USA > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia County > Philadelphia > An Historical sketch of the origin and progress of the Society of the Sons of St. George : also the charter, by-laws, and permanent resolutions, together with an alphabetical list of the members and associates, list of officers, etc., for one century, from April 23, 1772 to April 23, 1872, to April 23, 1897 > Part 10
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Much might be written about the Hall from the time of its completion to the present. So far as the Society is concerned, it has been a most suitable place for all its meetings, whether busi- ness, social, or benevolent, and no place could be more approp-
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riate for the anniversaries of the Society than the Hall, with the beautiful and valued picture of the " Queen " in full view. How memory has gone back over the sixty years of the illustrious reign of that noble Sovereign who has done so much, not only for the good of England, and those who speak the English lan- guage, but may we not say for the whole world! But finan- cially the directors and stockholders have been disappointed that the Hall has not been the success they had hoped for, chiefly caused by the erection of so many high buildings in the immed- iate vicinity, with all the modern conveniences and appliances for office purposes; so that when the subject of sale was suggested, the directors felt the importance of considering the Society's large interest in the building, and acted for its welfare or benefit.
The past year or more has fully justified the action of the Di- rectors in disposing of the Hall, which was done with many re- grets.
The Directors had many and anxious meetings and confer- enceson the subject. When finally they received an offer of $160,- 000 cash, they considered it their duty to accept it, as it would more than pay every stockholder in full, and no one would be more benefited financially than our Society, for, be it remem- bered, that the Society originally subscribed for 500 shares of stock. It received payment for 801 shares, having acquired many shares by legacy and donation.
The sale of the Hall has not as yet interfered with the So- ciety in any way, and it may not for some time to come, and should the building be remodeled, we hope some arrangement may be made for the Society to retain its present rooms, and con- tinue its work of relieving our poor and distressed fellow-country- men and their families. .
A special meeting of the Association was held January 13th, 1896, at 4 p.m., when the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted, stockholders voting 1,829 out of 2,378 shares:
WHEREAS, The Directors of St. George's Hall Association have sold St. George's Hall to Mr. Henry C. Lea for the sum of one hundred and sixty thousand ($160,000) dollars; therefore it is
Resolved, That we, the stockholders of the St. George's Hall Association, do hereby approve and ratify and confirm the said
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action of the Directors in selling St. George's Hall for that price named.
Resolved, That the Directors of St. George's Hall Association be hereby requested and authorized to settle all matters apper- taining to St. George's Hall Association, and to take such steps, which, in their judgment, they may deem proper to dissolve the said Association, thereby relieving the Association from any taxes or expenses whatever.
Resolved, That the thanks of the stockholders of the St. George's Hall Association be and is hereby tendered to the Di- rectors of said Association for the able manner in which they have conducted the affairs of the Association since its organiza- tion.
At a meeting of the Directors, held January 13th, 1896, a unanimous vote of thanks was tendered to the Hall Committee for their great and valuable services rendered to the St. George's Hall Association since its organization; their self-denying labor cannot be over-estimated, especially that of its chairman, Mr. George Dixon, who has been constantly looking after the well- being of the Hall in every particular and promoting its interest, as much so as if it were his own property. The Directors regret that they cannot express their thanks to him in a more tangible form.
The beautiful bronze statue of St. George and the Dragon, not having been sold with the building, was now considered, and as it was imported in the name of the Society of St. George, was on motion of Mr. William H. Lucas, unanimously sold to the So- ciety for the nominal sum of one dollar, in order that the So- ciety may retain it for its own use, or dispose of it as it may think best.
At a special meeting of the Directors, held February 17th, 1896, our counsel reported that he had received the decree of the court dissolving the corporation, and ordering the distribu- tion of its funds to the stockholders.
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HISTORICAL SKETCH-Continued.
1872 TO 1897.
At the meeting, held July 24th, 1876, the Secretary reported the gift of $1,000 from Thomas Thompson, Esq., and read the follow- ing letter :
.
JENKINTOWN, PA., July 21st, 1876.
WILLIAM MASSEY, Esq.,
President of the Society of the Sons of St. George:
Dear Sir :- At the request of a few members of the Society, I have the pleasure to present through you to the Society a por- trait of myself, to hang on the walls of our gallery. I also en- close you my check for $1,000, the proceeds of which I wish to be applied to the permanent fund of the Society.
With great respect, I am, yours truly, (Signed) THOMAS THOMPSON.
