The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-12-26
NEARLY SPOILED THE BANQUET
Misfortune to Printer Caused ConfUsioI
at Dinner Given to Stanley.

tNIrNihSi ~ Oa@IS Jul DFNtNN ~ -
Misfortune to "a Printer Caused ConfUEioI
at IA Dinner Given to Stanley.
Mention of the present visit of Henri,
NJ. Stanley to this country brough
about the narration of an amusing
though somewhat annoying, incident il
connection with the american dinner
that was given to the explorer in Lon
don on his return from the EmiI
Pasha relief expedition. The inciden
also serves to show how a very Sigh
accident may precipitate confusion in
dinner party. The American dinner tc
Stanley was the idea of Henry S. Well.
come, an American business man o.
London, who was not only a personal
friend of Stanley, but a member of the
firm of druggists who fitted out the
Emin Pasha relief expedition. Through
Mr.. Welcomes energy almost every
American in London subscribed fol
tickets to the dinner, and on the night il
came off covers for over three hundred
people were laid in Evans assembly.
rooms. One table, on a dais, was re.
served for Stanley and the more dis
tinguished guests, and there were &
dozen other long tables facing this one
Mr.. Welcome attended personally tc
the arrangement of the seats, and each
man who had subscribed to the plate
that was to be presented to the guest
OF the evening was given a place at the
end of one of the subsidiary tables, and
others were given seats near each other
who had expressed preference. Mr.
Welcome gave minute attention tc
these details, and, the first thing on the
morning of the night of the dinner, he
took his completed plan of the tables
and seats to a printer in order to have
the usual diagrams ready for the guild.
ance of the diners in taking their places
When the hour of $50, which hac
been fixed for dinner, had arrived, the
200 hundred guests were assembled in
the reception-room. Stanley was there
and so was Consul General John c
New, who was to preside, and so Were
some of the most distinguished men il
England. But there was no diagrams
VI CllS -iOOllls anu lllC ICCClJllOI
committe were anXiously waiting fol-
Mr.. Welcome to arrive with them. Al
81 o'clock Mr.. Welcome flew in, in his
business clothes, with a smudge OF
printers ink on his nose and more OF
his hands. He agonizinly informed the
reception committee that the printers
had pied the type or the diagrams of the
tables at the last moment, and thai
they would be compelled to do without
them.
1t may seem an easy matter for 300
men to find their places at tables, wheI
their names are at their plates, but il
brought about so much confusion that
everybody was turned from the dining.
room back to the reception-room and d
brilliant scheme was suggested. There
was the original list of the names of the
diners, with their respective places
that Mr.. Welcome had rescued from
the printer, in the possession of the re-
ception committee. The toastmastel
was stationed on chair at the door Of
the dining-room and instructed to reaC
and take his place at the table when
bis name was called. The toastmasteI
was fine, big Englishman, with q
stentorian voice. He did as he was told
'New-Consul General John c." he
shouted, and Mr.. New went through
the door. "Stanley-Henry NJ" bel
lowed the toastmaster next. There
was a roar of laughter and that scheme
for seating the guests was dropped
Finally everybody went in again and
searched for his place and found it OF
otherwise, as best he might. Several
Of the guests designed for the principa
table were rescued from inferior posi-
tons below, and some ambitious ones
We're degraded from the table of rank;
but the dinner went on merrily and
ended similarly, though itbegan an hou1
later than the time it had been set for
and all because of the accident to the
diagrams.-N. Y. Telegram.