The Bohemian Club Annals Volume 1 Chapter 5

8/14/2019 The Bohemian Club Annals Volume 1 Chapter 5

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THE BOHEMIAN CLUB.

The initiation fee which had been raised to

twenty-five dollars was now raised to fifty dollars, and

the monthly dues from two dollars and a half tothree dollars.

Mr. Henry Edwards, the former Vice-President,

was elected President of the Club for the next

term, with Arpad Harazthy, Vice-President; George

Lette, Secretary; Robert Roy, Treasurer; and for

Trustees, D. P. Belknap, Edward Bosqui, Samuel

M. Brooks, A. G. Hawes and Robert M. Eberle.

The first important event of this administration

was the Jinks in honor of William Shakespeare.

The night set for this affair was of a Sunday,

probably because of Mr. Edwards' professional

engagement. He apologetically suggests in hisinvitation that the members of the Club devote the

day to religious duties so that the amusement of

the evening may. not sit heavy on their souls. A

further clerical air is given to the proceeding by a

pen and ink sketch of an impossible Shakespeare

labelled "William, the Divine."

A "parlor entertainment" was given on May

21st to the lady friends of the members, but what

the nature of it was, whether the acidulated

MacStinger made tea, or the bland and subtle

Parker composed one of his mysterious lemonades,

is a weird secret of the dead years.

HenryEdwards

elected

'President.

A "Shakes-

peare " Jinks.



HENRY EDWARDS.

From the Paillti/1g in the Club by Benolli Irwin.



'CAXTON' H. RHODES,"

THE ANNALS OF

The theme for your thoughts in our High Jinks to-night,

Is jolly, and gleesome, and funny, and bright.'Tis THE WITS OF THE STATE-California's boast

MARK TWAIN'S lively spirit, and SQUIBOB'S pale ghost,

With PIPES in your mouth, and HARTE in your hand;

With PODGERS in pocket, and FORBES at command;

With MIGHELS to live with, and MULFORD to roam;

And NEWCOMB, and BOWMAN, and BROMLEY at home;

We can laugh at the world, with its follies and crimes;

Its cares and misfortunes, its dollars and dimes;

Aud drawing about us our emblems of love,

Cry' BOHEMIANS BELOWARE ARCHANGELS ABOVE!'

For there, as this evening, in Eden's abodes,

You'll find, as

Your Grand Sire,

Yours,

,2

Of the men referred to in this screed, "Mark

Twain " (Samuel M. Clemens) became an honorary

member of the Club October 17th, 1873, while

Bret Harte also became an honorary memberabout the same time. "Squibob," Lieutenant Derby,

was personally known to many of the older mem

bers and residents of San Francisco. "Pipes," or

IIJeems Pipes, of Pipesville," was the pseudonym

of Stephen Massett, an erratic but talented English

/1;;7;;::""0' man who traveled about the world, giving." ,.,¥,,,-.., ,, ,. , -.•.•.

,~:;~~~~~~~'~,a varied entertainment in the shape of..-{"... .l' I H h fi r

;e:::; t~\. a mono ogue. e gave t erst penorm-

~, Ii"-~ ~"~. ~"=.~~. '~'". ~·i·'~~"- ,<",

...•. ~2~·Ht ~:r;mllj~:~~ 1

'fIn \\~\\\';- \\ I

\\

"Mat'k

Twat"n"

"The Wits ofthe State."

and

Bt'et Harte

made honor-

alY members,



THE BOHE'llfIAN C'LUB. 53

ance that was ever held in the Alcalde Building,

Portsmouth Square. Massett once edited the

Marysville "Herald." It is related of him that

once upon a time Mr. Hittell, the well known

California pioneer and author, engaged him in

argument on religion, which Mr. Hittell attacked,

finally winding up by saying, "See here, Massett,

you ought to get my book on 'Evidences AgainstChristianity'; that will convince you." "Very well,"

said Massett, "I will." So the next time he entered

a book store he asked for it. The clerk showed

him the work in two volumes. "How much is it?"

said Massett. "Three dollars," replied the clerk.

" What!" exclaimed Massett, "Three dollars! Take

it back, sir, take it back; I prefer to remain aChristian."

