The record-union., 1893-12-14
new YORK SALOONS.
They Are Rapidly Being Replaced by
Eating-HouseS.
The Treating Habit is Dying Out and
the People Eat Instead OF
Drinking liquor.

Regular Correspondence of REcoRD-UNIoN.I
NEW York. Dec. 11.-There are several
indications. unobserved by people who
always have lived in this city, OF the
gradual disappearance of the drinking
treating or so-called ''social habit" Al
one time carried to notorious excess IN
New York, this custom is still so general
throughout the country as to give 1t IN
E,urope the distinction of being named
the American habit. But the very tervor
of its ex xercise here seems in part to nave
carried it more quickly to neglect, and II
the experience of New Workers IS any
guide of the future course elsewhere, 1t
is certain that this mode of expressing
the social instinct is certain OF coming 10
a natural end.
That the process and end are natural Is
shown by the circumstance that all has
gone on slowly, that the results are not
produced by any sort of agitation or by
sentiment of any kind, but are simply
the good work of evolution and natural
selection. This appears III the very Hfst
evidence found-that OF the deVeiophehC
OF the saloon of old into the restaurant.
It may seem queer to trace IN so low ah
organism as the barrOom the course OF an
ev0lution but few branches OF science
can produce a more perfect example oI
growth through the perpetuatlon OF use
full variations than is afforded by most OF
the saloons OF this city.
They were saloons pure and simple ten,
five or two years ago, and very prohtaDIe
ones, too. But they all had one feature
which, unimportant then, has grown INTO
the chief place. 1t is the free-lUnch stand
Out of this characteristic institution has
come many of the most popular modern
restaurants How this took place IS Doth
amusing and interesting, especially as
told by a well-knOwn downtown caterer
few days ago. He tells his story IN ms
OWL way, but the essentials OF it would
be true of his competitors all over the
city. He said:
s'Them was days, them was, when
every time a broker sold some stock he
drunk to the profits. But ez the OLD
chaps, the big fellows like Commodore
Vanderbilt retired from the streets OF
gold (for them to the place where they
amt no manipulatin', drinkin' kinder let
I'D an eatin' begun. More men stood at
the free-lunch stand than at the bar, so
heightened the stand an charged for
eatin', see. BY an by l shortened the
bar and pulled out the stand little more.
Then l bought the rear house and put IN
tables, and TO the stand put high stools,
see After that had to get good COOK,
IL
about the barkeeper, who use to was as
BIG man ez the banker. / paid bar
keepers salary to the cook and the old
cooks wages to the barkeeper, see. Now
what be I 4? Keepin a restaurant when l
used to keep a tirst-cIass saloon. Look
around and see for yourself"
1t was sad from the mans own point OF
view. He has restaurant running back
through the block from Broadway street
to New street. with entrances on both
streets. 1t is full of brokers and business
men at noon. But the bar! 1t is mere
rudiment of its former self; shrimp
without -dignity and of little use. Like
the vermitorm appendix in the human
body, it endures as monumental rem
nant of what once performed real func-
tions, but now is only an occasional
menace to the economy OF which II IS
part
AS further evidence of the change and
of its continuation a dozen saloons might
be named which are at present under
going lust such alterations. The keep
ers are either buying rear rooms, tearing
down private cardrooms to put in tables.
or they are hiring the cellar for kitchen
and selling the billiard tables to put In
eating bars. The number Of these is at
least equal to the new restaurants which
are being built. And the most of such
''renovations" are going on in the busy
quarters OF the city.
Around the Stock Exchange, in Broad.
Wall, Nassau, New streets and Lower
Broadway there are now very few sa-
looms, but many restaurants. This is
the neighborhOod, it must be noted,
where not only bankers and corporation
lawyers abound, but where the most
Sporty of business men spend their
days. Brokers who trade and speculate
and who manipulate prices for their own
ends are in a sense gamblers. In tastes
rn their
ness of horse-racing, yacht-racing and
football is as keen as their attention TO
railroads. But there are only two
Crowds on the floor Of the Exchange
composed OF the old-fashioned drinking
men. And their stocks are in bad re-
pute.
What is a still more remarkable evil
dence, however, is the number of dairy
restaurants in this part OF the city. They
are numerous throughout the lower por
ton of downtown, but thlckest under
the shadow of the Exchange. Now, there
is nothing of the milk-sop in the make
I'D of brokers and stock SpeculatorS, but
within q few years they have adopted
milk as q beverage and bread and milk,
fruit and cream as food for luncheon. 1t
is amusing, and to many a Western Wis
itor it has proved a shock, to go from the
gallery of the Exchange, after watching
noted "bears'' and "bulls' fighting for
the turn" down into dairy restaurant
and see the same men eating a bowl OF
"brown bread and milk, half cream.''
This is indication of temperance, but it
is not result of a temperance move
ment, or of moral conviction OF any
sort. Brokers are just as ready to rig a
market over baked beans and pork as
over a glass of the "old thing" There is
absolutely no sentiment about it. 1t is a
healthy development of common sense,
lust as the restaurant is the natural
growth out of the free-lunch stand. Like
wise it can be accounted Tor on an evolu-
ton basis, as the result of the survival of
the fittest.
This was rudely but typically illus
trated few days ago in two young men,
partners in 8 well-known banking and
brokerage firm. The had succeeded their
fathers, but only one OF them remained
actively in the business. The other left
his capital in it, but he never came to the
office except to draw a check. He was
signing receipt when L saw him, and
his hand trembled violently. After he
was gone his partner said he was Is
son, and il was clear at once that his hand
trembled and his face was weak because