Evening Star Newspaper, April 21, 1940, Page 32

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, APRIL 21, 1840—PART TWO. i Cosmos Club, Leaving Old Home, Rovs Link With Dolly Madison Name DOLLY MADISON. Engraving from an old pic- ture. History Made In One Group Of Mansions Little White House *Shared Fame of Great Center By John Clagett Proctor. ‘What is to become of the hiswric Dolly Madison house, which has stood for nearly a century and a quarter at the southeast corner of Madison place and H street, the title to which has probably passed to the Government by this time? Not long since, we were told that the Public Works Administration had allocated $1,050,000 for the purchase and renovation of the holdings of the Cosmos Club, which includes the old Madison house on the corner and the property south on Madison place to the alley, which separates the Tayloe house from the Belasco ‘Theater. Naturally this would imply that the Works Administration plans to hold the property as it is, at least for the time being. But what then? Nobody knows. If the general prac- tice of the Government is adhered to—and we do trust that it will not be followed so far as the Madison residence is concerned—then, sooner or later, the wreckers will be tearing down this famous structure and ‘Washington's antiquarians will be searching the ruins for bricks, bal- usters and such things as they can find in a last resort to save even a relic of the noted old mansion of the wife of President James Madison. ‘To the Cosmos Club—even for the million indicated in the transaction —the selling of this property pre- sents a problem, for it is easier sometimes to sell property than it is to build and move elsewhere. But that is not to the point—the agree- ment has already been made to sell, and that’s that! Wherever it moves it will not find a more fascinating site than is the present one, sur- rounded with memories of the fourth President and his captivating | wife. Its Historic Value. It was probably on account of its historic significance that the club bought this property in the spring of 1886, paying for it an amount stated to be $40,000, to which $15,- 000 more was added for necessary alterations, made from plans drawn by William M. Poindexter. One of the principal improvements made was the erection of a third story on the dwelling, which originally was a two-story-and-attic building sur- rounded by a garden of flowers and shrubs. In the middle of November, 1886, the alterations were nearing completion and it is likely that the club moved here about this time. This well-known scientific club of Washington was organized in 1878, the initial meeting, rather an in- formal one, being held on November 16, at 910 M street N.W., then, and * for many years afterward, the home of Maj. John W. Powell, a veteran Union soldier, then serving as chief of the 2d Division of the Geological Survey of the Territories, with offices @t 509 Seventh street. A further meeting is said to have been held on December 13, in the Medical Mu- seum, Surgeon General's Office, 511 Tenth street, well known as the Ford Theater Building, wirere Presi- dent Lincoln was assassinated, and here Maj. Powell was elected presi- dent of the club. However, he held this office but a short time, for in one month, on January 13, 1879, Prof. Spencer F. Baird, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was elected for the full term of one year. Sketch of Club. Eight years after the forming of this sclentific association, The Star, on November 13, 1886, published an account of the club, and though it may not be without errors, yet in substance it is so nearly correct that 1t 1s well worgl :fieafinfi ‘here. The sketch, in part, ‘follows: “The Cosmos Club originated in the year 1878, and arose from & strong conviction on the part of the members of the Philosophical So- ¢lety of this city that a further de- velopment of the social side of their natures than the regular meeun_gp of the society allowed wculd be coth pleasant and useful. It was there- fore concluded to establish a reg- ular social club, where there would be no formal exercises nor any papers read, but where the members could meet each cther socially. “At first the club was composed ex- elusively of members of the Philo- sophical Soclety. It was organized under the title of the Cosmos Club, and a charter was procured. This instrument provided that candidal for admission as members should be interested in science, literature or art, and these qualifications are still in force. The original members numbered 