Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1898-02-08
SPIRII OF JEFFERSON.
TUESDAY MORNING. FEBRUARY s. 1888.
WAR TIME DINNER.
Mr.. O. B. ROtLss lUGs the Guest and
Mr.. H. d. Beau the Host.

to the toast, "Our President" at the re-
cent banquet of the Charles Town Socie
ty, at the Hotel Arena, New York Pres.
ident Rouss took the floor to introduce
his substitute, but the whirlwind of ap.
plause which greeted him so enthuseC
him that he made splendid opening
speech himself So Mr.. Beall declined
to speak, and the distinguished orator o.
the evening, Hon. Wm. 81. Travers, fol
lowed Mr.. Rouss. at the request of a
number of members of the Society, MFR.
Beall's speech is printed below, with the
exception of somewhat humorous in
production:
Members Of the Charles T5vn Society ana
Honored Guests:
In the year that has elapsed since the
last banquet of this society important
events have happened and mighty
changes have taken place in your sur
roundings, and these may have most i'm
portant and far reaching influences upon
the destiny of each one of you. Since
you met around the table to "eat, drink
and be merry" at the beginning of the
year which has now disappeared into the
vast and unmeasured ocean of the past,
the City of "Greater New York; has APP
peared upon the map, and Brooklyn and
Long Island City have been, so to speak,
expunged, and Mayor Gleason has been
annexed, assimilated and absorbed by
Mr.. Croker. To completely understand
the conditions of to-day we must make
some comparisons with the past. Just
one century ago Washington, of Virginia,
was entering upon the last year of his
illustrious administration. There are
more white people in the City of New
York to-day than were in the whole
United States when Washington was
president. By the census of 1890 the
Empire State of New York contained
about 1000 more people than the little
State of Maryland did at that time, and
Maryland had less than 10000.
Mr.. Van Wyck is elected Chief Magis-
trate over more people than Washington.
And these people have far greater wealth
and transact volume of business in
comparison with which the business of
the whole United States one century ago
was as nothing.
You have left your old homes in the
Valley of the Shenandoah to become a
part and parcel of this vast community.
You are here in the business and finan-
cial heart of the land. From this great
heart the trade and currency flow, like the
blood in the human body, to the utmost
limits of our common country, and just
as sure as the blood of the human body
finds its way back through the veins
to the heart, which is the centre of
circulation, SO the currency of the land
finds its way back to New York. The
pulsations of this great industrial heart
arc ielt, not only throughout the United
States, but in every civilized land.
You share in all the opportunities of
wealth and prosperity which these tre-
mendous conditions present That you
have profted by your opportunities is ap
parent from the sleek and well fed ap-
pearance which you present here to-
night.
When the children of Israel settled
down upon the land of Canaan they ate
of olive yards and viuyards that they did
not plant, and dwelt in cities that they
builded not, and drank from wells they
did not dig. No such easy lot awaited
you when you left your homes in the
Valley of Virginia and settled down on
Manhattan Island You had nothing, az
believe, but your stout hearts, your con-
idence in yourselves, your courage and
industry, and reasonable supply of grey
matter in your heads. And you have
fought good fight and have prevailed
nightly. 1t was grim contest you un-
dertook, and honor you for your cour-
age and success.
Long before the most of you arrived
upon this great scene of action, the way
to fortune had been blazed by your hon
ored president, Charles Broadway Rouss
He reached the goal years ago, but it was
not along the paths of dalliance that he
went. he ate the bread of adversity and
had grim struggle with the tickle jade
Fortune before he conquered her His
courage, his honest dealings. and his dog
ged perseverance are an object lesson to
all.
My acquaintance with him began thir-
ty-seven years ago, when some of you
were in your cradles and some of you had
not made your first bow to an admiring
public. In all the years of our acquain.
tance there has existed between US the
most cordial friendship. and / have con.
stantly received substantial evidence oil
his regard. He has most commendable
and most delightful habit of enclosing
to my address what he facetiously terms a
Bottle of Blue Grass" OF course /
pocket the insult" In one of his recent
letters to me he referred in kindly terms
to banquet to which he and sat down
together more than thirty years ago. ]
was host upon that occasion, and extend
ed him the invitation because thought
the feast was such a iordIy one that
wanted my friend to "eat, drink and be
merry" with me. And as I reccollect ii
now, [ do not think we had anything
better to drink than water from the
spring. It is told of man in London
that being invited to the Lord Mayors