The San Francisco call., 1897-08-08
MERSHOU TALKS
OF BACCHUS
Classical Toasts at the Com
mercial Travellers
Banquet.
Local Talent Celebrates the
First Anniversary of the
Organization.
Good Work Executed by the Com
mittee of Arran ngements-Oakland
Good Work Executed by the Com
mittee of Arrangements
Orchestra Music.

a very pleasant evening was spent by
the San Francisco Com mmercial Travellers
Association in Social Hall of the Aicazar
building last evening, it being the occa-
sion of their first anniversary. There
was banquet prepared through the ef-
forts of the committee OF arrangements,
toasts, songs, speeches. and the whole
ended with dance. The mem bers were
accompanied either by their wives or their
sweethearts, and the regular s'smokei"
was mitted out of Difference to tha fair
sex.
Music was rendered by the Oakland
orchestra. President Emmett Dunn acted
as toastmastor and was assisted in having
| things run along smoothly by Secretary
A. E. Green. ]. Moscrop delivered toast
10 "The Association" George Savage to
The Ladies'" H. Rooster to Future
Prosperity and ]. A. Mershon to ''The
Bacchean Deity"
The committee on arrangements was
composed of F. A. Grifing (chairman). j..
P. Scheele, ]. Carcass, J. Mershon, Mr..
Evarts and G. Tarrent. The folio wing
programme was rendered during the
evening:
Tenor solo, F. A. Grifing; piano solo, Miss
Fliedner; comic song, Samuel Cohen; whist.
| ling solo, Miss C. WeIjen; reading, Miss E. f.
Schade; topical song, b. ]. O. 'Callaghan; tenor
solo. T. Burns; bass solo, L. L. Dobbs.
The banquet began at 8 o'clock and
! lasted till IL. The programme was rem
dered between the various courses. Ali
| the performers are well known and did
not dash the hopes OF those who came
prepared to be amused. The tonsts were
all delivered gracefully, and Mr.. Savage
| got an ovation from the ladies at the con-
clusion of his effort.
| Mr.. Savage proved himself a veritable
| Mark Twain when it came to understand
! ing what the fair ones desired said OF
| them, and he did not permit anythin g
like bashful spirit to prevent him from
| catering 10 their feelings in the matter to
| the fullest extent.
Ex-President Mershon's toast not only
referred to something classical but that
royal good fellow" arose to the occasion
and made an effort in the oratorical line
! that was something classical in itself.
| There could not be doubt in the minds
| of his hearers that he knew what he was
| talking about at least, as he referred to
the god of vintage in about dozen diff
ferent terms, gave his history accordir g
to the Grecian mythology, regretted ex
ceedingly that the acquisition of kuowl-
edge by mankind had relegated him "tc
the dark backward and abysn of moth.
| ingress," was glad that his memory !.
still held almost as dear as that of Wash
ington and his little hatchet, and added a.
| a sort of clincher that no action of hi.
should ever cause that memory to become
covered with cobwebs.
Mershon sat down, perspiring, it is true
but with the knowledge that he had i'm.
mortalized himself His name was in
stantly proposed as candidate for a
modern Silenus, the one great and authori.
| tatIve representative of the association in
this world but Mershon gracefully de-
clined, on the ground that there were
Others present better fitted by age and ex-
| perience to hold the position than himself
Dancing began as soon as the banquet
and programme were finished, and Terpsi.
| chore held sway for the rem ainder of the
evening. The Oakland orchestra furnished d
the music, and the guests enjoyed the
dance thoroughly until the hour came to
| mart