Connecticut about
1850 and kuickerbockcrs stock (Suydama)
whence, on the maternal side, did'hc re-
ceiye that fountain OF moral courage,
sympathy and universal charity which are
the most striking characteristics of the
man aud individuaize him in the midst Of
an assemblage of other men distinguished
for goodness and humanity.
In many ways the previous life and en-
vironment of Mir. Palmer seem to have
curiously prepared him for this work, into
which he has thrown himself with such
zeal, of building an organization upon u
broad basis and of the unique character Of
the Nineteenth Century club. Probably
no other man in this country held or
could have maintained relations co-nti-
mate with classes so opposite or indi-
viduals SO widely divergent in opinions
and ideas No man could because no
no other man would The fact tells the
whole story. He was never ostraci2cd
even by his own order on account OF his
opinions, because his own liberation was
so large as to include every shade OF
honest conviction, and no one could be
uncharitable towards man who exercised
SO large a charity towards others. When,
therefore, he gathered few of his friends
together and announced as Il platform Tor
the future club, "willinguess to try all
things and hold to those that proved
good" ii was received with reclamation,
and it maybe said the Nineteenth Century
! itself-so memorable in achieVemeut--was
crowned by that act with IA glory that it
4 had not before Bnown-thaJ Of unity, In
/ difference and in degree, the nearest ap'
| proaCh we can make to the divine life.
! Not many OF those who crowded Mr..
| and Mrs. Palmer's parlors understood the
/ significance of the step That had been
/ taken--of the structure they were build
ing EXteriorly, the assemblage pre-
/ scented Il brilliant social spectacle, FOR
/ while it was religiously radical, or radi-
cally Teligiuus-iree us air in its Intellect
( ual, theological and scientific tlights-it
/ was conservative socially, and employed
/ its lady members principally as u wall oi
| defense against the Intrusion of object
| iouable elements. This would probably
not have been Mr.. Palmcr's policy. 1t IS
not in him TO shut any one out of any
/ heaven of his making, but IL was sound
and wise policy for all that, and has done
much to increase the prestige of the club
I Every one could not be invited or ad,
mitted, and the difficulty increased the
desire until it became a passion, cspeci'
/ ally on the part Of women tired of the
routine of fashionable life, or who wished
/ to enjoy the mental exercise OF
/ these intellectual tournaments. For thC
social atmosphere, the freedom in express
/ sion, the quick renown which the meet
4 ings achieved, and the fact that they were
and are, the only thing of their kind, in
duced the most distinguished speaker,
and writer's to give to the Nineteenth Cen
fury for love what they would hardly have
given to the outside world for money, auC
brought men into the arena TO break {
free lance who could not have been in
duced to do It under restrictions. 1t wal
the finest sight in the world TO see sucl
men as the Rev. DIR. Rylance, the Rabb
Gottheil, Professor Adler, I. B. Wake
man, other reverends, and Unitarian, L
make the circle complete, all differing II
brilliant and caustc antitheses, all agree
ing in the great fundamental principle o
ultimate unity. A Persian story illustra
tive OF this idea closed one of the speeches
1t was of four mendicants Of diffcren
nationalities, who, meeting on a common
road, agreed to pool their small stocI
of coins in order to obtain a sufticien
dinner at the flrst inn at which the
might arrive. But each one had favor
tie dish of which he insisted it should b