Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 116, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 May 1912 — FORM CLUBS FOR OLD MEN [ARTICLE]

FORM CLUBS FOR OLD MEN

Members Gather to- Hear Phonograph Reproductions of Ballads Departed s£ Friend* Used to Sing. Lob Angeles-—The founder of the Borrowed Time club of Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago, Philander W, Bar'clay; to in Los Angeles. His idea in starting the club, which was to bring: a little' more radiance into the life of men past three-score years and ten, wa*an innovation and has been copied in many places. gg : ;'. Mr. Barclay is living with his sister, St the Pierce apartment* for a few weeks, and already he has stirred np -sufficient interest among men of Los Angeles to start one of the unique clubs to which none but- those jnore than seventy may belong. He is npt, himself, an aged man, but a young One who took his tip from the conversations of men around the stoves of the grocery stores, in the little shops and wherever they congregated. “These men were interesting because oftentimes they threw new light on subjects of history, on the lives of famous men or on old celebrities of a local character," said Mr. Barclay. “As a rule they seemed to have no place to go and were seldoih welcome to the places they ..went. It gave me the idea that If I could find them a place to meet, give them an opportunity of getting together among themselves, they might be made happier." *' * Among the novelties of the club la

a system of preserving tha memories of its members by means of phonograph records of their voices. Now and again an evening is given to the stories told by departed comrades. The men sit and listen almost in awe to voices out of the past, recounting fond memories. and slngjng well known, ballads. A ’ , From this device the Chicago Historical society has adopted a plan of making imperishable the speeches of some of the noted persons of that City, reproducing them with the aid of the phonograph for the benefit of future generations. The same idea is being used In other cities for perpetuation of the memory of great men. The name of the Borrowed Time club cable from the idea that threescore'years and ten is the allotted time of'life and that men who have lived beyond this mark are living on borrowed time. “In our club several are ninety years old,” Mr. Barclay said.