The Washington times., 1914-03-04
MECHANICS
GIVE oyster BALL"
Two 0rchestras Play While
Members and Women Folk
} Dance and Eat BiVaIVeS.

This ought TO be called the story Of
n story that wasn't a story at all, in
stead Of an account of what happened
at the dance and oyster roast of Wash
ington Lodge No I, Theatrical Mechan-
les Association, at the Elks' Club last
night. If the shades of Joe Jefferson,
Billy Florence. Lucille Western, or Sol
Smith Russell had happened into the
vicinity of the dancing oyster consum-
ers they must have chuckled in their
separate and inimitable ways several
times during the course Of an evening
Of entertainment which began rather
early. and did not end until 1t was early
again.
III there is anything in the world that
carries a suggestion OF the giddiest sort
Of gayeIy, of an h-tne-dInce-l
the-jOy- -be-unconventional atmosphere,
an invitation to witness high JlnkS by
q grou1i of theatrical people Is ii. And
the invitation extended by Washington
Lodge No. Z, 4. NJ. A, had just tnat
kind of a suggestion about II. ANYBODY
acquainted Win theatrical affairs Knows
that the lodge Is an OLD one, that IL
has some 200 members, and tnat, when
ii essays to give benefit performances,
il has only to crook its finger, SO to
speak, to get all the stars IN stardom
10 come and work their neaQs of. Inc
idea of ball by the same organization:
therefore, naturally brought Visions or
color and life, 10 put II mildly, that
Would-here's our old friend again
begCar description.
And the suggestion of color and life
was all there " hen the Inlon crcnes-
tras We're going their hvelleSt ard Inc
dancers doing their best There were
two orchestras, in fact. One OF them
was part of a bIgume vaudeville act
that had nothing TO do but amuse the
guests from in the evening TIL or )
or in the morning in -he basement
banquet hall. where oysters were served
while the ball was in progress on The
top fioor-wflere also the other orches-
tTO did business. The sounds OF reyeiry
were so continuous ana sustained as
10 be one loud, long paean OF JOY.
One of the proudest moments OF d
certain newspaper persons life was
when, as a gay young dog Of 4 report
er, he was invited by Deck" Fellows
to dine with the performers of Fore
paugh's or BarIEm's show-the name
escapes through the wide loophole OF
time that has elapsed. Anyhow, 1t
ought to have been called Fellows
show, as he was the main guy. Visions
of feast with all sorts of bohemian
attachments rose before his eyes. He
was uShered into a long rent with
wooden table around which We're scat
ed a lot of eminently respectable pev-
pie, eating an extremely simple and
substantial meal in very Stedate way.
The only feature that impressed itself
was the evident fear of the strong man
that he would spill soup on his vest
and draw forta sharp comment from
his wife. who was a woman of Geter-
mined countenance and ready tongue.
A Sunday school oyster supper would
have seemed like winter garden hys-
terra in comparison.
And that is the kind of sentiment that
was aroused by the first dance and oys-
ter roast of Washington Lodge No. Z,
T NJ. A. The gentlemen who &C impose
this organization are the house men of
the Washington theaters-the majority
of wlom are never seen by the public.
They have been organized something
like forty years, but in all that time
they have never had regular place for
wives and daughters and sweethearts to
meet and become known to each other,
so they organized a dance and oyster
roast and invited the ladies.
There was a vaudeville performance
by the company appearing at the
James X. Hackett, and Molly Pearson
dropped in a for a few moments after
their shows. But il was a family Gf-
fair, and it had the wholesome, genuine
air of a group OF solid, substantial citi-
zens and their wives and daughters en-
toying an evening of social intercourse
The decorations of the ball room were
unusual and attractive. and the lighting
effects were what might be expected
when one remembers they were brought
about by the men who create the won
Oerful effects on the stage.
Miss L. II. Laeleaver and H. L. Will
lis won silver loving cup offered by
Manager Grossman, of the American
Theater. as a prize for the best
dancers.