Omaha daily bee., 1899-11-24
The BANQUET BOARD
Pleasing Presbyterian Social Function at
Westminster Church.
ANNUAL DINNER or MEN OF The SOCIETY
Women of the Congregation Prepare
and Serve the Tempting viands
and Their Liege Lords
DO the Rest.

The men OF Westminster Presbyterian
church held their annual dinner in the
psrlors OF the church Thursday evening.
Plates were laid for about 100 and every
seat was taken.
The company assembled at $3.50 and for
half an hour enjoyed an informal social,
the pastor, Rev. T. V. Moore healing ,he
reception committee, composed of the ses-
sion and several OF the leading male mem
bers of the church. At o'clock the doors
to the lecture room were thrown open and
the company filed in and took seats at
the tables which were arranged in the
form of a hollow rectangle. The walls Of
the room we're draped with several large
American flags the chandeliers carried fes-
toons OF smlax and the globes were COW
cred with pink shades, the effect being
to cast subdued light over the room.
Candelabra, bearing tapers with light pink
globes, were placed at intervals on the
tables, while vases containing chrysanthe-
NUNS and ofoses appeared. in profusion.
The dinner was elaborate and was served
in courses by the women OF the church
and congregation, whose deft fingers had
arranged the tasteful decorations.
After a pleasant hour and half de-
voted to the toothsome menu William Ran
master, raped for order and after a few
felicitous remarks introduced the pastor by
calling on him to give his impressions of
the church and congregation after a years
work among them.
Mr.. Moore set the audience in good humor
by telling a Scotch story and then named
as the thing OF first Importance that had
been accomplished during the year the
raising of the church debt of $4,000. For
this he thanked his people, but modestly
omitted to mention the important part he
himself had borne in the good work. The
present membership Of the church, Mr..
Moore said, is 300, a gratifying increase
during the year, while the outlook for the
future in church work is very encouraging.
The Church in Politics.
Among the lines Of work in which the
church should engage Mr.. Moore mentioned
public affairs. He held that the church
should keep an eye on public men and
things in order to secure good government
The church had no business to mingle in
partisan politics, but 1t was its duty to
act the part OF the good citizen. OF the
character of the local government of the
city of Omaha Mr. Moore confessed that,
owing to the fact that he had been occu
pied with his clerical duties, he was some
what in the dark, but unless Omaha is
vastly different from other American cities
The city officials would bear watching. After
The applause that greeted this statement
had subsided the speaker closed with a
sulogy Of the women OF the church, COM
olimenting them especially for providing
he bountiful spread that had so engrossed
lis inner man that he could not find suita-
Die words to express his feelings
The next speaker was President r. c. |
hughes of Tabor college, Iowa, guest |
If the evening. He also told a funny |
tory and followed it up with speech
hat held the attention of the gathering.
several of the young people Of Westminster
re students In Tabor college and Presi
lent Hughes gave good account Of them.
lie emphasized the Importance of perse-
,erance as factor of success, not only in
,rivate life, but in church work, and closed
" quoting a poem illustrating his point.
p. d. Beresford sang a solo and re-
ponded to an encore. Other speeches fol-
owed, most of them being OF an informal
lature, the principal. speakers being Messrs.
Z. Mcclellan, S. c. Spencer, Warren Switz-
er. Stout, Sidwell and V. T. White.
"A vote of thanks to the women for the
PREPARATION and serving of the dinner was
,assed and after the singing of the doxology
he gathering broke up.