New-York tribune. [volume], July 15, 1900, Page 4, Image 30

About New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924

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TflK LAMBS' LAST WASHING
A CEREMONY OF DRAMATIC AND POET
ICAL DISTINCTION— ITS SATIS
FACTORY ENDING.
The Lanihs, a club composed of actors and
aien who are interested in theatrical and musi
cal matters, was founded in 1874, and since that
time much has been heard about, the "flockings,"
"gambols" and merrymakings of the organiza
tion. Hut the most enjoyable of the Lambs en
tertainments is tlie uric about which the public
knows the hast. This is the annual "washing."
A member when asked to give a definition of
the term said that a washing was a combination
Of clambake, picnic, excursion, gambol, Hocking,
opera, drama, athletic contest, regatta and jolly
good time generally.
The first "washing" of the Lambs took place
In 157.~> at Bayside, I>oiik Island, at the hotnc- of
Clay M. Greene. The next year Lester Wallack
was the host, at Stamford. Conn., and every
year since that time the ceremony of washing
h. iamb, a real four legged specimen, with champ
agne and making merry over the ceremony
has taken place, and no two entertainments have
been alike. [ona Island. Southside (Iyotif,' Isl
andt. Greenwood Lake, Wallack's Island and
Smith's Island were some >>f the places chosen
/or the outing-, and on each occasion th.- his
trionic propensities of the members and their
Inventive p<-nius for original fun made them
selves manifest In parodies on well known plays
and in original skits.
One notable washing was rendered remark
able by the production of "A Midsummer Night's
Dream," in which clay M. (Ire.-n--. IV Wolf
Hopper, Louis Harrison, Mark Smith and Digby
Bell played the principal parts. At the washing
which took place at Shepherd Greene's place a
few years ago a large delegation of members
were "held up" by Umbs aitir.-,i and mounted
bj Mexican vaqueros when thej arrived on the
grounds and were conducted to th>- shepherd.
who addressed them in a Spanish speech of wel
come. Another washing is remembered because
of the "demolition of the documents of debt"
which took place at that time. Th- documents
dd that occasion were mortgages t.> th< amount
of $35,000 on the Lambs Club house, which had
b< en sal Isfied. Wilton Lackaye was the master of
ceremonies, and Thomas Manning and Thomas
B. c:.-irk robed in purpli and black, act< I as
cremation officers, a spirit of fun and jollity
pervades th.se outings, and the Lambs, freed
from their profess! mal work, make efforts to be
boye again and they always su<
The "washing" this year took place at the
summer home of Clay M. Greene, at Bayside,
Long Island, on June IT. and for the <•
L. J. B. Lincoln wrote a new version of "Hia
watha" in which chiefs and tribes figured not
thought >>T by Longfellow. Among the tribes
were the 7 .am ha h bails. Padeways, Mv; ray lulls.
Neverpays and Moneysunks. Thomas If Clarke,
the shepherd of the flock, impersonated th< gn at
Tomatalk, and, i-lad in all the ftnerj of a great
ciiief. he sat in Indian slate and received the
homage of the chiefs, each more gorgeou
ferocious than his neighbor. The.,- we re Thomas
Manning as Otamahning, I>. w,.ir Hoppei as
Manitou, Myron Caiice as Canonchet Augustus
Thomas as Makaplay, Digb> Hell as Digbellbah,
George Nash as Nashwinah, Henrj E. Dixey as
Muldoonah, Lewis Baker as Lulu Bolcah, Clay
M. Greene as Calumet, Louis Payne as Herb
Doctor and Edward \V Kemble as the Indian
Dude, An orchestra of horns distributed about
the grounds furnished the musi<
one of the features of the performance was
the appearance of Cunonchel on horseback. He
rode In upon the Bcene with the determined air
<>r h. veritable rough rider and n 'it.-,] (he "peace
pipe- in a dramatic manner Tomatalk arose
and greeted the rider and said:
Smoke i he calumet ol friendship,
The Pukwana of th< Peace Pipe;
But I may nol smoke it with you
Gltche Manitou the Mighty,
Th. i jr, a i 5:,,,,-!! O f the Father,
First must give a rev. lation,
Else I am i ondemned forever
To n-rnain from happy huntings.
