The Morris County chronicle., 1903-04-24
THE FRIDAY EVENING CLUB.
Homer Davenport, Cartoonist, in a
Lecture Proves to be the Strong-
est Attraction of Season.

est Attraction OF season,
The April meeting of the Friday
Evening Club was held last Friday
night and was one of the most enjoya-
BILE thus far held. 1t might be said, to
use an expression of DR.. Fox, "every
one who stayed away missed one of the
best" The speaker was Homer Dav-
enport, whose fame as cartooniSt is
more than widespread. His subject
was "Thomas Mast and the Power of
the Pencil" He paid glowing trib-
ute to the late illustrator, and said
statue or bust of him should be erect
ed in the Park.
81 will lecture anywhere in New
Jersey the committee may say" said
Mr. Davenport, "and contribute the
proceeds toward monument.
From a boy, Mr.. Davenport said, he
had always admired Thomas Mast and
believed him to have been the greatest
cartoonist of his time. He said out
side his own family the deceased car
toonist and A. B. Frost, another clever
artist, who sat in the audience, were
dearer to him than anyone else. Upon
the stage was chart, and Mr.. Daven-
port added to the interest of his lect-
ure by drawing the features of some of
the men he spoke about. Among them
were Senators Mark Hanna, Thomas
Platt and Senator Spooner: also, Sam
Rene, a San Francisco politician; Glad
stone, and the father of the boy who
fnp hnf of n an
AS a story-teller Mr.. Davenport bids
fair to become a rival of Senator
Chauncey Depew He told several
witty ones and they were new. :"
The audience had a slight intimation
of this in the beginning of the lecture,
as Mr.. Davenport started out by say
ing he would tell STORY during the
evening which he had never told to
anyone before who could escape while
he was relating it. Perhaps the speak
er's most impressive story, besides that
of the boy who had new hat which
Mr.. Davenport, kicked y out of the
window, was the description of a visit
to Admiral Dewey at the house which
the people of the nation purchased
and which Mr.. Dewey transferred to
Mrs. Dewey. Mr.. Davenport had just
finished the famous picture Lest we
Forget and it had been printed in
the New York Journal. In a gilt
frame hanging on the wall of the par
lor was the picture as clipped from the
newspaper. In the room with the Ad-
miral was Mrs. Dewey Presently, re-
lated Mr.. Davenport, the hero of Ma
Mia Bay raised his hand and pointed
at the picture. He cried, said the
cartoonist, "sobbed, Just like child,
and turning to his vile took her hand
and placed it across his tear-stained
eyes. shall never forget that scene !;
it went home to my heart. A few
months before the Admiral intended
leaving this country and making his
home abroad But public sentiment
changed and the Admiral changed his
mind"
In closing his remarks Mr. Daven-
port invited all the members of the
club to his " Zoo" near Morris Plains.
Rev. DR.. Norman Fox in opening the
meeting said that it was the third an
nual one and the twenty-fourth regular
meeting that the organization had
grown to the limit, and he thought it
should be raised to allow larger MEM
bership. The average attendance, he
said, at each meeting was 4S3.
The treasurer, Mr. Nathan Jones,
read his report, showing balance of
$444.
AS three members of the executive
committee were to be nominated, Mr..
G. Frank Wilson, of the nominating
committee, read the names of John r..
Emery, Oscar B. Smith and II. A.Van
Glider to take the places of W. l.. r..
Haven, w. NJ Hughes and Norman
Fox. The nominations were approved