THE CENtENARY OF THE WISTAR PARTY AN HISTORICAL ADDRESS BY , HAMPTON L. CARSON, Esq. Delivered by Appointment in the Hall of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, May 4th, 1918 WITH the ROLL OF MEMBERS 1818-1918 PHILADELPHIA PRINTED FOR THE WISTAR ASSOCIATION 1918 i) ^ 5 ^ ^ I J s 4^ 5$ ^ ^ ^ ■t -M ;^ -o* :^ ^^ c^ .^ ^ I .Co 55 g ^ ^ >§ k"^ N 1^ si ^1 i 5: NJ N 5s ^ ^ Si "^ Si N I I I Si i:j ^^ ^^ ^ s^ i.^ I ^ ^ Ji !i.- "V c ^ ^ ^"^ ^ § S ^ S N c ^ THE CENTENARY OF THE WISTAR PARTY AN HISTORICAL ADDRESS BY HAMPTON L? CARSON, Esq. Delivered by Appointment in the Hall of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, May 4th, 1918 WITH the ROLL OF MEMBERS 1818-1918 » • > ■» 1 B PHILADELPHIA PRINTED FOR THE WISTAR ASSOCIATION 1918 PRESS OF THE NEW ERA PRINTING COMPANY LANCASTER, PA. r-JL o- ADDRESS. Fellow Members and Guests: This evening's gathering commemorates the Cen- tenary of the Wistar Party, a purely voluntary asso- ciation of twenty-four gentlemen, without a charter, without a club house, without even a club room or club possessions, but held together by the mysterious and potent charm of a distinguished name, and a fixed rule that eligibility to membership requires an existing membership in The American Philo- sophical Society. With no purpose save that of genial hospitality to citizen and stranger, depend- ing for its expression upon purely private household entertainment, extended in turn by a single host, subject to the simplest rules, the Association has exerted a quiet but definite influence upon the intel- lectual and social life of Philadelphia. It has be- come an institution without being an institute. Its charm is as subtle as the fragrance of the Wisteria, 1 2 The Centenary of the Wistar Party that glorious climbing shrub of our gardens, which, though an exotic, was named by Nuttall, the eminent English botanical explorer, in his Genera of North American Plants, in honor of our patron saint, but with inattention to the spelling of his name. It requires but a simple analysis to explain the tie which binds the Wistar Party to The American Philosophical Society. That Society, whose repu- tation among the learned is world-wide, whose treasures are priceless, whose annual meetings are significant events in scientific, literary, and profes- sional circles, was the result of the union in 1769 of Franklin's Junto (which dated back to 1727 and was subsequently known as The American Society Held at Philadelphia for Promoting Useful Knowl- edge), with The American Philosophical Society which had been founded by Franklin in 1743. Its first President was Franklin, its second, the foremost of American astronomers, David Rittenhouse, and its third was Thomas Jefferson, who was much given to scientific pursuits. Jefiferson held the presidency of the Society during a period of eighteen years, but as he ceased to be a frequent visitor to The Centenary of the Wistar Party 3 Philadelphia, after the removal of the Government to Washington, the active duties devolved upon Dr. Caspar Wistar, who had been chosen a Curator of the Society in 1792, and in 1795 a Vice-President. Upon Mr. Jefferson's resignation in 1815, Dr. Wistar became his successor in an office which he had long filled de facto. At that time, and for many an- tecedent years, he was the Professor of Anatomy in the University of Pennsylvania, a position of pro- fessional primacy due to the circumstance that the Medical Department of the University was at that time the only medical school in the country, and the rendezvous for students. Wistar found himself one of a faculty adorned by the distinguished names of John Morgan, Benjamin Rush, and William Shippen, and his own renown as a surgeon was en- hanced by his connection with the University of Edinburgh, of which he was a graduate, under the guidance of the illustrious Cullen. Under the vice-presidency and presidency of Dr. Wistar The American Philosophical Society became the rallying point of the learned world. Not only did the American illuminati assemble there, but 4 The Centenary of the Wistar Party Baron von Humboldt, the great German scientist and traveller; his colleague, M. Aime Bonpland, the well-known French naturalist and explorer; M. Francois Andre Michaux, the French botanist; M. du Pont de Nemours, the French political econo- mist; and the famous and witty Abbe Correa de Serra, the Minister from Portugal, there mingled with our botanists, naturalists, chemists, surgeons, doctors, jurists and statesmen. William Tilghman, Chief Justice of Pennsylvania, who was Dr. Wistar's eulogist, and his successor as President of The American Philosophical Society, tells us that Dr. Wistar "was assiduous in attending committees. He was one of the first and most strenu- ous supporters of