The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-01
FOR THE DIRECTORATE.
John l.. Grimths Accepts New Club
house from Building Committee.

"On behalf of the board or directors L
accept with very great pleasure this I'M
expected gift. u comes with peculiar zap
pIOpriateness at the Christmas tide when
the world is hung with mistletce and molly
and good cheer, when the ylile los gloTS
and peace and contentment abide in the
hearts of men. While the nSinbcrs OF the
building committee were invested with GER
tain powers by the stockholders of the
Columbia Club, the loving care and mtelli-
gent fidelity with which they have dis
charged their nigh trust makes this spien-
did structure i'm a sense. a gift from them
1t is the product of their Earn and sym
patny and love. They saw a vision OF
beauty and have realized it in a way that
will make our new club home an ever IN
creasing delight, perpetual pleasure. The
directors, and IN speaking Tor them L
speak for the entire club membership, &C
cept this building in the same loving spirit
| in which the work has been prosecuted. The
perfect harmony which has existed be-
tween the building committee and the
board of directors has been especially
gratifying. There may have been minor
note of discord now and again as TO the
color of a drapery or the design of rug
or the form of chair. but, realizing that
these were matters of taste. not of prin-
ciple, we always talked in spirit CT
brotherly love Of art, for arts sake, and
came TO a beautiful conclusion.
Il cannot refrain at this time and N
this presence from speaking of that prince
of dreamers (dreamers are after AL the
most substantial of mem, Franklin w.
Hays. His faith has never faltered HIS
courage has never failed. Laughing "a
difficulties, inspiring others with his own
enthusiasm and seeing the end from the
beginning, he has perSevered and tri-
umphed. Each of has precious part
in this building, but TO him more than
anyone else do We owe the original cor
ception and the final contamination. 1t IS
a monument TO his industry and energy,
TO his faith and diplomacy and optimism.
A club has been defined as an association
of good fellows. Such indeed must have
been the Mermaid Club in which Shaks-
peare and Ben Johnson, Chapman and
Herrick, Beaumont and Fletcher INDUCED
in those brilliant flashes of wit which
have Illuminated all of the intervening
years and added so much to the gayety of
nations. Such indeed must have been the
Literary Club when the stately Burke, the
versatile Garrick, the courtly Reynolds. the
lovable Goldsmith and the learned DR..
Johnson met at the old Turks tavern ard
gossiped about men and women and the
fashions of the day, about affairs of state.
the wonderful representations of Garrick
and the probable success of She Stops
TO Conquer.
A SOCIAL ELEMENT.
"All clubs must have the social element,
but political club, in addition to being an
association of good fellowship. must be
composed OF earnest men working intelli-
gently and enthusiastically together for
the realization of noble purposes. The CO.
lumbia Club started right. 1t was born in
the campaign of 1883 and followed to vic
tory that peerless leader, that matchless
statesman, whose words of wisdom and
power spoken in the most perfect English
OF his day, whose deeds of valor and high
renown, have endeared him to lovers of
liberty and justice and righteousness the
wide world over-Benjamin Harrison The
Columbia Club has continued right 1t is
proud TO number among it's honorary men,
bers the man who has been surrounded
with greater embarrassments than have
enVlroned any president since the days of
Abraham Lincoln. Paying no attention to
criticism or SANDER, turning neither to the
right nor to the left, with unselfsh patriot
ism and lofty heroism. he has faithfully
performed each appointed task-William
Mckinley. We rejoice that the Columbia
Club is Republican club-that 1t is LOYAL
TO the principles of that party of consist
ency. constancy and courage, which for
nearly half century has enacted all of our
beneficent constructive legislation and has
adequately met each emergency as it has
arisen in peace and war. Through its in
telligence and patriotism and craftsmanship
the national domain has been enlarged and
the national honor preserved. 1t has stead
tasty refused to listen to any suggestion
that might debase our currency and has
strenously stood for dollar which is with
cut variableness or shadow of turning the
same yesterday, to-day and forever 1t is
q party of convictions and follows where
soever duty beckons: Should it ever accept
expediency for a guide it will always have
a brilliant past, but distressing and dis
astrous future. 1t will continue i'm power
as long as 1t avoids unholy alliances with
combinations of selfish men who strive for
personal gain instead of for the general
good The number of square miles of terri
tory or the showing of the census tables
tell nothing OF the history of a people. of
Its prfvatiOns and Sufferings of its lows nd
sorrows. of its struggles and achievements
When We sing Our country. tbs of thee
We do not think of the stock exchange but
or the Mayhower, of that day at Lexington
and that other day at Appomattax and of
all the glorious days between when brave
men and sanity women have agonized and
triumphed in the name of liberty, frater-
nifty, equality.
MONUMENTS SIGNIFICANCE.
The significance of yonder monument is
not the beauty of the shaft, but what IL
commandments heroism of the silent
victors who counted no sacrifice too great
that the Nation might live This beau
tiful building is not the Columbia Club.
but simply its home. as the body Is the
dwelling place of the soul 1t Is what we
may accomplish in the steadying of the
civic conscience. in the publication of pc
htcal ideals and in the ennobling of
citizenship that will justify our being. The
greatness of political club must not be
measured by the splendor of Its material
SURROUNDINGS, but by the value of the
v.
cannot thousand men, animated by a
common hope and working to a common
emo accomplish? They can make and I'M
make rulers, overthrow Kingdoms estab-
lsh principalities and change the map of
the world. What can thousand men
coming from all parts OF our State, rep
resenting commerce and agriculture law
and medicine, and theology do when they
are Knit together as the Columbia Club?
lhey can direct aye, create public senti-
inent- Ihey can make il impossible for
corruption to thrive in high places or IN
low places. They can give good govern
ment to the towns and cities of Indiana
They can drive boodlers from our common
councils and State legislatures They can
clarity the political atmosphere so that il
Will be free from the foul odors which now
inject the air of primaries and nominating
conventions. They can revive and sustain
"a faith in principle and a conquering en-
tnusiasm which Will secure many much
needed reforms. 1t is only through asso-
ciated effort that the proper momentum,
can be obtained to dethrone bosses, de-
stroy rings. strangle corruption. STAMP
out fraud and give the people the con-
troll OF their own affairs. A political club
should be organized, practical patriotism.
1t should bring the scholar from his IL
brary, the merchant from his counting
room, the farmer from his broad acres the
mechanic from his bench and the lawyer
from his brief TO mingle their views on
public questions, and I'm a common crucible
refine the gold OF pure patriotism. All
men should take an active interest in poll
tics l have scant liberation for the alb
sentee patriot, the so-called good citizen
crtticises the nominations. He is guilty OF
cowardly surrender and is unworthy of
the suffrage.
A GREAT FORCE