The morning times., 1896-12-03
BOYS AGAIN LAST NIGHT
Oldest Inhabitants Meet for An
Anniversary.
TOLD STORIES OF LONG AGO
It was,the Thirty-first Year of the
Association and They Celebrated
It - After the Speeches Came
Doughnuts and Country Ham
Sandwiches.

The Association of Oldest Inhahit ants
+ the District was organized thifty-one
years ago this month and last night the
members, or most OF them, gathered at
their headquarters in the Corcoran builC-
ing to celebrate the anniversary.
TO one VITO dropped in from Pennsyl-
vania avenue with It's later day hustle and
hurry and progress, the function was en-
tertainingly new in its quaint OlGness. The
members were old the minimum age limit
is fifty years outside of the report
ers there was not a man there who had
not seen at least half score more than
that many wears.
There we've plenty of formalitics to be
gone through with, for it was u regular
meeting as well as an anniversary event.
There was IA long table in the center Of
the room and the chairman sat at one
end of it, with the secretary by his side.
The members drew their chairs-they
werenot cushioned affairs, but plain wooden
seats-close to the sides and put their
elbows on the table. When there was no
longer any room there the rest sat around
the walls and crossed their legs, while
an attendant arranged the cuspidors at
convenient intervals.
OLD-FASHIONED AND EARLY.
All this was done early, too. 1t was
little later than O'clock when the last
member arrived and every sou! had gone
home by $3.50 O'clock
When those who sat about the walls
leaned back their heads touched old flags
and banners that were used as decorations.
The gas burned brightly enough but Its
flame was quite out of place in compari-
son with the coal-oil lamps that sat on
the old mantel-tree and in one Of the
windows. There were daguerreotypes of
Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and their con-
temporaries on the walls, and over the
fire place was a copy of the Declaration
of Independence.
Mr. John Marbury. jr., is the president
but Vice President Noble d. Larner pre-
sided over the meeting because of the
chairman's unavoidable absence. Mr.. Mar
| bury's father is dead, AM the son himself
| is seventy years old, but he still anneXes
| Junior to his name.
Mr.. Larner opened the meeting by rap
[ ping the handle of his JacKkniIe on tnt
| end of the long table.
! After the little formal business session
| OF the meeting everybody climbed aboart
| his feelings and went back thirty or fort,
| years.
Mr.. j. a Wineberger, ma rshal of the asso-
| ciation, read the remainder of his history
of the society. He delivered the first part
| of the sketch a the last regular meeting
1t had often been remarked he said. that
| Aiitlt wiz IiD NpiItii III tit dsSOtldtlbii
DR.. Mary Walker once met him and ask ed
| him what were the requirements for ad-
| mission to the society.
| Fifty years of age" he answered.
| Iron clad object ons," replied DR..
Walker.
| BACK MANY YEARS
| Those who sat about the table twiddled
| their thumbs around each other and smiled
as he read and those who sat around the
| walls sometimes leaned over with their
elbows Oh their knees in their interest.
He told of the time when a picket fence
| four feet high surrounded the White
| House, and of the days when there wer.
| cabbage patches where the palaces OF
| Northwest Washington now stand. The
| other members " werelntercSted because they
| remembered exactly the same thing.
Everybody came filled with "reminiscences
but the time was too short for all to speak
Some OF we younger ones wanted tI
| gas, too said Mr. William Reron, who
has seen both sides of seventy years, after
| the meeting, but the time was SO shor
| we had to give way to our elders
Mr.. Beron, by the way, is the originates
| of the pro- jet to raise the stars and stripes
| over the public school buildings. He go'
his neighbcrs Interested in the scheme, ant
the first time the flag Went mp in such
place was over the Wailach School build
ing, near his home. That was in 1876.
THEN THEY RECESSED.
II move we take u recess said on,
member at the close OF the first hour aut
a half. Everybody knew what it meant
and there was not a dissenting vote.
The men at the table ceased twirliH,
their thumbs, and those around the wall
sat up straight. The attendants came il
andl brought things to eat. 1t looked 70
all the world like an old-time huskin,
l hnn ha ~ tr,. 81,
the fodder Were not there. The ham sand
wiches were not modern inventions, bu
| Were Of the oldtime variety, real yeas
biscuits, and country ham.
Fried oysters came along, all in on
big Iish. The coffee was sugared befor
it was served, and the cups We're bi
| enough for second drink. And tn
doughnuts Were of the standard set b
those good people who are fortun at,
enough to be the country Grandmothers c
city young men and women.
| Bye and bye, after some of those VIII
sat cramped up at the table had stretche
themselves, the attendants brought in ic
| cream in white and chocolate blocks. Fig
and ''stick"candy came at the same time
and lastly, the collation. ended with
dash of port wine.
FUNNY STORIES NEXT.
Mr.. Robert Ball, the treasurer. had bee
I as tOdsllldSteT ana ne
| funny story, that one about the woma
who had seven husbands and put on
tombstone over all their graves, befor
he introduced anybody else.
Then Mr.. Larner talked, and Mr.. P.
Dubant and Mr.. Timothy Noonan. In th
manner the recess gradually blended int
the after-sesson of the meeting. Nj
j. I. Boiseau sang song and Mr.. Ba
did the same. Some one gave the sign;
l and pNnrvhndy 8. A nil
and the meeting was over.
Before the members departed, howeve
nearly everyone slipped up to the sant
wiches, or the doughnuts, or the figs, an
did up little bundle in newspaper to stu
| in the coat pocket. They did the yer
same thing when they went to function
fifty years ago.
Among the others who were preser
were Messrs. j. NJ. Cuts, recording se
retary; j. I. Howard, correspondent
secretary: Joseph Prather, ]. G. Cato
Daniel Geneau, Philip May, Rudolph Eicl
I t,o- Ii,