The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-26
CHRusrMAs ~ NEW roRK.
A Pen Picture ofthe Diners at Restaurants.
Patrons Of Free Lunches.


4 Pen Picture OF the Diners at Restaurants.
Patrons Of Free Lunches.
! NEW YORK Dec. 2-It IS on Christ
mas-Day that the peculiarues Of life in
New York city stand out in bold promi-
nence and suggest reflections OF various
| kinds to the mind of the casual visitor.
| The lack OF home life the chase after
/ pleasure on the plrt of the wealthy. the
| dceutution of the slums. the hand-to-
/ mouth style of living common to larze
! element o. the city's population. all seem
/ emphasized on this day. moderate csti-
| mate of the number of people here who
! will take their Christmas dinners i'm pub
/ lie restaurants or in bar-rOoms where
| fire. lunches are elaborate and satisfying,
must be close ON Co a quarter Of a mill
/ lion. This. OF course, includes the guests
| Of the hotels In town. A peep into "A
| popular restaurant in New York early I'm
| the afternoon of Christmas-Day reveals
many interesting scenes. Here is q law
yer from the interior of the State. who
takes 90 Bohemia as a duck TO water, and
! probably she poor fellow has not enjoyed
home dinner since he came 20 New
York with his college diploma and a let
ter Of Introduction 60 Chauncey Depew.
There is am actress who has not played
for season. and yet she orders dinner
without a preparatory scrutiny of the
bin Of fare. a man with face clean
shaved. with uncut hair. and Prince
Albert coat wears his trade upon his
sleeve. lIe is the escort of the actress
who is not engaged. Here and there sit
"a few fellows who may be clerks on young
men engaged In the neighborhood, and
over IN the corner is woman reporter
for a morning newspaper trying her
knowledge of French on the American
waiter.
An old gentleman. With long. white hair
hanging over his shoulders. adjusts his
glasses and looks Owe the financial article
lu l8.l elf'. llIUe y fir W1s l p. r
once and power in Wall street, but
now ckcs out an existence by telling peo-
pie once week how 10 get rich by inn
vosting their earnings in the street. With
ths single exception of the actress ana
her escort. no one speaks 90 any one else,
and each diner seems obliylous 10 the
presence OF the other diners. one by one
they finish throw down the paper, give
the waiter dime, pay their checks, ana
pass out They do not seem hilarlousy
happy. and the philosophical waiter says
Do may boz because the season recalls %
their memories the recouections Of hap
pier days. before they came TO the big
city To- achieve distinction or To- amass a
fortune
I'm the fashionable restaurants. from
pe'mOuicO's down. the atmosphere is
about the same. the difference being
chiefly I'm the cost of the disnes and the
bearing of the walters. Sociability IS an
unknown quantity. except "a ore tdpie'
whore "a stout gentleman is trying 90 per-
suade himself. and DIS friend too, that
an the charm of d Christmas dinner re-
sides in the art of the chef. Here the
wine flows rather freely. and later I'm the
afternoon there Is a slignt buzzins throush
the room as of bees disturbed hut lhe
diners still wear serious faces. ana Tor
the most part discuss the stock market
and speculate on the probability OF Park
hJrsts continuing his raids
Across the street iu "a bar-room made
famous as "a resort of all sorts OF pto-
ple seeking and living upon notoriety, a
particularly tidy Frcnchman serves out
plate of roast turkey 20 Heterogeneous
file of men, Great display is here made |
of the free lunch set tn figures out TWO |
prices are charged for drinks and nickel |
TO the waiter is an insult The patrons
OF this free lunch are Well-dressed men, |
some of them greatly oVer-df essed' ana /
most of them with faces clean shaEea' |
or wearing heavy and dark mustacheS' |
like those of the black villain I'm the play. |
III is ID peculiar economy which they prac-
tce. Seventy-hve cents for three mixed |
drinks aud roast turkey for nothing.
They could buy the turkey for sixty cents
but would not have the drinks and that |
is consideration that sWays them
Away over ON the East Side, The tough |
but shreWd youngsters Of the streets Oh
New York. are busy filling with toothsome |
viands the stomachs taat often go nun
cry. These boys speak a lingo peculiar
TO themselves itself, and it is too OFTEN
largely profanity, but among them there
seems 10 be more real brotheriy ieeins
than among the serious patrons Of me
popular restaurants. Up IN Harlem,
several wealthy contractors dine IN real
family fashion at home. and one or TWO
New Enganders get the family together
ana take stock at the end of the year
The most interesting free show Of the |
day I'm Gotham. rs the afternoon parade OF
women. and men, but mostly women, on
Broadway when the matinees are over
About twenty blocks of Broadway on a
Christmas afternoon are a popular parade
ground of dress and beauty. The men
OUNCE about the corners until remOnstrd-
led with by policemen and then they
Join In the thr0ng, just 70 keep moving
and watch the women. The street Is
almost impassable from the side. and
ocomOfion IS possible only by keeping 20
he extreme right. Women will not OBJ
serve the rule. and congestion results.
This thr0ne attracts crowds from both
.ides OF town. and the mass pretty ac-
'urately represents the surface OF Goth
lm's complex population. Possibly there
: an undue proportion of gamblers and
de men-abOut-town, as well as of ac-
resscs ana those VINO were once actresses.
rhis army. slowly decreasing. has almost
anlshed by seven O'Clock, and then its
lace Is taken By those who frequent OF
nfest the Tenderloin district. This Is
he district to which Or Parkhurst has
,cen swing some attention OF late and
which has undergone Improvement under
ls knife. In this district are most of the |
gambling houses. the dives,
be low places. the little flats which 10
ne was ever seen 20 enter I'm daylight |
ut when were pretty lively when the nlgnJ
sore on. This Christmas viii not be a
cry merry one for the eva doefs o. |
hat district. Some have reformed only |
few, Il Is sald-some are on the island |
nd others have gone no one knows where |
or seems TO care much.