Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-16
PRESENTING A PORTRAIT
An ENJOYABLE Occasion at the National
Metropolitan Bank. "
President ThOmpsOn's Picture Inspires
Pleasant "reminiscences and Well
Deserved Tributes.

| A pleasant event occurred in the board
| rocm of the National Metropolitan Bank
| yesterday afternoon, when full-length
| portrait of Mr.. John W. Thompson, the
| president of the institution, was unveiled
| in its permanent place upon the wall. The
| occasion closed, so far as the substantial
| part of the undertaking was concerned, an
| episode which has been very gratifying to
the officers and directors. well as every
one else connected with the bank. Some
time ago the directors decided to procure
an oil portrait of Mr. Thompson, and COM
missioned Vice President Henry A. Willard
| Cashier George H. B. White and Mr.. j.
| Ormond Wilson to discharge the duty OF
securing it, MIR. S. Jerome Uhl was Sc
| lected the artist and the result of his
work is a full-length, life-siZe portrait
| which is striking and truthful likeness of
| Mr.. Thompson.
| Mr.. j. o. Wilson's Address.
| Yesterday afternoon the committee for
| mally presented the portrait to the direc-
| tors, and Mr.. j. Ormond Wilson made
few remarks appropriate to the occasion,
aid at the same time sketched the history
of the bank in an interesting manner. He
| said it was organized only fourteen years
/ after the founding of this city, and during
| its existence of e.ghty-one years President
| Thompson had been its chief executive
over a fourth Of the period. In it's earliest
| days it came to the assistance of the gen.
| eral government In its preparations for .;ac-
| rying- on with Great Britain and in
| restoring the Capitol and other public
| buildings in this city. when destroyed or
| greatly damaged by vandal British forces.
The first president was John P. Van Ness.
| who served thirty-two years; the second.
| John w. Maury, who served nine years;
tie third, Thomas Carberry.. eight years.
| Then came George Lowry, who held Office
| two years. and DR.. John B. Blake, who
served nine years. Mr.. Thompson succeed
| ed DR.. Blake, and has already been in office
| twenty-ore years. Limited in the number
! of its presidents the bank has been equally
| remarkable for the few cashiers it has
enjoyed. Mr.. G. H. B. White, the present
| cashier having already served twenty
| years, his predecessors being Moses Kelly,
| Richard Smith, George Thomas and Ajax
| ander Kerr.
Story of President ThOmpsOn's Work.
Mr.. Wilson also recited the names of the
| directors who have managed the affairs of
| the institution, and then confined himself
| to a sketch of its condition during the in
cumbency of President Thompson. From
| February I. 1871, to May 4, 1895, he said
the capital stock had been reduced from
| s5oo,Oo0 to $300.0oO; the surplus increased
| from $l59,OOO to S350.000. and the individual
deposits had risen from S41S, tiS6.95 to ST.
3531Io.94. That. he said, was the short and
| simple story of Mr.. Thompson's admins
tration. He recited how the president had
made use of his ample private resources
to sustain the bank in the general financial
| crisis existing when he first took the Of
flee, and declared the well grounded trust
in him has contributed largely to inspire
| the unreServed confidence at all times re-
posed in the bank by the public.
| In conclusion Mr.. Wilson said that for
the reasons he had briefly outlined the
| board of directors had placed the portrait
| OF their president on the wall of their
room as special recognition of his long,
faithful and valuable services, and that
| they sincerely trusted that the good health
and valued services of Mr.. Thompson might
long be spared to the bank, and his por-
trait be ever preserved a reminder of
| his administration
Mr.. Thcmpson's Reply.
Mr.. Thompson gracefully acknowledged
the compliment rendered him, and spoke
of his early corneetion with the bank, first
as depositor, then as director in 1865
| as vice president in 1873, and finally as
president He sketched its career as the
Bank of the Metropolis and its change to its
| present style under the currency laws, and
alluded to the troubles due to the panic
OF 1873 by which the bank was so af-
| fected through inGiscreet management that
| threatened. Mr.. Thompson said he had
worked anxiously and zeaiously to re-es-
tablish and had found himself obliged
at one time to place his own bonds and
securities at its free disposal in order to
provide means to meet the demands of
uneasy depostors, whose claims were
rapidly diminishing the amount of individ-
| ual deposits. He was glad to say success
had crowned his efforts and from that
time onward prosperity. strength and popu-
larty have followed without interruption
until in these respects the institution was
unexcelied in Washington.
President Thompson prophetically in
dulged the hope that the fame and solidity
of the bank would never again be tarnish-
ed or shaken, but for unnumbered years
to come it would continue to attract, in an
Increasing degree the liberal and implicit
confidence it so deservedly enjoys now. He
paid high tribute to Cashier G. H b.
White. and dwelt feelingly upon his 10y
atty and faithful devotion to the interests
of the institution.
Mr. Nathaniel Wilson followed President
Thompson with illusions to the warm per-
sonal friendship that had existed between
them since his advent in Washington and
Mr.. Henry A. Willard also made happy ref
ere nee to his early acquaintance and long
friendship with Mr.. Thompson, beginning
in 1879
All the speeches were literally interrupt
ed with applause, and the occasion will
long be remembered for it's many enjoy
able features The directors present be-
| sides those already named were N. w
| Burchell. James E.s Fitch and Samuel H.
| Kaufman. MessrS. Henry Semken and
| William Thompson, a brother of the preSi-
dent. were unable to attend on account of
illness.
Marriage Licenses.
Marriage licenses have been issued to the
following: Richard Chambers and Sarah
Elizabeth Thompson; Arthur Gray and
| AlWlda Allen: w Henry Page and Ella