SOCIAL CLUBS.

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ORCESTER is, perhaps, not as much given to club life as some other cities in the land, home attractions prevailing to an extent which overcomes the propensity to find a refuge from family infelicities in the diversions and excitements of artificial surroundings. The club, of course, serves a useful purpose in its way, and to those who have no home it is in a degree essential. Regarded as a place of resort on social occasions, which do not follow every day in the week, it is unobjectionable; and the conveniences afforded members for the entertainment of transient guests are worthy of approval. On the whole the club has come to be an institution which is found in all civilized communities, and probably it could not well be dispensed with. The most prominent as well as the most exclusive club in the city is the Worcester, which was organized in 1888 for social purposes distinctively. The elegant dwelling of the late Honorable Isaac Davis on Elm street was purchased and refitted, and is now one of the best club homes in the country, perfect in its appointments. The membership is limited to 150.

The Commonwealth Club, the most popular of these organizations in the city, was formed in 1880 and incorporated in 1881, its object being mutual, social and political improvement. The club had its rooms for many years in the bank block on Foster street, but it now occupies the entire top story of the State Mutual Life Assurance building.

The Quinsigamond Boat Club, which owns a fine building at the lake, is largely social in its character, and includes in its membership many of the most prominent and wealthy young men in the city.

The Washington Social Club is another association of prominence. It occupies a suite of rooms in the city, and also owns a boat house at the lake.

The Hancock Club was formed in 1891, and at first occupied a room on Lincoln street, but in 1892 leased the old Salisbury mansion in Lincoln square. This club has no political, social or religious bias. Its membership includes some of the staunchest and most popular business and professional men of the north end.

The Worcester Woman's Club was organized in 1880. The constitution has the following preamble: "We, women of Worcester and vicinity, feeling the necessity which the present and prospective status. of women imposes upon us, of informing ourselves more fully not only upon subjects of general intent, but also upon the more important special questions which are now pressing upon all people everywhere for a just solution, because involving the welfare of humanity, do agree to form ourselves into an association for the prosecution and accomplishment of the above-named purpose."

The Y. M. C. A. owns a fine boat club house at Lake Quinsigamond. Other prominent boat clubs which have houses there are the Lakeside, the Tatassit Canoe Club, the Wachusett, the Wapiti, the Frohsinn, the Frontenac, the Svea Gille.

There are a number of other clubs, of more or less importance, a detailed or individual description of which would exceed the limits of this article.

THE PRESS.

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N 1848 five weekly and two daily papers were published in Worcester. Of these The Massachusetts Spy was the oldest, having been continuously published since 1770, when it was established in Boston, and in 1775 it was removed to Worcester. This paper and its daily edition are the only survivors of the seven local issues of fifty years. ago. The National Egis was first established as a weekly in 1804, and was finally merged with the Transcript (which by change of name became the Gazette), and the combined form, The Egis and Gazette, was published until June, 1896, when the weekly issue of the Gazette was abandoned. The Worcester Palladium, a Democratic weekly until 1856, when it became Republican, was founded in 1834, and its publication was continued until February 12, 1876. The Cataract was a relic of

Washingtonian temperance times, published weekly, and was soon after discontinued. Elihu Burritt's Christian Citizen, devoted to universal peace and philanthropic objects, established in 1844, was published until 1851. The first daily paper in Worcester, the Transcript, appeared June 23, 1845, and was followed by the Daily Spy July 24 of the same year, and within a few months these were consolidated under the name of the Spy. The Worcester Daily Journal was printed from September, 1847, to October, 1849. The Daily Morning Transcript, first issued April

1, 1851, is continued in the present Evening Gazette, which took this last name January 1, 1866. The Worcester Evening Journal, in the interest of the Native American or Know-Nothing party, was in existence from August 30, 1854, to May 26, 1855. The Daily Bay State was a Democratic organ of brief existence. April 1, 1873, The Worcester Daily Press, another Democratic paper, appeared, and was continued five years, with heavy loss to those who sustained it. The New England Home Journal, a weekly, was published two or three years from December, 1882, and was finally sold to the Times, a Democratic paper, which was published

several years. Another weekly, the illustrated Light, had a similar career. Several French papers besides those now in existence have been published in Worcester since 1869. In the above list, only the more prominent journals have been enumerated, a number of others of less importance and brief appearance being omitted.

Of newspaper men distinguished within the period of fifty years, the name of John Milton Earle of the Spy is the best known of those who were active in earlier years. John S. C. Knowlton, the founder of the Palladium, was its editor during nearly the whole course of its existence. John D. Baldwin, Delano A. Goddard and J. Evarts Greene of the Spy, and Charles H. Doe of the Gazette; Ferdinand Gagnon and Henry M. Smith, the latter formerly editor of The Chicago Tribune, are noteworthy names. Caleb A. Wall, by his long service of over sixty years, nearly all of this time as a member of the Spy staff, is entitled to special mention. He was, probably, in point of active duty, the oldest newspaper man in New England at the time of his death, October 29, 1898.

At present nine weekly and five daily papers are published in Worcester. Of the weeklies, The Massachusetts Spy is the oldest, having been published continuously since 1770. The Messenger is