32, and the limit of mem- bership was fixed at 250, which limit has now been nearly reached. At the present time, in addition to those representing literature and art, the membership includes about all the prominent scientific men in the city, and it is said that there are more men of distinction in science in this city than in any other in the coun- “The several bureaus of the Gov- _cmntmuumdi’umctthe The Dolly Madison House, Madison place and H street, as it was in 1883, modified by Admiral Charles Wilkes. Home of the Cosmos Club since 1886. residence here of such a large circle of men, * * * “The first quarters selected by the club were a suite of rooms on the third floor of the south wing of the Corcoran Building. The Club re- mained there until 1882, when 23 La- fayette place was rented. The Mad- json house was purchased in the Spring of 1886. ’ Officers and Members. At that time the officers and members of the club were: Presi- dent, Dr. Billings; vice president, H. C. Yarrow; secretary, Thomas M. Chatard; treasurer, J. R. Eastman; trustees, C. E. Dutton, D. L. Hunt- ington, S. H. Kauffmann. Resident members: 8. T. Abert, George N. Acker, N. L. Anderson, Henry Adams, S. F. Baird, Frank Baker, Marcus Baker, Newton L. Bates, H. H. Bates, Carl Baruss, J. R. Bartlett, Tarleton H. Bean, W. H. Beck, A. Graham Bell, Emil Bessels, Francis T. Bowles, J. M. Browne, J. H. Bryan, S. M. Burnett, William Brough, Henry W. Cannon, H. A. P. Carter, T. M. Chatard, George B. Chitten-' den, F. W. Clarke, L. Edwards Clarke, Z. T. Carpenter, J. H. C. Coffin, Charles C. Darwin, C. H. Davis, J. C. Bancroft Davis, J. 8. Diller, C. E. Dutton, J. R. Eastman, Edward D. Easton, E. B. Elliott, S. F. Emmons, W. W. Evans, Robert C. Fose, D. E. Fox, E. A. Fay, Robert Fletcher, John B. Fassett, S. T. Fris- toe, J. A. Henry Flemer, E. M. Gal- laudet, Henry Gannett, G. K. Gil- bert, Theo. N. Gill, F. A. Gooch, William H. Goddard, G. Brown Goode, Edward Goodfellow, J. How- ard Gore, Mr. Justice Gray, E. H. Green, W. T. Griswold, F. M. Gun- nell, A. B. Hagner, Arnold Hague, Thomas Hampson, H. Hollerick, William Harkness, Fraser D. Head, Everett Hayden, W. B. Hazen, J. F. Head, Benjamin S. Herrick, H. W. Henshaw, C. G. Herndon, W. T. Hil- drup, C. S. Hill, N. P. Hill, H. L. Hodgkins, L. O. Howard, W. H. Holmes, J. C. Hornblower, Gardiner G. Hubbard, D. L. Huntington, Da- vid Hutcheson, J. P. Iddings, A. B. Johnson, G. W. Johnston, J. Taber Johnson, W. W. Johnston, M.\ B. Karr, A. F. A. King, W. P. Lawyer, William Lee, L. Z. Leiter, Win, Lud- low, S. C. Lemly, Francis E. Leupp, N. S. Lincoln, Robert B. Lines, George M. Lockwood, James Lowndes, J. K. McCammon, M. Mc- Donald, J. J. McElhone, W. J. Mc- Gee, F. B. McGuire, D. R. McKee, GarricR Mallery, C. Hart Merriam, John B. Marcou, H. L. Marindin, J. Rush Marshall, Otis T. Mason, Washington Matthews, T. C. Men- denhall, W. M. Mew, Henry Mitchell, E. Carroll Morgan, P. J. Murphy, Samuel Mulliken, Simon Newcomb, Crosby S. Noyes, J. H. Outhwaite, R. L. Packard, W. H. Phillips, A. C. Peale, J. C. Pilling, W. M. Poin- dexter, John Addison Porter, J. W. Powell, W. D. Prentiss, M. L. Ruth, Richard Rathbun, Clifford Richard- son, C. H. Read, J. H. Renshaw, By Ruth E. Porter. To families upon whom the shadow of a jail or prison sentence has fallen, few anniversaries could have greater significance than that of the Bureau of Rehabilitation, which recently completed its 10th’ year of service. For the bureau is the only agency in the community which takes as its special responsibility the welfare of those unfortunates who have come into conflict with the law. A survey that showed a crying need for a prisoners’ and ex-pris- oners’ aid association convinced the Community Chest Budget Commit- tee that such an agency deserved a trial. The bureau opened on April 1, 1930, under the direction of Jo- seph E. Dayton, who formerly had been assistant secretary of the American Prison Association of New York. Rehabilitation of prisoners begins with public re-education, Mr. Dayton believes. A silver-haired man who bulks large behind his office desk, Mr. Dayton’s air of calm and re- laxed friendliness is disturbed only when he is faced with the stubborn prejudice which the average citizen is likely to express in the words, “Once a jailbird, always a jailbird:” “Debt to Society.” “Men leaving prison have pald their debt to society,” he affirms. “There is no reason why s man who has served & term in prison should live forever under that stig- ma. Yet his worst punishment often begins after release, for