The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-01-18
FRANKL1N's STATUE SMILED
While the Juntos and Juntesses Made
Merry at Their First Annual Bannuet.

While the Juntos and Juntesses Made
Merry at Their First Annual Banquet.
The pedestrians on the Avenue last Tuesday
evening wondered as they passed the Franklin
statue and noticed the bland smile on the
grand old mans face. And why this smile !?
All because the Junto was holding its first an
nual banquet at the Hotel Arno. The name
"Junto'' was given to society that Benjamin
Franklin formed among his young friends for
the discussion of philosophical, moral, and all
other interesting topics OF the times. They had
weekly meetings, and the discussions that took
place within their circle proved, as Franklin
himself stated, to be one of the best schools for
moral and intellectual training that he ever was
connected with. 1t existed forty years, and
finally became the American Philosophical
Society.
And now Washington has Junto of its own,
and what it is destined to become no one knows
nor ventures to predict. Its membership is
limited to twelve, and is complete. All meet
ings, which are held twice month, are of the
most secret order, and all the Juntos are as
silent stone about the proceedings in the
sanctum sanctorum. Their lady friends, with
all the curiosity that Mother Nature has en-
dowed them with, strive their best to find out
what their brother Juntos do, but, alas, silence
regns supreme.
The Juntos are all admirers of the fair sex,
and have provided one, and only one, meeting
year at which they can be present. This is
the annual banquet in January.
Grouped around long table in the large
private dining-room at the Arno sat the twelve
Juntos and their twelve Juntesses. An elabo-
rate menu of ten courses was provided. After
the Juntos and Juntesses had rendered justice
to the menu President j. Edward Bates made
an address, full of good cheer and prophesies
for the future. Mr.. Walter Hough read an
original poem dedicated to the Junto, which
made.th heart of every j. swell with pride The
toasts were all pithy and humorous and were
responded to by the following gentlemen:
benjamin Franklin" Mr.. w. b. Robinson;
''The Junto,n Mr.. Walter @. Clephane; sour
Country" Mr. John MITCHELL Jr.; "The
Ladies,n Mr.. Lee D. Latimer; washington
City," Mr.. w. j. Walker; "The Army and
Navy" Mr.. William Montgomery; sour New
Club House," Mr.. H. w. Smith; sour Ances-
tors" Mr.. De Vim Finckel; "American Institu-
tions," Mr.. s. r. Church; "The Junto's Mystic
Symbols, Mr.. Charles It. Nesbit.
The ladies present were Miss Sara Bates, Miss
Edna Hough, Miss Lula Robson, Miss Ella
Clephane, Mrs. John Mitchell, Jr., Miss Mira
Webb, Miss Ellie Stone, Miss Kizzie Carhart,
Miss Belle Mitchell, Miss Nellie Walker, Miss
Juniata Lusk, and Miss Clara Ford. An or
chestra furnished music during the evening.
The menu card was handsome little souvenir
of eight pages, containing, besides the menu,
the list of toasts and speeches, some choice
maxims of Poor Richards, with an autographie
facsimile of "B. Franklin" attached and the
last two pages We're lined for the signatures of
the party. The cards were tied with silken
cords OF light blue and pink, these being the
Junto colors The present JuntO is but three
months old, but it is a most promising infant
however Every one had a most delightful
time, and the first banquet of the Junto was
grand success.