94 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[November 1, 1912. 



The Exposition Banquet. 



ON llic evening of October 2, the Grand Exposition Ban- 

 (|uet was held in the ball room of the Hotel Plaza, 

 New York. It was a signal success — both in the number 

 and character of those present, and in the quality of the after- 

 dinner speaking which was of an unusually high order. About 

 120 were present, including the officials of the Exposition, 

 commissioners and delegates from foreign countries, and Amer- 

 ican exhibitors. Fifteen or twenty ladies, wives of officials and 

 delegates, were also present as guests. The hour was set for 

 9 o'clock, and with unusual promptness all were at their places 

 at the tables very soon after that hour. Mr. Henry C. Pearson 

 presided, with the following gentlemen seated at his table : 

 On the President's right, Dr. Domicio da Gama, Brazilian 

 Ambassador to the United States; Leonard Wray, Commis- 

 sioner from Malaya; A. Staines Manders, Organizing Man- 

 ager of the Exposition ; Dr. Candido Mendes de Almeida, 

 President of the Brazilian Commission, and Admiral Jose 

 Carlos de Carvalho. On the President's left : Hon. John Bar- 

 rett, President of the Pan American Union ; J. J. Broderick, 

 Acting British Consul General in New York ; F. Crosbie- 

 Roles, Commissioner from Ceylon; Professor William Good- 

 year, Curator of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, 

 and son of Charles Goodyear, and Professor Franklin \V. 

 Hooper, of the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. 



When all had found their places, the chairman arose and 

 announced that in accordance with an excellent and time- 

 honored custom which had come down to us from jur fathers, 

 the dinner would begin by saying Grace, and he called upon 

 the Rev. Dr. S. Parks Cadman of Brooklyn. 



The menu, to which nearly two hours were devoted, was un- 

 qualifiedly attractive, as will be seen below. 



Intern.\tional Rubber B.-\nquet 



The International Rubber & Allied Trades Exposition 



Menu 



Pommes Plaza 



Potage Julieniie-Mongole 

 Celeri Olives 



Filet de Fletan au Vin Blanc 



Pommes a I'Etuvee 



Quartier d'Agneau Rissole 

 Garniture Printaniere 



Sorbet Palm Beach 



Chapon Farci Roti 

 Salade de Saison 



A little before 11 o'clock, the President arose and spoke 

 briefly as follows: "These are times of much political inter- 

 est in the United States, and there are, undoubtedly here pres- 

 ent tonight adherents of the amiable Elephant, the docile 

 Donkey, and the vociferous Bull Moose, but I think we can 

 all join heartily in the toast which I am about to propose — a 

 toast to the patron of this Exposition — the President of the 

 United States." All arose to respond to this toast, which was 

 drunk with enthusiasm. 



The President then introduced the first speaker of the eve- 

 ning, as follows : "Wc have with us tonight a gentleman dis- 

 tinguished in diplomacy; he comes from a great country — 

 great in rubber and great in other lines. It is difficult to pro- 

 pose a set toast to one who has been distinguished in so many 

 different departments. He had served his country conspicu- 

 ously at home — in Brazil — and in Peru and the Argentine Re- 

 public before he was sent to America. That he should come 

 tonight from Washington especially to be with us on this oc- 

 casion is a great compliment. I have the pleasure of presenting 

 Dr. Domicio da Gama, Ambassador from Brazil to the United 

 States." 



Dr. da Gama : "I must ask your indulgence for the in- 

 sufficiency of my English; and yet, perhaps, I should not be 

 ashamed of my English, as with me it is a purely exotic 

 product; but you see before you a truly embarrassed man, for 

 while I have attended many banquets — some cheery and gay — 

 some sad and gloomy — some given to me — and some which I 

 had to give, I never before have attended a rubber banquet. 

 You know a great deal more about rubber than I do, for I 

 come from the south of Brazil, where rubber does not grow, 

 and I confess that I never saw so much rubber before in my 

 life as I saw today at your Exposition. But I esteem this a 

 most important occasion, because it makes for international 

 fraternity, through international trade. Those men down on 

 the Amazon who are gathering the rubber may think that they 

 are working only for their own interest, but in truth they are 

 working for the interest and welfare of the whole world. 

 We are the producers of rubber, and you the consumers, and 

 I hope that the commercial relations between Brazil and the 

 United States will grow better and stronger with the years, 

 and that the United States will take an even more conspicuous 

 position in the markets of Brazil." 



The President : "That was a happy thought in having the 

 flags of Brazil and Great Britain draped together at the lower 

 end of this room, for the exhibits that have been sent to us 

 from Brazil and the Malay States have been wonderful ; but 

 the American flag which hangs back of this table should have 

 been down there too, and the three hung side by side. Speak- 

 ing of Great Britain, every American traveler has a most kindly 

 feeling towards the British Consul, because — in years gone by, 

 at least — whenever an American traveler in any part of the 

 world needed help he invariably turned to the British Consul 

 — and never in vain. I have the pleasure of introducing to 

 you Mr. J. J. Broderick, Acting Consul General of Great 

 Britain in New York." 



Mr. Broderick : "It might naturally be expected that I would 

 address you on the subject of rubber, but I must confess a 

 most Stygian ignorance of this subject, except that I know that 

 the rubber industry — especially the rubber planting industry 

 — has enjoyed a most extraordinary growth in the immediate 

 past. It is my first duty to express the regrets of the British 

 Ambassador at Washington, because of his inability to be with 

 you tonight, and to express the regret that I know you must 

 feel in not being able to listen to the Hon. James Bryce, whom 



