The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-10


boom of the breakers caught up h!s shFIi To
mark, and hurled them into space, ne was
not preparing to make an impression upon .u'
history Of his time, "a we lave been taught
! He was simply rchearsing a speech when ne
honed to deliver at the Clover club, OF Eh!.a-
delphia.
Peop,c who have formed the idea that
| Philadelphia is not given TO soclaoA.ty ana
cheerful Interchange Of thousht are unfa-
millar with the methods of tao Clover club,
especially under the administration OF Moses
Purnell Handy.
For the information Of those who may read
this piece yet have not had the pleasure OK
addressing this successful organization, let
me sag that il is cus,ouo Of the club to IN
vita eminent statesmen, poets, judges hu'
morists and other freaks to come to its
annual dinners and make speeches The
claI assists i'll the delivery OF these speeches,
adding thoughts OF its own as the orator pro-
ceeds and also making inquiries regarding
| the personal characteristics OF the speaker,
which are calculated 10 divert his attention
| from what he was about 10 say.
The only way 20 speas successfully ut
| Clover club dinner, believe, IS to avoid say
| ing what you were about 70 say.
had the pleasure Of holding a coaversa-
| zionc with the Clover club on the occasion Of
| its sixth annual meeting had been led to
| believe that the aig Of refinement which
people notice about me wherever 90 would
entltle me 10 the respect and kind cons!dera-
ton OF the club Even should that fail, how
ever, thou. ut that 10 one could help admir-
| inc my unwaveriug confidence in myself,
confidence which is all the more heroic and
praiscworthy on my part, because 1t has
not been shared by the general public 1t Is
10 great honor 70 indor5e q popular man, but
! it is certainly meritorious in any one to show
confidence in one who needs il very much.
But the Clover club Is not constructed with
a view to the building up and fostering OF
rhetorical industries It IS built upon the
moral theory that man who speaks publicly
does 50 for the ediication Uf the audience
| This is a quaint and extremely eccentric idea.
! Generallr il - otherwise Public speakers
arise and euiOy themselves, while the audi
cnce, though largely in the majority, has to
suffer II the members OF the Clover club 10
nos hike the tendencies OK a speech, they suS-
gest to the speaker some other limo OF
thought They do not DO 80 offcnsively
| They approach him IL II courteous way. 50 as
10 avoid giving hun pain Perhaps they sing
eleven or twelve verses in reference t. the
Derby Ram, table delicacy or which the
! club is passionately fond, or in some other
adroit way they intimate 10 him that the
| pleasure OF the audience should lie consulted
before that OF the speaker.
| | did not know that. had always before
scl.ishly revcled in the wonderful cadence Of
nv own mc!OdiOus Skowhegan voice, Tor
| gettng that the audience had rights.
Ienjoyed il very much, for was down at
tie foot Of the table having tun with DR..
Bciloc, and know that at this rate, with
! hundred guests to Dc gently scared hair 70
death ia that way, would not be reached
| before Friday, and thought that could get
away before that time. 1t was al this supreme
moment, when saturated w!th soothing
sense OF security and congrGtulatiag myself
on the wonderful way in which Mr. Maltby's
dress suit fitted me, that the president Of the
club, Observing that had my mouth full Of
ice which | did not know what 70 do with,
introduced me to the brilliant assembage.
| felt embarrassed and was about 70 say 81,
| | believe. when Ex-Governor Bum, who vas
appointed and received the portfolio as COVER
..or OF Idaho solely by reason Of his great
powers as d conversational, said something
to me which did not lear upon what | was
about to say myself
| While | was thinking OF bon mot which
would wipe Governor Bum from the face OF
the earth, such as reference 10 him Is
| Bunny, and request that might be per
United 10 lay my head in his lap and bavo
good cry, or something like that, Mr..
| Jerome gentleman from New York, who Is
| 90 wears OF ace, said something which was
hqhly ENJOYABLE. but which after Col
Thomas r. Ochiltree, Col McCau.l and Col
| Mcclure join in tho same tine, seemed 4
| open up All entirely new line OF thought from
| what had intended 70 follow.
wac about ~ administer tart rebuke 70
M. jerome. when | happened 10 remember
| bis greater age and resolved not 10 do 50.
Nv attention was also ~ this time attracted
| Ly the sounds OF music. It was Iyrolean
air and referred to the Derby Ram, which
seems to have wild fascination Tor the gen
tl.nen oil the c!ub. and when =ucn voices rs
tnose II WAYNE MacVeagh, Gen Horace
| Porter refrain IL l. vel! worth going 10 Phil.
| ajeiphia aad sitting up TIL long after
,c.uck 10 hear
| 60 decided not 10 speak while these well
| known vocalists were engaged IN song. AZ
they we're encore1, they obliged by singing
MARYLAND, my Maryland, with improyisa-
| tons by the great impr@sario. Mr. jerome.
| then stood on the other ieg awhile aud
tried u recall what had said, which had
reminded the auditors Of these songs, but |
could not Ia all my remarks 80 far, al
| though had been on my feet twenty minutes
or SO. had carefully avoided saying any
| thing that would call forth an attack OF this
| kind. had used 10 language which would
naturally provoke such men as Col. Taylor
or Col Mcclure to song.
was on nv feet sbout twenty m.nutes,
| but daring that tina. | can say truthtully
that | said nothing which | now regret.
| People ai,erwari spoke OF 10y impressive
manner and said also used rage discretion
| In avoiding many unpleasant features
which are apt 10 stir up III feeling nj such Il
| time.
They named whole columns Of things which
| had thus oyaded and every one sail that If
| had erred al all il was la th- direction u
conservatism All the members ot tue club
4 4. M Z q