the Historical and Literary Com- mittee, instituted by the Society about two years ago (1816). With what ardour did he excite them to in- dustry, in collecting, ere too late, the fleeting mate- rials of American history? The meetings of this Committee he regularly attended. It was their cus- tom, after the business of the evening was con- cluded, to enter into an unrestrained conversation on literary subjects. There, without intending it. The Centenary of the Wistar Party 5 our lamented friend would insensibly take the lead; and so interesting were his anecdotes, and so just his remarks, that drawing close to the dying embers, we often forgot the lapse of time, until warned by the unwelcome clock, that we had entered on an- other day." Such were Doctor Wistar's relations to The American Philosophical Society. I turn now to his personal characteristics. Hos- pitable by nature, he displayed a positive genius as a host, which made him the object of affectionate homage by his friends who loved to share at his own fireside his hours of leisure. This was all the easier because the Hall of The American Philosoph- ical Society, then but recently erected on the eastern edge of the State House Yard at Fifth and Chestnut Streets, stood but three blocks away from Wistar's house with its ample vine-embowered and tree- shaded garden at Fourth and Prune (now Locust) Streets. Chief Justice Tilghman, in the Eulogium, from which I have already quoted, said: "His house was open to men of learning, both citizens and strangers; and there is no doubt that at the 6 The Centenary of the Wistar Party weekly meetings, which took place under his hos- pitable roof, were originated many plans for the advancement of science, which were afterwards carried into happy effect." Professor David Hosack of New York, in an address (26th January, 1818) delivered before the students of the College of Phy- sicians and Surgeons of the University of the State of New York, said: "As a literary character, few men held a more elevated rank, in the estimation of all to whom he was known, than Dr. Wistar. Be- sides these branches of science more immediately connected with the medical profession, as far as his duties as a practitioner permitted, he cultivated, with great industry and success, almost every de- partment of literature. His house was the weekly resort of the literati of the City of Philadelphia, and at his hospitable board the learned stranger from every part of the world, of every tongue and nation, received a cordial welcome. ,His urbanity, his pleasing and instructive conversation, his peculiar talent in discerning and displaying the characteris- tic merits and acquirements of those with whom he conversed, will be remembered with pleasure by all The Centenary of the Wistar Party 7 who have ever enjoyed his society and conversa- tion." Dr. Charles Caldwell, Professor of Natural History in the University of Pennsylvania, in ad- dressing The Philadelphia Medical Society (Febru- ary 21, 1818) said: "His dwelling was, at all times, the seat of hospitality; and during the winter, the weekly resort of his literary friends, in common with strangers of distinction who visited the city. The company met, without ceremony, on a stated evening, where in the midst of a succession of suitable refreshments, the time passed away, oftentimes until a late hour, in agreeable, varied, and instructive discourse. This hospitable and conciliating practice contributed not a little to multiply and strengthen those attachments to his person, which, to use a tech- nical, though not unapt, expression, rendered him, at length, a sensorium commune to a very large and increasing circle." I present two interesting cotemporaneous proofs of the character of Dr. Wistar's guests. I show you an original letter, entirely in his own hand- writing, addressed to B. R. Morgan, Esq., a dis- tinguished member of the Philadelphia Bar. It reads : 8 The Centenary of the Wistar Party Dear Sir: Baron Humbold [sic] has returned from Washington and en- gaged to spend the evening with us. If you are disengaged I will be very happy to see you, and am with great esteem Your friend and servant C. Wistar^ Jun"". Thursday June 2 1 St, 1804. I show you another original letter. My Dear Sir: Captain Riley whose travels are so well known to you is here, on his way to Washington, and takes his departure to morrow. I saw him for the first time this morning & engaged him to sup with me. I expect him at 8 this evening & will be very glad to see you also. With great regard I am very truly yours C. Wistar Monday Jan'^. 