The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-05-24
Woes of the Hotel Clerk.

How do you manage TO stave OF people
when they ask for loan or present a check
to be cashed?" a Detroit Free Press man
asked Of the clerk OF leading hotel, and he
replied:
. Easiest thing in the world will cash a
check at any time for personal friend or for
a regular customer Of the house, but when
stranger comes at me 1 simply tell him IL is
against our rules to comply with his request
AS Tor money-lending am opposed to II.
nave to break in on my prejudice at times
ana hand out the flyer or tenner, but as
rule never loan money unless the INDECENT
individual who wants il gives me not only his
/. o. u but his word to pay me at certain
time. People have generally come to look
upon the hotel clerk as a sort of public serv-
ant, as man who exists only for their infor-
nation, their amusement or their use He has
70 stand an unlimited amount of abuse which
is really earned and deserved by others. He is
compelled to listen to hundreds Of questions
each day-some prompted by good sense.
others OF an indefinite character, and uttered
evidently for the purpose OF exercising the
vocal organs, and many others that are
positively 1diotic. No matter how silly they
may be- however, the questioners still have
Drains enough left to get mad and go away in
dignant if 1 betray the slightest sign Of
veXation.
The hotel bore singles me out as the object
OF MS attack. When he becomes well known
his intended victim moves out of his way at
ms approach. Then he makes for me and
am at his mercy, for cooped up inside of
oAlV COuuJ6T L nave no means OF nlQlng or
escaping. If he spends his good money around
the MOTEL am obliged to be courteous and
smiling, no matter how long-winded or shall
low he may be- have stood by the hour and
listened to his internal experiences 1t is
torture to me to crack a smile under such
circumstances, but have to do it. The sport
ing fraternity always single me out as re-
poSltory for their wagers. They come in.
write out the terms of their bet, stick 1t and
the money IN an envelope and give it to
me. l am responsible for it, and I must use
my own discretion about paving it.
l had $4,000 in election bets stored away in the
safe. A great deal of it was on the presi-
dency, and had to hold IL until a week after
election, for though everybody knew Cleve-
land was elected, yet the losers didn { want to
yield up their stuff until all doubts had been
set at rest in their minds Then the winners
came and got their money and many of them
didn't even thank me for taking care of it for
that was all The next time tell them nix.
You may talk about your orphan asylums and
homes Tor the friendless and so on, but tell
you the hotel is the greatest charitable insti-
tuition on earth. Why? Because people use
its employees, its soap, water, towels, lavator-
les. smoking and reading rooms, and even its
parlOrs without paying a cent. We rejoice to
see our guests do this, because it shows they
| appreciate our enterprise; but when the itin-
Grant constituencies public comes in and
washes the CRIME off its face with our soap
| and Tolls about in our easy chair we kick, al
though experience teaches us the best way is
to say nothing and kick ourselves"