Evening star., 1931-12-06

yearly observance of this important event
around the festive board. Perhaps its Oldest
member Mai. willard S. SaXton, vice presi-
dent of the association and a Civil War vet
eran now in his 103d year, will be absent
but no doubt he will be thinking Of the boys"
and the boys will be thinking of him.
There are no original members of the aSso-
citation living today. Indeed, such a thing
would Be almost impossible, since the mem
bers, If living, would have to BE- at least 1l6
years old, which includes the age qualifica-
ton of at least So plus &c years which nave
elapsed since the association was formed. For
this reason-due generally to the advanced age
at which members usually join the organza-
tion-a decade makes a decided differ
in the roster of the association. AS an
illustration OF just how this works out we
find that of the ST names on the roll in 1879
but three were living in 1900. However, today
the association has few members up in their
nineties. quite . number in their eighties and
many more in their seventies, all of whom
have seen Washington grew from village to
= metropolis; from mud hole to the most
beautiful city in all the world-and unique
city, too for it is perhaps the only city in the
civilized world where the people have abso-
lutely no say as to what disposition shall be
made Of the S35, GOO 900. more or less, annually
paid by them in local taxes.
When the association was organized on De-
cember 7, 1865. thirty-one early residents
signed the constitution and became its original
members They were B. Ogle Tayloe, Will
liam A. Bradley, Peter Force, Nicholas Caan,
j. Carroll Brent, A. McD. Davis, John S. Will
liams, E. j. Mattingly, Fielder r. Dorset,
John Coburn. William Young, Edmund F.
Brown, Paulus Thyson, Christopher Cammack
John Fl. Goddard, Chauncey Bestor, Samuel
Stettinius, Thomas Donoho. Edward Deeble,
Frank B. Lord, John F. Callan, James
Clephane, John Waters. Joseph Bryan,
George Savage. David Hepburn, jeremiah
Hepburn, Patrick Crowley, John N Ford
John H. Plant and John Johnson. At the
next meeting, held "in the room of the School
Board, City Hail." the following members
were announced: John B Blake, born in Vir-
gnia, August H. 1902; William Jones, born
in Montgomery County, Nd, April IL, 1870,
came to Washington in 1915; Ulysses Ward,
born in Montgomery County, Md, 1892, came
to Washington in 1911; Samuel Crown, born
in Washington January Is, 1905; r. c.
Weightman, born January, 1887; ]. A. Ken
nedy, born in Philadelphia September 26,
1895. came to Washington, 1901: John P.
Pepper Edward Mattingly, E. j. Middleton,
Peter Grayson, born in Washington August
81, 1898; David Hines, born October 49, 1903,
and Charles Newton. born in st. Marys, Md,
May 8, 1888 came to Washington in 1910.
IL is very interesting to read the names of
] these venerable citizens who so many years
ago banded themselves together primarily for
the purpose OF exchanging "reminiscences and
to preserve far possible the early history
OF the city Of which they were pioneer resi-
dents. They knew Washington, built Wash
ington loved Washington! And now that they
were old, or fast becoming so, they wished to
enjoy the society of those who had lived here
during their early manhood and who knew
the city from its infancy. 1t not to be
an organization of any particular creed or
political party but one open to all men alike,
Oh hoiv or,y
dcations.
Years ago some asked, What do they do
at their meetings." and the wit to whom the
inquiry made said: I'VE have been
burlesqued in conversation and in the public
print as a society of mutual admiration All
we lack are the femnines for admiration, but
we have not these members" Once when
DR.. Mary Walker known to many of the older
Washingtonians, inquired the conditions for
admittance, and told, 80 years of age"
she answered, "Iron-clad objection"
But really it is a mans organization; the
kind of who are honored and respected
by their wives. mothers, daughters and sisters;
and who III turn have the highest regard for
their home ties and loved ones-for the man
who loves the history and tradition of his city
cannot help but esteem and love his family.
IRON the first meeting held by the associa-
l ton, its aims and objects appealed to the
foremost citizens of the District and at the
expiration of the first 10 years of its existence
its membership had included many whose
names are even we'll known today However
some OF the first members at that date, 1875
had passed into the great beyond but these the
recording secretary, John Carroll Brent so
noted, in giving the following list of members
at that time: Benjamin Ogle Tayloe, dead;
William A Bradley dead; Peter Force, dead;
Nicholas Callan, John Carroll Brent, Alex
amer McD Davis, dead Col. j. L. Williams
dead; John F. Calan, dead; James Clephane,
George Savage, Richard Wallach, William
thompson, John Sessford dead; Thomas
HaVenner dead; Michael Nash. Jenkins
Thomas, Edward Semmes. Lewis johnson,
dead; Samuel H Taylor, Randolph Coyle.
dead; Mathew L. Gait. William w. Seaton.