12, 1818 J. Vaughan Esqr. As this letter is dated January 12, 1818, and Dr. Wistar died ten days later, after eight days of ill- ness, it is probable that this is the last letter of its kind that he ever wrote. The Centenary of the Wistar Party 9 It is regrettable that we have no reports of the conversations of these brilliant and learned gather- ings. That Dr. Wistar himself excelled in the art of drawling others out, and in contributing his share to the general talk is well attested, but that he had humor in correspondence is amply proved by his letter to Nicholas Biddle, dated April i6, 1813: " Two of your friends have led you into a scrape — they proposed you as a member of the Philosophical Society and you were elected last evening. The Society takes into consideration the situation of your family and therefore for the present year will only require you to discover the means of producing per- petual motion — but by the birth of your second child, they expect you to produce the Philosopher's Stone." (Original letter in the possession of Ed- ward Biddle, Esq., a grandson.) In the same year the Abbe Correa de Serra (Sep- tember 27, 18 13), writing to Dr. Wistar, from Bos- ton, significantly said: "The best thing I can do, after what has happened since we parted, is to go back to my dear Philadelphia, and pass my time in the enjoyment of company such as yours. . . . 10 The Centenary of the Wistar Party There is no necessity, nor there will be so soon very likely, of my going to Europe, and looking on the globe I find that no spot except Paris is more to my taste than your friendly city, and you must take to yourself a good part of its fitness to my taste." (Ms. Vol. of Wistar Correspondence in Am. Philos. Soc.) The simplicity of these words, so free from the exaggerated compliments of foreigners, is the best assurance of their sincerity. But while we have no direct testimony from an ear witness of the actual talk in Dr. Wistar's draw- ing room, there is full testimony, and that too from the unimpeachable source of Boston, of the charac- ter of Philadelphia society in those days. John Adams, writing to his wife, as far back as 1776, ob- served: "Particular gentlemen here, who have im- proved upon their education by travel, shine; but in general, old Massachusetts outshines her younger sisters. Still in several particulars they have more wit than we. They have Societies, the Philosoph- ical Society particularly, which excites a scientific emulation, and propagates their fame. If ever I get through this scene of politics and of war, . . . The Centenary of the Wistar Party 11 a philosophical society shall be established at Boston, if I have wit and address enough to accom- plish it, sometime or other." ("Letters of John Adams to his Wife," Vol. i, page 145.) This was truly a concession, if not a tribute, but it is from an- other Bostonian, writing of Philadelphia society in the hey-day of Dr. Wistar's fame, that we derive the strongest sidelight. That happy and useful man of letters, George Ticknor, the accomplished author of a history of Spanish literature, and a pro- fessor at Harvard, in some charming autobiograph- ical notes, tells us of a visit he paid to Philadelphia in January, 1815. He says that "John Vaughan, the Secretary of the Philosophical Society took charge of me, and made me acquainted with every one whom I could desire to know. ... I dined with a large party at Mr. David Parish's, and, for the first time in my life, saw a full service of silver plate, for twenty persons, with all the accom- paniments of elegancy and luxury to correspond, and a well trained body of servants in full livery. But — what was of more interest to me — John Ran- dolph was one of the guests. ... I was a good 12 The Centenary of the Wistar Party deal at Mr. Hopkinson's, who was distinguished for the union of wit, sense, culture, and attractive man- ner. . . . His house was one of the most agreeable in Philadelphia, for Mrs. Hopkinson was a lady of much cultivation and knowledge of the world. At their table I met one day a brilliant party of eleven or twelve gentlemen. Amongst them were Mr. Randolph, the Abbe Correa, Dr. Chapman and Mr. Parish. It was an elegant dinner, and the conversation was no doubt worthy of such guests; but one incident has overshadowed the rest of the scene. The Abbe Correa — who was one of the most remarkable men of the time, for various learning, acuteness, and wit, and for elegant, suave manners — had just returned from a visit to Mr. Jef- ferson, whom he much liked, and, in giving some account of his journey, which on the whole had been agreeable, he mentioned that he had been surprised at not finding more gentlemen living on their plantations in elegant luxury, as he had ex- pected. It was quietly said, but Randolph could never endure the slightest disparagement of Vir- ginia, if ever so just, and immediately said, with The Centenary of the Wistar Party 13 some sharpness, 'Perhaps, Mr. Correa, your