The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-11-28
"GRIDIRON NIGHTS"-A NEW
 STORY OF NEWSPAPER MEN
Fly THE BIBLIOPHINE

By Arthur Wallace Dunn. With no illus
 trations ard cartoons. Frederick A
 Stokes Co, publishers New York.
 No book has been published within re cent years which has attracted the at tention of so large and varied a clientele as "Gridiron Nights by Arthur Wallac, Dunn, d former president of this famous organization To all those who have at tended one of the unique dinners giver by the Gridiron ciub-to all those whC hope to attend one of them-and every one hopes to-iournalist, orator. states man, politicians, captain of industry ant others interested in public affairs-there is fund of humor, wit and cleverness awaiting you in the pages of Mir. Dunn's bright, original descriptions of the Grid iron club and it's activities In the open ing chapter of "Gridiron Nights" MT Dunn says:
 Thirty years ago there originated in Washington what was destined to become the most famous dining club in the world the Gridiron club.
 "The coterie of Washington correspond ents among whom the idea was born gave it little thought at the time; they had nc premonition that they had organized the greatest dining club in history; that its fame would in time spread beyond the limits of the national capital; beyond the confines of the United States and into all lands where civilization has been carried. Like so many notable achievements. it had it's inception in a sudden impulse without definite aim or consideration of the future
 MT Dunn's clever recital in "Gridiron Nights" is not history of the club, as enc might suppose, but it touches the "high lights and worth while events in terse, concise, reada ble manner, with out the dull, prosaic touches that char acterize most histories.
 All the Presidents of the United States from Harrison's time down to the present have been guests at the Gridiron club din ners and they have been enthusiastic in their praise always of the decidedly unique manner in which the affairs have been arranged.
 The president of the club announces at the beginning of the dinner: The Grid iron club has two rules: Ladies are al- ways present and reporters are never present.
 From that moment the fun begins and all sorts of skits and burlesque and travesties are introduced inelud- lnk the names or the most pTOHlluelt and popular men of affairs in the na- tions government.
 For instance ex-President Taft hears himself sung about to the tune of "Billy Boy" with the following humer- ous refrain:
 Oh where have you been, Billy Taft,
 Billy Taft?
 Oh, where have you been, little Will
 lie?
 l have been around the map,
 With eloquence on tap That would knock the late Demosthenes
 quite silly Where will you travel, Billy Taft,
 Billy Taft?
 Where will you travel next little Will
 lie?
 To Chicago by -the-Lake,
 But if I do not mistake Tke road to there seems full of bumps
 and hil1y.
 The ex-President however, proved himself a "good sport" for he wrote afterward concerning the dinner to this effect:
 After some training, both as Sec retary of War and as President I was ahle to smile broadly at Aaustic joke at my expense and seem to enjoy it, with the consolatory thought that ev- cry other guest of any prominence had '-scssenffer-the same penalty for an even fne's pleasure The surprise and em- barrassment of foreign ambassadors at their first Gridiron dinner, and their subsequent whole hearted appreciation