Manitou, Great Father, hearken!
Send a greeting to ih.- Sachem.
Then a voice can:.- from the woods. It was
De Wolf Hopper's, through a megaphone:
Smoke in Peace Such Is the wisdom
< >f the chief now watching o'er you
Gitcbe Manitou the Mighty,
Father I of all our peoples
On the lard or on the water-
Smoke in Peace!
The Bceno, despite the humor, was dramatic
and was enj« yed by all except Hopper, who
could not occupy the centre of the Btage, and,
despite his Importance, had to remain out of
sight.
After the performance the lamb was brought
in with much ceremony and making desperate
efforts to get away, and was formally washed
wit! > champagne, while the assembled Lambs
stood about, .-a.h man wishing he might be th»
real lamb, and In proof of tils rk;ht to the title
utter., i ••bah!" in many keys
The washing after this ceremony became a
jolly picnic, at which the actors demonstrated
among other things that there is no real foun
dation for the pi pular superstition that actors
dv nol eat
A WARNIN <, ot DRI A X !. \ \ ESB.
From The London Chronicle.
They order some things better in Ashantee.
I^tke ourselves, ih" Ashantees bold that drunk
enness is no excuse for crime, but Ijy way of
guarding against any untoward results happen
ing through indiscrctiou, aay urn.- vvho ftelt
NEW-YORK TKIBUNE ILLUSTRATED SUPPLEMENT.
"the rash mood on." or coming on, streaks r''s
forehead with three parallel dashes of red paint.
So quirt people see red first, and avoid it.
lIOW THE BOERS ESCAPE.
THKY ARE EXPERT CATTLE DRIVERS AND CAN
MARCH FEARLESSLY CV NIGHT.
I.ett.r in The Saturday Review.
People are still inclined to marvel at the
rapidity with which the Boers move their biR
Runs and heavy wagons, and others to blame
our troops f,.r not overtaking the retreating
enemy when they break and run while our men
are In touch with them. Transport work, or
the driving of oxen in teams of sixteen, ts
'IIIAWATIIA*' AT THE LAMBS' WASHING.
Tomai ilk iThoni i; H larkej re.ci el
practical!} ihi onlj labor which th< whiti mar:
will condescend to do in the black man's coun
try of South Africa The Boers are in conse
quence one and all past masters at drivii
tie A man with an ■ noi mo us n hip i
ally control an> animal in the i
out difficult: maki all exert their strength to
the lasi degi •••■ at 01 tl ante tim< When
Bixtei n oxen, arra pairs on in front of
the ot her and yok< dby i v pow erful
rop< of i h isted hld< ir< r< und to I
the tark. the rope is lengthened, and two or
even three 01 foui i- ai is an combined in :; most
effective manner 11.I 1 . thus multiplied, bo
that tt.- hoa .li n bi moved to practi
callj anj p< jition t>. which it is possible t..
drive four foot< .1 lx ast? The heat of the
: S.-uth Vfi in sin being too great for prolonged
exertli n > ■ da> th< transp< rt work of
the rountrj ■ i ' ! night This saves both
man and beast from the disastrous conse
quences of !■• .!,.■ overheated during work and
then rhilled bj Ihi sudd< n i old of |hi su< reed
ing night
In the present war thi Boers, knowing every
Inch of th< country, >ar; transport th»-ir heavy
baggage according t-. il.-n usual practice, and
rid. tl ■ t, while our t 'oops can
rarelj move wtt bout Ihe \ erj ■ d im
iiiiii. Nt dangt r ol to a ti ap Every
morninp a K. • r commando, retreating before a
British divij on, finds itself main hours ahead
of its pursuers who then have the sun us well
as time and distance to contend with. It is r...t
t<. be wondered at that the Boers as a rule
easily make their escape The wonder, t.> those
who know thi conditii ni of th.- country, would
be if a British forc< «'!■■ able i,. overtake a
Boer commando in full retreat unless something
very unusual should oc< ur to our advant ige
ILL TlMEli LEVITY.