The generous gift of Mr. Thompson was received with great applause, after which appropriate remarks were made, and a com- mittee of five appointed to prepare appropriate resolutions, ex- pressive of the Society's feeling, and thanks to Mr. Thompson for his portrait and generous gift. The committee were Messrs. E. Matthews, W. Waterall, W. H. Lucas, and J. G. Kershaw. The resolutions will be found in full on the minutes.
At the meeting held on October 23d Mr. William T. Wilkins offered the following: This meeting having become painfully aware of the terrible accident that has befallen our worthy Sec- retary, Mr. William Underdown and his estimable wife, desire to express their deep sorrow and tenderest sympathy for them and their family in this hour of deep affliction, and take this method of offering their sincere condolence, accompanied with their prayers that the Supreme Power that has mercifully spared
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their lives, may speedily restore them to their wonted health and usefulness.
On motion, the above was ordered to be spread on the min- utes, and a copy signed by the officers, tendered to Mr. Under- down. Mr. E. Mathews then handed to the President a beauti- fully engrossed and framed copy of the resolution of thanks to Mr. Thomas Thompson. In a short, but appropriate speech, Mr. Massey presented the testimonial, which was received by Mr. Thompson with many expressions of gratitude for the beautiful gift.
A stated meeting of the Society was held on January 23d, 1877, at which time there were present 121 members and associates, the largest number ever present at quarterly meeting. The Sec- retary, Mr. William Underdown, having so far recovered from his terrible accident, was able to be present, and returned thanks to the Society for their kind expressions of sympathy. At the meeting, held October 23d, the Steward reported having re- lieved in various ways about 950 persons during the quarter.
Mr. William Waterall, Vice-President, made a full report of property now at the new Hall, which will be found in full on the minutes of this meeting, and will be found valuable for reference in the future.
Mr. M. J. Mitcheson reported that he had procured orders from the Court for the support of Mrs. Gross and Mrs. Caruth- ers and children for more than she expected; also succeeded in having Mr. Largen placed in the Harrisburg State Hospital for the Insane.
On April 5th, 1877, a reception was given by Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Thompson at St. George's Hall, in honor of Mr. Thomp- son's election as President of the Society of the Sons of St. George, and it was in every respect a very brilliant affair. Twelve hundred invitations were issued, and there were at least one thousand persons present, a full account of which was reported in the daily papers the following morning, cuttings from which will be found in the minute book of the Society.
An adjourned meeting was held April 19th, 1877, at which time 10 persons were nominated for membership.
A stated meeting was held on April 23d, 1877, at 10 o'clock, when the regular business was transacted.
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WILLIAM KING
Steward, 1877 to 1880 Trustee, 1882 to 1884, and 1893 to 1897 Vice-President, 1885 to 1888 President, 1889 to 1891
The Stewards reported having relieved 642 persons during the past quarter with money, groceries amounting to $48.50, 30 pairs of shoes, assisted 6 persons to return to England; also sent back to England by the aid of the British Consul 5 boys, between the age of 14 and 15, who had left their parents in Liverpool, and come here as stowaways, and landed here destitute; they were provided with clothing and also lodging until they sailed. Fif- teen persons, previously nominated, were elected members.
A vote of thanks was tendered to our chaplain, Rev. Dr. E. W. Appleton, for the excellent sermon delivered by him at St. George's Hall on Sunday evening, April 22d, being a commem- orative service of the 105th anniversary of this Society. A full account of the service will be found in the minute book. Mr. William Waterall, on behalf of John Berry, Esq., presented a fine etching in burnt wood of St. George and the Dragon, for which the Society tendered its thanks.
The 105th anniversary banquet was held at six o'clock in St. George's Hall, at which many distinguished invited guests were present, a full account of which (cut from the daily papers) will be found in the minute book of the Society. From the annual report we extract: Cash received, $5,864.22; expended, $5,200; about 3,500 persons have received aid from our Society; mem- bership now 650. The past year has been a memorable one for
our city.
The Centennial of the great nation has been cele-
brated. One event connected therewith we record with true English pride. We refer to that august assemblage in this Hall on the IIth of May, when under the Stars and Stripes and the Union Jack, Sir Edward Thornton, H. B. M. (a member of this Society) entertained at a magnificent banquet the Presi- dent of the United States, General U. S. Grant, Dom Pedro, Em- peror of Brazil, and the distinguished representatives of almost every nation of the world. We feel as sons of St. George we can in years to come point our children to this page of our Society's history with no small satisfaction.
