The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1929-06-14
NEWS AND GOSSIP OF SOCIETY IN THE CAPITAL
Author of LimeHcks EntertGins
Members of Arts Club With Samples
Mr.. and Mrs. Wade Ellis
Honor Guests at Dinner
Last Evening

Honor Guests at Dinner
Last Evening Z
A Limerick fan tOGs inUited
To read the fool stuff he'd indited
But he 4Oisety onits
His cleVerest bits
For fear he'd himself be indicted.
With these words-or
some very like them Wade
Ellis began a talk last eve
ming at the Arts Club, which
kept his audience in fire.
quent gales of laughter.
He had been invited by
the club to give an illustrated
informal discussion of his
li.mericks, following the
weekly dinner of the club
at which the speaker and
Mrs. Ellis were honor
guests.
Mr.. Ellis began by giving
a brief sketch of the an
cestry of the limerick-an
honored form of expression
dating back to the sixteenth
century and used by poets OF
distinction since then.
Recreation
The speaker last evening, how
ever, laid no claims to being a
poet. but has for many years
found delightful recreation in
writing limericks after his days
work is ended.
All kinds of subjects have in
spired this ''limerickicap express
sion. And last evening he gave
samples from collections termed
Bible; States, Cities and Towns;
limerick Animaculorum, and A
Limerick Friendship. The last
! is perhaps the most interesting
in that it has to do with a
friendship between the late
President Woodrow Wilson and
Mr.. Ellis.
Mr.. Wilson's fondness for
limericks is we'll known. Moth
ing gave him keener amusement
than to make word submit to
'limerickical" treatment.
Challenge
He would frequently Challenge"
Mr.. Ellis with a difficult word
Rear Admiral Cary 7. Grayson
usually being the "word-carrier."
Many of this group were pub
lished some years ago in a New
York newspaper, under the cap
ton "a Limerick Friendship"
One that especially amused the
late Democratic President was
the following:
They called it plain wiener at first,
And they made it-as bad as they burst
But finally wiener
Got meaner and meaner
Wiener Wurst"
Mr.. Wilson had challenged"
Mr.. Ellis to make limerick with
"weiner." And that is what he
got, which entirely satisfied the
challenger.
And the word Limerick" was
another challenge from the White
House chief. This is what went
back from the pen, or pencil, Of
Mr.. Ellis:
There was an old lady of Limerick,
Who started one evening to trim-er-
wick,
The resulting explosion
Blew the house in the ocean
And the old lady-she couldn't swim
er-licks
Fashion
This one, inspired by the fashion
Of the day, also delighted Mr..
Wilson:
Beautys the term we apply
70 the thing that pleases the eye.
The first man to peep
Thought beauty skin deep,
But now we find beauty's knee high!
Here are a few more samples
correct or approximately 500
the 1imericks given in the gar.
den of the Arts Club last evening:
First Meal
The Garden of Eden's first meal
Was nothing on earth but a steal.
Eve. scorning to cook,
Served what she could hook,
Thus for man began raw deal"
An author composing a serial
Was looking about for material.
So he filled it with sIush
And all kinds of mush,
And that's why they call 1T a cereal.
Career
Mr.. and Mrs. Ellis have made
their home in Washington ever
since the former came here to be
Assistant Attorney General dur.
ing the Taft administration. Be.
fore that he had served as attor.
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