The San Francisco call., 1908-05-24
CITY'S BUILDERS
RALLY AT BANQUET
Stories of the Heroic Work of
Reconstruction ModestIy
Related
More Than Hundred Members of
Exchange and Guests Are
Present

More than hundred members of the
San Francisco builders exchange gath
cred last night in the white and gold
room of the ST. Francis hotel for the
annual banquet of the organization
Under the genial direction of Toast
master James A Wilson and with the
father of the society, S. H. Kent. sit
ting at the head of the table, the rep
resentatiye building men of the city
passed the hours until midnight in
jolly good fellowship listening TO ex-
cellent speeches and having good
time.
Among the guests of honor of the
evening We're representatives of allied
professions, who cheerfully took up the
task of giving the receptive builder the
outside point of view Willis Polk, the
architect, informed the assembly that
he started in life himself as builder,
but when I got wise," he said, Il went
over into architecture"
TELLS THE STORY OF WREN
Just TO keep even with the practical
men before him Polk told the story Of
Sir Christopher Wren; how when he
was constrained by a committee OF
builders Of the old London Guildhall
TO run line of columns down the mid
die of the noble chamber he obediently
tails lacking eight inches OF the roof
above to show a later generation that
one architect knew what he was about
when he planned a colossal structure
without unnecessary props.
Ex-Congressman James G. Mcguire
came to the rescue of his hosts with
gay assault upon the architects. and
fulfilled his humble duty when the
other two fell out by reconcilins
claims.
The contracts you make without
lawyers are the contracts which give
us our principal business" Mcguire ex-
planned TO his auditors, and to point
the moral of his tale told of the adj
mission to practice of the young law
student, for whom not a single ques-
tion could be found by the examining
board which he could answer. The
head of the board got the young man
through by the remark, Think of the
business he will bring US when that
ignoramus gets to practicing law"
TOAsTs VIRTUES OF BUILDER
James D. McGilyray toasted the vir-
tues OF the builder. the man who
worked in the enduring iron and stone
4 see before me, gentlemen he
said, the men who have rebuilt this
great city. 1t is a work of which
heroes might be proud. What was
the charge of the light brigade but
/ a momentary impulse. the flash of a
saber, the bang of a gun. Anybody
could have done that, but the builders
OF San Francisco tackled the job of
restoring a city struck down by the
hand of God
Father Kent related how the ex-
/ change had pulled itself together after
the fire and the progress marked IN the
two years of restoration.
Robert Chisholm, j.. Cook Caldwell
and Guy Buell. responded TO sentiments
brought out by the spirit of the hour,
and the Golden Gate quartet sang a
number of selections which were much
appreciated even by Toastmaster Will
sons own personal choir at the end of
the table.
GUESTS At BANQUET
Among the guests at the banquet
were:
S, H. Kent Thomas Butcher. John Tuttle.
James esnen w.o1 pOPCF,R B. Mceyrsy ir soSepi
PaoEsors Mesy 6oas as hss'ra @s and aHsE1e ssnss;
SHzhk % Mier .1 s. E. GiI.on. Edward sino1. sSas J.
sheehan. ]. J. Leonard. c. NJ. Moore. c. A.
G cf'rss csu55ude Rsy cssRc sRsTs q ehiess
J. Mcdonnell, A Kendall. Ingerson & Chaser.
BaTsetI Hugh BragnlOP Wass1hOuss Wa,eai ..s
wolcott. Robert Knox, c. E Robson. ]. odgers,
Oscar S. Levy. Victor Hoffman,, r. D. Ewar.
]. D. McGilvray. Willis Polk. ~ F. Gale. z.
p. Simmer, E. A Hoeppner. F. y. Garden. W.
b. Short. J. D. Hannah. William s. Shook, G.
h Freear. F. D. Brandon. a. Wilkomm. Hsr-
old Brsunlon. California art and window glass
! fred n yogt r. Ringrose. Williams & Certer
company. G. A. Buell.. John r. HiIlman, L.
/ A Hicks company. H c. Pendleton W. G.
Fulford. II. Haustein. W. " Concannon. J.
/ l. crichton, John Faubel. John Cassaretto. H.
s. Moorhead, E. z. Gerzie. C. Russell Robson.
I A wflkie A. Priddle. Charles Floodberg. J. B.
Grove. W. Heath. Z. J. Brandon. F. Cooke
Caldwell William Chatham. James Young, ".