ac- quaintance was not so much with that class of per- sons.' Correa, who was as amiable as he was polite, answered very quietly, 'Perhaps not; the next time I will go down upon the Roanoke, and I will visit Mr. Randolph and his friends.' Mr. Randolph, who was one of the bitterest of men, was not appeased by this intended compliment, and said, in the sharpest tones of his high-pitched, disagreeable voice, ' In my part of the country, gentlemen commonly wait to be invited before they make visits.' Correa's equanirrtity was a little dis- turbed; his face flushed. He looked slowly round the table till every eye was upon him, and then re- plied, in a quiet, level tone of voice, — ' Said I not well of the gentlemen of Virginia?'" While you have the ready and self-possessed Correa in mind, let me exhibit to you the original Ms. of an obituary notice (Note Necrologique) of Dr. Wistar written by his devoted Portuguese admirer, in April, 1818. Such then was the character of The Philosophical Society, such was the character of Dr. Wistar, and 14 The Centenary of the Wistar Party such was the character of his guests. With the death of Dr. Wistar his delightful parties ended. It is now in order to examine the third link in the chain which binds the Society and the Wistar Party to each other. Mr. Job R. Tyson, who, in 1842, wrote a brief sketch of the Wistar Party, says: "To call Dr. Caspar Wistar the founder of an Associa- tion which was not formed until after his death, has the appearance of a solecism. It would perhaps be more proper to say that it was owing to his social spirit and the example of his unpretending but lib- eral hospitality, that a kindred feeling was awak- ened which led to its formation." Mr. Tyson's conjecture obtains interesting confir- mation in a letter written by John Vaughan, the Secretary of The Philosophical Society, to Thomas Jefferson within a month after Dr. Wistar's death, in which he says: "We shall try to keep up the Satur- day evening meetings. We proposed the plan to Mr. Tilghman, Rawle, N. Biddle, Du Ponceau, R. M. Patterson and myself, and to endeavor to see strangers of merit passing through. We shall want the attractive magnet, but we shall derive pleasure The Centenary of the Wistar Party 15 from the attempt, and the recollection of the friend who established them, and gave them such inter- est." ("Mass. Hist. Coll.," 7th ser., Vol. I, p. 267.) The effort proved a success, and in the autumn of 1818, Chief Justice Tilghman, Dr. Robert M. Pat- terson, a pupil in chemistry of Sir Humphrey Davy, Peter S. Du Ponceau, the omniscient and omni- present master of Indian dialects and of juris- prudence, and John Vaughan of those first addressed, and Reuben Haines, a votary of science, Robert Walsh, Jr., a journalist, Zaccheus Collins, a nat- uralist, and Dr. Thomas C. James, the leading prac- titioner and teacher of obstetrics, became the founders of the Wistar Party. These gentlemen agreed each to give three parties every year during the season. Within eight years their numbers in- creased gradually to twenty-four, the present num- ber, and each gave in a prescribed order of succes- sion an entertainment during the season. This is the present practice. The sumptuary code adopted enjoined simplicity if not frugality of entertain- ment. This also is in accord with present practice. Among the most notable names upon the rolls ap- 16 The Centenary of the Wistar Party pear those of Dr. Robert Hare, the renowned inven- tor of the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe; Joseph Hopkin- son, the author of " Hail Columbia," and for many years United States District Judge; Nathaniel Chapman, wit as well as physician; Mathew Carey, the interesting Irish exile; Nicholas Biddle, the President of the United States Bank at the time of Jackson's war upon the Bank; Horace Binney, and John Sergeant. The man, however, upon whom the Association chiefly relied for its success was John Vaughan, the philanthropist, whose break- fasts in his bachelor quarters in the building of The Philosophical Society were the focal point of mem- orable mornings. "From 1818 to his demise in 1842, he assumed the labour of a general charge over the concerns of the Association, particularly of calling the annual meetings, making out the an- nual lists, distributing from week to week the cards of invitation, and attending with unremitting as- siduity to various minor details. The Association is largely indebted to him for his attention to strangers, and for a fond and steady devotion to its interests and repute." (Mr. Tyson's tribute.) The The Centenary of the Wistar Party 17 Rev. William H. Furness, of whose congregation Mr. Vaughan was a member, declared: "'He was given to hospitality.' In this respect he gave a