From The I>• troit Ji vi nal
Now, at last, the Briton found timi to voice
a scientific t ruth or t .-. .•
"In the cleai atmosphen of South Africa." h
observed, "things ar. further awaj than they
look to be!"
"My Rnlsh, f"i Instance!" snickered the Boer
who had tied to the rocks.
This levity, of coins.-, was exceedingly ill
timed.
a* MR Mi'?"' '"' (who hafl " tOPPed a wh '" ln * "°<° mobile by hi. .tsn*llin|r>-WOUl.r> YOU BB SO rnoi.
t%ZZ*LZL* UTtu * UL " XOUH gasouo «'« wire iu*a mLs* SS/S SitTpSSJ
INSURING THEMSELVES.
CONCERNS THAT CARRY THKIR OWN
RISKS OF FIRE AND LOSS.
ADVANTAGES IN THE CASK OF ORKAT STK.YM
SHIP COMPANIES THE STANDARD OIL
COMPANY AND THE KAILJtOADS.
The fire on the North German Lloyd piers and
the destruction of the three ships had as one of
Its results the discussion in mercantile circles of
self-insurance or indiviual underwriting, because
one of the il ■ nection wil fa the
•■ was thai :he ships had been insun
and nol t>v Insurance comi
The N..rth German Lloyd assun share
••f its marine r.^k-v Amounts equal to the sums
which would have to be pa - to in
suram .- s ar> credited regularly to an
insurance fund, and out of this fund loss..- such
as thos< ol the Saale, the Main and th- Bremen
ar< paid.
This js a practice that has been followed also
for many years by the Cunard, the White 31 ir
and other important lines Th»- property on
shore m thY shape of piers, storehouses, ele
vators and buildings i>f various kinds, is kept
insured in the ordinary way. but the Boating
I roperty is Insured by th< steamship compai i -
and in mam instances this fund has in. i
to sucb an cxi m that old vessels ha\. . • n
enlarged, refitted and Improved, and new ■ ■
s.-!s built out ol the money thus laid as. i- It
is general!) believed that the Cunarders I. .
and Campania were built from Cunard Insur
ance funds
A BIG KiSK AND A GRRAT BENEFIT.
•Tt..- steamship people assurar a bi^ ri^k."
said ar. oili. ial ■ ' one of the leading lines, "but
there can be no doubt as to ttu pecuniary bene-
Qts tv th.- companies through tb< system The
amounts that would go to outside corporations
in the way of premiums would In a few years
become a respectable sum. large enough to go a
it- a: waj toward paying for a loss, ami. al
though all steamship corporations take every
precaution against loss. I believe that they be
come more energetic in inventing new and prac
tising all safety measures than they w.iu!d if
they had a number of Insurance companies t>>
fall back upon In case of disaster.
"Fire in a great business establishment, col
t lapse of a warehouse, a bis robbery or loss
1 from any other cause rarely has any bad effect
i on the business of the concern if it has life
' ; enough left to begin over again. The loss serves
! as an advertisement, and instances are not un
i known where such disasters have proved to be
! blessings. But a steamship accident, whether
it be by tire at a wharf, caused by a acker.
! in which no one was hurt, or a collision in a
fog in which all hands were lost, gives the com
! pany a black eye from which it takes it a long
I time to recover. The company is always
' | blamed, and the howl that goes up from all
' j quarters reduces the traffic. A clean record, as
, far as accidents are concerned, hi of more benefit
I to an ocean transportation company than fine
ships, and improved safeguards against acci
dent count more than carved and decorated
apartments. The companies know that, and it
keeps them wide awake, and this makes them
'good risks' in the insurance fund 3 which are
features of the various corporations.**
PROTECTIVE SYSTEMS PERFECTED.
Insuring without insurance companies is not
confined to steamship companies. Merchants and
manufacturers rarely insure themselves, but
many concerns expend large amounts of money
In perfecting their protective systems, and by
that means reduce their insurance premiums.
