The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-13
In A HOTEL DINING-ROOM
Observations Upon Some of the Types
One Meets With at the liable d'Hote."
Business Men and Commercial Travellers
Theatrical People Who Eternally Talk
Shop"-Rustic Politicians in Hot Water.
Oh, wad some power the giitie gle US
To see Ourseis as others see u.s.

Oh, wad some power the giitie gle us
To see ourseis as Others see US.
Where is there q better place for char
acter study than hotel dining-roomf This
question is probably not often asked, but
the answer is mo place." Without giving
the matter much confederation IL might be
thought by careless people that every man.
or woman either. for that matter, tn ouRh
she is of secondary importance in this
article. would throw off every care. every
worry, every interest, even down to cleo
tion bets, upon entering the hotel dining
room. and would, for the time being. be
like other men. but such Is not she case.
Try as hard as he will to disguise his ipdi-
viduality. it Is always on top. and every
man carries it with him, even into the DIM
ing-room. It follows him like speoter,
and will continue to follow him as he
treads iife's weary pathway, and when he
steps one foot into the grave he will find
that but one foot of his individuality has
dipped into the river Jordon. The other is
self as two peas are alike unto one another.
To the busy business man eating is but
On incident in his career. and to his mind
foolish one. He tries to improve it in the
best way no can. however, and when he
walks into the dining-room he carries his
daily paper. and as soon as his order Is
given he Is lost TO the world in its interest
ing pages. What time has he for sociabil-
ttyf No matter If business acquaintances
surround him, he's too busy and they're too
busy to talk on light and trivial subjects,
and so the time is spent In reading. When
his order is served he Is too busily en-
gagged eating to talk. and so, the ordeal
being over ss quickly as possible, he leaves
the dining-room. At the next table are
men who have not yet become so wrapt up
in business that they cannot enjoy them
selves. Here and there they drop q dash
of sociabIIlty into the endless routine or
business and feel all the better for 1t. III
table they even ehas
and enjoy themselves as they should. These
men are commercial travellers. They
pstronize hotels in larger numbers than
any other class of people. Some of them,
h. be wonsss Ssns
parent, but. on the whole, they are clever
lot of fellows, and it 10 seldom that black
sheep comes to tho surface. Another class
of people who patronize the hotels and
are theatrical people. The
one particular characteristic which seems
common TO all Of this ,class Of people. and
which might well be called an affection. 10
an uncomfortable desire to talk shop"
/. e.. subjects pertaining to the profession
seem to be eternally In their minds TO the
exclusion of every other topic. This char
acterlstic may serve to make better
actors and actresses out of the members OF
the profession because of the great inter-
est manifested in this one direction, but il
also serves to contract and narrow what
otherwise might be large and growing
minds.
OF course this is not the case with ev-
cry member of the profession, but 1t is
mended. Theatrical people probably do
not care for the liking of ordinary mortals,
except as it Is displayed when they are be-
fore the f0otlights. but IT they do 1t would.
no doubt. be extended in larger measure
If they even simulated an interest In some
thing else than their own profession and
it's votaries. This foiblo, of course, shines
forth luminously In the hotel dining-room.
The other evening there were seated at
table in one OF the city hotels several male
members OF the Lillian Russell Opera Com
pany. They remained at the table per-
hapse an hour. and in all that time scarce
~ sentence WAS exchanged that did not
bear directly on some matter or person
connected with the stage. This would
as q matter of fact, had it not
been that shop was talked in tones
vocifer0us that the people ct the neigh.
boring tables were forced to listen.
L
1t 10 place to discuss In general what Is
done in particular in more priv ate quarters.
Politicians eat the same as moro rational
beings, except for moro or lees extended
period after the election has Como against
them, and when they do refresh the inner
man it il with q rapidity that SCOTS at in
and leaves it In the lurcb. Dur
ing campaigns which como oftener than
they should and stay longer, city hotels
are usually crowded. The rural visitor Is
he Dkn[ al ehol Ia 49,
don't exactly suit him. With a waiter In
full dress. according to the abominable
custom now prevalent, at his back bowling
obsequiously be does not feel that he
can say. Ma. pass the potatoes" AL
though he longs to. He sizes up the menu
card with eyes askance, and, after nerv-
Ously fumbling it for few minutes. ends
by saying to the waiter, soto voce: Jest
bring me good dinner" When the meal
is set before him he eats In q tremulous
manner, all the while ey cling his neigh Dor.
and 10 glad when he gets away from all the
glitter and glamor of the great dining
hall, vowing he will never go back to 'that
blame stuck-up place again."
to themselves. the hotel diniDg-room has q
great attraction for women. They like the
bright lights and the people. and every
woman looks her prettiest and takes on her
most queenly air as she sails down the long
hall. Then what q delightful chance It
worn by the other women. Every ribbon
and floance is carefully noted, and the
color of eyes and hair are not overlooked.
Other classes of people than those men,
toned sometimes patr0nlze hotels. Among
them is the dude. He Is not there to eat,
but to be seen. He doesn't eat-he lives on
cigarettes He looks stupid because il is
his natural condition. and carries wearied
expression because he has seen every thing
and there are no new sensations for him,
don't you know. Poor thing! Will the
time ever come when he Is properly appre-
ciatedf If il ever does. there will be no
dudes. They will have been ushered into
the cages that have been yawning for them.
Many other things can be observed in
hotel dIning-room, but they are nothing
moro than mans individuality cropping
out. The fat man tucks q napkin under
his chin and wades in, while the slim fell
low sits erect and eats slowly. 1t 10 an OBJ
servatory. and the observer Is also the OBJ
served. The votary of proper table eth
quetto observes his neighbor eating with
knife and smiles while his neigh Dor smiles
because the others necktie Is peeping over
his collar. And thus the world wags mer-
rily on and hotels flourish.