character to our City, and in the minds of hosts of strangers from all parts of the country and from abroad, the name of Mr. Vaughan represented the City as faithfully as its own name 'Brotherly Love.' He took pleasure in bringing such persons together as, by similarity of tastes or pursuits, would find peculiar satisfaction in one another's company." Dr. Furness recalls among the guests of that time, John Quincy Adams, Dr. Channing, the famous pulpit orator, and Albert Gallatin. ("The Lives of Eminent Philadelphians, Now Deceased," Simp- son.) The fame of the Wistar Party was by this time far-spread. The Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in his "Travels Through North America Dur- ing the Years 1825-6" wrote: "At Mr. Walsh's I found a numerous assemblage, mostly of scien- tific and literary gentlemen. This assembly is called a Wistar Party. It is a small, learned circle which owes its existence to a Quaker physician, Dr. Wistar, 18 The Centenary of the Wistar Party who assembled all the literati and public charac- ters of Philadelphia at his house every Saturday evening, where all well recommended foreigners were introduced. After his death the society was continued by his friends with this difiference, that they now assemble alternately at the houses of the members. The conversation generally relates to literary and scientific topics." Captain Basil Hall in his "Travels in North America in 1827-28" says: "I shall never forget those agreeable and in- structive Wistar Parties in Philadelphia." They are "meetings well contrived and maintained with much spirit." In 1833, Captain Hamilton, in his "Men and Manners in America," wrote: "I passed an hour or two very agreeably at one of a series of meetings, which are called Wistar Parties. . . . Their efTect and influence on society must be very salutary. These parties bring together men of dif- ferent classes and pursuits and promote the free in- terchange of opinion, always useful for the correc- tion of prejudice. Such intercourse, too, prevents the narrowness of thought and exaggerated estimate of the value of our own peculiar acquirements, The Centenary of the Wistar Party 19 which devotion to one exclusive object is apt to engender in those who do not mix freely with the world. . . . Philosophers eat like other men, and the precaution of an excellent supper is by no means found to be superfluous. It acts, too, as a gentle emollient in the acrimony of debate. No man can say a harsh thing with his mouth full of turkey and disputants forget their differences in unity of enjoy- ment." Captain Hamilton makes another observa- tion which is a complete refutation of the ignorant and baseless charge made by the satirical Robert Wain and repeated in kind by the jealous and re- sentful James Gordon Bennett at a later day. Both of these gentlemen had charged that the Wistar Party was composed of exclusive aristocrats, who would tolerate the companionship of none but their own circle. Captain Hamilton declares: "At these parties I met several ingenious men of a class some- thing below that of ordinary members. When an operative mechanic attracts notice by his zeal for improvement in any branch of science, he is almost uniformly invited to the Wistar meetings. The ad- vantage of this policy is obviously very great. A 20 The Centenary of the Wistar Party modest and deserving man is brought into notice. His errors are corrected, his ardor is stimulated, his taste improved, a healthy connection is kept up between the different classes of society, and the feel- ing of mental sympathy is duly cherished. During my stay in Philadelphia I was present at several of these Wistar parties and always returned from them with increased conviction of their beneficial tend- ency." Twenty years later, William Makepeace Thackeray, in characteristically whimsical vein, wrote to his friend William B. Reed, later Attor- ney-General of Pennsylvania, alluding to the sudden death of Mr. William Peter, the British Consul, and to a letter he had received from Mrs. Peter some time before: " Mrs. Peter wrote, saying he was ill with influenza; he was in bed with his last illness, and there were to be no more Whister parties for him. Will Whister himself, hospitable pig-tailed shade, welcome him to Hades? And will they sit down — no, stand up — to a ghostly supper, de- vouring the i^BuLov; i/zv^a? of oysters and all sorts of birds?" (Reed's "Haud Immemor.") It may be of interest, in passing, to note that the The Centenary of the Wistar Party 21 engraved card of invitation ''with the benevolent profile of Dr. Wistar so familiar to all our mem- bers," as the late Henry Charles Lea described it, was adopted in 1835 and has since then been uni- formly used. Following the death of Mr. Vaughan, in 1842 