"Podgers" was Richard S. Ogden, correspondentof the New York "Times," and a member of the

Club. Harry Mighels was editor of the Carson

"Tribune," and a painter of some talent; the Club

has one of his pictures, "The Lone Tree." Prentice

Mulford, who has since achieved wider reputation,was at this time editor of "The Golden Era."

The following interesting note appears in an old

member's scrap-book: "In July, 1873, Owen

Marlowe, an actor lat the California Theater and a

StephmMassett.



well-liked member of the Bohemians, left California

for his home in England. Prior to his departure

the Club, through private subscription, presented

him with a gold watch and chain,' in appreciation

of his talent as an actor and noble qualities as a

gentleman.' "

In addition to these admirable qualities, Marlowe

also possessed the true spirit of Bohemianism, forhe afterward had to pawn the watch in order that

he might eventually arrive at his destination.

And now the infant Club, having cut its eye

teeth, went on a picnic. This precocious affair is

doubly interesting in view of the subsequently

famous mid-summer Jinks, to which it bears about

as much resemblance as a Dutch cheese to an eight

day clock. The way the business came about was

through an invitation sent to the Club by a representative of the Sausalito Land and Ferry Company.

Going on a picnic being a weighty matter, not to

be lightly undertaken, a special meeting of the Club

was called to consider the proposition. Finally the

Club concluded to accept the invitation and sent out

a circular requesting the members· to congregate at

Meiggs' Wharf on Saturday, July 30th, at 8:30 A. M.,

with their ladies, and take the boat for Sausalito.

Those who possessed a "matrimonial cooking stove"

•

Owen

Marlowe

leaves

Bohemia.

The Club

goes on a

pz·cmc.

54 THE ANNALS OF



THE BOHEMIAN CLUB 55

were expected to contribute edibles, while the bache

lors were called on for the wine. The Club, we

learn from its circular, generously furnished "bread

and butter, and seasoning." There were no less

than six committees, which irradiated the proceed

ings with highly colored badges. One of -the

" features" not provided by the Club, or the Sausa

lito Land Company, was the wind, which was so

persistently boisterous that the party was glad to

take refuge, on landing, in the pavilion, or huge

barn which had been thoughtfully erected in Sausa

lito for the use of picnic parties, and there go

through with the programme arranged for theoccaSlOn;

Following this eventful episode, Mr. Joseph Ford,

a stock broker and an artist of considerable ability

who had spent several years abroad studying for the,

profession of painting, presided over a Jinks, August

30th, of which the subject was" Charles Dickens."

Then followed Dr. R. Beverly Cole with a Jinks,

"In Memoriam of Byron." The music for this

entertainment was written for the occasion by

members of the Club. The cartoon is a pen and

ink sketch by Bosqui.And now come we to an epoch! On September

27th, 1873, Mr. George T. Bromley made his first

Mr. Eastman.

A "ellal-US

Dickens "

Jinks.

"B..yr01l "

Jinks.

~- - -_ . _----~



•

llfr. Bromley

makes his

first appear-

ance beforethe Club.

Dr. Co/e.

"Poets who

have sung ofthe battle-

field. "

THE ANNALS OF

public appearance before the Club. Mr. Bromley

had entered the society of the Bohemians the

preceding April, a young man of fifty-six, or there

abouts. And that knowing bird which presides

over the destinies of Bohemia immediately took him

under her venerable wing. Previous to joining the

Bohemian Club, Mr. Bromley was born in Norwich,

Connecticut, and went to sea at the tender age oftwelve. He says his going to sea was a remarkable

instance of filial thoughtfulness, inasmuch as his

mother was somewhat anxious about his habit of

going out at night, so he went to sea in order

that when she woke up at any hour she might

know exactly where he was. So Mr. Bromley's

first Jinks naturally takes for its subject "Poets

who Have Sung of the Sea," for which the combined

talent of Mr. Bosqui and Mr. Newcomb furnisheda pen and ink cartoon of wrecks and sea serpentsand desert islands.

Inspired, no doubt, by Mr. Bromley's e.ffort, that

eminent lawyer, orator and ex-soldier of the Rebellion,

General W. H. L. Barnes, issued a special order for

a Jinks on November 29th, which dealt with "The

Poets who Have Sung of the Battle-field." Virgil

Williams painted the cartoon.

