Show CLUBS IN ANCIENT TIMES borne note on tho social of Cen ago clubs are not modern institutions in the ancient days of greece the men of athens combined for social intercourse in rome the earliest clubs were the trade guilds founded by numa in B C similar to the guilds of the which played so important a part in the history of the middle ages at one time there were eighty of these guilds in rome alone and they were not confined entirely to the metropolis either very closely allied to the masonic society of our day were the societies formed throughout the roman empire for the practice of religious rites unknown to the states except that our masonic societies violate no laws even the slaves in rome formed clubs of their own which somewhat resembled unions although military clubs were prohibited yet they were tolerated among the officers of regiments in foreign service the rules of a club in a regiment on duty in africa have been discovered on the site of a roman encampment they showed that the annual dues were about one hundred and twenty five dollars even clubs are not of recent date the roman matrona matrons had many such gatherings some for religious some for social purposes the moat celebrated of these was the senate of matrona matrons Mat rons connected with it was a debating society in which momentous questions of dress and etiquette were discussed much a they are at the present time in both greece and rome political clubs were common and the aristocrats and democrats advanced their views much as they do today to day club houses were few in number because the meetings were usually held out of doors from the time of christ to henry IV ia a long step but investigation faila to show that there were any clubs during that period the first definite information we have concerning an english club is given by thomas mccleve Oc cleve the poet who with chaucer belonged to a club called la court de bone corn dagnie in the reign of queen elizabeth clubs became very numerous and some of them were famous owing to the great men who belonged to them chicago news |