The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-06-07
DR.. Rainsford's Drinking Saloon.

DR.. RAINsFoRD's plan to establish Church
saloons to compete with tho regular liquor
traffic does not seem to strike the clergy
favorably. So far. not a single New York
pastor has come to his support. and all
who have spoken out on tho subject have
put themselves decidedly on the other side.
The proof OF the pudding. however. is In
the eating. Let DR.. RAINsFoRD get q H.
ccnsc from the Excise Commissioners. or
buy out n saloon together with its license.
and start his religious dram shop. so that
the working Of his plan may be demon
strated practically. We are told that the
liquor business is not by any means SO
profitable Us it was formerly. and that con-
sequently many saloons are purchns-
able at very moderate prices. Probably he
could get one license. fixtures, stock, and
lease included. for few thousand dollars,
and in very short time he could have it
running on the religious plan. The warm
weather is now here. and for four or five
months to come it will DO tho harvest time
Of the liquor business. II his plan will
ever work. it will work in the summer. when
mems thirst is greatest.
1t is very cosy, too, to make the expert
ment. II no is cnterprlsing. he can have
his religious saloon open for business be-
foro he starts out on his summers vacation,
and by soliciting patronage from the pulpit
OF St. Georges. he will be sure Of good
custom to start with Besides, the novelty
OF the thing will give the establishment a
splendid send-off. People will crowd into
the religious saloon from all parts of tho
town and from far and near us matter OF
nj IA IL
prime quality and tho surroundings are
attractive. his saloon will DO the
most prosperous in New York. Every pull
pit and every newspaper will advertise it,
and even the scornful and tho scoiling will
go out Of their way to see how it seems to
drink in O religious dram shop. Even II
they arc not thirsty. they will guzzle DR..
TRANSPORTS beer. Moreover young men
who have been taught that 1t is wrong,
harmful. or dangerous to drink alcoholic
beverages. will think it proper and innocu-
Gus to mako an exception when the beer is
obtained at a religious saloon and from a
conspicuous clergyman.
We feel sure. therefore. that DR.. RAINS
FORD will run no risk II no engages in ad-
vance great force OF barkcepcrs and wait
ers and makes contract for an enormous
supply Of beverages. His plan seems to be
to furnish only beer and vino. at the begin
ming, at oil events Hence he will not need
barkeepcrs who are experts in tho refine
ments of their art. In the making OF cock
tails. brandy smashcs. mint jueps, and
rum sours. for instance. There Is a knack
in drawing beer, undoubtedly. but probably
1t can be easily acquired by young men taken
from his Sunday school classes; and they
can be instructed also as walters, SO that
with little practice they will become adept
at the business Of handing round the beer.
While the novelty Of his enterprise lasts
1t will be successful beyond any doubt. We
should not be surprised II no sold moro
beer and wine than any three liquor saloons
In town; and hence We advise him to start
out on large scale. In tho long run he
will not do so well under tho plan with
which he begins. for the public will get
tired OF tho absurdity of such a drinking
place: but. of course. its pretencc of re-
liglous character will not be kept up. and
1t will be run in the usual way.
After all. what difference is there between
drinking In DR.. RAINsFoRD's dram shop
and drinking In somebody elsc's saloon
A man Is as likely TO get drunk in the one
place as in the other. A customer may come
into DR.. RAINsFoRD's shop apparently sober
and yet 30 nearly intoxicated that a single
additional glass will expose him. 1t will be
apublic saloon, and Dr. RAINsPoRp will not
be able to pick his customers and determine