Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-06-18
SALOON AND COFFEE uo,,s-
Reason why the Coffee House Ma.
Been a Success in This co,,.- sYs

Reason Why the Coffee Hor.
Been Success in This coun,r- '~'
The New York Christian !. H.
contains symposium Of opinions T. :
scheme outlined by Robert CRAZE. y = .
the establishment of coffee hons = Z
this country The opinions come 81. =
clergymen, philanthropists. trmnara NJ
workers and public men. and a. NJ, ~
favorable to the undertaking Of sn.L =
enterprise. They claim that tbe oa ~ :
house is the most efficient instrnmas.
with which to fight the saloon s-a
that, as established in England /, h.
proved great success Ii has eheol,.s
intemperance, been useful as s,,,.
ing point for other reforms. and in :,
most every case has proved rempps.
alive in a money sense. With so MAJ.
arguments in its favor, it is not stran1,
that the attention of social reformer,s
this country has been drawn to II
The failure of past attempts tn a.
tablish coffee houses has been almos
wholly due TO want of business n,r
agement and the neglect to recoppi,.
the difference between the social co,.
ditions Of this country and Of England
Those who saw the coffee house ~.
ceeding abroad, and proving faitbfd
and efficient ally of the temperapcs
cause, imagined that it was only mecca,
sary to establish the same institnto,
here to meet with the same success
The result has been that the eoHes
houses established in this country hove
been almost invariably failures gyip,
little or no aid TO opponents Of ths
saloon, and proving financial loss and
Encouragement to those who started
them.
One of the chief characteristics Of the
successful coffee house must be he
social feature. Ii must be made al.
tractive. and the frequenters must Be
made TO feel that they are not in.
truders. no matter how long they NAV
remain. This is a characteristic Of ali
English restaurants. They are ar.
ranged with coy hooks and comfort.
able sofas and chairs. where customers
can sit and chat at their leisure and
remain as long as their disposition
suits them without feeling that they
are intruding. There is an atmos.
phere of contentment and comfort
about them which is as attractive and
as the bill Of fare itself
One person or a party of friends can
sit at table undisturbed for hours,
and. within the screens which shield
them from the observation Of most Of
the other customers. rest and chat a!
their leisure
American coffee houses, on the con.
trary, have almost always been ar
ranged on the plan of the typical
American restaurant, with two or
three rows of tables running down
ong, narrow room, with hardly space
enough between them for customers
10 sit. The whole affair is suggestive
IF haste and discomfort and restless.
hess. Such a place has no attractions
or a workingman after day of labor
Human nature revoltS against the ar
-angement, and the class to whom the
enterprise appeals is repealed instead
if being attracted. The fact that
human nature must be taken into ae'
count is an item that too many social
'eformers lose sight of. There ought
o have been enough failures Of well
effort by this time to en-
bile men with an eye to business as
veil as to reform. to establish coffee
iouses and make them successful BY
dapting them to American wants ane
labits. -Philadelphia Press.