The San Francisco call., 1897-06-30
While Delegates Are on the Way to San Francisco From
All Sections Of the Union Local Committees Are
Completing Plans for the Great National Rally.

The matter of admission to the meet
ings of the convention is misunderstood
by great many persons, who have an
idea that an admission fee is to be charged.
This Is not the case. Every session of the
convention is free to all who care to at
tend, the only restriction being that dele
gates who, in many cases, have travelled
hundreds or thousands of miles to attend
the convention are given the preferen Ce
and are admitted earlier than the general
public. at the time of opening the serv-
ices, however, the doors are thrown open
and any who wish may enter.
The only meeting OF any sort at which
an admission fee will be charged lie the
concert to be given by the concert chorus
in the Mechanics Pavilion on Tuesday
evening, July 6. This concert, while for
the benefit of the convention fund, is not
strictly one of the convention sessions.
The admission to this is only 80 cents, for
which a ticket may be purchased ad-
mitting the holder to both the afternoon
rehearsal and the evening concert. In
this way two members of a family can en-
Joy the concert for the price of a single ad
mission. The tickets are in the hands of
the member of local Christian Endeaver
societies, for sale, and may also be had at
Dodge's, 112 Post street
1t would seem that many of our busi-
ness men who have subscribed little or
nothing to the convention fund directly,
NJ light take this means of showing their
interest in the coming of so great body
of visitors. The concert, it is promised,
will be the finest ever given upon the Pa
cihc Coast. The chorus has been trained
by A. NJ. Benham OF Oakland, who has
a large reputation for musical ability.
Mr.. benham received his first musical
training over thirty-hve years ago, when
he studied choir and chorus work in the
normal musical school of New York under
the very best conductors. He has since
directed choruses, singing societies, con-
VentiOnS and orchestras in Indiana, in
Minnesota and in California. In this
State he had charge of chorus work at the
Chautauqua assemblies and has achieved
a considerable reputation through his
work In these gatherings. For the past
seventeen years he has been musical d.
rector Of the large chorus choir of the
First Congregational Church OF Oakland.
He has been a pupil OF the famous Italian
master, composer and author, Carlo Bss-
sini, and of Signor Hensler of New York
City. In addition 10 this, in 1875 he
visited the musical centers OF Europe and
heard the great choral and orchestra or
ganiZations there.
The convention chorus will be assisted
by the First Congregational Church Or
chestra of Oakland, under the leadership
of William J. Mccoy, an able musician,
and by bouquet of soloists' constituted
of a large mum Der of prominent soloists
on both sides of the bay, who are being
trained especially for this Work by David
W. Loring.
Our merchants who show great Iiber-
ality IN the purchase OF these tickets
should do so not only in order to hear the
grand concert but also TO render financial
aid to the convention fund. The fund,
while growing steadily, is not coming in
as rapidly as it should