The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-07-12
THE NEW JINKS
HND OLD JINKS
Midnight Programmes
in the Forest
ON THE RUSsIaN RIVER
The First Event Was Given to
Honor Harry Edwards-Jhe
Old Sires and Their
Guests
ON THE R.USSIAN RIVER

The origin of the midsummer high JlnKs
in the majestic redwoods is not yelled In
mystery. Since the first outing OF the Bo-
hemian Club, which took place In July,
1873, the magazines and newspapers OF
two continents have published and Illus
trated stories of the summer festival OF
Bohemia. Fred M. Somers and Frank M.
Pixley described the outing scenes for the
Argonaut. Harper's Monthly reproduced
Tavernier's celebrated cartoon of the Sec
ond Guerneville jlnks. sired by James +.
Bowman, one of the founders of the
club. To Harper's Weekly Henry ].
Brady and Marcus P. Wiggin con-
tributed articles descriptive of the
doings in the redwoods. The fame of the
jinks has spread abroad until every scrap OF
intelligence regarding its origin and action
is eagerly sought for. Gertrude Anterior
in one of her novels depicts the scene as
| she saw IL as a summer guest at Cazadero.
The Bohemian Club was very lively
institution after it moved from the
original quarters ON Sacramento street, at
the corner of Webb, to the spacious
apartments" over the California market
on Pine street. New members came in and
/ as the rooms were all on the
same floor companionships were readily
formed. The recruits were as eager as the
veterans to promote high-iinks revels, and
so when the suggestion came TO give an
all-night picnic or an outdoor inks as
send off to Harry Edwards, who was then
breaking away from oldtime associations
at the California Theater to try his for
tunes in the Atlantic cities, the club
thought something novel should be done
to testify its regard for Harry.
Surely no one had done more for
the club from its infancy until that
time than Harry Edwards. Thomas
/ Newcomb, one of the early city editors of
THE CALL, and the first president OF the
club, had perhaps done quite as much for
the institution as the genial actor, but the
latter, while not jealous or unwilling to
acknowledge the worth of Others, still
chung to the cherished faith that he was
nearer and dearer to the hearts of Bo-
hemia by reason of devoted service TO her
cause than any other man.
Recurring to the all-night picnic Frank
Pixley wanted it to take place on the La
gunitas, /. Cutie had plan for Sausalito
outing aboard the yachts. Joseph Tilden,
Fred Somers and Hugh Burke were in
favor of far-away, secluded place in the
forest.
The subject was discussed all around,
but as Mr.. Tilden was chief of subsistence
he determined to establish his camp near
base OF supplies known as Taylor's sum-
mer hotel, on Paper mill Creek.
The outing was a success. but some
schoolteachers and other demure campers
who had pitched their tents in that region
for summer solace hardly knew what to
think of the night programme. There was
high jinks, it is true, but there was nc
platform or music. other than vocal chorus.
A campfire was lighted and around it gath
cred the club members. Harry Edwards
was the central figure. His talk was pa
thetic and full of the poetry inspired by
the sub,imity of the forest. more than
/ that, he was impressed by the dissolution
i OF the old California Theater Company
; and his separation from John Mccullough
Barton Hill, Stephen Leach, Thoma:
f Keene, William Mestayer, Walter Leman
t and others of the famous organization.
He was going East to recast his lot in
| life among strangers. Harry Edwards
E with all of his excellent qualities, could
gush, and when once started in this direc
e ton no one could outgush him. TIE camp
? fire scene took sy mpathetic bent, but Joy
v reigned in the precincts of the bar no
{. far distant. Charles Warren Stoddard
: the poet, was there, and he was quite al
4 sad as Harry Edwards, and quite as poet
4 ical in his sadness. Dr.. Swan prescribed
a a special punch for the jinks, as the mel
e ancholy seemed to be deepening, anC
s Joseph D. Strong was delegated to mix tn,
4 ingredients of the beverage The memory
i. of that punch was not obliterated. 1t still