National Affairs: Brookhart v. The Century

So sedate is New York's Century Association that its officers once prohibited bridge games in its austere clubhouse (43rd Street just west of Fifth Avenue) lest the muffled excitement of such play disturb the tranquillity of other members. Organized by William Cullen Bryant in 1847 to promote "the advancement of art and literature," the Century selects members on the basis of cultural superiority. Its atmosphere of wealthy exclusiveness is matched only by its reputation for eminent respectability. Famed among its members are Herbert Clark Hoover,...