The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-13
in THE METROPOLIS.
Visit to An Oriental Smoking Room.
Sights Described.

One of the greatest of New York sights
is the Orinetal smoking room only a short
distance west of Broadway on q side street
that, at one time, was considered in the
heart of the "yenderloinn district.
The exterior OF the place is unpreten-
tious, and needs no description, but when
The NEWS representative opened the door
and entered the room he was inclined to
think that he had dropped into the Otto
man empire, In n OF those unexplain-
able ways, SO common in fairy stories.
From the antique-shaped, stained-giass
hanging lamps a soft light disclosed to
view a large oblong shaped roSm, with
walls and ceiling tainted and decorated
in truly Oriental style; with numerous
low and comfortable divans upholstered
in red and draped In blue and white and
here and there exquisitely carved Damas-
Gus tables.
One of thu. Turkish attendants, in his
lose, ill-fitti-g garb, brought The NEWS
representative a Narghileh and a cup of
delicious Turkish coffee which he enjoyed
while studying as far as possible to what
extent the imported fad had been carried.
1t was shortly after theater time and
gradually, as the hands of the clock
worked around to half-past eleven, the
customers began to drop in.
The first couple were apparently habit-
ues OF the pace. In a matter Of fact way
he ordered his chibouk snd pomegranate
sherbet and she a dainty roll of Egyptian
tobacco and cup of Persian tea. Oblivious
Of their surroundings and wholly en-
crossed I'm their chat they sat there en-
joying a quiet smoke n light refresh
ment as only true Bohemians can.
Not SO with the next couple, however,
the petite miss with a roguish twinkle in
her merry blue eye. and her Immediately
dressed youthful escortw no tried to appear
nonchalant, as he drew hard and Justify
on the flexible tubs OF the water pipe and
she munched sweetmeets and drank
coffee. 1t was amusing to The NEWS
representative to witness this little scene,
there was a fund of grim humor in the
laborious putting OF the youth that
He bad experienced a similar difficulty a
few minutes before and finally had
thrown the Turkish pipe aside in disgust.
not party that attracted consider
able attention was q fiashily dressed
chorus girl with her man about town
n acted loud till n OF the attendants
quietly whispered a few words of advice
that acted like a soothing balm to their
exuberant spirits.
There were parties OF sightseers, ladies
from the opera INT theater with their
husbands or male protectors who drop
ped i'm for a minute and made themselves
almost as conspicuous as the fiashy couple
In an endeavor not to attract attention
by shrinking into a corner and persisting
i'm KEEPING their wells down.
But Of ali the Kaleidoscope stream Of
humanity that passed in ana out. the
Cholly boy who wandered in with a cold
blast of w nd was the most amusing. lie
was having an excellent time-dash it all,
smoking cigarettes and drinking sherbert
till a party Of lively cir S and fellows
spotted him, and then life proved to be
nothing but a barren waste under their
In the morning occasional parties and
couples dropped in n form the surpris-
ing amount of business done IHE NEWS
man concluded that the fad has a strong
hold on the sporting element Of the me-
%tropolis.