Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-17

portion of the Scriptures was then read by
the Rev. DR.. Muller. The Rev. s. K. Cox of
the Methodist Protestant Church followed with
prayer. The Harmonious then sang an ode
An Introductory address, highly appropriate and
impressive, was afterwards delivered by " e.
Walter Lenox The Marine Band then per-
formed an excellent piece of music The Hon.
William F. Giles of Baltimore followed with an
eloquent and powerful Grafton after which the
services were closed with an appropriate prayer
by the Rev. Mr.. Sprole of the Presbyterian
Church"
ONE Of the attractions which had long run
at old Odd Fellows Hail. that many will
never forget, was the celebrated Carpenter, the
mesmerist, who would hypnotic his subjects
into doing all sorts of queer things when once
under his spell. One of his principal subjects
whom he would make take off his shoes and
socks, jump over chairs and Go everything
ludicrous and ridiculous he was told to do was
a preachers son here named Brown. AS the
writer recalls it, his name was Harry Brown.
But whether it was Jim, Bill or Harry makes
little difference
1t happened that this particular Mr.
Brown was frequent visitor at the Proctor
home to see one of the Proctor girls, in whom
he confided the fact that the whole thing was
fake pure and simple, and that he received
compensation for his part of the performance
the impression that hypnotism itself is a fake;
he would prefer to leave that to the scientist
to discuss. But with Brown and Carpenter,
Barnum's idea of humbugging the public was.
according to Browns story, worked to the
fullest extent.
Many win also recall Odd Fellows Hall for
the many nice dances they attended there when
they would dance the Virginia reel with the
ease and grace Of a 2-year-old as wei as the
schottische, the polka, the lancers and the quad
rifle, perhaps to the strains of Esputas cele-
brated orchestra.
But, alasi Progress is great maker of land
marks as well as great destroyer of them
and the time came a few years ago when it
was deemed wise to replace this once magnifi-
cent building with one more in keeping with
the present time, and hence grew the present
building on the same spot as the old one
though. as Hamlet might say: "But no more
like the old one" (sentimentally) than I to
Hercules"
Speaking of p. T. Barnum's enterprise wfaae
the writer was looking through the old news
paper files he came across this advertisement
in The Star of April 8, 1875:
''The Worlds Greatest object-Teachers
eliminating Triumph,
at Washington
On Sixth Street Lot
For one week
Commencing Monday April IL
p. 7. Barnum's
Great travelling Worlds Fair.
p. T. Barnum's
Metropolitan Museum.
p. T. Barnum's
Colossal Caravan. IS,
p. T. Barnum's 4
Monster Menagerie.
p. T. Barnum's
Steam-operated Polytechnic Institute
Twenty Great Shows in One. including
Separate Stupendous
Inter Continental Amphitheatre,
with Can CasteIlo'S
international Hippodrome,
and the
Terrific Wild Brazilian Bareback Rider,
Lowandes Imperial Brazilian Circus
Two Eighth World Wonder Exhibitions
Daily.
A single ticket, only so cents
Admitting to each and every department.
Children under years, half price.
Doors open at and pm.
Grand Animal and Arenic Entries
one hour later"
My friend Washington Tcpham tells me that
the sixth Street Lot" here referred to was
between @ and and Sixth and Marion streets
northwest.
Beginning in 1876 the Ninth and streets lot
was used as the circus lot and continued to be
used as such for a number of years, or until it
was decided to build up the block with houses
as we see 1t today.