This has been done to such an extent that in
surance companies now take risks on manu
facturing concerns which were considered so
hazardous a few yean ago that self-insurance
was a matter of necessity.
The Standard Oil Company la an exception to
the general rule as to individual underwriting:
It began to insure its own property about fif
teen years ago, and although it has sustained
heavy losses since that time by fire, it is be
lieved that the insurance department of the
great corporation has been a paying institution.
The property in the shape of ordinary buildings
is kern insured, as is also the oil in transit;
but the great manufacturing plants, the re
fineries and the property pertaining to them
are insured only by the company, and losses
; sustained at their plants are paid for out of
! the corporation's insurance fund.
Among' railroad corporations self-insurance has
I also gained a firm footing, and while many com
j panics keep tlu ir terminal pcints ana all places
j where there is a congestion of values well cov
j ered by Insurance, they leave ail smaller sta
tions, sheds, water houses, and in many
Instances bridges and trestles uninsured ex
. '•'ft in ''■ company insurance fund. The
New-York Centra! and Hudson River Rail
: road has abandoned the system and carries
| a large line of policies on all its property, but
j the New-York, New-Haven and Hartford, the
; Illinois Central, the Chicago. Milwaukee and St.
I Paul and the Pennsylvania Railroad are among
i the roads which still continue- to carry a large
amount of insurance on their own account,
I The Western Union Telegraph Company at one
; time carried no outside insurance, but it has
; followed the example of other larst corporations
. and now insures ail its large plants.
CO-OPERATIVE INSURANCE.
In parts of the country where manufacturing
Institutions are closely grouped the co-operative
Insurance plan became popular at one time, ami
i it la still maintained in many parts of Xew-Eng
j land. A number of factories pay a sum equal to
j the pr minims which would be necessary to keep
; them fully insured into an insurance fun and
j out of this fund losses by fire which may i.»- S us
; tamed by any of the parties to the arrangement
: are made good. The plan, according to its pro
j motors, has the great advantage asiiie from
: being an economic*! arrangement, of making
; the concerns scrupulously careful, and the sys
j terns of watching, cleaning and inspecting
j which are adopted in th.- factories do for them
j what the safety devices do for the steamships
• —make them good risks.
| "Occasionally." said an insurance man. "one
finds a merchant, who. because he has had some
! falling out with the insurance people, will insure
i himself, but the cases are few, and a fir-- either
in the man's place or near enough to give him
a shock, usually brings him to hi- senses, and
he takes out insurance and sleeps better for it.
la the case of steamship companies individual
insurance may be all right, but the merchant or
the manufacturer who has his all under one roof
makes a mistake when he becomes his own in
surance company."
LKUiUTOS A.\i) Tilt: POOR STUDEXT.
From The London Telegraph.
Of Lelghton's hearty, eager helpfulness many
instances might be given. Here is one After
a certain prize day at the Academy a student
was passing through the first room on his way
to th- entrance. He looked the picture of de
jection and disappointed wretchedness-^beorte
and shabbily dressed, and slinking away as* if
he wished to pass out of th« pia. - unnotlceVl
Mlllaisano LeigMon. walking arm-in-arm came
along, ? UIVs of prospenty. Leight. n caught
sight of k the poor, downcast student I. eavfn-
Mlllai.-i. he darted across the Vestibule to him
and, taking the student's arm, drew him IwcJJ
into the rust room, and made him sit down on
the ottoman beside him. Putting his arm on the
top of the ottoman, and resting his head on his
hand. Leighton began to talk as he alone could
talk; pouring forth volumes of earnest i i'.s?
utterance--, as U everything in the world de=
pended on his words conveying what he wanttQl
them to convey. He went on a: . on. Ttie
shabby figure gradually seemed to pull itsrfT
together, and at last, when they both rose, he
seemed to have become another creature. Leigh
ton shook hands with him, and the youth west
on his waj rejoicing, II is certain thai if other
help than advice were needed, it was given. But
it was the extraordinary zest and vitality which
Le,ghton put into his help which made it unlike
othe^nlTt £$.'£*? **"* ° Ue ' S -•