At the meeting held July 23d, 1877, there were present J. A. H. St. Andrews, Vice-President of the N. A. St. George's Union, and T. Howard Graffhy, ex-Secretary St. George's Society, Kingston, Ontario.
On motion resolved, That the officers of the Society be ap- pointed delegates to the convention of the North American St.
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George's Union, to be held at St. George's Hall on September IIth, 12th, and 13th next. The President extended a cordial in- vitation to all members to be present at the meetings of the con- vention.
At an adjourned meeting, held October 15th, 1877, 6 persons were nominated for membership, and on motion of Mr. Samuel Lees, it was resolved, That the thanks of this Society be and they are hereby tendered to Mr. Joseph Smith, of Maple Spring Hotel, Wissahickon, for the very liberal and generous manner in which he entertained about fifty of the delegates to the North American St. George's Union at a real English dinner of roast beef and plum pudding, etc., at the above hotel on September 14th, and that Mr. Smith be placed on the list of honorary members from this date.
At the stated meeting held October 23d, 1877, there was a very large attendance of the members; 9 members elected and 4 proposed for membership.
The committee appointed July 23d to convey to the British Associations of Virginia the thanks of this Society for the hearty welcome and generous hospitality extended to our delegates while participating in the grand festivities at Petersburg in May last in honor of the natal day of that illustrious Queen whose pure life and exalted virtues have made her the beloved of all na- tions, reported that they had attended to the duties assigned them. The report was accepted, and ordered to be spread on the minutes.
At the meeting held January 23d, 1878, we had the pleasure of a visit from J. F. Saxon, Esq., ex-President of St. George's So- ciety, St. Catherine, Ontario. The Secretary reported the pres- ent membership 624; 4 persons were elected members; 7 were nominated for membership. Mr. S. C. Collis read a report of the proceedings of the convention of the North American St. George's Union, held at St. George's Hall in September last, which was ordered to be received and filed. The Secretary re- ported a further donation of $75 from our esteemed fellow-mem- ber, Theophilus P. Code, now in England. Mr. Mitcheson moved suitable resolutions, which the Secretary was instructed to forward to Mr. Code.
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Mr. Charles Day moved that a vote of thanks be tendered to Edward Newland, Esq., for his present of a fine steel engraving of the late R. H. Prince Albert.
A commemorative service of the 106th anniversary of the So- ciety was held on Sunday evening, April 21st, 1878. The plat- form was beautifully decorated with flowers. The musical por- tion of the service was conducted by the organist and choir of Grace Church. The prayers were read by the chaplains, Rev. W. Suddards and E. W. Appleton, D.D.
The sermon was preached by the Rt. Rev. W. Bacon Stevens, D.D., LL.D., bishop of the diocese, from the text, " Who went about doing good " (Acts 10: 38).
The bishop began by saying that in an historical sketch of the origin and progress of the Society of the Sons of St. George, after speaking of the first meeting on the 23d of April, 1772, when so many gentlemen of English birth, or English parentage, came together to organize, the writer says: They came thither from the pure dictates of Christian benevolence to unite themselves into an association whose ministiations were to succor the dis- tressed, to assuage the anguish of the sick, to assist the unfor- tunate, to give good counsel to the stranger, to aid the indus- trious, and to carry out into effective exercise the principles of Him who went about doing good, a noble object which has been nobly carried out.
I feel, therefore, said the bishop, that though this is a secular Society, yet that I am not, as a clergyman, out of place here on. this occasion .when your first President, Rev. Dr. Peters, was the rector of Christ Church and St. Peter's, when the first bishop of this diocese, William White, was for sixty years one of your members, and when the largest legacy it ever received was from the venerable rector of St. Paul's, Dr. Pilmore. I must touch on a few points, and leave reflection to fill up the omissions; and the first I ask is, When He went about doing good, what special good did Jesus do to the poor? The simple answer is, He was the first who brought Divine light and life into human poverty. He was the child of a poor woman, whose means permitted her to offer only two doves at her purification in the Temple, and the husband of his mother was a carpenter in the despised town of
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Nazareth. The first thirty years of His life, and He only lived thirty-three or thirty-four, were passed by Him under a poor man's roof, eating a poor man's bread, wearing a poor man's clothes, doing a poor man's work, bearing a poor man's troubles ; so that is indeed, true, as St. Paul says, " Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we, through His poverty, might be made rich." The whole sermon was listened to with marked attention; we regret we cannot give the whole of it; our space will not permit, but we are glad to have it in full pasted in our minutes. After a collection, it being Easter Sunday, the hymn, " Christ, the Lord, is Risen To-day," was sung, and the exercises were concluded with the benediction by the bishop.
