THE BANQUET.

The Banquet at the New York Convention was the most largely attended and successful of any the Association has had. The service was in Sherry's best style. There were four hundred gentlemen in the main hall and one hundred ladies in an adjoining hall, with separate orchestras for each; and at the conclusion of the service the ladies occupied seats in the balcony of the main dining-room and listened to the speeches. The company was kept in a state of continued good humor, as the speeches were very witty and pointed.

REMARKS OF PRESIDENT HOLMES.

Ladies and Gentlemen: It is not always wrong to be proud. At times every man ought to be proud. It is my turn to be proud to-night. I shall not miss my turn. I am proud to be the president of this organization at the time of its most successful meeting. Of all our twenty conventions this has certainly been the most nearly perfect of all. We have literally had the "freedom of the city"-this most wonderful city of the world. We have had the unwearied attention of the bravest of men and the fairest of women. (Applause.) We have been "personally conducted" by every conductor in the metropolis from the chief executive of the city and President Vreeland (applause) down to the smiling manipulators of the car register. Our money has been refused and our paths have been upholstered with roses. (Applause.) From the highest to the lowest we have received a courtesy which will not end with this matchless banquet-a courtesy which will surely yield friendships and sweet memories which will end only with the close of life. Is it any wonder that I am proud? Can any man blame me for being proud? Can any one here refrain from showing this pride with me? I think not.

Gentlemen, I wish here and now to thank you for the honor you have conferred on me in the past year-an honor which I shall soon lay down, but which I shall never forget. I congratulate you, as I do myself, on having been permitted to enjoy the fascinating and instructive sessions of the Conven