New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-24
HARDWARE MEN AT DINNER
A FAST OF THIRIYTwO YEARS CLOSED.


BUCKLEY AND w II. MTLROY.
The members of the hardware ard metal trades in
New-York met last night The particular subject in
hand was cutlery. The cutlery of the table
variety, and belonged TO Louis Sherry. 1t was used in
discussing the fourth annual diner of the hardware
men, There were over 400 diners, and they filled
sherry's brilliant white and gdd dlning-r0Om to the
limit and overfowed into an adjoining parlor. With
the oty born Of good cheer mingled the pleasures
of reunion for the Ode men, for 1t Just thirty two
years since the association held its last preceding
dinner From 1883 to 1850 three dinners given,
but when the Civil Mar rot under full Roadway, the
hardware men evidently too much occupied with
selling guns and Otler things to waste any time on
dinners. At any rte the annual dinners failed, and
from 1860 TIL last night there interregnum of
convvtfliy But last nights dinner was enough CT a
success to fill tie aching void of the past and the
roseae vista of the future with one overpowerng flavor
OF RastrOnomc gcries.
At the head table with Chairman Webster Il.
WaIkley sat william H. McElroy. Of The Tribune. David
n Stone, of "The Journal of Commerce." ex-MayOr
Hewitt the Rev. DR.. James NJ. Buckley, the Rev. DR..
A. j. F. BeArdlds, David Williams, of " The Iron Age,
Jonathan II. Crane, of the Crockery Board Of Trade
G. Waldo Smith. of the Wholesale Grocers Association
Marcus @. Hawey George II. Sargent, Samuel A.
FIaines David, II. Goodel, Joseph B. Sargent, Mayor
Of New-Hawn, William w. Supple, Richard r. Will
iarns Fnyete II. Plumb, William II. Williams. Francis
r. Thurber John G. Tucker and Archibald Z. Mitchell
At the leads Of the other table sat j. L. Narick,
D. H. Janes, Eugene Bissell, U. 7. Iiungerford,
A. D. clnch, Peter McCaree and p r.
Jennings About them were gathered the
representatives of nearly every hardware firm Of i'm
portance In the metropolitan district The dinner
was delightfully."- free and easy, but the menu "as
onbourd and copper fastened bronze relief panei
ornamented the representing the original smtl
leaning on his anvil and gazing at his forge iIe' VIII"
all the digni5 and brevity of garments of old Tloai
Cain himself
A novel feature OF the evening was the singing OF
the donbl. quartet of the Orpheus society composed
If c. [. Sonsall and c. H. Botsford HIST 'ehofs >
Frank c. Hoyt and Alexander WHITE, second fhoiS
scudder smith and c. Stafford Waters, hrst Dasses a"u
f. L. Peck and James r. Strong, second psAsc>
This loading amateur organization Is not Ia Wv
habit of singing at other peoples dinners
,u, NJ Hovt. beins a member Of both associations
nrevaed upon the ouartette to accept the hospitality
of me hardware men and sing them a little song
afteward. ,,
At O'Clock the chairman opened the oIatoncai
psrt Of the evening by saying: gentlemen her-
Giants and manufacturers This is feast OF iaoores'
4 tolers. We all stand on a common platform ana
our greeting is to ore and all. We feel kindly
tonch O, compauonshlp in these gatherings The talk
of discounts and OF prices is forgotten. They give way
10 the kindly feelings of comrsdesnp. May the hour
help us TO know each other better"
The fr.s Of the toasts was Hardware Dinners,'
and DaEid Williams answered 10 III. aging Ill part
ain view of the history the trade 10 dinners this
toast reminds OF the story of the snakes IN Iceland
How much the track has lost by the absence OF these
dinners no one can tell. How many man who has
carried In his heart bitter feeling against MS com
petitor might have found him the joest OF good rel
lows Il he could have met him at hardware dinner
Mr.. Williams spoke feelingiy of Peter Cooper, one on
those who sat at the last hardware dinner and the
applause was loud and long In closing. the speaker
said that he hoped again in the history OF the
trade would equal provocaiion arise for the Governor
OF New Hampshire TO remark TO the Mayor oil Now
York, ats long time between meals
Ex-Mayoy Hewitt next spoke for "The Iron and
steel Industries He was greeted with cheers.
