ere
playing an exhibition game. When our party filed into the grounds at the
end of the third inning play was suspended and as the band played "Home
Again" we were given a great ovation. At the conclusion of the game,
which we witnessed from a section of the grand stand that had been
reserved for us, we went to the Continental Hotel, and then, after we
had donned evening dress, we were escorted to the Hotel Bellevue, where
we had been tendered a banquet by the Philadelphia "Sporting Life." The
banquet hall on this occasion was beautifully decorated, and as we
entered the band played, "The Day I Played Base-ball." Frank C. Richter
occupied the chairman's seat, others at the same table being A. G.
Spalding, Col. A. K. McClure, of the "Philadelphia Times;" Col. M. R.
Muckle, of the "Ledger;" John I. Rogers, Harry, Wright, A. G. Reach,
Capt. John M. Ward, C. H. Byrne of the Brooklyn Club, President W. M.
Smith of the City Council, Thomas Dando, President of the "Sporting
Life" company, and myself. There were over three hundred guests in all
and it was late before the speechmaking began. After brief welcoming
addresses by Chairman Richter, Mr. Dando and President Smith, there were
loud calls for Mr. Spalding, who gave a brief outline of our experiences
in foreign lands. Captain Ward and myself responded in behalf of our
respective teams and I took occasion to pay the boys all a compliment
that I thought that they had deserved, because each and every member had
behaved himself as a gentleman. Speeches by Colonel Rogers and C. H.
Byrne followed, after which came a glowing tribute to the National Game
from the lips of Col. McClure, followed by an interesting sketch of the
game and its growth in popular favor by Henry Chadwick, who has the
history of the game from its first inception down to the present time at
his finger-ends. A. J. Reach, Harry Wright, Tim Murnane, Leigh Lynch and
the irrepressible Fogarty all took their turn at amusing the party and
again it was a late hour, or rather an early one, when we returned to
our quarters. The next afternoon we were accorded a reception by Mayor
Fitler in his office, who, in shaking hands with the tourists, gave us
all the heartiest sort of a welcome. That afternoon we played on the
grounds of the Philadelphias, to a crowd of 4,000 people, the weather
being threatening. This proved to be a close and exciting contest,
Chicago winning by a score of 6 to 4, Tener and Healy both being in f