The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1892-03-02

Town, anu pass Lne ulR0b WlbH JOSH anu sung
1.-THE club in the general acceptation of
the term" says John limbs in his " His
tory of Clubs and Club Life, may be re-
garded as one of the earliest offshoots of
mans gregarious and social inclination /;
and as an instance of that remarkable in
1uence which, in an early stage of society,
the powers of nature exercise over the for
tunes of mankind. 1t may not be traCeable
TO the time When Adam dolve and Eve
SPAN but it is natural to imagine that con-
current with the force OF numbers must
have increased the tendency OF men to as
sociate for some common object"
There have doubtless been numer Gus
clubs with the title Apollo, from the earliest
days Of such institutions until the present
time of Montpeler's contribution to club
dom. The first Apollo club of which any
record is found was the noted tavern with
the sign Of st. Dunstan pulling the devil by
the nose, which stood between Temple Bar
and the Middle Temple gate, in London.
1t was house of great resort in the reign
OF James /. and then kept by Simon Wad-
loe. Rare Ben Jonson used to frequent
this club, and there he wrote |" The Devil is
an Asse," played in 1916. The principal
room was called {" The Oracle of Apollo" a
large room evidently built apart from the
tavern. Above the door was the bust of
Apollo modelled from the Apollo Belvi-
dere by some skillful person of the olden
day. The rules of the club were justly adj
mired for the conciseness and elegance of
the Latinity. Over the clock IN the kitchen,
in 1881, there remained: Isl nocturna tibi
7ocedt POTATO Uini, hoe in name bibes iterun,
ct .fierit medicinal" In the rules of the
Apollo club women of character were not
excluded from attending the meetings
Montpelier's organization might take hint
from this, and appoint more ladies' nights.
The Apollo Club of Montpelier was
started in the winter of 1884. Its originator
was the talented and versatile j. Harry En-
gels, now of Rutland, and he got up the
first minstrel show ID. A. Guptil says the
first meeting was held in his shop, but the
bulk OF testimony goes to show that the
first gathering of the sons Of Apollo was in
the vestry of the Unitarian church, where
further meetings were held Later the
rooms in Union block, occupied by j. v.
Gilman, served as headquarters, until
November 28, 1885, the club met in rooms
over the old post-ofiice and recognized by
choosing Frank H. Puffer as president; d
A. Guptil, vice. presidents Fred f. Bradish,
secretary and e. e. Blakely, treasurer.
These were palmy days for the ApollOs.
Several rousing minstrel shows were organ
lied, and the towns Of Barre, Wells River,
st. Johnsbury and Lyndonvile were
stormed and captured. The boys remem-
Der st. Johnsbury, and st. Johnsbury &
memory is not defective.
In October of 1886 the club removed to
rooms in Bancroft block on Main street,
which it continued to occupy until the
recent shift to its present elegant quarters in
Blanchard Opera-house building. Novem.
her 4, 1885, Fred F. Bradish resigned as sec.
crtary, and James T. Sabin was elected to
the Office, which he has held ever since.
The addition to the Opera-house build
ing, the present home Of the club, was be-
gun last April and carried out according to
the plans of the late Asa Blanchard. The
addition has frontage OF forty-eight feet
and depth of about 100 The lower floor is
devoted to two handsome stores, the second
floor to the Apollo Club, the third floor to
offices, and the fourth to a hall, Out Of the
addition also comes an extension of seven
teen feet to the opera-house stage, making
II probably the largest in New England out
side of Boston.
The second floor is devoted entirely to the
club rooms, which are unquestionably the
most elegant in the state and probably
north of Boston The mammoth plate-g lass
windows that look upon Main street let the
sunlight into the main room and parlOr, the
former to the left Back of the ptrlor is
second and smaller parlor, still further the
card room, and beyond is the billiard room
The rooms open into corridor seven fee
in width, which runs parallel with all ex
cept the music room. The two parlors ar,
Carpeted; the other apartments have pol
ished hardwood floors, upon which rugs
have been strewn In profusiOn The CORR
dor, which also serves as coat room, IL
finished in ash, the rooms in oak. The
walls are tinted light ecru with border
of deeper shade.
The furniture was selected with view
to variety, and variety there is. Most OF il
was made especially for the club by A. B
& e. l.. Shaw of Boston. 1t is all of oak
upholstered in plush, leather and Wiltor
rugs. The handsome draperies are luxuri
ous creations in tints of electric blue, terra
Gotta, old-gold and bronze, from the grace
full folds that drape the arched front win
dows to the heavy portieres that separate
the parlors from the card room, and tha
from the billiard room The chandeliers
are of polished brass, with fluted cut-glass
globes, and fitted for both gas and electric
ity.,,
The music room is one of the cosies
apartments. Beside the big window
when the lights are low," the meditativt
like to sit and chat and smoke. A Miller
parlor-grand invites the attention OF tn,
numerous frst-rate pianists in the club, anC
beside it stands a handsome specimen o
the piano-lamp makers art, made Of pol
lshed brass and mounted with onyx. TIL,
big fireplace in the parlor, with its shining
brass andirons and the mirror above it, i
one of the first objects to attract the eye
The seductive comfort OF the divan and tn
chairs may explain to some wives VIII,
their husbands are occasionally a trihe lat
in their homecoming.
The four whist tables in the card-rOon
are filled nightly with the devotees Of tina
scientific game, while the knights of tn
round table in the center of the room dis
cuss the fascinating diversion of Sanch
Pedro. The billiard room at present ha
the call in the way of attractiveness. From
early morn till dewy eve, and from dew
eve till bedtime the click of the ivorie
echoes through the rooms intersperse
with the laughter of the players, the occs
sional smothered ejaculation, and the grind
ing of the chalk on the cue-tp.
The billiard and pool tables are from tn
warerooms of j. e. Came & Co., Boston
the gas fixtures, fire-set and piano lam
from McKenney & Waterbury of Boston
the carpets and rugs from Jordan, Marsh (
CO., Boston. The draperies were bough
through L. p. Gleason & Co. The club, i
fitting up the rooms, has expended abou
$500, and the result is quite visible. TIL
rooms are heated by furnace, and ventilatio
Is accomplished by means of the fire-plac
and six ventilatng chimneys
The club-rooms were blaze of light las
Friday evening, when the club rendered
reception to the people of Montpelier, as
sort of dedication Of the new quarters. On
hundred ten lights illuminated the rooms
Fully $50 people were present, the ladit
being out in force and in rather elaborat
toilets. During the evening the Montpelie
orchestra rendered the follnwinu mr.,