Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-05-05

Atlantic City, N. j., May d.
Seated at dinner last night in the ro-
tunda Of the Hotel Marlborough Blen-
helm was perhaps the most extraor-
dinary assembly Of men connected with
periodical literature, either as writer's
OF as publishers, that has ever been
seen in any country. There were more
than 400 of them, and the list COM
prised many names that are as famil
lar as household words.
The occasion was the third annual
banquet Of the Periodical Publishers
Association Of America The majority
of the members Of the association and
their guests came to Atlantic City in
special train of - cars, which
started from New York and stopped
only at Princeton Junction, Trenton
and Philadelphia. At Princeton June
tion Grover Cleveland. former Presi-
dent Of the United States, and at Tren-
ton Everett Colby of New Jersey, the
Young reformer in lawmaking, joined
the travellers.
No company could we'll be more
representative, not only of the profess
sional followers of literature, but of
that large class of distinguished pub
lie men who occasionally WELD the
| INNlMN INn VI NAAN AlNANAs 4 AAN AANiAANAr
tual part Of the feast was more largely
story and anecdote than it was formal
oration.
Among the speechmakers we're Mr..
Cleveland, Mr.. Colby, Paul Morton,
former Secretary Of the Navy, now
president of the Equitable Life Assur-
ance Society, and John Weaver, mayor
of Philadelphia Classed as story
tellers were Bishop Talbot Of Central
Pennsylvania; John S. Wise, former
| governor of Virginia, and Edwin
Childs Carpenter There were some
/ important gaps in the speaking list,
most notably those caused by the alb
sence Of Senator Tillman Of South
! Carolina and OF Mark Twain.
The toastmaeter was the Rev. DR..
Henry Vandyke OF Princeton Univers-
ity. At his right sat Grover Cleve.
land. and at his left Paul Morton.
/ On Mr.. Cleveland right vas Bishop
Talbot, and on Mr.. Morton's left was
Mayor Weaver. Aside from the special
prominence given the speakers and
story tellers, no sort Of precedence was
observed In the seating Of any Of the
celebrities. Glanoing about the great
hall, ones eyes fell casually upor
Richard Watson Glider, or the Rev.
DR.. Lyman Abbott, Beecher's sue.
cessor, and an apostle Of the higher
type Of socialism; Col. George Cary
Eggleston political writer and novelist
Bradford Merrill, brilliant Sunda }
editor and astute news manager; Irv.
ing Bacheller, romantic delineator Of ;
peculiar rustic type of American man.
hood; George W. Cable, depictor o.
Creole life in Louisiana Homer Dav.
enport, cartoonist; John Burroughs,
veteran interpreter of nature; DaI
Beard, one of the old American schoo
OF illustrators; John Luther Long
literateur, of Philadelphia; Edwin
Markham, the poet laureate of toll
Charles G. ID. Roberts, the Nov;
r Seotian bard and romanoist; "Sam'
. Adams, writer of quaint short stories,
! and many another whose name stare,
, the readers of periodical literatur,
daily in the face.
Mr.. Cleveland was felicitously intro
4 duced by lDr. Van Dyke, and in re.
sponse said;
, am here upon the express oondi
tion that my part in the speaking Gus
, tomary on such occasions as this shal
be confined TO word of greeting an,
an expression Of hearty good wishe
for those here assembled. ! not onl,
regard this condition as a limitation
Z which l am quite willing 60 observe
but as a privilege which grateful.
accept.
! Accordingly, / do extend greetinI
/ TO this company Of periodical publish
/ ers and their guests, and with as mucl
/ heartiness and self possession as / hav
at hand l wish for them all the sue
4 cess and happiness they respectively
l deserve.
You will perhaps notice that in re