The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-06-10
XIXTH CENTURY CLUB.
IMPORTANCE OF THIS ORGANIzA-
TON OF CULTIVATED PEOPLE.

New York, June 9.--"What is the
Nineteenth Century club" inquiries a mys-
TITLED stranger; TO whom tho unintormed
wit replies: "Only parcel Of literary peo-
ple who are trying to be fashionable, and q
parcel OF fashionable people who are try
ing to DO literary, and none Of Thorn meet
ing with success" But it is much more
than this. IL has never been regularly In
corporated, its rules and regulations de-
pending mostly upon tho guiding spirit Of
its president, Mr.. Courtlandt Palmer, who
first founded the intuition in 1883 In
those good old days, before the club had at
tained any distinction whatever, and when
all Its hopes and aspirations were embry-
onic. the meetings were held informally in
Mr. Palmer's own house. The Palmers 500 n
found their commodious drawing room too
small to accommodate the guests and
members. Finally, therefore, the club
moved to the American art galleries on
Twenty third street In time even this
spacious suite of apartments proved too
marrow to contain the rapidly increasing
influx Of the outside element Last winter
the club changed its Headquarters for the
second time to she assembly rooms of the
metropolitan opera house, which are GER
tainly big enough to contain the whole 400
OF Mr.. McAllisLer's immaculate swelldom,
and considerable portion of humble Boz
hemia as well. During the past season the
club has fourished like the typical green
bay tree. There Is some talk of binding a
club house especially adapted to the pecu-
liar needs of the Nineteenth Centurans.
Tickets for the meetings which occur
once III three weeks are in such demand
that the supply printed rarely meets the re-
qulrements, more notably when celebrated
orator like lngersoll, or a polished speaker
such as Thomas Wentworth Higginson, or a
witty rdconteUr like Horace Porter,
Chauncey Depew, or Frederic Coudert, is to
be the bright particular star of the occa-
sion. Even when a distinguished bore Is
advertised TO speak on the tariff or some
equally dry subject the immense saloon is
generally well filled by persons who are
never honored with invitations for gala
nights, and who doubtless think half loaf
Is preferable to none. Poor soulsl They
make heroic efforts to keep awake and in
nine cases out of ten do not listen to a sim
gle word of the scussion; but il is some
thing TO be able 10 say to envious friends: II
was at the Nineteenth Century club last
night. Splendid lecturel So improvingw
You enter a well-lighted corridor where
| an imposing individual wearing police
mans coat and district messenger boys
hat, relieves you of your ticket, cycling it
and you sharply, as ii to discover by some
subtle method of his own whether you are
actually the person whose name Is written
on the card. Woe betide the hapless
wretch who has perchance lost his tailsmanie
ticket at home, or inadvertently dropped Ii
on the wayl He will never cross that mys-
tic threshold, beg and iniplore as he may.
Ii you happen to be woman wearing a
bonnet, you must doR the latter in tbs
cloak room before venturing to present
yourself upstairs. AS well appear in q
wrapper as bennett
The proceedings are always opened by Mr..
Palmer, who Introduces tho chief speaker
in a few wellchossn words He is tall and
delicate-looldng. and talks rapidly, never
hesitating or using wrong word.
CHANGING about the audience one notes
various interesting personages in groups
and detached. There, for instance, is Mon
cure D. Conway, formerly preacher, now
a brilliant Literateur Yonder stand Edgar
Fawcett and Edgar Salto, who always
come in together. The two men are very
dissimilar in appearance, Fawcett being
large and commanding looking, with all the
marked characteristics Of the bon Uiueltr.
He is one OF the most delightful of takers.
Salto is small and always exquisitely
dressed He is exceedingly clever, and his
Remarks are favored With epigrams that
convulse his listeners with laughter.
That short man with the blonde beard
in front Of him is the Rabbi Gottiel, who
generally holds a notebook, wherein he
jots down striking points of the lecture.
Not far off are the Ingersoll family, who
are always Il center Of attraction. Miss
Eva Ingersoll, dressed in her classic Greek
gown OF white cashmere, presents type OF
statuesque beauty that u very rare.
Scattered about over the room you see
Brauder Matthews and his wife, B. b. Val
entine, of "Fitznoodle" fame: Dr. Titus
Munson Coan, Thaddeus B. Wakeman, the
ardent disciple Of freethought; Mrs. John
Bigelow aud Prof. and Mrs Botta. There
lately, leaning his arm on the back Of his
chair, and occasionally whispering to Gen.
Porter, was Paul Blouet, better known as
Max 0'Rell-sho. t, stout and near-sighted,
and talking with gestures and ejacuations
that proved him at once to be Frenchman.
A little further along the line Is Mrs. Gus
ter, a refined, sweet-faced woman. dressed
In some transparent black stuff that Is vast
ly becoming and if you turn your head you
will catch glimpse of Mrs. "Jennie June"
Croly, the president Of Sorosis; William
Henry Bishop, the novelist; George Par
sons Lathrop, Andrew Carnegie, and
Daniel q. Thompson, acting vice president
Of the club, and the author of "a System
Of Psychology"
On the outskirts Of the throng are num-
berless late comers. who are unable to find
seats. several are Well-KnOWn ACTORS from
local theaters, others are journalists artists,
men-about-town, and reporters for the daily
press,
Now and then when the discussion
wakes hot among the speakers, satisfied
smiles ripple over tho faces of the listeners
who, truth compels me to state, dearly love
"rown AZ much as did the Irishman who
implored somebody to tread on the tails OF
his coat Nevertheless a serious Disagree
ment is the exception rather than the rule,
for the platform is one where courtesy and
federation arc the by-words
"Tne audience will please step into tho
supper room, announces Mr.. Palmer, when
the orator of tho occasion having demol-
isbed his critics to the best of his ability
sinks exhausted into a chair and wipes his
moist, intellectual brow.
There is an instant rush and scramble.
The company rises en- masse and makes its
way into the adjoining apartment where
refreshments are spread. A buzz Of con-
versation ascends, and not until long after
midnight does the last guest depart, leaving
the solitary usher to extinguish the lights.
CLARA LAMA.