The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-06-30
4 Temperance Barroom.

A WrlCeE LII tuS AIlduLd IOtStHHttoe
tells of temperance barroom in Boston
that is great success in every way. 1t
is on Washington street, and advertises
in big letters: Temperance Drinks" !"
Dir. Eaton, who started this establish
ment three years ago, says that he lost
several thousand dollars the first six
months of his experiment. But he IS
willing and able to wait. He let his
saloon advertise itself by its refreshing
drinks and attractive furnishing. No
prettier barroom can be found in Boston.
Behind the marble counter stand six
young men in white coats and caps.
Each man wears q flower in his buttonhole
and q pleasant look on his face Of being
in business which maketh not ashamed.
Over the counter is q long list of the bev-
erages on sale. Besides ice cold soda in
all its agreeable compounds, there are
lactarts, egg phosphates, acid phos-
pilates, Moxie's nerve food, hot beef tea,
chicken tea, and other refreshing and
invigorating fluids, all of the kind that
cheers without inebriating. In the rear
of the saloon there is a lunch counter,
where the very best chicken and ham
sandwiches, pies, rolls, and delicious
coffee may be had at moderate rates. On
any day at lunch time the room will be
found crowded, men waiting their turn
to take their lunch. The custom at this
counter is only limited by the room.
Meantime at the drinking counter there
is no intermission in the stream of Gus
toners. During the hour spent there
talking with the proprietor there were
more applicants than could be immc-
diately attended to by the large and ac-
tive force of attendants. Mr.. Eaton said
they had consumed a hundred dozen
eggs in one day during the hot season
for egg phosphates alone. That means
that 1900 people took a glass of this
one fascinating drink on that day. What
the sales of other drinks were he did not
say; but he docs say that the profits of
the trade ore, in his opinion, larger, as
we'll as cleaner, than are made in the
barrooms of the old kind. He has re-
fused larger offers to go elsewhere
and repeat his establishment in other
la~ge cities. The success he has made
in Boston is due to the personal care he
gives to each detail of the business. Only
the very incest material is used in the
preparation of his refreshments. The
eggs are furnished by one collector, who
is paid nearly double the market price to
warrant their freshness.
So particular is the proprietor that he
gave up the use of grape milk, profit
able and popular unfermented drink, be-
cause he found it contained II per cent.
of alcohol. There is no fuss of philan-
thropy about his barroom; no pretense
that it is carried on for any other pur-
pose than to make money. And the in
teresting and encouraging feature about
it is just here-itreally pays better than a
liquor saloon of its size would pay. What
the gains arc to the people who accept it,
in place of the old tap, no one can tell.
But Mr.. Eaton would be less than human
if those gains did not add something to
the satisfaction which he gets from the
others. Only he does not wish his busi-
ness advertised for what it is not. 1t is
business strictly with him, not charity,
mercy or reformation. He entered upon
it az speculation, and he finds it q pay.
ing one.