a more definite organization than had theretofore prevailed was effected. On the call of the vener- able Peter S. Du Ponceau, one of the original mem- bers, and in the form presented by United States District Judge John K. Kane, a written Constitu- tion, containing but six brief articles, and printed upon two thirds of a single page, was adopted. The executive officer was called the Dean, and mem- bers were to be unanimously chosen from the rolls of the Philosophical Society. Members failing to attend the annual meetings and omitting to declare their intention to continue might be considered to have resigned. Mr. Vaughan's successor as Dean was Isaac Lea, who had married the daughter of Mathew Carey, and conducted a large publishing business, still in the hands of his descendants, and who was, at the 22 The Centenary of the Wistar Party time, particularly distinguished for his knowledge of conchology and later was President of the Aca- demy of Natural Sciences. He filled the office by annual re-elections until the suspension of the Asso- ciation in 1861, except during a prolonged absence abroad, when in 1852-3 he was replaced by Mr. J. J. Vander Kemp, and in 1853-4 by Mr. Job R. Tyson. It was due to Mr. Lea's methodical habits that a Minute Book was introduced, and the volume is still in use as a record of the election of members and of the action taken at the annual meetings. During this second period in the life of the Wistar Party the most notable among its members were Dr. Nathaniel Chapman, Isaac Lea, Judge Kane, William M. Meredith, President Taylor's Secretary of the Treasury, Dr. George B. Wood of the chair of Materia Medica in the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Isaac Hays, the accomplished Editor of Hays's Medical Journal, the renowned sci- entist, especially distinguished for his labors in the Coast Survey, Alexander Dallas Bache, and the po- litical economist, Henry C. Carey. The dark days of the Civil War, so full of overwhelming anxiety The Centenary of the Wistar Party 23 and of passion, discouraged social enjoyments, and on motion of Professor Henry Coppee, of the chair of literature in the University of Pennsylvania, in September, 1861, it was ''Resolved, That owing to the present unhappy condition of the country, the Wistar Parties be postponed during this season." Similar action was had in 1862 and 1863. Many members resigned, others died. In 1865, the only members present at the annual meeting were Dr. Hays and Mr. Isaac Lea; in 1866, only Dr. George W. Norris and Mr. Lea. At last, the only surviving members were Mr. Moncure Robinson and Mr. Lea, and even the annual meetings were discon- tinued. Many shortlived efforts to maintain the old social life were attempted through the Union Club, the parent of the Union League; the Saturday Club, which, lacking restrictions upon the char- acter of entertainments, led to an undesirable sump- tuousness; and the Fortnightly Club, which, though resembling the old Wistar Party in moderation of the table, lacked the tie of membership in The Philosophical Society. 24 The Centenary of the Wistar Party Finally, in 1886, the venerable Moncure Robin- son and Isaac Lea, the only surviving members, both far advanced in years and confined to their homes, revived the Wistar Party by concurrent written action electing to membership Dr. Caspar Wister, William Sellers, Horace Howard Furness, the Hon. Craig Biddle, Dr. William Pepper, Professor Fair- man Rogers, Henry Charles Lea and Dr. Francis W. Lewis. These gentlemen met in December, 1886, and reorganized. To complete their membership they rescinded the rule as to membership in The Philosophical Society, and elected their colleagues of the Fortnightly Club, which then went out of existence. They also increased the official staff by adding an Executive Committee of three to the office of Dean. This is the present establishment. The Dean chosen was the greatest of our scholars and philosophic historians, Henry Charles Lea. At an adjourned meeting in March, 1898, the eligibility rule as to membership in The Philosophical So- ciety was restored, and is still in force. In speaking of this reorganization, which marked the third and present period of the Wistar The Centenary of the Wistar Party 25 Party, Mr. Lea has written: "Thus adapted to the social needs of the present day the reorganized Wistar Party feels the assurance that it worthily upholds the traditions which it has inherited and that a strict adherence to the simplicity prescribed in the rules and solicitude in gathering at its recep- tions all that is best in the intellectual activity of Philadelphia, will enable its members to hand down to their successors in the long future an institution which, in its modest way, has made a contribution not wholly without significance to the fair repute which the city of its birth so deservedly enjoys." It remains but to add that Mr. Lea continued most diligently to fulfill the expectations of his friends. His zeal to the last was unabated. " Age did not wither nor custom stale his infinite variety" of intellectual accomplishments. For twenty-three years he trod the paths worn by the footsteps of his predecessors. For ninety years the Wistar Party had but three Deans. Such length of tenure, and such continuity of service were favorable to the growth of traditions and of customs which are now venerable and venerated, and which it is hoped will remain inviolable. 