Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-01-05

JECrs-rEE BkRRETr-ASDERsoS WEDDING.
Correspondents Of TIE EVENING STAR.
NEW YORK, Jan. 4.
Lots Of people from out of town come to
New York 10 spend the holidays, and among
them are men of distinction, who spend more
or less Of their time in Washington. Senator
Jones. of Nevada, was among the visiting con-
tingent during the holiday time Just passed,
and at the hotels where he made temporary
headquarters he found many congenial spirits.
to whom be related tale after tale of wild west
ern life that made the corridors re-echo with
roars of laughter. never knew that Senator
Jones, the political economist and fnancier.
was such a yarn-spinneri in his recent years as
New Workers have found him to be during the
past week. At the clubs and the favorite up
town resorts for men-about-town the most
startling stories and witty bor-nlots that have
been uttered this week have been attributed by
their narrstors TO the Senator, and another Of
those good stories of Senator Jones'" is sure
to draw a crowd of eager listeners in any COM
pany Of gentlemen. An enterprising Journal
ist whose rotund form has distinguished first
nights for over decade is said to be collect
ing the Senator's anecdotes with the idea Of
publishing them in book-form for private cir
culation.
Another man, once well-known by sight as
well as reputation to every Washingtonian. was
a conspicuous figure on Broadway about the
time of the holidays. This was Carl Schurz.
and be has changed greatly. His step is no
longer light and springy, and he looks any
thing but robust. His beard is worn much
longer than before he went to GERMANY, and
has turned from its former dark-red color to
a dingy-looking gray. l saw him feeling his
way along the street one day last week with
tba on mt ~ hfa
dashing style.
Another ex-Washingtonian, better known
even than Carl Schurz, has also been here over
Christmas and New Year. He stopped at the
modest Oriental hotel, on Broadway, and regis
tered as ".Donn Piatt, of Ohio" He is the
same indefatigsble, cynical, but lovable man
that he was years ago when he edited the
Capital but he is growing old, too, although
his large frame looks able to battle for many
years vet against senile decay. His beard is a
shaggy. briery growth upon his gaunt face, and
gives him a sort of uncanny aspect. If / am
not mistaken Dom Piatt is henceforth to
become New Yorker for good, and under
stand he has carte blanche to run Belforfs
Magazine just as he pleases and do his work
where he pleases. He can WELD as caustic
pen in days of yore. although nowadays he
doesn't find the incentive of former years to be
las bitter as he can"
e.
The new Players club was inaugurated New
Years eve with great ceremony. / had look
through its mansion on Gramercy Park in COM
pany with a member on Wednesday and
learned good deal of its methods and inten-
tons. There is no doubt that the club will
prove great success. There have been some
800 applications for membership. and as the
active roster Is to be limited to $50 there will
h.. Il
selecting the best material The club is not
exclusively for players. Not only are manag-
ers. playwrights and dramatic critics eligible
but almost everybody else, as the qualifications
for membership include patrons of the drama"
Actors will be given the preference, however,
and after them men who have become distin-
guished in their respective professions. ike
Lawrence Hutton, Thomas Bailey Aldrich and
General sherman Edwin Booths idea in
founding the club is to boost the American
actor up to higher plane in the social, gentle
manly world, and to make this boost a success
he demands that the American actor shall have
the best men to associate with. The club is
different from the club of ordinary conception
II is not to be loafing place, for one thing
Neither is il to be a drinking or eating place,
nor vet gaming place. The library is the
center of the club and the cornerstone on
which it is founded. Booths generous gift of
his own library gives the club at once the most
complete dramatic reference library in this
country, and if. is expected, Lawrence
Hutton shall bequeath the club his own ex-
eellent library, it viii have the finest dramatic
library in the world. Besides Booths library,
pictures and collections relating to the stage,
Joseph Jefferson will give his library and col
lections, as well as some of his choicest paint
ings. Mr.. Hutton has contributed his famous
collection of death masks. among which is the
so-called Shakespeare mask, and will give his
marvellous collection of theatrical photographs
and autographs. Among Booths contribu-
tons are pair of gauntlets said to
have been worn by Shakespeare. They
are the loose. soft gloves affected during the
Elizabethan period, rich in artistic needle
work, and are accompanied by historical and
traditional data by which their connection with
the fists of the bard of Avon and their adven-
lures since are detailed so thoroughly as to
convince the most skeptical Baconian hereto
The clubs constitution and bylaws are drawn
with wisdom and foresight, and at the same
time with a simplicity that would shock the
average lawyer. BY the rules made to be OBJ
served II Will be impossible to form cliques or
cabals within the club, and impossible, too TO
prostitute the club to the glory of any one man
or concern Ii is forbidden to give an enter
tainment of formal nature to, or in honor Of
anybody. The club members may invite guests
and the club will be civil and polite to them
but II won't go any further. Foreign actors or
non-members among American actors NAV be
accorded the privilege Of this club as of any
other, bat the guest can't boom himself or be
doomed through the club. Besides the $50
WHO pay an mutation
fee Of Sl00 and annual dues of $40,
there viii be $50 associate members. nom
residents, who will pay annual dues of
go only. The house in which the club
has settled was formerly owned and tenanted by
Clarkson y. Potter and more recently BY the
Lorlllards, and occupies one Of the most de-
srable sites IN the city. IL is not large al
though Of good size, and the clubs architect,
Mr.. Stanford White, has made il inside yery
beautiful and perfectly adapted to the needs
and nature Of the Players club At the en-
trance Is a square hall which opens into recep-
tlon and cloak rooms. On this floor are also
the Offices Of the club and a large billiard
ROOM Upon the second floor are the smoking.
sitting and grill rooms. and several small read
ing rooms containing newspapers, magazines
and novels Almost the entire third floor is
occupied by the library. There are here two
large hre-proof safes TO hold the precious
relics donated by Mr.. Booth and Mr. Hutton,
and the shelves, tables and other fam. liar
library accommodations are the most conyen-
lent and comfortable that can be imagined
The cost of the building and fittings to date
has been something over sl5OOOO ali of which
has come out Of the pockets Of Edwin Booth
and Is gift from him to the club. An idea of
the sums Booth has earned may be obtained
when II Is remembered that the failure of
Booths theater left him a poor man, and vet
since that time he has been able to make such
fortune that he can give away over $3.50. 600
and still have enough left TO keep the wolf
from his door.
Mr. Booth went N Ros,on vaaxavdav a., -