Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-11
THE BOYS TO THE PROFESSOR
A Banquet by University Graduates to
DR.. Joseph Lee Conte.

A Banquet by University Graduates to
DR.. Joseph LIE Conte.
The elegant banquet room Of the Cali.
fornia club never held much more har-
monious gathering than assembled there
last night to do honor to Prof. Joseph
LIE Conte, of the University graduates
residing in this city. The guests COM
prised Judges e. M. Ross and Walter
Van Dyke, Prof. Moore, Roger S. Day,
Col. J. j. Ayers of the HERALD, Drs.
Brandon and Kurtz, Prof. Resner, and
about 80 graduates of old Berkeley, of
which Max Lowenthal was plainly q
leading spirit, although Henry w.
O'Melveny was the president of the
evening, and, like the house of lords,
did it very WE'LL" The plain old pro-
fessor, as modest as gifted, occupied the
seat adjoining the president of the even
ing. The menu was served consistently
to the California club style, and COM
prised the following:
Eastern oysters on the half she'll.
BOuilion en- tasse. Chablis.
Brook trout, cream sauce.
Chicken croquettes, aux petits pois.
Burgundy.
Fillets de beuf, aux champlgnons.
Punche Romaine.
Game-Teal ducks, broiled
Champagne.
Salad. Ice cream.
The first speech of the evening wss
by the presiding officer. A more grace
full tribute from pupil to preceptor
could not we'll be imagined. The pro-
fessor's response was charming pro-
duction. He went back to the days
when the college at Berkeley was opened
and he was one of the first professors.
He had been told of the lawless char
acter of frontiersmen, and was agreeably
surprised to find himself confronted with
the children of the pioneers, young men
athirst for useful knowledge and ever
ready to submit to the most rigorous
college discipline for the sake of acquir-
ing that knowledge. Judge Walter Van
Dyke followed Professor lie Conte and
recounted the history of the University
of California, paying most glowing
tribute to the memory of Judge John W.
Dwinelle for his unselfish labors in its
foundation. He then went on to the
days of the constitutional convention of
1879, and recited how dozen words, in
the shape'of an amendment, offered by
Col. J.J. Ayers, had been the means of
divesting the collegiate system of the
Professor Moore of this city was called
upon to answer to the toast of Cali
fornia's Common Schools, and his was a
vsry happy effort in its details of the
progress of the collegiate education of
California's youth.
Then toast was given, Our Pioneers,
and Colonel Ayers was called upon to
respond, which he did in q vein so happy
- hat +nh IL -, e., II,
20 minutes. The days of the "fret
newspaper in the diggings," the first
dramatic performance at Mokelumne
hill, where he was editor of the Calaveras
Chronicle (the Oldest newspaper in ex-
istence west of the Rockies), all were de-
lineated with peculiar embination of
grace and simplicity, graphic diction and
happy thought
Midnight hovered in the skies, and
the president felt that the hour for
parting was not far off. So he called up
the toast, Berkeley and Her Children,
and asked Max Lowenthal to respond to
the toast. 1t is seldom that any man
makes more graceful and epigrammatic
speech. He spoke straight to the SUBJ
ject matter and acquitted himself in a
style whose force was equaled only in
its brevity.
Not the least interesting feature of the
banquet was tine music, which was su-
perbly furnished by little orchestra OF
six pieces. But the studied beauty of
their renditions was lost by comparison
with the singing of the old college
songs by the 36 graduates present. All
those familiar airs, SO often sung on the
campus at Berkeley. were gone over by
voices that had entered upon the
sterner duties of manhood, and when
the company parted at midnight the
aged guest evinced his emotion as he
beheid his former pupils among the
leading men OF Southern California, and
felt that his labors had not been in