The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-02-07
CHAPTER LXXXIX.
IA Notable Occasion.1


America given at the Bellevue-strat-
ford hotel, Philadelphia. Friday night
last.
There were many features which
made it an occasion of note. Eminent
men We're there in the ranks of au-
thors, artists, writer's, statesmen,
magazine men and newspaper people.
There were six hundred at the feast;
seventy-six tables. eight at a table.
The chairman Of the committee of
arrangements and the host was Mr..
Cyrus H. K. Curtis, the president of
the Curtis Publishing company which
produces the Saturday Evening Post
and the Ladies' Home Journal, two
periodicals which seem to circulate
everywhere in this country. There
were seven speakers who entertained
the distinguished company. This does
not include Senator LaFollette. who
simply talked against time. violated
the proprieties tired everybody out
and insulted a large and representa-
tive portion Of his audience
The writer travelled 5000 miles to
attend the dinner and the meeting
This may seem a piece of wild ex-
travagance for a Kansan, but what
impelled him most to make this dis
tance by expenditure of time and
money was the opening of the great
publishing house which issues the two
periodicals especially named above, in
addition to another publication called
THE Country Gentleman" Architects
say that on this occasion was thrown
open to the public the most beautiful
and completely equipped periodical
publishing plant in the world" The Wis
iting guests are shown "a practical eX-
position of the most modern publish
ing and mechanical building, methods
and machinery that exists today"
That was what made it really worth
while to go when one is engaged at
present in erecting a new home for
his newspaper. There were other feat
ures, too. which made it worth ones
time and money.
The Topeka train was SO late into
Chicago that in order to make con-
nections with the special train leaving
New York for Philadelphia, it was nee
essary to take the Twentieth Century
Limited, an eighteen hour train, out
of Chicago. The regular fare between
Chicago and New York is twenty dol
lars. On this train an extra fare OF
ten dollars Is charged. The standard
time for the trip between the two cit
les is placed at twenty eight hours, ana
for each hour less than twenty eight
any train required, there is an extra
charge Of one dollar On the other
hand when the train is late into New
York the passenger is refunded one
dollar for every belated hour.
At Albany our engineer seemed to
be in too much of a hurry. The. train
The draw-head was pulled out of one
car then out of another dividing the
train. like all Gaul, into three parts
No injury was done to anybody but
the company for the accident made
that fast train four hours late into
New York. Leaving Chicago at 2.3'
i'll the afternoon, it was due into New
York at $3.50 the following morning.
1t was nearly 1870 when it actually ar
rived. in fact it lacked eight minutes
of being four hours late The passen
gers all expected to get $500 back
because it was the general impression
that if the train was only three hours
and fifty-five minutes late, we got
nothing for the last fifty five minutes:
but the New York Central Railroad
company was more generous than the
informal matter, no red tape; each
passenger was given a rebate slip by
the conductor to which was attached
a little identification slip. Each pas
senger then in line stopped at the
ticket window, signed his name and
was Immediately given his four sim
oleons without question. There were
probably one hundred of us altogeth-
~ ,af
day and also to the passengers most
of whom, however, would have prefer
red to have had the four hours instead
of the four dollars. because time is
precious in New York city.
Chapter LxxxvIII contained some
advance details about this Philadelphia
dinner and meeting. That was the
'before taking exposition. This Chap
ter may be said to illustrate after TAX
ing" In order that the reader may
grasp a comprehensive idea of the inn
portance of the gathering, here are
some of the notables present:
Among the distinguished authors
there were: F. Hopkinson Smith, Jas.
Oppenheim, Owen Wister. Emerson
Hough, Irving Bachelor. Rex Beach,
Ellis Parker Butler, Rev. Thomas Dix
on, Montague Glass, John Temple
Graves.
The artists were: Charles Dana Glib
son, Howard Chandler Christy, w. A.
Rogers, James Montgomery Flagg,
DeThulstrup, E. w. Kemble, Peter
Newell
Well known writer's who were there
might be named: Edwin Lefevre, Lin
coin Steffins, Jesse Lynch Williams,