The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1885-01-29
BRINGING MEN.
How They Are Regarded By the
Man Behind the Bar

Troy Telegram.
The bar tender Of n popular rendezvous
leaned gracefully over the bar during
the slack hours Of business, the other
day and discussed. BIZ customers with q
reporter.
~ notice that men nowadays order
exactly what they want" he said, toy
ing gently with his blonde mustache,
while the reporter transferred Glove
from the glass TO his mouth. "1'hree or
four years ago man. looked more or
less ashamed Of himself when he or
dered lemonade or settler. His com
panion usually demonstrated with or
made fun of him, and he generally of
fered some sort of an apology to the
bartender for ordering non-intoxicat-
ing drink. This was particularly so
with young business men, clerks
and politicians. They ordered brandy
smashes, plain brandy, whisky punches.
plain whisky, or some other heavy drink.
OF course one-hulf Of them didn't want
It. You can't stand behind n bar long
before you find out that u large percent
age OF the men who are led up to the bar
to drink would rather have nothing at
bAA iIhNA VI Ahl NNAhs WY
men have scruples against drinking hard
liquor of any sort. Others have soruples
against drinking hard liquor, and others
find that 1t goes against them to drink
brandy or whisky before dinner. Still
the majority of them used to drink their
whisky straight and say nothing. When
first went into the business, IL years
ago, we used to pass ont the whisky bot
tie and glasses without asking a ques-
tion. II the Nan wanted anything else
he would push the bottle back and give
his order. In those days If party of
young men went into bar room and or
dered lemonade the bar keeper felt ag-
grleved and the bystanders made fun Of
him. Nowadays, however, everything
Is changed. No one thinks anything
when two or three Of a group of men or
der lemonade, settler or apolinaris at
the bar.
"The simon-pure American barroom,
too, Is rapidly going out of fashion.
Men no longer enjoy rushing into a room
and taking drink standing. They have
more time now than they had ten years
ago, and like to sit down and chat with
their friends over sherry chikens,
'bees-wings,' etc. A place with COM
Portable chairs and tables catches the
customers now, and the modern restaur-
ANS Nilu Mutlt NUH ptuNt-
fully sit out of sight Of the general pub
lie, do the most business. Their rooms
are always filed.
"In my opinion drinkers are not so
numerous as they used to be. The man
who came in for his cocktail every morn
ing before breakfast or luncheon, and
the man who took four or five good
drinks of whisky every day no longer eX-
lists to the extent they did ten years
ago. The fact Is, habitual drinking
over the bar Is not fashionable now
adays. Men drink more at dinner than
they used to, and only drink away from
home for the fun OF the thing. The
wholesale absorption Of liquor has gone
out of style. Now and then party OF
students or clerks go to place and
drink until they can hold no more, but
this Is very seldom. OF course there
are others among the laboring classes
who deliberately make up their minds
to get full, and go about 1t in a business
like way and drink to excess, but they
are now comparatively few