CHAPTER XI. 



The Father of the Savage Club. 



The origin of the Savage Club, like that of the 

 most heroic figures of mythology, who according 

 to Sir Charles Wyndham* are " a little uncertain 

 about their ancestry," is to a certain extent 

 " wropped in myst'ry." Like Topsey, it was 

 not so much " born " as " growed " : it grew 

 out of that " little band of authors, journalists, 

 and artists who felt the need of a place of 

 reunion, where in their hours of leisure they 

 might gather together and enjoy each other's 

 society apart from the publicity of that which 

 was known in Johnson's time as the ' Coffee 

 House,' and equally apart from the chilling 

 splendour of the modern club." Although 

 Tegetmeier placed the birth of the club in the 

 year 1855, officially it dates from 1857, and all 

 the anniversary celebrations are numbered from 

 that date. Thus the " Coming-of-Age " dinner 

 was celebrated in 1878, and the " Jubilee " 

 dinner on December 8th, 1907. In his speech at 

 the latter, the chairman, Sir Charles Wyndham, 

 said: "Our beginnings are veiled in some 

 obscurity," and " we need not be ashamed to 

 admit that there are conflicting rumours as to 



* At the Jubilee Dinner, December 8th, 1907. 