;,\ J. G. Eastman issued the call for the Christmas



THE BOHEMIAN CLUB. 57

Jinks of 1873, in which it was proposed to discuss

the life, character and literary productions of that

eminent Bohemian, Dr. Watts; the punch to be

made according to his private recipe. An unknown

artist has left a cartoon in black and white com-

memorating the event. Judge E. D. Wheeler

followed January 31st, 1874, with a Jinks on "Walter

Scott."

Dr. C. J. Deane, with a rather gruesome pro-

fessional pride, announces "A clinic over an apo-

plectic punch bowl in yigorem mortis, and a dissectionof the heart and brains of Dr. Oliver Wendell

Holmes," for which occasion Benoni Irwin drew the

cartoon. In the early part of the evening a com-

plimentary greeting was telegraphed to Dr. Holmes

by the Sire, to which presently came back thefollowing answer:

"Message from San Francisco! Whisper low!

Asleep in bed an hour and more ago.While on his peaceful pillow he reclines.Say to the friends who sent these loving lines,'Silent, unanswering, still to friendship true,He smiles in slumber, for he dreams of you I'

Boston, February 28, '74, Midnight."

Probably this is the only case where a

poet has been waked up in the middle of the

Dr. Watts

Dr.Oltver

Wendell

Holmes

telegraPhs a

poem to theClub.

General Barnes - 187].



No. 1.

~nion

,..



solitary gentleman of the Santa Fe trail ~as Colonel

Cremony.

The membership had now increased to one

hundred and eighty-two. Among those who joined

in 1873, and still remain with the Club, are A. L.

Bancroft, John L. Beard, Dr. Behr, George T. Bromley,

General Foote, George C. Hickox, Barton Hill,

Thomas Hill, Charles Josselyn, Judge Low, SamuelD. Mayer, Stewart Menzies, Sidney M. Smith, James

A. Thompson and Raphaef Weill. A modest library

of one hundred and fifty books had been collected.

Some of these had been presented by the men who

wrote them, and all were gifts of members. Mr.

William Alvord may be said to have been one of

the founders of the library, for he gave his checkfor one hundred dollars to the fund-the check was

good, too, for besides being a Bohemian, Mr. Alvordwas a banker. Mr. Alvord also gave the Club the

well-known painting by William Hahn, entitled((One of the Bohemians."

We also find recorded a vote of thanks ten

dered to Charles B. Plummer for his gift of a copy

of Webster's (( very useful" dictionary. Mrs. D. P.

Bowers, the actress, presented the Club with her

portrait and received the following handsome acknowl

edgment:

62 THE ANNALS OF



THE BOHEMIAN CLUB.

"The members of the Club offer to Mrs. D. P.

Bowers their cordial thanks for the privilege she has

so kindly given them of looking upon her counter

feit presentment which now adorns the walls of our

parlor. While doing homage at the shrine of her

genius the Bohemians desire to express their full

appreciation of the pleasure and pride they feel at

being allowed to be numbered among her friendsand admirers."

Mrs. Bowers was an admirable woman and a most

talented actress, who was playing at the time at the

California Theater. She was afterward made an

honorary member of the Club, an honor also bestowed

upon Mrs. Margaret B. Bowman, the wife of Mr.

James F. Bowman, and Mrs. Sarah Lippincott, a well

known writer of that day.

We also find recorded an acknowledgment of thedonation of a door-mat by Mr. Belknap. That

gentleman explains that the mat was given him by

a dealer, probably because of his being a member of

the furnishing committee, and he accordingly pre

sents it to the Club. Mr. Belknap does not say in

so many words tbat he "worked)l that dealer for the

mat, but the inference is plain, and he deserves to

have his name inscribed among the founders of the

"Order of Cheerful Workers," whose meteoric career

(Mrs. 7). 'P.Bowers

presents theClub with her

portrait.

The humble

beginning of

the" Order ofCheerfulWorkers."



THE ANNALS OF

did so much in later years to add to the effulgentreputation of the Club.

On April 3d, 1874, at the last meeting of the

Board of Trustees, that august body did a little

" working" on its own account, as the following reso-lution shows:

"It was moved and seconded that the Board take

a drink at the expense of the Club. Motion carriedunanimously, and having been put into effect theBoard adjourned sine dz"e."

- From the cartoon oj •'Ballad 11/1'1ters.·

The Bohemian Club Annals Volume 1 Chapter 5

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