every way he turns he is likely to meet preju- dice and ill-will. Ex-prisoners must eat. They must have a place to sleep. And they must be able to look forward to some kind of a future. For if they can’t get a living legally, they will feel forced to get it illegally.” Repeated “crime waves” are, in part, caused by soclety’s failure to deal constructively with the prob- lems of ex-prisoners, Mr. Dayton believes. Analysis of the gme-nmdudnl MAJ. JOHN W. POWELL, Who served as first president of the club for one month and subsequently for a full term. I. Reynolds, C. V. Riley, George M. Robeson, Edgar Richards, E. Fran- * | cis Riggs, Henry G. Rogers, Thomas Russell, B. H. Robertson, D. E. Sal- mon, John Savary, H. A. Seymour, Edwin Smith, H. L. Smyth, A. R. Spofford, J. O. Stanton, R. E. C. Stearns, James Stevenson, Thomas H. Streets, C. de Struve, G. L. Spencer, Rufus H. Thayer, A. H. Thompson, J. Ford Thompson, J. M. Toner F. W. True, J. T. Turner, Frank Tweedy, C. D. Walcott, Les- ter F. Ward, Charles Warren, S. R. Warren, James C. Willing, C. A. White, Charles H. White, H. W. Wiley, Herbert M. Wilson, J. L. Wortman, W. C. Winlock, R. 8. Woodward, H. C. Yarrow and Charles B. Young. Founders Recalled. ‘While we are recording names we might as well add to this list the founders of the club, as ‘furnished by John C. Hoyt, who was its pres- ident in 1921, and while the writer is mentioning Mr. Hoyt he also wishes to acknowledge the helpful- ness of Dr. Hugh M. Smith, also a past president of the club, serving in 1916 and at present a vice pres- ident of the Association of the Old- est Inhabitants. The list of founders follows: B. Alvord, H. Adams, N. L. Bates, F. Baird, E. Bessels, J. S. Billings, M. Balley, I. Curtis, D. W. Chick- ering, L. E. Clark, T. F. Dwight, C. H. Cavis, C. E. Dutton, W. Eimbeck, D. R. Eastman, F. M. Enolich, E. B. Elliott, R. Fletcher, E. M. Gallau- det, G. C. Gilbert, T. N. Gill, E. Goodfellow, H. Gannett, F. A. Gun- nell, D. C. Gilman, W. Harkness, E. S. Holden, B. S. Hedrick, W. H. Holmes, H. W. Henshsaw, H. W. Howgate, J. J. Knox, C. King, W. Lee, N. 8. Lincoln, H. N. Martin, O. T. Mason, W. M. Mew, G. Mallery, B. Norrls, George Peck, J. W. Powell, D. G. Parke, H. S. Pritchett, R. L. Packard, C. V. Riley, M. Rock, H. A. Rowland, I. Remsen, D. C. Spear, E. Smith, G. A. Smith, O. H. Tittman, T. G. Turner, J. M. Toner, J. C. Welling, M. D. Wool- worth, L. F. Ward and H. C. Yar- TOW. The Madison house was built in J.71820 by Richard Cutts, Mrs. Madi- factors both in the community and in the life of the individual, the bureau’s 10-year experience has shown, is absolutely necessary if steps are to be taken to keep the convicted man from becoming a “repeater.” Is it safe to release on parole a man who has assaulted another man with an ax during a gambling quarrel? Everything depends on the man, considered from the in- dividual viewpoint. What is his previous history in the.community, in his family, in his job? Is he mem- tally stable or unsfable? Interviewing “men behind the bars,” when 'Mr. Dayton first launched the bureau, was a new thing in Washington, and there was some hesitation in giving a social case worker the privilege of gath- ering in that way the facts needed to throw light on what individual problems of prisoners were. Now, however, interviewing is an estgb- lished practice, welcomed and de- sired by officials in charge of the jall, the workhouse and the reform- atory. Although the bureau’s Com- munity Chest budget could not keep pace with the expansion of personnel needed for this vital service, an ef- fective social service unit has been created by utilizing the services of students who come to the organi- tion for fleld-work training in so~ cial service. Young Interviewers. ‘Three “internes” from the Catho- lic University School of Social Work spend 15 hours a week interviewing men who are committed to jail after being indicted by the grand jury. In the bureau headquarters at 424 Fifth street N.W., four woman students fron the National Catholic School of Social Service and three men from the Catholic University spend two days each per week. Henry 1. Begnal, assistant director. of the Bureau of Rehabilitation, takes responsibility, for ‘supervision of the students, who make social investigations, compile social his- tories and assist in outlining and carrying out rehabilitation plans for prisoners and ex-prisoners. Ever ploneering éor consideration e —& At top: The lower part of Madison place as it looked in 1859. To the left was the house built by Commodore Rodgers (site of the Belasco Theater). of Dr. James S. Gunnell, later of the Treasury Annex). Above: To the right was the residence occupied by Lt. Maynard (site The house at 910 M street N.W., for many years the residence of Maj. John W. Powell. Here at an informal meetiny the Cosmos Club was organized November 18, 1878. . | son’s sister Anna's husband, who served as a Representative in Con- gress from Massachusetts from 1801 to 1813 His congressional district later became a part of the State of Maine and was represented by Thomas B, Reed, or “Czar” Reed, as the Democrats “affectionately” called him when he was Speaker of the House of Representatives. Cutts later held various Federal of- fices fn Washington and died here April 17, 1845. He was interred in St. John's Graveyard, located, in the early days, in the square be- tween Twelfth and Thirteenth streets, R and S. This burying ground was condemned about 100 years ago and later became a brick- yard conducted by Charles Colt- man. Cutts’ body was transferred to Oak Hill Cemetery in 1857. Bought by Madison. On August 22, 1828, President Madison bought the house at Madi- son place and H street. At the Bureau of Rehabilitation Rounds Out Ten of prisoners as individuals whose future return to the community demands constructive planning, the bureau during the past 10 years has sought to assist officials of |is ti local penal institutions and the parole board by making available social histories of all persons com- mitted to prison as serious offend- ers. Through submitting reports of social investigations in many cases and by initiating a plan for the co-operation of local public and pri- vate agencier in making such social investigations and reports, the bu- reau has continually waged a cam- paign for analysis and treatment of prisoners according to their indi- vidual problems. The establishment of a “classifi- cation clinic” at the District Re- formatory and an extension of the duties of the staff of the Parole Board to supply the needed social information, according to Mr. Day- ton, are outgrowths of the hureau’s insistance for adequate 'social in- formation about prisoners. Effect Upon Families. “Families of prisoners are thrown into a panic with the arrest and incarceration of the bread-winner,” Mr. Dayton said. “Wives, accus- tomed only to keeping the home, must seek any type of employment. Inexperienced older children may quit school and try to find work. Younger children are often fArmed out with relatives and placed in foster homes. Wherever possible the bureau tries to keep the family together and faith alive, looking toward the time when the prisoner can return to _his home.” The bureau believes that the com- munity has a responsibility to help wives and innocent children of pris: oners maintain their homes with decent living standards while pun- ishing offenders against the law or trying to rehabilitate them, Mr. Dayton said. Families receiving public assist- ance while the father is in prison are soon dropped from the relief rolls when the employable person returns to the home, Mr. Dayton ting out that the burea Community Chest agen: \‘l ’ 7 time of her husband's death, in 1836, Mrs. Madison is said to have been too poor to come to Washington and occupy it and for a time she rented it successively ta Attorney General Crittenden, to William C. Preston of South Carolina and to James Roosevelt. She came to ‘Washington in 1837 and resided on this corner until her death on July 12, 1849, Lafayette Square must have been quite rural in the late '30s when Mrs. Madison returned to this city and took up her residence in Madison place. Indeed, we can assume that this distinguished lady was then the proud owner of a cow, and that old Sooky had the habit of straying away, to the annoyance of her neighbors, for upon one occasion when its owner was absent from the city the cow then being in the cus- tody of John Sioussat, we find Mrs. Madison writing to him, saying: “I am truly sorry, my good friend, PROF. SPENCER F. BAIRD, Who served the first full term as president of the club. that the cow should behave so badly, but still hope that she will return to the kind protection of your fam. ily—if she has failed, however, to do so until this time and you think it best, you will advertise her as your own.” Mrs. Madison was often mentioned as Queen Dolly, and as such she re- mained until the last of her days, for at her home, it is said, “she was constantly surrounded by the most distinguished men of letters, states- men, noble women and especially military and