The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-04-13
The Perseverance Club.
By JAMES ALBERT WALES.

IT HE constitution Of the Persever
ance Club called for regular meet
L ings every three months for Tho
election of officers
Special meetings were to be called by
the president whenever necessary. Sc
many special meetings had been called
that it was finally decided to have regu-
lar meeting every Friday evening.
In accordance with this plan the boys
met at o'clock every Friday evening at
the clubhouse, and, after the routine bust
ness had been transacted, reports of Of
Ulcers read, etc, a literary or musical
programme was gone through, followed
occasionally by light refreshments. The
idea of weekly social meeting was sug-
gested by Rex Ticknor. who was proud
of the fact that his elder brother belonged
TO the college fraternity of Alpha Chi
Rho. The fraternity met at his brothers
college every Wednesday evening.
The new features of the meetings
proved a great success. Many of the boys
could play instruments, sing or recite, and
vocal quartette was formed which
gained fame under the name of the Persc-
verance Quartette. Walter GIadwin
QeaderJ and Joe Stein were first and sec
ond tenors, with Charlie Olmstcd and
George Graham first and second basses,
respectively. They were constantly learn
ing new pieces, and now. and then they
appeared at outside entertainments, in
this way earning a few dollars for the
treasury.
In addition TO these features, George
Graham and Wilbur Wheatley started
club paper, which they called THE Per-
severance Log Book" Its contents in
cluded editorials. stories, poetry, and
humorous paragraphs, all written by the
members themselves. The editors sewed
the copy together ard adorned it with
a fancy cover drawn b. one of the club
artists. George read it aloud 20 the as
se-lbled boys at every other meeting. The
contributions were very creditabIe, con-
STEERING the age of the writer's, and the
humorous department. much of which WAS
tinged with a personal flavor, was re-
ceived with shouts OF laughter.
At the first meeting held after the vic
tory over the Golden Knights at basket
ball the question OF suitable gymnasium
apparatus was discussed. Aleck McGregor
convinced the boys that they could make
most of the apparatus themselves, and
his plans seemed SO feasible that the
treasury was drawn upon to the amount
of sl2 for materials, leaving a balance
OF 81
The necessary materials having been
Secured, the boys got at their task. They
constructed ten sets of chest weights by
passing clothesline through swinging pull
leys clamped to the wall. old iron being
used for weights. a tough, well-season-
ed piece of wood was used for a horizontal
bar, secured by strong wire stanchions
fastened to rafters and floor in such 4
manner as to be attached or detached at
will. The parallel bars were very hard 10
make, but the ambitious young workers
succeeded at length in turning out sery-
iceable piece of apparatus. Vaulting
standards were made by boring holes one
half inch apart in poles one and one-half
inches square and ten feet high. The
poles were made to stand upright by
foundations formed of two mortised cross
beams two feet in length. Pegs inserted
in the holes supported cord stretched
between the standards, making a COM
plete equipment for pole vaulting and
high jumping. A punching bag and a
platform were constructed and placed N
q corner Of the gymnasium. The bag was
made of stout leather. sewed in the proper
shape by strong cord, sailmaker's needle
being used for this purpose. The boys
made padded mats by sewing up excelsior
in canvas. A rope ladder was made and
hung from the ringpole. This simple out
fit served all the present needs OF the
young athletes.
Twenty calisthenic wands were made out