New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-10-19
CLUB LIFE ABROAD.
THE INSTITUTION IN LONDON.

THE INSTITUTION IN LONDON.
-.,,rs AND CusToMs-rHE MODERATE COST OF
THE LONDON CLUB-ITs EXCLu.
sIvE TENDENCIES.
Clubs, like govt, whist, high silk hats ana
.,;ovet are peculiarly British institution whioh
,br;ve and attain the acme Of success only on
p,,;sb soil. This may appear in the light OF On
uncr.cious assertion, coming from one WIN N"s
been the object Of much courtesy on INC p d.. -
clubs in the principal cities Of the Union. -. 49,
constitutes the reply to numerous mqune s. 80.
entertainers Is to how the clubs OF 0r1o ..
Wv. nouna,aa with those Of Engiano-i|
.,.;ss which m. warm.hearted kindness ana nos
q,,,, 20 wv, hosts rendered it impossible Tor me
r. answer at the time with the frankness ln"S
sSould otherwise have displayed. The lsoe = .'~'
..,.h., Americans nor foreigners unoers*~nu, ~
nr.ciat, ar enioy club life in the true 0en'e ~ w
80 Tbere an. many reasons Tor onis AZ
.,u ,.;., +bev lack that characterlsucaAV DNeA'N
,,.;v,n.ss and ecotism which closes une uoois
=, ,,,nv of the best London clutS 70 ON oio,v1'
"a ,.-s,rers Thus, for instance. ~ "~ oaii'on
80 =, Artburs. members are not peimiV'eu !"
,n,-,.. friends to dine or lunch; OF otherS' such
-. ,h. Ath.neum. o member is only alio"eo 70
;nv;,. A single stranger at time 70 dane' whhe
a. Oh. o,sc Of those clubs which are less limos
n,table the guests Of memoe.c are res'ric'eo !"
srcc,sl dining and smoking rooms and are not per-
,,,+,ad access to the remainder OF the mouse
,1o,.oysr tbcse strangers dining and smoking
.o,,. ars generally In some dark and out-of-the-
~. oorner If the club-at the Garrick they ad-
49, the layatories-the object being to keep the
r,.ste an much as possible out Of the sight OF tne
o.ur,a, members. OF course ell this appears 70
Americans and foreigners as excessively oooreh
and inbospitable. But it cannot be denied tnaI IL
contributes vastly to the comfort OF the ciuo' ror
vh,,e one may find pleasure In inviting ones own
friends to ones club it IS certainly not agreeaole
n have the place overrun by the frienos Oh o'nef
members An Englishman's CLUB Is MS holne' Or
a. any rate a considerable portion ohereoi' ano
he likes to have a voice In the selectioh oi 1iie
nersons whom he Is apt to meet there. 1Ms le
Possesses in the case Of his fellow-memoers' "ho''
election he can blsckbal-two balls OF thao somofe
hue being. as rule sufficient 10 insure the piling
Of q candidate. But he naturally has no Noioc IL
~. cboioe Of the friends and acquaintance OF
his felow-members, and at the ciuos "hele ,o
.ncb restrictions exist with regard to guests the
place is apt to become crowded WIN s'ia"se '"0eo
,ybose nresence interferes with the comfort and
,,ub 70 degenerate into something very much akin
10 public restaurant
Another cause Of the superiority OF the Lohuon
oluhs is to he found in the moderate cos0 Oh .ie
meals and refreshments served. Members Of the
first-class clubs are able to eat ana orihh 'heie
q. one.half the price that they would pay else
where. There is no attempt on the part OF the
management to make anything on the restaurant,
az is generally the case in this country. On the
contrary every effort is made to keep the prices
down and refreshments are served at but little
more than cost price. That is to say, chop OF
steak will be charged to the member VINO mas
ordered it at as nearly as possible inc
very price which has been paid Tor IL
bv the steward on the market. IN the
xama way bottle Of o wine some t"el'e
or fifteen years old will be charged, not AT lie
present market value, but at the price when IL
cost when purchased as a young WINE IN que
wood and before bottlfng. The cost OF ooe~lps
and serving the food and bottling and preserV-
inc the wine until 1t natures is betrayed opt OF
,he ordinary revenues Of the club, and Is not
comprised in the restaurant charges IN tlus
manner. O man Of exceedingly moderate income
!. enabled 10 live on the fat of the land at an
almost nominal COST and the average price OF Cne
diners du Jour or house dinners at the best CLUBS
dinners which include every delicacy in and out
OF season from plovers' eggs to dollhouse peaches
ranges from 10 cents to 81 20. MS
NJ course offers considerable inducement to man
60 take his meals at his club in preference 10 any
where else and thus insures regular attenoance
Of diners-an invaluable advantage TO a cluo'
since it enables the steward to estimate W
nicely the extent of his market requirements anu
thereby 10 avoid that waste of provisions which
H.. o ,lnI, Gnan /
that the attractions of the cuisine contribute
greatly TO attach to the club rich old bachelors,
who having made their home there during their
entire lifetime are apt to remember it to the
tune of hundreds and not unfrequenty of several
thousands of pounds sterling in their wills. In
this manner some Of the London clubs have be-
some very rich, the Army and Navy, for instance
nossesses a clear income of 100000, mde-
pendently Of the annual subscriptions and entrance
fees of its members and, in fact, there is an ola
and venerable one to which / belong which, II
uouidated tomorrow, would furnish dividend OF
some four or five thousand dollars to each OF ltS
six hundred and odd members.
The service in all the frst-rate clubs is excel
lent The employees prize their places and are
rarely changed. In two Of the clubs to which
belong the chief buffers have each Of them held
office for close upon forty years, and it Is possibly
owing TO their old-fashioned and conservative
ideas that the excellent custom has remained IN
vogue them of washing all gold and silver coins
before presenting them to Che members as change
Another queer fashion, which, though In no wise
connected with the service question, may oe
mentioned here. is that OF retaining the hat on
ones head in all the rooms of the club save In
those where meals ara being served. IL Is
difficult to assign a reason for this unless it be
that the custom-which, bye the bye, Is
gradually becoming general in many Of the
American clubs-originated with the founders OF
Whites, the oldest club in London. who were
nearly all members of the House Of Commons,
where the retention Of the hat on the head except
when addressing the Speaker, is de riquear' The
absence of all noise, too. presents suiklhS con-
trast to Continental clubs. Conversations arc
ear,ed a, IN an nndertone except in the hall and