Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1918-06-30
LONDON CLUB FAILS
TO MEET APPROVAL
American NcwspapeIman, Guest Of
Old Famous Organization, Not
Allowed to Smile.
(Reciprocal News Service. }


LONDON, June 29.--Fifth avenue
has its glittering Cubs and its clubs
OF the profound elect, just as has
Pail Mall, some Of which an ordinary
being never gets into, even in fun
keys livery. The zenith OF hope OF
Anglo-Saxon clubmen is a fixed
measured place. A dazzling grotp Of
persons lnhabit It, They unbeHaed
to a Yank the other day, a newspa-
per correspondent, who now writes
10 glorify himself as one OF the out
siders who have penetrated the holy
OF holes. If you are not a dues
payer, know that the club OF clubs
is the Athenaeum. This is how he
flippantly delivers himself:
Abandon Joy, all ye who enter
here" That should be the motto
above the portals Of the Athenaeum
where gather bishops, scientists and
philosophers whose domed foreheads
hold all the wisdom of the ages
and then some.
Plenty of Gloom.
ut is a massive building. It need
be, to accommodate its daily accum-
ulation of super-skulls. On entering
you feel inclined to remove your hat,
cloisteral is its atmosphere. Gray
bearded bishops. philosophers, with
heads like billiard balls, pass their
fellow members as though they were
but wraiths. 1t is bad form to chat
In the Athenaeum. Domes of silence,
form of caster for chairs and
pianos were widely advertised here
some time ago, and had considerable
popularity. / know now where they
were manufactured. at the Athe-
naeum. 1t is said that a member
who was once seen to smile while
reading the Church Times, was
promptly called before the commit
tee and asked to send in his resig-
nation. What happens to member
| who laughs audibly Is not known.
That crime has never yet been COM
mitted.
"You know Sir James Bsrris
story about the Athenaeum. He had
recently been elected, and, in the
smoking room, asked another mem
ber If he had finished with the
Times. The member promptly burst
into tears. On Barrie expressing
surprise, the sobbing one seplied:
Sir, Live b-been member of this
| cl l-club for tw-twentyfiye years, and
| ththis Is the first t-time anybodys
ever sp-spoken to me. Excuse my
emotion
| Reminds Him of Church.
''The dining room is like chancel
SThe lavatory suggests vestry; and
in the smoking room, when you see
a gathered bishop at the reading
stand, turning over the file of this
! morning Post, you expect at any mo-
ment to hear him clear his throat
and chant:
1.-TWO bespectacled octagenarian
professors, shuffling about the din
walters, with their manner Of the
faithful old dog, suggest that there
must have been something in that
| theory of Darwin's-in his time, q
prominent member in the club--and
also opens a line of thought on the
| question: why do the high brows
| more than the rough -necks, SO
markedly revert to type in their old
age? Why do they look as though
they had just dropped off trees7
Wanted to Dance.
with memories of my American
clubs, ] suffered an unholy tempts
ton to do a buck dance in the din
ing room or bunny hug in the
lounge with the oldest inhabitant Of
the Athenaeum. But, lickily, l con-
quored it did. however, once out
side the doors, fail to asking the
commissionaire at the foot Of th.
stops to take drink with me; but
the awful gaze that was bent upon
me, a mixture Of benigndty and stern
reproval, as who should say: Child,
child, ye know not what ye do--wM
too much, and / slunk down Pal
Mall, feeling so abjeca that l wal
afraid Of slipping down the drain
grating. Never again. said, as sure
as my name IS"
But We are not going to let the
writer get away with this elsborata
camouflage OF his desire to brai
about having been a guest at th'
Athenaeum.
|