Welcome to the American Story. Mostly true stories about what it is that makes America beautiful.

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This is Chris Flannery with the Claremont Institute.

I call this one the club.

At 500 East 4th Street, The Club.

At 500 East 4th Street in downtown Cincinnati stands a charming two-story brick Greek Revival house

built in 1820.

Originally the home of William Sergeant, Secretary of the Northwest Territory.

From mid-September through mid-June, ascending the steps of this hospitable building every Monday evening,

within relaxed but polite range of 7 o'clock.

You will see an interesting assortment of genial on civilized men in coat and tie.

These are members of the literary club of Cincinnati and their guests.

The club was founded on October 29, 1849, and is as far as I know the oldest

continuously operating literary club in America. Members, there are never more than a

hundred of them at one time, come from all professions and persuasions.

What brings them together is their abiding regard for their written word.

Every Monday evening, one or more of their number shares his written words with his fellows

by presenting a paper on a subject of interest to him.

Attending one of their Monday evening gatherings as a guest brought to mind a reflection on how essential private clubs and associations have always been to American democracy.

The reflection belongs to Alexis to Tocqueville. The book on what he found here. So I ought to give him a chance to exercise his

quotability. There is nothing he wrote that deserves more to attract our

regard than the intellectual and moral association. that deserves more to attract our regard

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