26 The Centenary of the Wistar Party The third period of our existence has been marked by the old brilliancy of membership and guests. We have seen that ornament of scholarship and of incomparable literary gifts, Horace Howard Fur- ness, in the midst of his Shakespeareana; we have seen Mr. Lea surrounded by the rarest of libraries whispering from its shelves the mysteries of the Middle Ages and the most recondite learning; we have listened to the epigrams of Judge Biddle who concisely declared that " Saturday night was a gentleman's night out" and that "In America a man's family portraits were as often acquired by purchase as by descent." We have listened to Dr. Persifor Frazer explaining to Chief Justice Mitchell that the Biblical expression "when the salt hath lost its savor" necessarily implied that in the days of old there was a gang grocer who mixed his salt with marble dust; we have heard the sturdy Isaac J. Wistar tell of the early lawlessness in California which he had witnessed as a member of the Vigi- lance Committees of '49 and '50; we have relished the pungent sarcasm of Henry C. Chapman, who inherited the traits of his grandfather; we have felt The Centenary of the Wistar Party 27 the indomitable force of that giant of trans-continen- tal railway construction, Alexander J. Cassatt; and we have not ceased to miss the keen and judicious criticisms of current events by that man of stately figure and commanding presence, Samuel Dickson, or by the warm-hearted, hard-headed, sagacious man of affairs, George F. Baer, who, after winning re- nown at the bar, became the successful president of the Reading Railroad Company. We have seen Stanley, the daring explorer of the Dark Continent, conversing with Mark Twain, and Frederick D. Stone, the accomplished Librarian of the Historical Society, exchanging views of George Bancroft's latest revision with James Russell Lowell, and we have listened to Nansen and Melville, the con- querours of ice packs in the North, discussing their adventures with Benjamin Harris Brewster and Wayne MacVeagh, Attorneys-General of the United States. We recall too that when our former mem- ber — the now venerable George F. Edmunds, who greets us on this occasion from Pasadena — so dis- tinguished as a Senator of the United States from Vermont — first came to Philadelphia, he was much 28 The Centenary of the Wistar Party lionized and many sought introductions. Among these was a "vehemently vocal" man, as Hall Caine would have called him, who in deep tones exclaimed: "Ah, Senator Edmunds — very happy to meet you, Sir; very happy to meet you. I have always regarded you as the model Senator — the model Senator, Sir." "Yes," said Mr. Edmunds, looking down with a twinkling eye from his tower- ing height, "a model is usually a small representa- tion of a very big thing." Following the death of Mr. Lea in 1909, Mr. Samuel Dickson, for twelve years the Chancellor of the Law Association of Philadelphia, was chosen Dean. ,He, too, was a vigilant guardian of our rules, but death claimed him in 1915. The present Dean, Dr. L Minis Hays, succeeded him. We all know how dear to his heart are the days of the past, and upon his unswerving loyalty we base our confidence in the future. The names of the present members are upon the card of invitation for this evening. They are the hosts of this occasion, and in their names I now bid our guests to partake of a Wistar Party Supper in strict accordance with the rules. ROLL OF THE WISTAR PARTY 1818-1918 MEMBERS D. Hayes Agnew 1887-1890 Richard L. Ashhurst 1894-1911 Alexander Dallas Bache 1839-1844 Franklin Bache 1844-1864 George F. Baer 1903-1914 Edwin Swift Balch 1910 Thomas Willing Balch 1916 Charles F. Beck 1856-1859 John Bell 1841-1850 A. Sydney Biddle 1888-1891 Arthur Biddle 1893-1897 Clement C. Biddle 1824-1839 Craig Biddle 1886-1908 Ni'cholas Biddle 1821-1842 Thomas Biddle 1828-1834, 1836-1838, 1843-1849 Horace Binney 1824-1826 George Tucker Bispham 1886-1906 Edward S. Buckley 1891-1904 29 30 The Roll of the Wistar Party John Cadwalader 1893 Richard M. Cadwalader 1887-1896 Thomas Cadwalader 1828-1829 