The record-union., 1894-04-28

cOufaglng trade by drinking With every
liberal-minded gentleman who comes
along. would never have them in his
place. They are arrayed like so many
choir boys and are not permitted to in
dulge In any familiarity with customers,
and are unconsciously treated by the lat
ter as SO many walters in a beer saloon.
MODERN BARKEEPERS AND CASH REG
ISTERS.
The modern barkeeper is the product
of the cash register. He has no interest
in the place. He gets no percentage,
stands no chance for knock down. He
is in the way OF no tips. He knows pre-
cious little about liquor, and nothing at
all about politics. The boss is in front at
tending 10 both OF these branches. The
boss is also watching him. Ii the boss
has other and larger Interests that re-
quire his personal supervision, there Is
the head barkeeper, who is at once stew
ard, butler, general supervisor and vice
| boss, to keep an eye on the cash register.
The modern barkeeper has no follow
ing, no personal trade that can be trans
ferred to wherever he goes. Beyond the
coolest sort of pOliteness, he is not per-
mitted TO cultivate acquaintances. AS has
gradually come to be the case in other
lines OF business, the barkeeper must
abandon his personality entirely and be-
come mere machine-with a cash reg
lister attachment. Should an acquaint-
ance of the barkeeper chance to enter the
place where ne is employed, the bar
keeper Will look nervously up and down
and begin 10 industriously wash glasses.
lie is almost afraid TO serve the conner or
carry on stolen conversation with him,
I although the latter may be d regular GUS
toner of the house, for he knows the
eyes of the head barkeeper, the cashier or
the boss-or all three-are upon him.
They even watch what the customer
drinks and how much is rung up-tor
fear the machine may be made to register
Tor a glass of beer instead OF a glass of
| whisky. For the machine may be and is
! beaten.
This is the sort OF barkeeper to be seen
at the big places and fashionable hotels
and restaurants. In the smaller places
there is little more freedom, but it is
very little. Unless you are pretty well
known any polite overture TO the bar
keeper in the way OF pleasant remarks
about the weather. or a reference to the
reigning sensation will be met by treez-
ing silence or cynical rejoinder that
will wind up that operation at once.
The real test of a barkeeper's polite
ness, however, is request for drink of
water. There are very few of them that
will rise to the usual social standard.
Most of them Will respond with a coun-
y
the time being that you have made mis-
take and have asked for fifteen cents out
of the drawer.
THE TOUGH BARKEEPER.
The lower you go down in the scale of
respectability OF the resort the more free
dom and independence there is among
the barkeepers, and the tougher and
more uncivil and undesirable for ac-
quaintanees they are. They deal with
people quite as tough, perhaps, and quite
as undesirable for acquaintances.
The barkeeper is selected more with a
view as to his lighting qualities and his
ability to stand up against the rough
characters who frequent such resorts. He
is not infreq uentiy a cOnvivial spirit
himself and has friends. He even has
something the old-timer would have
called q certain trade. And sometimes he
has sort of an individuality in his
neighborhood. He prides himself on be-
ing able to distinguish gentleman on
sight, and to be able to throw bum into
the street without serious eXertion. He
has owned his own place at some time,
and is allowed considerable latitude and
longitude. This is the man who knows
human nature thoroughly-and the bet
ter he knows it the less he thinks of it.
He is man of few words usually, and of
quick action. Having sampled a good
time, he possesses more knowledge of the
business than many of the more preten-
tious of his kind. But he also knows that
half the men who patronize his place
don't care much what kind of liquor they
drink, and that most OF the other half
don't know the difference between good
and bad. He keeps select bottle for the
more particular. 1t is usually filled with
the same kind OF liquor as the rest
rr~v
The question of credit has had to un-
dergo some notifications with the gen.
eral introduction OF the cash register
There is a certain line of credit at about
every place in New York. Sometimes
this is involuntary on the part OF the bar
keeper or proprietor, but usually there
are certain well known customers who
have some sort of a running account. If
their purchase has been inadvertently
run up, the check is laid aside with the
debtors name on it. or it is used to even
the cash on the next order and the
man is slated after the oldtashioned
method.
There is the incest discrimination to be
used in liquor credits. A mans trade
may not be worth as much as his friends
aud TOO big bill may keep the man
away just the same as no trust. Then
he will probably say to his friends: ''Let
!
good whisky in here as they used to
keep" and The thing is done.
The credit question doesn't bother the
white aproned crowd. They run with
the machine. 1t is the proprietor or his
representative who must stand this, and
when the proprietor is his own bar
keeper be has the worst OF this evil to
contend with. 1t is continuous struggle.
THE TABLE FEATURE.
The little table plays an important part
in modern drinking. To the old timer
it was unknown. Some OF the New
York bars adopted the tables very re-
luctantly, but most of them have come
to them. In the olden time the bar
room table was a great rarity, and was
used by lOafers and others to throw dice
or play cards for drinks. For the rest. "a
man was supposed TO come in, walk up
to the bar, get his drink and get out.
There was no invitation for him TO take
OFF his hat, sit down and stay awhile.
There was some difference OF opinion
as to whether tables were conducive to
drinking or an actual drawback; but this
question was finally settled IN Massachu-
sets by the passage OF a law forbiddiDg
bar drinking. 1t was then actually de-
nonstrated that the introduction of ta-
bIes and the encouragement 10 sit down
while drinking worked against the best
interests OF temperance and consequently
the table was brought III everywhere.
! This innovation has further affected the
character of the barkeeper, who thus
was made TO more nearly approximate
the waiter. He became so much further
removed from his customer The indica-
tions point to an indefinite extension OF
this club house feature of the public bars,
a separate and elegantly appointed room
being added IN very modern establish
mentS.
The barkeeper will soon have become
out of sight and out of mind. But he is
philosopher, and viii manage TO work
along without contact with some of the
elements which now make life a burden