naval heroes, dispens- ing a generous hospitality, greeting all with loving and cordial warmth, while none ever entered her pres- ence without being enthused with the spirit of national and historic patriotism. The attendance upon her receptions and levees, upon her birthday anniverasry celebration and upon our national holidays was simillar to that, of the not far dis- tant White House.” Tributes Given. Mary Clemmer Ames, perhaps best known for her writings during the Civil War period, said of Mistress Dolly: “During the administration of her husband she was openly de- clared ‘the most popular person in the United States, and now after the lapse of generations, after hosts of women, bright, beautiful and ad- mired, have lived, reigned, died and are forgotten, Dolly Madison seems to abide today in Washington a living and beloved presence. The house in which her old age was spent and from which she passed to heaven is every day pointed out te the stranger as her abode. Her face abides with us as a friend. while her words and deeds are con- stantly recalled as authority, un- questioned and benign. * * *” Writes her nephew, J. Madison Cutts: “The house in which she passed her declining years and where she died is better known and more frequently inquired after by throngs of visitors from all parts of the country than any other private resi- dence. Its traditions and associa- tions are as historic as those of the White House itself. Learning, elo- quence, genius, science, poetry, his- tory, art, all literature, patriotism and American history, represented # The Benjamin Ogle Tayloe House, 21 Madison place, owned by the Cosmos Club. It was known as the Little White House during the administration of President McKinley. statesmen and heroes of our own and, other countries have passed its portals to do her homage, and it is now fittingly owned and occupied by the Cosmos Club, who may well regard their possession with pride, pleasure and as a source of inspira- tion, as their ownership certainly is cause of great consolation and congratulations from all her sur- viving relatives.” In religion, Mrs. Madison original- ly belonged to the Priends, but after the death of President Madison, and when she returned to Washington, she was baptized at St. John’s Epis- copal Church, at Sixteenth and H streets N.W., and here she was con- firmed by Bishop Wittingham and became & communicant of this church. When she died at her Mad- ison place home, on July 12, 1849, her funeral took place from Old St. John’s. Her last words are said to have been: “There is nothing in this world worth caring for,” or, as the Ecclesiastes would put it: “I have seen all the works that are under the sun, and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” ‘Tayloe House Famous. Aside from the Dolly Madison home, the most famous of the early buildings still standing on Madison place opposite Lafayette Park, is the Tayloe house, on the north side of the alley that separates it from the Belasco Theater. It was erected in 1828 by Benjamin Ogle Tayloe, son of Col. John Tayloe, said to be the wealthiest Virginian of his day, who built the Octagon House at New York avenue and Eighteenth street, which for a time served as the temporary White House follow- ing the burning of the public build- ings here on August 24, 1814, and not “1824,” as the marker there, or re- eently there, would have you believe. John Tayloe was fond of blooded horses and was one of those re- sponsible for founding the Holmead race course, which had its center about at the intersection of Four- teenth street and Columbia road. He was an early owner of the tract of land known as Petworth, one of Washington’s largest subdivisions, | and here he grazed his horses, trained them and tried out their speed. Benjamin Ogle Tayloe, the son, who occupied the Madison place house, was a man of fine attain- ments and was highly regarded as a representative citizen of Wash- ington. He was a Whig in politics, we are told, and “was friendly with men of all parties, enjoying the re- spect of every one.” He was the first president of the Association of the Oldest Inhabitants of the District | of Columbia, and served until his death in 1868. Attracted Diplomats. His home was a congregating place for members of the diplomatic corps, and few prominent persons coming to Washington failed to pras vide themselves with letters of in- Years of Helpful Service to Ex-Prisoners cles were the only sources of help until a job could be found. ‘What is the scope of the problem? Why is it importnt? The