Henry C. Carey 1 834-1 842, 1 849-1 879 Mathew Carey 1 821-1838 Henry Carleton 1 860-1 863 Hampton L. Carson 1896— 1902, 1905 Alexander J. Cassatt 1 902-1 906 Henry C. Chapman 1 898-1900 Nathaniel Chapman 1 821-1849 Langdon Cheves 1821-1826 Edward H. Coates 1891-1894 Edward Coles 1 844-1 865 Edward Coles (Jr.) 1900-1906 Zaccheus Collins 1818-1831 Henry Coppee 1 859-1 865 John C. Cresson 1 855-1 861 T. DeWitt Cuyler 1895 Jacob M. DaCosta 1888-1898 Charles E. Dana 1 902-1904 William P. Dewees 1 821-1834 Samuel Dickson 1 887-1 91 5 Samuel Henry Dickson 1 860-1 872 William H. Dillingham 1 844-1 847 Russell Duane 1914 James Dundas 1856-1865 Robley Dunglison 1 839-1 841, 1 842-1 866 The Roll of the Wistar Party 31 Thomas Dunlap 1 839-1 864 Nathan Dunn 1 836-1 840 Peter S. Du Ponceau 1818-1842 Alfred Langdon Elwyn 1 844-1 852, 1 854-1 855 George F. Edmunds 1897-1902 George Harrison Fisher 1 887-1 896 Joshua Francis Fisher 1834-1841, 1851-1873 John F. Frazer 1 844-1 854 Persifor Frazer 1 887-1909 William W. Frazier 1889 Horace Howard Furness 1 886-1 893 William H. Furness 1915 William Gibson 1 826-1 841 Samuel D. Gross 1 860-1 884 Reuben Haines 1818- ? Robert Hare 1819-1858 Thomas Harris 1828-1834, 1835-1836, 1838-1840 William Harris 1 839-1840 Charles C. Harrison 1886 Isaac Hays 1 844-1 879 L Minis Hays 1887 Morton P. Henry 1886-1893 Hugh L. Hodge 1 837-1 862 Joseph Hopkinson 1 821-1835 William E. Horner .... 1 828-1 839, 1 840-1844, 1 846-1 853 32 The Roll of the Wistar Party Charles J. Ingersoll 1 828-1 829 Joseph R. Ingersoll 1827-1829, 1850-1854 Samuel Jackson 1 841-1844 Thomas C. James 1818-1826, 1 828-1 830 Henry LaBarre Jayne 1909 Horace Jayne 1897-1909 Alba B. Johnson 1914 John K. Kane 1828-1858 William W. Keen 1910 C. Hartman Kuhn 1897 Rene LaRoche 1 829-1 836 Arthur H. Lea 1912 Henry Charles Lea 1886-1909 Isaac Lea 1828-1886 Robert G. LeConte 1907 James B. Leonard 1898-1899 Francis W. Lewis 1 886-1 902 John Frederick Lewis 1909 J. Dundas Lippincott 1886-1905 George A. McCall 1856-1859 William Mcllvaine 1828-1838 Thomas McKean 1886-1897 Richard C. McMurtrie 1886-1894 Charles D. Meigs 1 829-1 839, 1 843-1 845, 1 849-1 854 The Roll of the Wistar Party 33 William Meredith 1821-1839 William M. Meredith 1841-1849, 1850-1857 Samuel V. Merrick 1 835-1 843, 1 855-1 870 E. Coppee Mitchell 1886-1887 John K. Mitchell 1828-1842 Israel Wistar Morris 1 894-1 909 John T. Morris 1911-1915 Thomas D. Miitter 1852-1856 John S. Newbold 1886-1887 George W. Norris 1 852-1 875 William F. Norris ' 1886-1895 Joseph Pancoast 1855-1882 Robert M. Patterson 1818-1828, 1 835-1 853 J. Rodman Paul 1905-1914 Charles B. Penrose 1915 R. A. F. Penrose, Jr 1909 George Wharton Pepper 1 904-191 7 William Pepper 1 853-1 858 William Pepper (2d) ' 1886-1898 Charles Piatt 1886-1902 Samuel Powel 1858-1885 Eli K. Price 191 7 Jacob Randolph 1 840-1 841, 1 842-1 846 William Rawle 1841-1845, 1846-1848 William Brooke Rawle 1906-191 1 William Henry Rawle 1887-1888 34 The Roll of the Wistar Party Samuel Rea 1914 Benjamin W. Richards 1839-1851 Moncure Robinson 1 836-1 840, 1 844-1 886 Fairman Rogers 1886-1888 Robert E. Rogers 1 856-1 860 Joseph G. Rosengarten 1899 William Sellers 1886-1897 John Sergeant 1 824-1 826 George Sharswood 1 859-1 866 Wharton Sinkler 1902-1910 Alfred Stille 1856-1865 William Strickland 1 829-1 840 William Tilghman 181 8-1 827 Charlemagne Tower 1 896-1 897, 1 909 James Tyson I906— 1916 Job R. Tyson 1836-1858 John J. Vander Kemp 1 840-1 850, 1 851-1856 John Vaughan 1818-1841 Roberts Vaux 1 828-1 830 Henry Vethake 1 844-1 850 Tobias Wagner 1 850-1856 Robert Walsh 1818-1835 Thomas U. Walter 1840-1841 John Price Wetherill 1828-1853 The Roll of the Wistar Party 35 George M. Wharton 1854-1859 Thomas L Wharton 1830-1856 Henry J. Williams 1844-1855 James C. Wilson 1904 Joseph M. Wilson 1898-1902 Isaac J. Wistar 1887-1905 Caspar Wister 1886-1889 George B. Wood 1836-1879 Stuart Wood 1902-1914 HONORARY MEMBERS Peter S. Du Ponceau 1842-1844 Nathaniel Chapman j.849-1853 Robert M. Patterson 1853-1854 Moncure Robinson 1886-1891 Craig Biddle 1908-1910 36 The Roll of the Wistar Party OFFICERS DEAN John Vaughan 1818-1841 Isaac Lea 1 842-1 852, 1 854-1 886 *J. J. Vander Kemp 1 852-1 853 *J. R. Tyson 1853-1854 Henry Charles Lea 1 886-1 909 Samuel Dickson 1909— 1915 L Minis Hays 1915 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Francis W. Lewis 1 887-1 902 Thomas McKean , 1 887-1 897 William Pepper 1887-1898 Charles Piatt 1 898-1 902 Samuel Dickson 1 898-1 909 I. Minis Hays 1902-1915 Isaac J. Wistar 1 902-1 905 Israel Wistar Morris 1905-1910 Joseph G. Rosengarten 1909 William Brooke Rawle 1910-191 1 Hampton L. Carson 191 1 Charlemagne Tower 1915 * In the absence in Europe of Mr. Isaac Lea. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 314 663 7