Among other things he said ave are called together
TO honor a trade that b. gan when AdGn deived ana
Eve span for after that unfortunate first meal In
Paradise I imagine that the first thing sought was
some tools with which TO earn an nohee'
living II hardware first, 1t would also be
last lasting til the final syllable OF recorded urne'
In conclusion. the speaker said
"Our future progress depends on the SOLUTION W
certain great problems. We are in great ferment'
We trust and hope but the future Is not Certain
We must first have honest money Any proposiuoh
that seeks 10 degrade the currency so per cent must
Re frowned down. The right OF men 10 iaoor "Heio
and for what price they choose must De 'e'uieu
even in the face OF the combinations OF
NJ jealousy do not deny the right OF aSsoChu0h
=. ;s sacred right As sacred as the right not to
associate" - a. ..o
"Tbe Past and Present OF Manufacture was ule
next toast and Mayor Joseph b. odise"V
of New Haven replied The Rev. Dr. buchieS 'no"
preacl.ed on Iron and Theology In a most WHY
strain His text was: "As iron sharpeneth lroh 90
doth a man sharpen the cOuntenance OF h' hienu'
lie kent the company laughing for ten minutes !"
conclusion Dr. Buckley said "A man VINO mas no 'r'
4, his blood never mOulds public opinion 'hiess
man has iron in his blood he can't be fnoi' i,a
IL was 80 with CTomwers iIonsideS, WIN VIC yuan
and the Puritans, but the trouble Win many me-" on.
institutions today is that they are part lr'n u pow
clay" as.,oc,,o
,,ardware.s saving among other things: :" As nave
beeu sitting here / have been overcome WIN ,'0
thought that the hardware trade Is inc iloeV
flower that blooms. Mayor Hewitt sase ' Ino,bcr
said that Dante and Milton were not IN win IN ,n
Cooper because the latter was an IRON m., a. the
statamcnf recently made that the screw da;S from V
Sixteenth century Unless my BIBLICAL euucduoll ~ .
ia,i, s the va The exktence Of well developed
screw in early Egyptian history .o g., . .tory OF
As TO subjective hardware, there IS sI TnLine
Sapoeon that one day ST. Helena he s,oou Ooi h.
out over the sea, and when asked wiii M % ron
were replied that he thinking that II an tlH 9 ~,
the. had entered his sosl could be made SUBJECTIVE ~
could start the biggest hardware store III kuIope,
, nolecn The trouble now is that We give 80 much
Tine to objective har%ae t as linn %ea That f0r make life
Sweet and worth living In conclusion consIanare
vm TO- three reasOns-hrst, because your PNS.mho,
hero after 80 long dnncress Interval Is PROOF tnaV
inslues * prospecting: second, because you nave 10 90
with ron- is base metal, bat after all silver aIIu
cold are AT the Of most OF the baheIess Oh tc
world third because the hardware store Is pre-
Migration the millennium, for in II spears are beaten
TO porgsares and the nations OF the earth forget 10
male war Chill A.. 8,
TIE other toasts The Future Of Manufacture,
ty David n. GOOdcll; "The Ethics OF Trade" bV
Fsyet,e r. Plumb Pins and Needles BY william H.
Williams: Our Commercial Obligations by F.. Is.
Thurber: "Our Commercial Travellers by Samuel A.
HaiDes. and The Distribution or Hardware, by william
NJ. Supplee.
TIA TRANS MISSISSIPPI CONGRESS-
ew-Orleans. Feb. 23.-TFlc Trans Mississippi Com
mercja Congress assembled today AT the ST. Charles