Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-17

necessary qualifications. or maybe he. too.
was busy with more particular matters
and found IL to be no longer necessary
20 he personally present 10 keep things
going. This Is a subject OF possibly in
teresting speculation for some ANALYST ~
olden customs and their changes 10 the
present.
Not q Club of Cogers.
.'CoEers'' is pronounced with the long
%" and the soft g" I, is not "codssrs.-
For these are thinkers. whose motto 10
'cogito. ergo sum- Woe hetide the hap
less stray visitor who assuming that
some careless printer has made IN error
in setting the type. mistakes the nams
OF the society He will be corrected.
The debate begins each Saturday even
ing promptly al a quarter before = o'clock
with the grand coGer in the chair. There
and courtesy prevail. The visitor Is eN
pected 10 salute the chair on entering
and leaving. and TO remove his hat when
the grand coger rises. The grand coger
is an autocrat in that he. determines who
shall speak after the opener. named
at the preceding meeting. has completed
his forty minute talk on the events Of the
week. He is addressed my grand,
but other members are referred to III tho
debate by their proper names. Following
the opener any one can speak who Is
quick enough 10 catch the eye Of the
grand coger. and each speaker has fifteen
minutes. but the grand" can, IN his dis
erection. extend shorten the time ~
any debater. lie taps warning bell
when the sands have nearly run. lie &C
cupies a handsome high-backed chair Of
49, - 49, t. L>tIz
to date from l74c. 10 have been the work
OF Grinding Gibbons. a once-famous wood
| carver, and TO have been used by pr.
Samuel Johnson. II is appropriate thar
this same piece Of furniture should serve
now TO hold the massive form Of g II
Chesterton. In his capacity as chairman of
the Dickens Society. which also meets in
this hall. for IL liz Chesterton's unconceal-
ed pride that he is the modern prototype
OF the sage OF the Cheshire cheese. aud
he affords a spectacle daily that tourists
are led reverently TO behold as he makes
his way down Fleet street I'm practically
a modern version OF the most ponderous
Johnsonian manner.
The Procedure Followed
When entered the hall the other night
the opener had concluded what 7 Letter
gathered TO have been a rather vigorous
summary OF the weeks happenings. With
| caustic comments on the Guildhal
peace meeting. at which Prime Min
lister Asquith and Mr.. Balfour had spoken
| in support Of the Anglo-American arbi-
tration treaty A member on the left
4 was picking holes in the argument of this
| first speaker. lie talked capably, earnest
1 ly and clearly lie was succeeded BY Q
liberal" who depressed and praised John
| Burns for his able exposition Of the
| working OF the poor law, which he rated
| as one or the most important of the
| weeks happenings. He declared that
| John Burns was the most valuable men,
| Der of the ministry. far more than worth
i his f5.UD of yearly salary. This started
4 up an elderly gentleman with q monocle
who. from the Opposition benches"
pitched into John Burns in measured and
! singing phrase, declaring that the pow
erty problem was very far from settle
ment and that while there might be
fewer people ION the rates now than
formerly there was in fact more suf-
fering and less happiness.
/ Next came fiery old fellow with red
| face and pointed white beard. who true
to his tory position. rated the prime
minister for his speech at the Gulidhal
peace meeting. denying the truth of his
assertions. calling him names just mar
rowly removed from being acutely i'm
polite and winding up with a verita BILE
squeak Of indignation to which an over
taxed voice refused to give adequate ut
terance. Evidently an habituai and an
! ever entertaining performer this irascible
| 'old codger" again with the long %
and the soft "g"-was given loud ap-
| plause when he took his seat. much
| redder of face than when he had arisen.
So they went back and forth. from lib
eral side to conservative side. all taking
a shot now and then at the Opener"
| sitting alongside OF the grand coger and
growing plainly more and more FESTIVE
under continual criticism. One OF the sub
jects he had preached was the manner
In which some OF the London newspapers
| contribute to the sporting world a rather
1
racing odds to the subordination of I'M
portant news. There was a good deal or
talk about the true function Of the news
| paper. the rights of the advertiser and
the responsibility of the publisher.
Friendly to Americans.
But the subject most discussed was the
proposed Angio-American treaty. and the
opener was sharply criticised for hay-
| ing referred to the Guildhal meeting az
.'tomfoolery." II was interesting 20 note
that these men, good types of profession
al and business EngliShmen. talking with
out any thought of publication and Ger
tainly unaware that an American was
preSent-for no one had heard the SOUND
| of my always identified western speech
| were genuinely and earnestly in favor Of
a closer understanding between England
and the United States There was sin
| cere note of real friendliness in all that
heard. War with the American repub-
| lie was declared to be unthinkable. and
| had the question of an arbitration treaty
| been left TO the vote OF that assemblage.
| repre- senting many walks OF life and All
| shades OF political sentiment IL would
doubtless have been carried by an over
whelming majority.
Though the "Coaers" have remover
! from their former association with the
| coffeehouses and their later successors.
they are not now wholly deprived OF their
traditional prerogatives Of aiding theiI
thinking with refreshment. full-dressed
waiter moved noiselessly about the room
while the debate progressed and circu-
together with cups Of genuine coffee.
alive.
/ | was impressed by the keenness win
which these men. all prosperous and act
! i've in various lines, kept in close touch
with public affairs They evidently real
the parliamentary debates closely and
they are alive to the importance of every
| happening. Without a single suggestion
of selfish interest they continue thus
week after week TO talk and they are
doubtless the better citizens in couse-
quence.
Before leaving I ventured 10 explain
that | had come upon the Clinords I'm
meeting Of .'Ye Ancient Society OF Cogers
by chance. and asked what connection
this organization had with the other OF
the same name still meeting In Salisbury
Court
..Oh." replied the Coger whom ] was
addressing, that is merely rurnp SO