A regular meeting of the Society was held on Tuesday morn- ing, April 23d, 1878, at which time the regular business was transacted; 12 persons were elected members.
Mr. M. J. Mitcheson moved appropriate resolutions of thanks to be tendered to the Rt. Rev. Bishop Stevens for the eloquent and appropriate sermon delivered at St. George's Hall on Sun- day last, and the Secretary instructed to forward the same to the bishop.
The 106th anniversary banquet was held in St. George's Hall at 6 o'clock. At the conclusion of the banquet the President, Mr. Lewis Thompson, called upon the Secretary, Mr. William Underdown, to read his annual report, from which we find that the Stewards had relieved 1,393 cases of distress, many of them with large families; so that fully 3,000 persons had been assisted by the Society; 1,032 homeless ones have been provided with shelter and meals, the amount disbursed being $3,868.34. Our total membership is now about 600; we would like to see it 1,000.
The meeting of the Society held July 23d, 1878, was largely attended, at which the Secretary reported that he had received from the U. S. Treasury $1,452.85, being refunded duties on the statue of St. George and the Dragon, through the kind influence of Sir Edward Thornton, when grateful resolutions were passed. and instructed to be forwarded by the Secretary to Sir Edward Thornton.
The above resolutions were prepared by the officers at a meet- ing of the officers of the Society held at the country residence of
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the President, Lewis Thompson, Esq., on May 24th, to cele- brate the 59th birthday of the beloved Queen Victoria.
A special joint meeting of the Society of the Sons of St. George and Albion Society was held at St. George's Hall on September 7th, 1878, William Waterall, Esq., Vice-President, in the chair.
The Vice-President said that the meeting had been called to take suitable action on the death of our lamented fellow-member, Thomas Thompson, who died at his country residence at Jen- kintown, and whose funeral would take place on the Ioth inst. Appropriate eulogiums were made by M. J. Mitcheson, William Elliott, William Massey, John L. Lawson, and Samuel Lees, after which resolutions of deep sorrow and sympathy were passed, which are in full on the minutes, and a copy was sent to the bereaved family by the Secretary.
The flags on the Hall were ordered to be placed at half-mast until after the funeral, from his late residence, 1327 Spring Gar- den Street.
The Societies met at the Hall at 9.30 o'clock on the Ioth to attend the funeral. A large number attended.
On the evening of the same day, September 10th, 1878, the Vice-President, William Waterall, Esq., was bereaved of his wife, after a very brief illness. Her funeral took place at South Laurel Hill on the 13th inst., and was attended by some of the officers and members.
A grand concert was held September 11th, 1878, to aid the yellow fever sufferers, the result of which was that $206.82 was remitted to each of the St. George's Societies at New Orleans and Memphis.
The regular stated meeting was held October 23d, 1878, at which time the usual reports were presented.
Mr. S. C. Collis, on behalf of the delegates to the sixth con- vention of the North American St. George's Union, read a re- port of said convention, held at Guelph, Canada, on August 27th, 28th, and 29th, which was received and filed, and a vote of thanks tendered to the delegates, Messrs. M. J. Mitcheson, Samuel Lees, and S. C. Collis.
At this meeting Mr. John L. Lawson, on behalf of the contri- butors, presented to the Society the two flags, the British Royal
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Standard and the St. George's Flag, donated by Dr. J. W. Gad- sden, and were contributed for at the concert for the yellow fever sufferers, and realized $102.50. A resolution of thanks was ten- dered to Dr. Gadsden.
At the meeting held January 23d, 1879, the annual reports were presented. The Secretary reported: Receipts, $5,461.39; members elected, 22; deaths, IO.
The Treasurer reported:
Balance, January 23d, 1878 $794.45
From the Secretary 5,461.39
$6,255.74
Payments
4,992.57
Balance
$1,263.17
The Committee on Social Entertainments reported entertain- ments had been held; the first on December 6th, and the sec- ond on January 9th.
On motion resolved, That a committee of five be appointed to consider the propriety of holding more frequent meetings. The chair appointed John L. Lawson, John Annear, Alex. Leatham, William Waterall, and William Underdown the committee.