answer t the annual turnover through the District jail is about 20,000 cases, nearly half of whom pass through the workhouse, while some 700 se- rious offenders are discharged yearly from the reformatory. Other cases come from Federal institutions and States. % The burden of material relief for those coming to the bureau is more than the agency, dependent upon privately contributed funds through the Community Chest, can hope to shoulder for all who need it. During 1939 the sum spent for relief to the ex-prisoner increased one-; over the tota for 1838, or $2,14048 in 1939 as compared with $1,639.97 in 1938. In addition the bureau distributed hundreds of articles of clothing, mostly discarded clothing donated by interested individuals. A recent ruling by the W. P. A, Mr. Dayton pointed out, bars nearly all single men from W. P. A. em- ployment, and the Public Assistance Division for several months has been unable to give/assistance to employ- able persons, except in a féew emer- gency cases. Ever since the bureau opened, from 300 to 350 ex-prisoners have been referred there every month because they were in desperate need of friendly help and guidance in re- adjusting themselves to life out in the comununity, in getting a job, and in many cases because they had nothing to eat, no place to go, and inadequate clothing. Another Version. Take the word of another Wash- ington social worker who has had occasion {6 refer many men to the agency. They are the ex-prisoners who mount the stairs toward Mr. Dayton’s office and who come down different men. You can’t rehabilitate men that “I've seen it happen,” said the social worker. “I've seen them be- fore they step into Joseph Dayton’s office the first time, bitter, resent- ful, shivering with fear. And I have seen them come out again different men. fear gone, calm re- turned, walking with a new step and the birth of a new hope shining in their eyes.” Many persons sentenced as mis- demeanants or for short terms come out of prison absolutely without funds and with insufficient clothing. Help given to men at such a criti- cal period may mean the turning point. Ex-prisoners can make good, the bureau has found. There was & mail robber serving a 25-year sen- tence who was released on parole. He had a fair education and was willing to work hard, so that when he was helped to get a job as auto- mobile salesman he had no trouble in making good. Later he switched to another firm and made such an unusual record that he was offered on. When he applied for bond, however, it was refused be- cause of his prison record. Making 'Good. “By that time his employers had gained confidence in him, and were opén-minded enough not to hold Dayton became his parole adviser. Intelligent and of Irish-Dutch de- scent, he had never had a steady job, had come from a crowded home where an alcoholic father made life miserable. “Tommy responded well to the unique experience of having a friend—the bureau—interested in what he did, whether he had a job and whether his home life was decent and comfortable,” said Mr. Dayton. “From being an apathetic don’t-care type of youngster, he really came alive—especially after he got a job. The bureau helped him out until he did get a job, and although his first one was during a very cold spell on a W. P. A, project, he stuck it out and was promoted to timekeeper. He is now supporting his mother and a younger brother.” d The annual report of District penal institutions for the year end- ing June 30, 1934, showed that of 587 prisoners received in Lorton Re- formatory 56, or 10 per cent, were under 20 years of age, and 321, or 55 per cent, were between the ages of 20 and 30 years, as tabulated in a study on “Vocational Adjustment of Prisoners in the District,” made by a graduate stullent at Catholic University. ‘When the bureau began to func- tion 10 years ago there was one parole officer for the reformatory, according to Mr. Dayton, and no facllities for supervising persons re- leased on parole by the United States Parole Board. During the 10-year period 917 per- «|sons were dccepted for parole su- pervision and the bureau has made more than 2,900 social and pre- parole investigations. ‘While demonstrating methods of social investigation, planning and supervision of persons eligible to apply for parole, in the period before the staff of the Parole Board was mm.”t‘.’m bureau h‘ndled‘ as many as 300 men & year for parole supervision. At the present time about 50 orb’wmp-mhnm“n‘. year are many of them being those who are returned by the most distinguished lctmlnrs.