Evening star., 1909-04-25

A large audience attended the meeting
of the Potomac Literary Club at 3D. 9Th
street northwest Tuesday night despite
the inclement weather. President Frank
NJ. Hoadley presided. and, after the dis
position of unfinished business. Siias
Boyce and Charles c. Wagner proposed
amendments to the constitution limiting
the membership to a number slightly
above the present enrolment because of
the rapid growth Of the membership dur
ing the past year. The proposition will
be brought to a vote at the next meeting.
President Hoadley then introduced as
the speaker of the evening Robert A.
Smith. who took for his subject Our
English Ancestors of the Sixteenth and
Seventeenth Centuries. With an Account
Of Two Literary Persons OF That Time
Bacon and Shakespeare" The manner in
which Mr.. Smith traces the ancestors of
many prominent families in New England
and Virginia and Maryland was highly
entertaining. With numerous charts.
maps and books he showed the dress,
cur forefathers. He also stated that al
though shorthand was considered an in
novation of this century, it was used by
the clerks to Lord Bacon in 1890. and de-
ciared that while history records William
Shakespeare as a school teacher. 1t seems
odd man would not have taught his two
sisters to write. A copy of the marriage
license of William Shakespeare and also
his will. In Latin. were of much interest.
as was also a Photographic copy of the
inscription in the fiocr of Trinity Church,
Stratford, England, at Shakespeare 3
tomb, which contains the name of Bacon
enfolded in the text.
Mr.. Smith was followed by Mrs. Rosa
L. Townshend with a piano solo. after
which Col. f. B. Thompson recited 1.-The
Song in Camp by Bayard Taylor. and
responded with "A Heather Chinee," by
Bret Harte.
ing Of Mrs. Alonzo ID. Melvin. who gave
her own compositions Smile Blt," my
New Years Resolution and. in response
to continued applause. "The Fireflies
Am A'Blinkin." a negro lullaby. Mrs.
Melvin was accomY anied on the piano by
Miss lckes Refreshments were served.
Man Master of His Destiny was the
subject of an address by DR.. w. w.
Baker Sunday before the Capital City
Branch CT the TheosoDhical Society. "As
in the physical world said the speaker,
80 in the moral and spiritual worlds.
without the invariability Of the laws gov
erning activities. all would be chaos and
uncertainty. We are living in an age of
discovery where the forces of nature are
made to contribute to our needs, and ii
is but a step from the physical to the
realm Of the mental and spiritual life.
Increasing knowledge means increasing
power, and man as a growing entity
through knowledge becomes master of his
destiny. Man sets going on the three
planes CT his existence certain forces
which act as causes and bring about def
mite effects on himself and on others. and
as these causes radiate from him over
the whole field of his activity he is re-
sponsible for the results, creating his own
capacities and limitations in each life.
st. Paul's Athletic Club of ST. PauIs
NJ z. Church South gave a musical and
literary entertainment in the church
Tuesday evening. The affair was ar
ranged by the members of the base bal
team and was well attended despite the
stormy weather. Five musical and as
evenings program. Miss Cora Troxell
Miss Mary Wild. Benjamin Wheatley
and DR.. I. L. Fairfield, accompanied by
Mrs. A. S. Jones and Miss Mary Wallace
contributed voca' solos, and the readings
were ven by Miss H. Murray and Perc,
c, Bowen. Refreshments were served.
The Abracadabra Club met Wednesday
evening at the home of Mr. and Mrs A.
S. PerhAm, 9O5 Westminster street. The
president. George Potwin, occupied the
chair and twenty-one members and sew
eral visitors were present. The responses
TO roll call were quotations from New
England authors. After the chorus "Uld
bidCh joe, a paper was presented Dy
Mrs. James Mckee. entitled ..Thej Mother
and Child in Art" Several pictures OF
Madonnas added to the interest of the
subject. After a discussion of the topic a
short intermfssion was given, which was
followed by half hour talk by DIR.
Henry Baker He recalled journey
taken over California mountains on mules
In ST. The members We're requested to
bring the subjects Of their papers for
next year to the meeting to be held in
1Yre H-I~
the Oakland. 2oth and Columbia road.
After refreshments by the hostess and
social hour the club adjourned.
The last regular meeting OF the season
19oS-09 OF the Cercle des Precieuses Rdi-
cules was held last Wednesday evening al
the residence of the president, NJ. Edmund
Becker Tickets were distributed for the
Fin d'annee, which will take place May
u at the Washington Club. The program
solo, "Lotusland" tMyer), by Mile. Marie
Becker: recitation Premier sourire du
Printemps" Theephile Gautier). by Mile
Girardin. An entertaining comedy entitled
Afternoon Tea" was clevesly rendered by
the following members of the cercle:
Mile Amy Leavitt as Mile. Montague
Mile Marie Becker as mile Doisey" and
M. B. H. Lamore as Charley Robinson. "
There was large attendance
lie CAC6!SlOT Literary SIuD was enter
tanned Tuesday afternoon by Miss A. NJ.
Chamberlain at the home of Mrs. Page,
81 d street southeast. There were twenty
one members and two visitors present,
and Mrs. Florence Duffie presided After
the preliminary exercises the roll call was
responded to by apropos quota tions and
selections. one Of unusual merit being a
five-ninute paper on petroleum Do
posits' by Mrs. Edwards. The essayist
of the day, Miss A. NJ. Chamberlain. fol
lowed with paper on "Isthmian Canals.
in which she traced the history Of the ca
nails from their earliest inception four
centuries ago down to the present day.
Secretaries of State; the determined at
titude of Presidents Grant, Hayes and
Roosevelt In enforcing the Monroe doc
trine: the contest In Congress between the
adherents of the Nicaragua and Panama
routes and the final adoption by our gov
ernment OF the Panama canal were i'm
portant points brought out by the speaker.
In closing the lecturer thanked the head
of the canal commission for the valuable
assistance he had rendered in her work
of research, and the bureau of American
republics for their courtesy in furnishing
valuable literature bearing on the sub
ject Of the day.
Mrs. Edith Sage Emerson followed with
a paper on Santa Anna and Maximilian,
in which she traced the principal events
In the lives of these noted men, conciud-
ing a description of the international ar
fairs which eliminated in the tragic
death of Maximilian and the insanity OF
his unfortunate eonsort Cariotta.
Mrs. Florence Barringer sang, and after
adjournment refreshments were served
DIR. and Mrs. George S. Duncan or 2.Uu
7th street northeast entertained FRIDAY
evening the members OF the brookiaho