Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-02

nave spent many an enJOydUlS eNSLAhS well
worth remembering. OF course, all ages have
their pleasures and no doubt the greatest
pleasure, to those whose hair is whitened with
age is the recalling of the happy distant past
before the cares of life had stopped their
shoulders and wrinkled their brows.
Carroll Institute Dramatic Club and Carroll
Institute Hall, at $40 Tenth street northwest,
have in common found memories for host OF
Washingtonians, now around middle age, who
patronized one or the other. large number
of old Westinghouse, no doubt, will recall
the many happy evenings spent in this popu-
lar hall dancing the polka, the military schot-
tische, the quadrille and the lancers, years and
years before the one-step and fox-trot, and, of
course, they will remember the masquerade
balls which were occasional and special events.
Harry Lydick and Ed. Dawson, the writer's
cousin, for several years conducted dancing
school there, Dawson later running the school
by himself.
Harry Lydick was a nice-lcokng fellow and
O fine dancer; he married a Miss Faunce,
very charming girl who used to attend the
dancing school. Dawson soon followed suit
and married Miss Jennie Shomo, who died a
few years later. His brothers, SAM and
Rob-" used to assist in teaching when their
services were needed. Ed" is still teaching.
The weather conditions then made slight diff
ference in the attendance The same old faces
and the same old crowd could usually be seen,
no matter how hard it rained or how cold it
was, would 10 inches of snow reduce the
attendance to any perceptible degree, and
though 35 or 40 years ago places the period
before the automobile, yet no one objected then
to riding or 10 miles or more in blizzard
in street car, if necessary, to have a real
night of dancing with-aS James Whitcomb
Riley would probably say-"That Old Sweet
heart of Nine" or perhaps who afterward be-
came So
"Al" Morans orchestra then furnished the
music, ZAP playing the violin, with Ed. S.
Gee at the piano; Ben Madert playing
the slide trombone; Andrew Lewis, the cornet;
Fritz Kimmen, the clarionet, and the drum
mers name has slipped my memory. ZAP
Moran has five sons now who form band all
to themselves; Gee has passed away; Ben
Madert has entered a new field of professional
activity; Andrew Lewis died few years ago.
and just what Fritz is doing the writer does not
know. Once in while, when Gee did not show
up, Morans sister, Clara-now Mrs Jonas
Bernheimer-would play the piano, though she
was then quite child
About this same time E. Mortimer Caruana-
now among the miSsing-gave fancy-dancing
lessons in this hall, and many viii recall him
as being an unusually clever dancer and an
excellent instructor, and his May balls, as al
ways, being of the best and well attended. It
is quite probable that Minnie and May Hawke
also taught here for awhile.
A FTER the lapse of so many years. it is hard
to recall all or even some of those who at
tended the dances at Carroll Institute Hall, but,
nevertheless, here are few anyhow: Mrs.
Anna Gee and her sister, Miss Todd; Mrs Mary
Vermillion, Miss Florence Brigham, Miss Fur
long, Milton Connolly, Miss Marie Gamble
Harry Wimsatt and his sister Viola. Miss
Gamble married Harry Wimsatt and maybe
you win recall that she went to New York,
joined the Floradora Sextet, made fortune in
a day or two on Wall street, left the stage,
divorced her husband and married Freddie
Gebhart, sporting man, who paid considerable
attention to Lille Langtry when she first came
to this country. Gebhart died few years ago,
and the last the writer heard Of Mrs Gebhart
she was living on a beautiful villa site some
where near Washington.
The Carroll Institute Dramatic Club, which
gave a number of performances in this old han,
and did much Of its rehearsing here as well,
was a noted amateur organization with q repu-
tation that is recalled with real pleasure In
deed, it did not stop here, but played before
many distinguished audiences in the leading
theaters of the city, and many names now
prominent In our business and civic affairs
graced the play bills of this notable body Of
amateurs, that not only became famous locally
but throughout the South as well
The club was composed of some of Washing
tons brightest and best-known young men and
women, who included In their repertoire about
everything except grand opera. Their minstrel
performances were of the best, and it is inter-
eSting to look back TO 1895 to one of these en-
tertainments and see who took part in it and
the songs they sang. some Of which have been
entirely forgotten: Phil T. Baer was the inter-
locutor, Percy r. Leach Bones; and william
w. Cullison, George H. OConnor and Ben judi
son alternated as "Tambo." George T. Cox
sang ASHORE George II. oConnor. "Tn Be
True to My Honey Boy; L. z. Kaiser, MY
Pretty Irish Maid: Percy F. Leach, "Oh, Uncle
John: Charles Moore 1T Live in the Heart Of
the g -nl'; VIII Cullison, HE Didn't Split
the Wood; Phil e. Baer, MARY My Love-;
and r>au ,Jyldson "Iittle Johnnie Fraser"