The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-10
N ASHINGTON. December s.-(spe-
 v cial, ,)-Here is Harry Vests story of the Gridlron club dinner

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 w story of the Gridlron club dinner this evening.
 Draw aside the red velvet curtains to the ringing of an old-fashioned dinner bell. Pause for a moment to admire the beauty of the banquet hall and then, every one of you. take your seats at the festal board of the Gridiron club"
 It was this sort of an invitation which caused nearly two hundred distinguished men to gather at the New Willard tonight when the famous dining organization be- gan It's annual series of banquets. They came from verywhere-Baltimore Philadelphia. New York. Boston, Chicago and even the far northwest and Canada. They came because they knew they would have the very best time of their lives. Some of them had been there before. They were ready and willing to be shown again. Others, to whom the experience would be novel. came because they had heard that there was always something doing when the Gridiron men got together.
 They were not disappointed. Ask any one of them, in the cold, grey dawn of the morning after If the dinner was not
  altogether remarkable event he had ever attended If he says that he did not get more than he expected, the Gridiron club will go out of business.
 It strives to please. Of course it does not always throw soft and fragrant vlo- lets to the honored guests. It sometimes hands out a green pepper or a dash or tobasco This merely conduces to the gaiety of nations, but never. in It's wicked est moments, does the club do anything with malice aforethought. The arrows of its fun are sharp, but they are not poisoned This explains why men In high positions come to the dinners again and again. There Is difference between keen genuine humor and soggy brutal ity It is difference which the members of the club appreciate full well.
 A great deal more could be said about the organizaton-how 1t is composed of forty Washington newspaper correspon- dents, who give the dinners because they are good fellows themselves and like to round up all the other good fellows. It is more interesting. however to tell what happened at the dinner tonight.
 At a dinner of even more than ordinary pretensions one big man Is usually the guest of honor. Tonight, at the Gridiron club, there were so many big men that distinction was impossible. There was no head of the table. The expert gentleman who seats the guests jumbled the ambas- sadors, cabinet officers, senators, repre- a other big wigs altogether here, there and everywhere.
 Before they linked arms and chilled into the banquet room, however. they gather ed In a reception room, where the prin- cipal decoration was an enormous black flag bearing a large white gridron. In the midst of the throng the altitudinous form of Vice President Fairbanks was easily conspicuous. He was as smiling as a basket of chips. Baron Rosen, the Russian ambassador manifested most democratic interest in everything that was said or done The cabinet was represent ed by five members-Secretary Shaw Sec retary Taft, Secretary Hitchcock. Secre- tary Wilson and Attorney General Moody They were allowed to talk only upon condition that they would not reveal cabi- net secrets. There were nearly dozen United States senators-Allison, Bever- idge Crane, Dick, Flint Kean, kittredge Lodge, Hepburn, Scott and Warren-while Speaker Cannon marshaled a goodly host of representatives. MT. J. Pierpont Nor gan came over from New York on purpose to attend the dinner and so did Paul Mor- ton, president of the Equitable. There was a splendid representation of men ii other walks of life including something : more than sprinking of railroad men of whom more anon.
 Very beautiful was the spacious hall in which the banquet was served. The dom- 5 inant tone of white was relieved by great masses of luxuriant palms, which stood l in the many alcoves, while the graceful g southern smilax was abundantly used The president of the club, Maj. John M Carson. was literally framed in bower of American Beauty roses while in front of him was a magnificent burst of or v chids. set in bed of maiden-hair ferns. V The table, set in gridiron shape, bore B mounds of roses and chrysanthemums = lavishly displayed. the ensemble being a a picture which evinced the genius of the t artist Small, and which elicited un- t bounded expressions of delight. Everybody 8 applauded the announcement of the pres- l ident that the flowers. after having aided T so much to the success and enjoyment = of the evening, by their color and frag- 9 rance, would today be sent to cheer the = sick in the hospitals
 , The menu souvenir was an appropriate , echo f the recent election It was a clever miniature of a ballot box. accom- panied by. fac-simile of blanket ballot $ containing the names of all the guests . arranged under headings which appealed to their sense of humor. For instance, , the railroad men appeared upon ticket headed:
 INTERPRETERS. PASS MASTERS.
 Positively Farewell Appearance.
 Another ticket. with a fitting emblem of soup bowl, was labelled:
 FINANCE CINCHURANCE. | "Rantankerous Friends Who Usually Come Around About This Time , of the Year"
 The guests were advised to give every