1915-06-09oo

Rotary Club meetings in 1915 Hamilton were always an occasion for much hilarity among the members,

Usually the meetings did not get reported upon in the press, but the meeting held on June 8 1915 did get coverage because of what the Spectator reporter who had been invited called “some real fine work” by members Cooper, Marsh and Messer :

“The trio of arch-plotters concocted a little joke on the other members and pulled it off without a hitch.”¹

¹ “Put One Over on Rotarians”

Hamilton Spectator.  June 9, 1915.

Harry Marsh was a City of Hamilton employee, with the title Industrial Commissioner. His job was to lure new industries to Hamilton. George Messer, a new member not yet very well-known in the city, was an employee of the F. W. Bird and Sons company.

In the company of Marsh, Messer was brought to the meeting sporting “a villainous-looking moustache” and introduced as William Polson, a manufacturer from Port Arthur, Ontario. It was indicated that Polson’s business had suffered a calamity in Northern Ontario when it burned to the ground, and that perhaps, Polson thought,  it was a good idea to relocate in Hamilton:

“ Polson’, who was given a careful hearing, said that there were many things about Hamilton that he did not like, and he named a few of his aversions.

“Immediately he sat down and members of the club tried to convince him that Hamilton was the finest city in the world.

“A few minutes later, Marsh and the pseudo Polson left the room, but Marsh returned and said that Polson desired to have another word or two with the members. He was led back in again and explained that if he selected a site in Hamilton, it would only be on the understanding that Hamiltonians should agree to take stock to the value of $25,000.”¹

The members, who had been so animated and vocal in their praise of Hamilton as a most favorable location for industry, began to think that they were expected to immediately bring out their cheque books in respond to Polson’s request:

“Immediately, the faces of his auditors lengthened and Messer, considering it the dramatic moment, yanked off his moustache. The members, recognizing him, almost collapsed.”¹

The guest speaker at that day’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Hamilton was noted local photographer and owner of a prominent photographic studio at King and James streets, A. M. Cunningham.

After giving his talk on the history of photography, Cunningham amazed the members with the following exhibition:

“He lined up all the members whose Christian name was ‘Bill’ and took and instanteous photograph. The moment he pressed the bulb, he pulled a long tube from the camera, and waved it above his head, scattering miniature photos about.”¹

In concluding his article, the Spectator reporter who attended wrote that he Rotary club gathering of June 8, 1915 “was a meeting of surprise and everybody had a good time.”¹