The Washington times., 1902-04-10
DOINGS IN THE WORLD OF SOCIETY
Mrs Roosevelt Issues Cards for Music at the White
House April II.
The German Ambassador Entertains Distinguished Company
Dinner-Tamage- Weddng-Tea at Founding Asylum
Dance for Young People.
Mayflower Descendants.

| The Society of Mayfower Descendants
in the District of Columbia held its rsgu-
] lar meeting yesterday in the large parIor
OF the Congregational Church. Tenth and
G Streets. The program of the evening
was very fine.
The meeting was opened by the govern
or OF the society. Mr.. Thomas S. Hopkins.
Prayer was offered by Rev. Louis Ewell,
elder of the society. Miss Mabel Claf-
lin rendered an instrumental solo enti-
tied "Bobolink." words by Mrs. NJ s.
BURKE, of this city. AS an encore she sang
] ''One Day In May"
| The speaker of the evening was DR.,
! Merritt E. Gates. ex-president OF Amherst
| College. His subject. which was treated
with skill, was The Town Meeting" In
introducing the subject he said that it
was well TO learn self-government; that
twenty five years ago all history In this
country appeared to begin with 1776 but
since the food of centennials all this had
been changed. He stated that from Hol-
land came the iron and blood which
stands by us now. That the Office of town
constable as seen in the New England
town meetings was older than the oldest
monarch; that the town meeting had its
origin in England and Germany, and that
these countries were its lineal ancestors
He stated that the New England town
meeting Of western Massachusetts, and the
Connecticut Valley were examples for ma
tlonal government; that the rule of Greece
and Rome failed because they did not
have representative government. He called
the town meeting the sovereignty of the
people.
He then spoke of the origin Of town
names. beginning with the family. and
then becoming the name of the town He
called the town meeting the most prac-
tical school of self-government II was
held in the spring, because in early days
the land. etc, was held In common and
In the spring the residents met to agree
on the division Of crops and harvest The
town meeting opened all ears and eyes,
and offenses were dealt with uncompro-
misingly. The South. and some of the
Middle States, adopted the parish or
county form OF government.
That form furnished an example to this
great Republic. and the descendants of
those early days should remember always
the old motto. ''noblesse obiige."
DR.. Gates's paper was followed by a
cornet solo rendered by Mr.. Elphonzo
fOungS, entitled 'tIocktOrain Polka.
The piano accompaniment was by Miss
Clara Upson of Cleveland, o.
Prof. G. L. Raymond, graduate of
Princeton University, read an original
poem entitled THE Last Cruise of the
Gaspee," a Revolutionary ballad
AT the close of the program refresh
ments were served.
Among those present were: Mr.. and
Miss Hopkins, Mr.. William Loury Marsh.
Mr.. Wallace W. Case, Mr.. A. A. Aspin-
wall. Captain and Mrs. F. W. Mitchell.
Mrs. Pierce Mr.. Mann Warning of the
Connecticut Society of Mayfower De-
scendants; Mrs. w L. Marsh. Mr.. and
Mrs. C. H. Ellis, Miss Fowler. Miss Al
den, Mrs. Hall, Miss Longfellow, Prof.
and Mrs. Raymond. Miss Raymond. DR..
and Mrs. Gates. Miss Ford. Mr.. and Mrs.
Johnson, Miss Johnson, Mr.. and Mrs.
Youngs, Mr.. Elphonzo Youngs, jr., Mr.
and Mrs. Clifford Howard. Mrs. Marian
Longfellow O'Donoghue, Mrs. Potter, Rev.
and Mrs Ewell. Mr.. Jerome F. Jerome.
Mr.. and Mrs. Nesbit, Miss Marsh Miss
Chamberlain and Miss Avery.
The refreshments were in charge OF
Mrs. ]. F. johnson and Miss Cup.