The evening times., 1896-06-10
fine, but there is no punishment for non
attendance at a special meeting.
GOING TO MINNEAPOLIS


The club is i'll prosperous condition.
aud at every regular meeting eight or ten
new members are added to the roll
regular meeting is the only time candidate
can be initiated.
sufficient sum of money has been
raised TO take the entire club to MiDneapo-
lis, 10 attend the convention of the su-
preme Lodge, knights of Pythias, which
will be held in that city next August
Another peculiar orga nization exist
ing In this city is known as the Fools Club.
Meetings are held in South Washington
every Friday evening. and its membership
is limited to the number Of States and
Territories i'll the Union.
When ID the lodge room, each member
is supposed to represent State OF Terri
tory, and is known as the fool from
Maine,'' or from whatever State he
may represent, and the only time new
new member is taken in is when one of their
number either dies or withdraws.
The objects OF the club are both bene-
.icial and for amusement, it being the duty
of every member to play jokes on himself
Or others on any and all occasions, and
at the same time to look after the sick
and unemployed. When member is III
each other member is assessed 20 cents
a week and required TO visit him at least
once a week during his illness. This assess
ment continues until the sick one either
gets well or dies. If he dies, then each
member is assessed an additional 81 toward
1efraying tine funeral expenses. When a
member is out of Work he receives the sum
Of 10 cents from each member until em-
vi, hos fpr
This club has been in existence nearly six
wears and during that time not a meEa-
| Der has been sick, although several have
been on the unemployed list, but not for a
very long period. The club has adopted no
emblem as yet, but the expression on the
faces of the members s evidence that they
are well acquainted with deviltry and fool
| ism.
On the walls of the clubroom are hung
| the notices of each State and when a
| member sewers his connection with the
! organization the motto of the State he
fepresents is taken down and secreted in
| a closet until new member has been chos-
| Ell to fill the vacancy. Then it is replaced
IN its former position with its face toward
the wall for three weeks, after which time
it is turned around.
HOW THEY AMUSE THEMSELVES.
The amusements of this club consist OF
comic dialogues, humorous debates, mock
| trials, ETC., to which the friends of the
members are often invited. Their dialogues
are taken from actual street life, theil
mock trials from Judge Kimball's court
and their subjects for debates from the
House of Representatives. Everything is
made as original as possible.
Besides this, the members create consid
cradle amusement on the outside. At re
cent meeting a motion was made that the
Fool from Mississippi dress himself In fe
male attire and occupy front seat in the
balcony of the National Theater the follow.
ing Wednesday. The motion was carried
and the member designated was compelled
to abide thereby. He did not object to the
scheme, but said he did not think 1t proper
to send lady to the tbeater without ar
escort; SO it was decided that the Foo
from Della ware dress himself as a Western
ranchman and escort the lady to the theater
The entire club went to the theater earl,
on tue evening mentioned to see that tn,
ruling was obeyed. Shortly before o'clocl
the couple entered and their presence wa
made known by an outburst of applaus
from their comrades. Until the drop of tn
curtain on the last act the gallery god
interested themselves more in the coupl
than they did in the performance.
The members of this club have a YER
peculiar habit of writing nonsencial lei
tiers to prominent men all over the country
Sometimes they receive an answer, but gen
orally receive no reply.