The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-06-27
Coffee Rooms,


It Is said that many Of the liquor dealers
In Philadelphia who have been refused
licenses by the excise court have determined
to continue their places as milk and luncheon
shops. It would certainly seem as though the
closing up Of fourteen or fifteen hundred
beer and "free lunch" resorts in one city
ought to leave some openings for q trade like
that now proposed. 1t is natural to suppose
that at least few Of the men who have
been in the custom of quenching their thirst
or satisfying their hunger in the saloons Will
convenient eating houses. The saloons how
ever, hold out certain inducements to way.
faring men that the ordinary milk and
luncheon shops do not possess The former
furnish not only food and drink, but they
furnish the refreshment ofrest. The saloon
answers to its patron many Of the purposes
Of clubhouse, place Of rendezvous, OF So
cial entertainment. He must patronze the
bar TO- q greater or less extent, but
afte, that the privileges of the place are oren
to him; he may read the papers or play cards,
or tell stories with his boon companions. The
restaurants do not offer these privileges to
their patrons As soon as the latter have
completed the particular business on which
they came, they are expected to make way
for Others. The restaurant does not hold itself
out as place for anything else than the fur
nishing Of food and drink, and for this rea-
son it does not. take the pace Of the saloon.
This leads us to the consideration Of the ques-
ton whether some substitute can not be
found for the saloon WHICH will include such
harmless and proper Accomplishments as the
saloon may possess without its dangerous and
degrading ones. In England this question
has been answered very satisfactorily in the
establishment Of coffee houses, places that
combine the features OF restaurant with
those of an unpretentious but inviting club
room. 1t will be remembered that an at
tempt was made about two years ago to in
troduce coffee-house system in New York,
modelled after the English plan. A com
mittee Of prominent citizens was appointed
to take the subject under consideration.
After carefully looking over the ground
they came to tie conclusion that the scheme
was not practicable ono, and was therefore
dropped. In spite of this, however, we be-
lievo that coffee houses are needed in our
large cities to-day as much as they are in
England, and that in this way lies one Of the
most practical and effective agencies for the
overthrow Of the saloon power. Ina city
like New York, where there is always large
floating population, where many are forced
to live amid the cherries and forbidding
surroundings Of the tenements and lodging
houses, some provision must be made Tor
meeting the social needs Of the people. The
saloon meets them to some extent, and herein
lies large part of its power for evil. Sta.
tistics show that the coffee houses of England
have had a decided effect in decreasing
drunkenness and crime. We are confident
that like results would follow their intro
duction here In the establishment of an
American coffee house system there Is an op'
portunity for large and noble philanthropic
eRort-New York Observer. 49,