Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-01-01

throb that has continued to grow with
my growth. until have never vet been
able to acquire the courage to deny my
self either the substantialS, which are con-
ceded to be necessary, or the luXurieS
which are said to enervate, (while could
get them, until my allotted capacity had
been fully exhausted, and had been sub
Stantiated, enervated, and was thus COM
PEELED to be quietuated.
If it be true-and | verify believe it
that the easiest and surest way to reach
a mans purse and his heart too, is by
first seeing that his stomach is satisfied,
then have no doubt but that this COM
modiouS, bright CHEEKY Dining Hall, with
its artistic designs, replete with the most
tempting yiands, viii be the means of
reaching many mans purse, to the sub
stantial satisfaction of the proprietor,
aud many mans heart too, to the de-
light of his and other mems daughters.
But ladies and gentlemen, what can L say
in the brief space of five minutes allotted
me by your committee, sufficiently com
mandatory of this magnificent, not to say
palatial mansion and its builder? Would
you consider it from its location? Ger
tainly none more appropriate, situated as
| it is here upon the site of the old Nation
al. where clusters so many events and
fond recOllections. many of which | see
by your programme, are soon to appear
before you, painted from the eye of mem
ory. Would you.consider it from its out
ward appearance? a superb structure
of magnificent proportions, 10Ox66 feet,
stories high: pressed brick fronts. with no
perishable exposures, but almost as ell
during as time itself; from the inside,
symmetry, convenience, beauty and splen-
dor, meet the eye and please and satisfy
the taste and judgment What a
wonderful exhibit of durability, of use, of
elegance and of art, are here glowingly
combined in this, the pride of many mod
els, the perpetuation of many masters.
In our new churches, we have mOnu-
ments to our peoples virtue, piety and
Christianity; in our new court house we
have monument to our peoples enter
prise, prosperity and wealth; and now to
complete this magnificent trio, in our
new hotel Clarendon, we have a mOnu-
ment to our peoples sociability, geniali-
ty and hospitality.
And now what shall say of the cOur-
age and enterprise of him who has staked
his S26, 700, including the $500 for the
location, $500 for the furniture. in Or
der that this building and its equipments
may be in keeping with the other impos-
ing structures about it, which have been
erected by the combined capital of many
people?
Where shall we rank him upon glorys page,
Him who has been more than benefactOr in this
TO engage?"
For him we can say he will prove boon
of Providence in creating an asylum for
the hungry and weary, and home for
the homless and the wanderer. in this
the age of travellers. For him we can say,
that though fortune should not gild his
enterprise, nor prestige and power emo
ble,yet better than either or both these, he
is certain to be rich III the love and titled
with the blessings of an ever grateful
people. For him the Clarendon will be
monument, substantial and immutable,
scarcely yielding to the tests of time, and
it is to be hoped for generations success
fully resisting the ravaging, crumbling
effects of fire and storm, and thus long
continue a sublime memento to the
pride of st. Clairsville, and an everlasting
relic to the public-Spirited, enterpriSing
Thomas E. Clark. May his fame be eter-
nal, and his reward and that of others
who have aided him. be commensurate
with this, and their many other works.
And when the magnificent Clarendon
shall have mouldered into dust, and the
glories of her name shall live only in the
legends of tradition, and the light of her
pleasures and her achievements live only
in song, other generations will rise up to
echo well merited praise both to the
builder and his building, the inferior to
none, the equal to any in Eastern Ohio.
May glory and honor long crown her
career; may proprfcty and prosperity to
all appear; may she continue as she be-
gins, the pride of the town. For then
there is naught for the Clarendon but
success and renOwn.
TOAST MAsTER:-A prophet is not
without honor save in his own country;
and the committee therefore have with
commendable modesty gone to the neigh
boring city of Bridgeport, and the re-
sponse to the toast, st Clairsville Past
and Present. will be by Hon. Ross j.
Alexander. (Applause)
Mr.. Alexander responded as follows:
Mr.. President, Ladies and Gentlemen:
st. ClairSville is a grand old town
Perhaps | ought not to say old because my
own life spans more than half its whole
existence. But what can [ say to ST.
Clairsville people of their own town;
those who were born here as | was and
some who have lived here longer? But l
knew St Clairsville best in the palmy days
of the MuSadOig, when it ruled the deSti-
MES of this town with mailed hand.
Itwas terrible, mysterious organization.
1t never met earlier than nine o'clock at
night; it never met but to receive new
members; it charged no dues; it had no
initiation fees except the candles that
were necessary to illuminate its halls.
And yet that order elected the best
Mayor and the best town council this
town ever had. 1t was a progressive
town council. The shade trees that adorn
your town from one end to another were
planted by its order. The old eye-sOre
that many of you remember, on the
Tallman lot, as it was called, was torn
dOwn-where the splendid United Pres
byterian church is erected. And over
the way here it tore down the old
barracks, which Mr.. Genin called five
buildings in One-Where your new school
house stands. That town council had
big lawsuit on its back too, prosecuted to
the utmost by the ablest lawyer of eastern
Ohio, but that town council came out
victorious in that suit. Mr.. Genin mad a
great deal of feeling on the subject, and
he said, thinking that his property was
wantonly destroyed that he wished no
happier fate than to be with that council
in small boat in mid-ocean aud all sink
to h-ll together. Uaughter.) The old
fellow was pretty mad. That council
when | think of them how widely they
are scattered. | see one, however, here
tonight whom always looked upon as
kind of hero. His zeal once for the
Presbyterian church caused him to cap
ture and put in its choir-loft pipe
organ for the use of that church; and
when his zeal for it had somewhat
abated, he recaptured the organ for the
Masonic parties of the town. 1t has now
found its way to Martins Ferry. | saw
it passing through Bridgeport some
weeks ago. He also captured several
pistols out of the arsenal in the old
Court House with which our boys did
our hunting and our Christmas shooting.
He CAPTURED also a sDlendid mounted