Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-11-16
HIS MAIDEN SPEECH.
Mr.. Depew Tells the Story Of His
First After-Dinner Effort.
1T WAS In HIS sCHOOLBoY DAYS.
Now He Gives on an Average Three Post.
Prandial Talks a Week.
MONEY SPENT IN GIVING BASoUErs

been 4O-I mean 30 years since thought
about it.
Chauncey NJ. Depew was sitting at his
desk, before roaring crate fire, in his Office
at the Grand Central depot, says the New
York Herald. He had Just arrived from
Peekskill, thrown his overcoa. aside and
settled himself for his days labor.
"Now that come to think about it, con-
tinued Mr.. Depew, ''it was rather a funny
affair all round. My first post-prandisl
speech was made at the close Of my sopho-
more year Mt Yale College and came about
in a rather peculiar way. In fact, the
speech was made after the first banquet that
1 ever attended in my life. 1 was q country
boy, you know, and we country boys knew
little or nothing about bsnquets and ban
quoting. Ward McAllister hadn't then
told the world how he found society, and
the youngster living away from New York
had no way of finding out the methods en-
ployed in banquets and banquetIng in the
great metropolis. There were several strong,
sterling, able men in my class at Yale, and
| when we reached our sophomore year We
found we had fallen heirs to a class society.
| OstensibIy the society was literary society.
lows who were noted as frolicksome and
beisterous As result, when it came to Us
| it was very seriously burdened with debts,
and it had a reputation by no means compile
mentary.
DECIDED ON A REFORM.
S''This condition OF affairs was very un-
pleasant to several OF our best men, and we
made up our minds that we would devote
| our energies during the year to a Hquida-
tion of the debts of the society. It wasn't
an easv thing for US to do. There was
none of us who had much money in those
| DAYS, and about all we had we needed for
| our current expenses, and the debt of this
society looked about as big TO us as $40, ,000,-
900 would now, but We struggled along with
| it and succeeded in getting the organization
a much more saVory reputation and in
| largely reducing Its indebtedness. When
| our sophomore year was about to be ended
| we made up our mind that we would do
something for the society in transmitting it
to the next class that would reflect credit
upon it and also leave US in the proper
light.
| "After discussing the situation it was de-
cided that the best thing to do was to give q
banquet. We knew it was necessary to con-
| suit a caterer and have him get up the
| yiands on which we were to feast. This we
| did. ] made up my mind that in order to
make this banquet as successful as possible
| / would make thorough study of the art Of
banqueting from the material at hand. Ac-
cordingly got down the encyclopedias and
read all that was to be found there on the
| subject.
| COMPLETING LIBERAL EDUCATION.
"The next place where 1 sought informa-
| ton was at the caterers. 1 talked with him
about the manner in which the different
courses were to be eaten, and learned from
| him that when we had finished our small
cups OF coffee and had lighted our cigars it
was time Tor the speaking to begin. It was
easy enough to fix up the toast, but the ques-
ton of getting the fellows who could make
good speeches in response to the toast was a
much more difficult matter. This task was
| also assigned to me. l was very enthasi
tic over the dinner. 1 found three of our
best fellows, our best men, VINO were willing
to prepare and deliver speeches. This left
| three to be secured. I.hunted high and low
for these three remaining speakers, but do
the best could 1 couldn't find them. So
did the next best thing. l Iound three fell
lows who were willing to deliver the
| speeches, but they couldn't prepare them.
Of the seven speeches, therefore, delivered
| at the banquet four were mine and three be-
longed to others.
''The speeches were rather sophomore, I
admit. We discussed scientific, economic
questions in the usual manner of under
| graduates, and the banquet was complete
| success. We transmitted the society, still
not entirely free from debt, to the next class,
with reputation greater than any II had
| enjoyed for years. And we felt we'll paid
for our work in getting up the banquet.
"This was the first post-prandial speech
ever delivered, and didn't deliver another
until after my graduation and while was
a law student. My second speech was de-
livered at a dinner given at Fourth Of
July celebration in Peekskill."
"How many alter dinner speeches do you
deliver, Mr.. Depew, in the course of
year?'
! PENALTY OF POPULARITY.
"Well, deliver great many, and during
| the course of the year number of them are
| speeches had made no preparation for and
had no idea of making. Ottentimes, when
| am at a private dinner where one would
not expect to be called on to make speech
| 1 do so. OF course one cannot resist such an
appeal, and frequently the making Of such
a speech is a rea! pleasure.
| "Then again it often happens that while
| am sitting quietly at home, having no idea
| of going out during the evening, carriage
| rolls up in front of my door and someone
| comes in and informs me that am wanted
i 10 make speech at banquet dL Del
monico's, the Hoffman House, the Bruins
wick or somewhere else. L had not expected
| to be so called upon and have no speech pre-
pared, but usually, if can conveniently do
| so. L 20. Calls of this kind are brought
about in this way:
| ''There will be an association or society or
! organization of some kind composed of peo-
pie in whom I am interested, and for the
| furtherance OF measures in which am in
terested, which has been disappointed in
| the speakers whom they expected to have at
| their banquet O:tentimes when half q
| dozen speakers are announced, four or even
| five of them will notify the banqueters at
| the last moment of their inability to attend,
| and being thus lett in the lurcE and know
| ing that 1 am willing to serve them ii l can,
they send for me. As L have said, always
go if possible. Taking these speeches, in
| addition to those that make at the dinner
| of the Yale Alumni and the other societies
at which / speak every year, l should say
| that L now, during the months intervening
| between the first Of November and the first
of May, make three after dinner speeches .
| week. These are devoted to all kinds of
| subjects and in the interest of many differ
ent kind of organizations.
IMPORTANCE OF THE STOMACH.
''The stomach of the average city man Ii
| the most expensive part of his anatomy.
During 80 or 40 years of his life he devotes
a good portion OF his time to studying the
question of giving his stomach new and de-