May I, 1908.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



263 



Geokge B. Hodgman, 



Vice President. 



Henry C. Bukton, 

 President. 



Edward E. Huber, 



Secretary. 



Annual Dinner of the Rubber Sundries Trade. 



ONCE a year members of the Rul)I)er Sundries Manufac- 

 turers' Association gather in New York and hold two 

 meetings — one in the forenoon, when officers are elected 

 and routine business transacted, and one in the evening, which 

 is the annual banquet. Both of these meetings this year fell 

 on the 9th of April. The officers elected were: Henry C. Bur- 

 ton, of Parker, Stearns & Co., president ; George B. Hodgman, 

 of the Hodgman Rubber Co., vice president; Frederick II. 

 Jones, of the Tver Rubber Co., treasurer; and E. E. Hubcr, of 

 the Eberhard Faber company, secretary. 



The second gathering, which took place at Delmonico',s, began 

 with an informal reception in one of the cosey parlors on the 

 second floor, after which, at 7 .30 o'clock, the members and guests 

 proceeded to the banquet hall. It should be remarked just here 

 that this association, which rarely gathers more than 40 diners 

 at once, has a reputation for the elegance and good taste shown 

 in every detail of its dinners. The 1908 banquet in no way fell 

 behind those of the previous years. Four long tables arranged 

 in a hollow square were laid for, the f cast- 

 ers. This whole square, filled with flowers, 

 showing a perfect riot of color, suggested 

 the sunken gardens that date back to the 

 gorgeous feasts of the aticients. In eacli 

 place was a hand painted menu, upon 

 ■which was lettered in gold the name of the 

 member or guest. The dinner itself was as 

 good as Delmonico could serve, which is 

 saying very much, and it was enlivened by 

 excellent music from an orchestra and by 

 an occasional solo by a young man who 

 was in particularly good voice. 



Just as coffee was served, Mr. H. E. Ray- 

 mond, the retiring president, arose and 

 spoke in a most interesting vein, reviewing 

 the work of the association and giving de- 

 served praise to work done by Mr. Henry 

 C. Burton, the new president. He also 

 took occasion to compliment Mr. Jones and 

 Mr. Huber for the very effective manner in 

 which they handled the business details. He 

 paid a fitting and much appreciated tribute 



Fred. Hall Jones. 



Treasurer. 



to the memory of the late George F. Hodgman, who during his life 

 was one of the staunch supporters of the association, and at his 

 suggestion all present silently raised their glasses and toasted 

 the memory of one whom they all loved and will not soon forget. 

 Mr. Burton as president and toastmaster was exceptionally 

 happy, and spoke with dignity and purpose. He paid a fine 

 tribute to the preceding presidents, Messrs. Corson, Davol, Hodg- 

 man, and Raymond, and suggested that the secretary send to 

 Mr. Corson, the first president, an appreciative letter outlining 

 the association's progress and reporting the evening's pro- 

 ceedings. 



At the close of his speech Mr. Burton introduced the Editor 

 of The India RiresER World, who spoke briefly of his experience 

 in the druggists' sundries business 25 years ago. 



Mr. A. M. Paul, the youngest recruit to the ranks of the asso- 

 ciation, was ne.xt introduced and made an exceedingly good five 

 minutes' speech eulogizing the work of the association and show- 

 ing himself to be in the fullest sympathy with its aims. 



This ended the speech making, as it is 

 an unwritten law that only brief addresses 

 shall be made and those wholly of an im- 

 promptu character. It did not, however, 

 end the evening's entertainment, for, leav- 

 ing the beautifully decked tables, the com- 

 pany gathered in front of a miniature stage 

 and were greeted by a young man who did 

 marvelous slight of hand tricks, keeping 

 up a running fire of comment and explana- 

 tion in the most delightful vein. He was 

 followed by a monologist and singing 

 artist, who, in Irish dialect, did some ex- 

 ceedingly good work. He in turn made 

 way for a soloist who sang character songs, 

 and, as a grand finale, a series of moving 

 pictures were thrown upon a screen. One 

 of these, which pictured the destruction of 

 a great French factory by fire, was one of 

 the most realistic and thrilling present- 

 ments that could be imagined. 



At the close of this, with a final hand 

 shake to the president, and mutual felici- 



