The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-03-23

damllLOu FlsIl, VI stoeo AA 49,
Grant regime, was president Of the Union
League when it vacated its Madison square
building since tenanted by the University
club
A select coterie of artists, authors and men
of letters brought the Century club into ex-
istence in iS47 Chief among It's promoters
was William Cullen Bryant, poet and editor.
who was it's president when his summons
came TO end an honorable age peacefully.
The home of this club, on Fifteenth street,
near Union square, is museum OF art gems.
Its library is choice and valuable. The mem
bership is 600 The Lotos club was founded
In 1870; annual dues $50, and present initia-
ton fee, $500 Literary men, journalists,
actors, playwrights, genteel bohemians and
masculine nondescripts are conspicuous on its
long role of five hundred. Once month,
during the winter, ladies Day" is made
big occasion at the Lotos.
The Authors and Fellowcraft clubs are
dignified offshoots Of the Lotos, the Century
and the New York Press club. The latter
has no limit to its membership or any IRON
clad qualification. It is essentially
league Of reporters, newspaper special
lists, editors, publishers and contributors to
daily, weekly and trade journals OF the me-
tropolis and vicinity. Twenty-Five dollars Is
the entrance fee The Press club was organ
lied In 1872 Its governing board consists OF
the president, first vice president, treasurer,
financial secretary and nine trustees-au
chosen by ballot for the term OF one year,
At the election Of Nov. 20, 1855, a total vote
of 227 was polled, and Col John A. Cockeriu
again took hold of the presidents baton. His
ruling passion, strong in debate, is to increase
the Press clubs building fund. The present
quarters in Nassau street are very comfort
able, but more space and style are demanded
by vociferous members, who pay Sl2 year
| for the caucus privilege of crying reform"
| There are two Democratic clubs of promi-
| nence-the Manhattan and New Amsterdam.
| The former, established in 1865 and reorgan-
lied 1877, limits its membership to 600; 500
| is the initiation fee of resident members ana
| $40 of non-residents. Manton Marble is presi-
| dent of the Manhattan club.
| The New Amsterdam club is 7-year-old,
| with upwards of eleven hundred members
and decidedly attractive home ON Twenty
fourth street close to the Hoffman House and
other much frequented Broadway hotels. 1t
faces the Madison Square theatre.
tAuOuS Jul itsttliiS so,hti NAupo oiS e1>
Knickerbocker, st. Nicholas and Calumet
The Calumet is often called Junior Union"
Its members, who are mostly progressive
young scions of old and highly respected
| families, are domiciled in a fine mansion at
the corner of Twenty-ninth and Fifth ave-
nue. Blue blood and Holland ancestry per-
meate the st. Nicholas and Knickerbocker
| clubs Each has a limited membership OF
800, and the former, established in 1875, only
admits to its purple veined body corporate
the descendants of those who were actual res
idents of New York city or state antecedent
to the Revolution. The Knickerbocker's
''open sesame" is valued at $500 and annual
membership dues 500 The st. Nicholas has
an initiation fee Of 800 with $50 yearly dues
Chartered in 1865, and entirely reorganized
fourteen years later, the University club, with
$50 resident members, is true to It's conStitu-
tional dictum that none but college graduates
shall be eligible to membership. The Cana
dian club is composed of native Englishmen
or their sons and grandsons. 1t is quartered
| on West Twenty-ninth street.
Sporting and gymnastic clubs have Of late
years grown rapidly in favor. New York is
proud of its Athletic club, largely monu-
ment to the influence and energy OF William
| Travers the lamented wit and bon vivant.
| The Pastime and Racquet clubs are also popu-
lar organizations. Mention can simply be
made here of the Turf club, the Manhattan
Athletic, the CaledOnian, the New York
Yacht club the American Yacht club and
| the Sewanhaka- Corinthian Yacht club, all of
which are well known and prosperous. One
| hundred and sixty vessels are embraced in
the snowy sheeted fleet of the New York Yacht
club. This large and influential association
| of gentlemen sailors was organized in 1874
The Players club, at No. lG Gramercy
park, is luxurious TRUSTING place for actors,
dramatists and literary men of special nature
and habits. The architect, who has done
wonders in transforming the exterior and III
terror of this building, is Mr.. Stamford
| White, also member of the club which is so
auspiciousy fostered Edwin Booth was the
chief organizer of this club.
In closing these jottings, evolved from
hastily penciled notes, must not forget either
my German cousins or brilliant, strong
| minded American sisters. The former, al
ways thrifty, jovial and music loving, eager
| for refined pleasures, have i'll the Lieder-
| kranz and Arion club houses elegant dining
and dancing halls concert rooms and every
attraction that can be devised to secure
| healthful recreation and rare intellectual en-
! joyment. Soross, quite alone in this country
| as q successful club of women, under the lead
ership of Mrs. Croly and Mrs. Thomas has
attained a niche in both literary and social
prominence that is eminently deserved by
faithful workers in heaven kissed vineyards
of light.
| Identified with the Nineteenth Century
club are men and women of culture, whose
names, freely quoted by the press have be-
come known through the land New York is
| a magnet for advanced thinkers and for
numerous thousands of peculiarly stupid
| folks who never will advance in thought or
deed Our clubs, like the sylvan aisles of
| trite proverb, are full of all sorts and condi-
tions of men, Why should not woman, she
of the softer and possibly shrewder sex, claim
equal social prerogativesl In October last
the Union club, of San Francisco, ungallantly
barred its doors against the ladies. Nearly q
dozen years ago the New York Press club
elected lady member Miss Anna Ballard,
and she is enrolled for life. There has recently
been started, in this great American city OF
hurry and worry the Wednesday Afternoon
club, exclusively composed of literary women.
1 al, ,a olG 70, ,t,,tt,a