Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-02

''Tll give a quarter was the exclama-
ton.
Have it at half was the response.
"A quarter is bid and a half is asked"
calls out the presiding officer in the tone
of an auctioneer.
In this style but with differing degrees
of animation, the operations of the Wash
ington Stock Exchange are carried on al
the meetings which are held each day at
noon.
When one enters the door of the Adams
building, 1885 F street, any day after the
noon hour, hum of voices is heard. 1t
attains greater volume as the visitor goes
toward the elevator. As he is waiting TO
be lifted up to the upper floors, he is
minded by the medley of sounds that comes
floating down the shaft of an afternoon
tea when approached from afar, but some
what heavier in tone and perhaps more apt
to suggest to the average man a politi
cal meeting. At any rate when he pushes
his way through the group collected about
the broad doorway on the third floor leading
into the stock exchange room, he is much
more inclined to the theory of the political
meeting than of the afternoon tea.
A haze of cigar smoke makes the cleo
trio lights look rather blurred, but with
their aid and that of the daylight which
streams in freely it is possible for
it to come through northern windows, the
visitor makes out that he is in large
room. which is much longer than it is
wide.
The entire wall space at one end is cover
ed with a board which appear the
names of the securities listed by the eX-
change, ard the prices bid for them and
what is asked. The lettering and the
figures in white on the black sur
face of the board stand out with
dfstinctness and are made more emphatic
in the strong light of line of electric
lamps along the top of the board
Arranged so that a view can be had of
the board are the desks assigned to the
members. They grouped about a plat
form which occupies the central place on
the long side of the room facing the win
dows, and where the president of the ex-
change has his seat. One of the duties of
the president is to conduct the daily call
At his side is the secretary, who keeps
a record of the transactions made by the
members.
For the Elect.
section of the room extending its en-
tire length is separated by a railing from
the place occupied by the members, and this
IS technically known the gallery and
is for the use of visitors or those who are
not members. The exchange does not al
ways exhibit to a full gallery but when
there is an active market, especially when
it takes the form of advancing prices, then
a good number of citizens happen in oc-
casiOnally to see the fun. They have some
personal interest in the degree of altitude
reached by one or more of the securities,
but that, of course, is always purely in
cidental
1t is not meant that it should be inferred
from the use of the expression Ito see the
fun that the stock exchange is not a dig
nified body. for it goes without saying it
is that 1t is only meant to be understood
that at times a degree of animation and
vivacity is impaired to the proceedings that
seems to make them highly interesting to
the spectators AS good proportion of
the forty members of the exchange and a
large proportion of those who attend with
regularity the daily gatherings are presi-
dents of banks and trust companies and
other highly respectable and staid concerns,
it is only natural to expect that something
of the solemnity and the mystery with
which the average person regards financial
institutions should be brought into these
daily meetings.
Bankers as we'll as brokers are also to
be found in the membership, and as their
business has also to do with the intricacies