THE GREEK INTERPRETERS

On Wednesday, April 23rd, twenty one members of the Greek interpreters met at Coral Gables restaurant in East Lansing for our spring meeting. The story selected for study was "The Adventure of the Six Napoleons". The meeting opened with the customary Canonical Toasts to Mrs. Hudson, Mycroft Holmes, the Second Mrs. Watson and The Woman. The fact that none of these principals appear in the "Six Napoleons" was an underlying theme in the toasts. The Foulest Antecedent (Howard Brody) recognized the long service that Charlie Press (Message-Boy) has provided to our group by the presentation of a plaque showing the sitting room at 221B Baker Street.
In Etta Abrahams' absence, a quiz on the selected story was provided by Bill Reusch (The Chemist). This quiz and several earlier quizzes may be viewed here. The Foulest Antecedent also challenged members with an "advanced quiz", concerning four books that are associated or mentioned in some way in The Canon. These were:

:Following the quiz, discussion of the "Six Napoleons" ranged over many topics, including the likelyhood that Lestrade would have permitted Holmes to keep the photograph of Beppo, and the ultimate disposal of the Borgia Pearl that resided in Holmes' safe at the story's end. The meeting concluded, as usual, by reading Vincent Starrett's "221B" poem, and the singing of The Anthem.

221B

Here dwell together still two men of note
Who never lived and so can never die:
How very near they seem, yet how remote
That age before the world went all awry.
But still the game's afoot for those with ears
Attuned to catch the distant view-halloo:
England is England yet, for all our fears--
Only those things the heart believes are true.
A yellow fog swirls past the window-pane
As night descends upon this fabled street:
A lonely hansom splashes through the rain,
The ghostly gas lamps fail at twenty feet.
Here, though the world explode, these two survive,
And it is always eighteen ninety-five.

-- Vincent Starrett