Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-12-12
A GOOD STORY
Told by Senator Chauncsy N. DepeW Of
New York.

to delight in handling them so that
they cheered him when he got through
speaking. To produce this effect he
generally began by telling stories till
his audience was in good humor. In
a reminiscent mood one day. after MAX
ing one of these changes in a crowd at
a little crossroads village. Senator De-
pew told of an incident which showed
the effect of humor on a crowd
ut was at the strangest dinner l
ever attended. and I've attended a
great many" he said. "a woman
we'll known for her philanthropic work
in New York was the hostess. and she
had as her guests the hungry and
homeless men whc nightly form line
outside OF bakery on Broadway wait
ing for the bread that is there distrib-
day, and the woman who got it up
came to me and asked me to make
speech to those who partook of it, 1t
was her idea that a little after-dinner
speech would make the dinner more of
success. and she described the good
that might be done in this way so
strongly that agreed to attend.
Like a good many other people of
New York, was pretty familiar with
the nightly scene outside of. this bak
cry and the character of men who wait
ed for the charity dispensed there.
The dinner was at night, and / made
up my mind to be as punctilious about
my dress as though l was going to a
dinner at the Mansion House IN Lon
don. | put on my dress clothes, embel-
lished with boutonniere. and, ar
rayed in this style, | went to the din
ner. l don't think anything ever made
quite such an impression on me as the
sight of those men as they ate that
dinner. In the row of faces about the
tableNt did not. take student of Grim
inology to pick out those whose crimi
nal instincts had for years been domi
nant, and in their hardened features it
was almost impossible to read what
feeling that dinner or my appearance
produced. All ate ravenously, and
what struck me very forcibly was the
lack of conversation. In fact, great
majority of the men seemed to prefer
to eat in silence Now and then
word would be passed. but it was gen
orally in an undertone.
after q while it came time for me
to speak. While they were eating 1t
had begun to dawn upon me that the
task was a pretty hard one. and when
l got up to speak l felt that this was
only too true Although they had eat
en- well and their inner man had been
satisfied in a measure they had not
known for years if at any time before,
yet the look given me by every man
at that dinner appeared to be one of
resentment and defiance. My first
words failed to change in any face the
sullen look which it wore and as my
eyes swept over that strange assem-
blage absolutely no sign of animation
was visible on any countenance before
me. don't think ever in my life have
/ felt as did as l looked into the faces
and wondered how l could interest
those men who sat looking at me ST.
lently and sullenly as | stood there in
my evening clothes presenting such
contrast.
w I Ssgi1
| at first. but l do remember that it fell
fiat Then / tried some humorous
little things that had stood me in good
stead in times far less trying than this.
The first story l told l noticed pro-
duced no impression. There was still
the same sullen look on the faces which
seemed to portend danger should the
owners of them meet me under differ
ent circumstances. BY The time
reached the end of the second story
saw that some were listening to me in
a way that really denoted interest.
One or two smiled. yet there was still
someon whose faces there was abso-
lutely no sign of interest. but instead
the defiant look of the Anarchist or
Socialist for one of whom they regarded
as traditional enemy.
81 told a third story: Like the two
others, it was humorous one. but |
had known it sometimes not to take.
When finished it some of those before
me were laughing outright and others
were smiling. l only saw few who
were, still silent. one of them in parti-
cular because he had his eyes continu-
ally on me since entered. After that
Invent on feeling little more at ease
myself | talked on subjects suggested
| by the season we were in and / found
all of them were listening attentlvely
and the.neXt story I told was followed
by laugh that sounded like music
after the somewhat ominious silence
that had seemed to finger over that
strange feast Even the man had no
ticed laughed this time with the rest,