A commemorative service on the occasion of the 107th anni- versary was held at St. George's Hall on Sunday evening, April 20th, 1879. The sermon was preached by Rev. C. George Currie, D.D., Rector of St. Luke's Church, Philadelphia, from the text, " He will magnify the law and make honorable " (Isaiah 42: 21). We regret that our space will not permit of a more extended re- port of this service. Like the previous ones, it was much en- joyed by those present. The newspaper reports of same are pasted in the minute book.
St. George's Day, April 23d, 1879. The business meeting was held at 10.30 o'clock a.m., Wm. Waterall, Esq., Vice-President, in the chair. The regular reports were presented. The Secretary reported donations: Sir Edward Thornton, $50, and W. H. Wright, Esq., $50. The death of James R. Webb, a former Sec- retary and Treasurer, was recorded; 15 members and associates were elected.
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The Committee on Social Entertainments made a final report. The result of the four entertainments was as follows:
December 6th, 1878, by cash, from sale of tickets $249.00
January 9th, 1879, by cash, from sale of tickets 210.25
February 6th, 1879, by cash, from sale of tickets 226.55
March 6th, by cash, from sale of tickets 283.56
$969.30
December 6th, 1878, to expenses $207.02
January 9th, 1879, to expenses 213.97
February 6th, 1879, to expenses. 238.70
March 6th, 1879, to expenses
305. 15
Balance 4.46
$969.30
The committee recommended their continuance. A vote of thanks was tendered the committee. It was on motion re- solved, That the thanks of this Society be tendered to the Rev. C. George Currie for his excellent sermon preached on the 20th inst., and also to Rev. R. H. Thomas and Rev. Dr. Appleton, who assisted at the same service.
The subject of a reading-room and library was, on motion, fully discussed, and resolved, That a committee of five be ap- pointed to further consider the subject, and report at the meet- ing in July next. The chair appointed Alex. O. T. Leatham, W. H. Lucas, Joseph Lees, William King, and William Under- down.
The Society met at 5 o'clock, when 110 members and invited guests sat down to the 107th annual banquet, which was a very enjoyable one. After the bill-of-fare had been fully enjoyed, the Secretary was called upon to read his annual report, but as the facts and figures appear on the minutes we will not give them here. The object in having this report at the banquet is to give our friends the opportunity of knowing what the Society is doing.
The toasts were then proceeded with, and ably responded to. When the twelfth toast was reached, Mr. John Lucas, who as- sisted the President, read a letter, informing us of the death at 5 o'clock of our esteemed fellow-member, Joseph Smith, of Maple Springs Hotel.
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Atlan adjourned meeting, held October 15th, 1879, 6 gentle- men were nominated for membership; among them was our dis- tinguished fellow-citizen, Mr. George W. Childs. At this· meet- ing the subject of a reading-room and library was fully dis- cussed and favorably considered, and liberal contributions of- fered.
At the meeting held on October 23d, 1879, the Secretary re- ported the legacy left the Society by Joseph Johnson, consisting of two ground-rents of $62.25 each, which was referred to our counsel.
The Stewards reported that in addition to their usual duties they had collected $125, which, together with the appropriation of $25 by the Society, had enabled them to place Edward Wattis, an old man of 75 years, nearly blind, in " The Old Man's Home," where he will have all his necessary wants provided for ..
The Stewards also reported the death of Messenger Isaac Smith, and the appointment of Joseph Lancaster. The dele- gates to the North American St. George's Union, Messrs. Willianı Massey, John L. Lawson, and William Underdown, reported that they attended the convention held at Bridgeport on Sep- tember 9th, Ioth, and IIth, and received great kindness and at- tention from the Society at Bridgeport, a full report of which will be found in the published proceedings.
At the meeting held January 23d, 1880, Lewis Thompson, Esq., having declined a re-election as President, Mr. William H. Lucas moved suitable resolutions on his retirement after a period of thirty-three years of active service in the interest of the So- ciety, which were unanimously adopted, and ordered to be spread on the minutes, and the following, Messrs. William Waterall, William H. Lucas, Samuel Lees, and William Un- derdown, were appointed to have said resolutions engrossed, framed, and presented to Mr. Thompson.
The annual reports at this meeting showed the receipts to be $3,366.17; disbursements, $3,370.93; investments, $39,123.75; membership, 550.
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