‘I troduction to this distinguished gen- tleman. After his death his house was oc- cupied at different times by Admiral Paulding and Vice President Gar- ret A. Hobart, and when occupied by Senator Marcus A. Hanna, a close friend of President McKinley, it was known as the Little White House. Senator Don Cameron also resided here, and here was born Lilly Hammersley, born Lilly Price, who in after life became the Dow- ager Duchess of Marlboro. The resi- dence was purchased by the Cosmos Club November 14, 1917. ‘Where is the Belasco Theater, for- merly stood a three-story-and-attic building erected by Commodore John Rodgers in 1831 as his home. It was spacious for this period, hav- ing more than two dozen rooms, and the commodore, finding its upkeep required more than he could afford, moved elsewhere, and it became for a time a fashionable boarding house in which lived & number of dis- tinguished people, including John C. Calhoun, while serving as Secre- tary of War in President Jackson's cabinet, and Henry Clay, a part of the time that he was Secretary of State for the second Adams. After ceasing to be a boarding house, it was taken over as a club house and took the name of the Washington Club. Daniel E. Sickles and Philip Barton Key belonged to this club at the time the former shot the latter, and it was into this house Key was carried in a dying condition. The next event of importance which occurred in the house for- merly on this site was the attempted assassination of Secretary Seward on the same night Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater. Seward, who had taken over the house for himself and family and was living there at the time, was ill in bed and occupy- ing the south front room in the third story of the mansion. His son Frederick and wife, who had retired, occupied the adjoining room. In the room with the Secretary at the time of the attack were his daughter Fanny and a male nurse. Mrs. Seward, the mother, had re- | tired for the night, and Maj. Sew- ard, another son, was lying on a lounge, the better to be in readi- ness later to relieve one of the watchers at his father's bedside. Lewis Payne, who afterward was tried for his part in the conspiracy and executed, proved to be the one who made the assault on Secretary Seward. Selected by Blaine. After the inauguration of Presi- dent Benjamin Harrison, when James G. Blazine was looking for 8 home, he selected the old Seward mansion, and after making ex- tensive repairs and improvements, moved in. As Harrison’s Secretary of State (the second time he had been called to occupy this high office, he having previously been in Garfield's cabinet) he desired a residence close by, and this ad- mirably suited his needs. There, happiness and sadness were mingled together, for there his son and al- most constant comfanion, Walker Blaine, passed away, and there he himself died on January 27, 1893, at the age of 63. The Cosmos Club, which will probably soon be moving from Mad- ison place, has served a useful purpose since it was organized nearly 62 years ago, and its career has been a very successful one. To make this possible, however, it has selected its officers with care, as any one familiar with scientific and literary Washington will agree, after reading the following list of its officers, given in order of service: J. W. Powell, S. F. Baird, James C. ‘Welling, J. W. Powell, Garrick Mal- lery, E. M. Gallaudet, William Hark- ness, Robert Fletcher, John 8. Bill- ings, Henry C. Yarrow, Clarence E. Dutton, Joseph K. McCammon, John Mills Browne, John R. East- man, G. Brown Goode, G. H. Gil- bert, James R. Marshall, Swam M. Burnett, Henry Gannett, Charles D. Walcott, Bernard R. Green, John R. Procter, Rufus H. Thayer, George M. Sternberg, Joseph C. Hornblower, O. H. , Rich- ard Rathbun, Simon Newcomb, W. H. Holmes, Gifford Pinchot, L. O. Howard, H. W. Wiley, Herbert Put- nam, C. E. Monroe, F. V. Coville, Hugh M. Smith, F. W. Clarke, Arthur P. Davis, David White, George Putnam, John C. Hoyt, Gll- bert Grosvenor, Lyman J. Briggs, C. L. Marlatt, Charles S. Hamlin, George Otis Smith, George K. Bur~ gess, W. P. Stafford, Vernon Kellogg, Charles G. Abbot, David White, John Hanna, Arthur L. Day, F. G. Cottrell, Charles P. Neill, W. J, l:gfl:’rcys. w-!‘mWflmu' Latimer, ander Wetmore, Leason Adams, 5 The present officers of the club are: William McClellan, president; Chiaries 5. Plggot. soutotats coent; rles 8. Piggot, 3 ohn B Gt Tensy einagers: Herman Stabler, L. H. M.:;_ w. g: Huntington, D. sfl. Sawyer, Louis N. ‘Gnm and Jobn C, Bagt, O 5