The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1890-12-26
AN ECCENTRIC CLUB.
The Queer Methods Which Some New
Workers. Adopt to Gain Notoriety.

The Queer Methods Which Some New
Workers. Adopt to Gain Notoriety.
There are climbs and clubs, but of all
the clubs in the universe the Eccentric
club of this city is prominently EN-
titled to term itself unique. Its objects
are variously stated as 1.-The abolish
ment of myth and the substitution
therefor of science and reason" and
''the universalization and ccntraliza-
ton of the oneness OF the whole"
Perhaps the latter definition gives the
clearer idea Of its aims. There is a dis
position on the part of each of the 362
resident members and 181 nonresident
members which it has, according to its
official announcement, to believe that
some one of the SAP other members has
possession of the club constitution and
bylaws, but nobody has ever discov-
cred this mythical custodian.
None of the SAB members has any
idea of the location of the club house
for club house the Eccentric club has
none. The club meetings are held
wherever and whenever two or more
members happen to get together-two
members constituting quoNsn. Not
infrequently a member is surprised to
read in the papers that he presided at
"a largely attended meeting of the Ec-
centric club last night" as, in emer-
gencies, one member may amplify him
self into "a largely attended meeting"
pass resolutions and give u report of
his proceedings to the papers.
In short, the ways and constitution
of the Eccentric club are calculated to
make man doubt his sanity on first
hearing them outlined. John Morris,
the veteran florist of Jefferson market,
is the father and president of the club;
Maj. Thompson p. McElrath, son Of
Horace Greeley's old time partner, is
its secretary, and the Rev. DR.. b. f.
Da Costa is its treasurer. Mr.. Morris
says the club was organized July 4,
1876, and nobody can say him nay,
as he alone was present at its organiza-
ton. Occasionally he or Maj: Noel
rath goes through the directory, picks
out n dozen names or so and elects the
owners of these names to membership
in the club. The sole requisite for
membership is that the name of the
candidate-not necessarily the candi-
date-must be known to some member
of the club
The club has tackled all sorts of big
jobs, and has still bigger ones in hand.
lat least, one member of it-grew
tired of hearing the squeaking of the
brakes on the elevated roads, de-
nounced the squeak by resolution, and
advertised, in the name of Col. Hahn,
for some device to stop it. At the din
ner of the Thirteen club, at Brighton
Beach, August, 1890, the Eccentric
club rose up and presented Coroner
MESSENGER with cane eccentrically said
to have been whitfield out of an orange
tree planted on the grave of Columbus
few hundred years ago.
Just now q committee of the club is
wrestling with the problem of persuad-
ing Americans to put aside the Gregor
ian calendar and start afresh from the
date of the signing of the Declaration
Of Independence. Major McElrath, its
chairman, says he explained the idea
to an inmate Of Bloomingdale on re-
cent visit, secured his approval, and
has had the aforesaid inmate elected a
nonresident vice president of the club.
New York Sun.