The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-14
PUBLIo FlrB o,oLooK TEA.


or less closely associated with an idea OF cosy
scclusion, with the light Of tho freside and the
subdued atmosphere of domesticity, or at least
of femininity. That was the idea of tea In tho
intimate sense Of the word. Other kinds OF
teas that implied crowds. pushing,
and claret punch ceased.to have any connco
tion with the milder and simpler domestic re-
frcshment. They were events that had only tho
name In common with the other function. But
they were both privatc.until a short time ago.
1t was the tcnroom that first put afternoon tea
on a commercial basis. The scheme prospered
only fairly. Other tearooms followed. but
they had tho character of the large receptions
with the music and punch. They were just as
willing to serve lunch, breakfast, and, for that
matter, dinner, rs 3 o'clock tea. So the effort
to make tea accessible to the homeless and un-
attached grew slowly into success. The tea.
rooms languished and IL was behind the tea
table and beside tho fire only that the tea
flo we'd alphabetically. But the attempt camo
to the front again and 1t was made in just the
place where It might have been expected. Tho
big hotel twas the scene of its renascence.
why" thought the proprietor. should not
o o'clock tea DO served successfully herel This
hotel purvcys exclusivoness to tho masses.
Why should IT. not provide privacy as welli
II is the most public place In Now York. But
there are dog shows and subscription concerts,
fashionable ~recitals and vaudeville. All Of
these have prospcred. Why should not after
noon tea succeed as welli 1t may have been
private and secluded and domestic. and all that
sort of u thing in the past. but the crowd
might as well be allowed to see what 1t is like
Then little cards were hung about the CORR
doris directly intimating that tea would be
served in one of the rooms during the late af-
ternoon. On Saturday afternoon, when the ten
thirst was presumably greater. it was an
nounced that tea would be served also in an.
other room in order that no person should DO
compelled to close the week tealess. When TINS
fact had become known the task of supplying
the outward and visible signs of domesticity and
nf ahraSte c9mm in}opmo, A oGc' wi enc t 1ma p %, 1ns n pfsi
the. glass doors-was stretched, a table on
which the silver pots and kettles invitingly
reposed. Bunches of flowers. such as %jonquils,
pansics. and lightainted tulips, were placed on
the tables, and a menu of appropriate material
cludcd just tho light cdiblcs that could take
away ones, appetite for dinner with as much
by the side of the modest flowers. With studied
sugar bowl was allowed TO rest on the snowy
cloth; Thus were the preliminaries to privacy
their AR arms naG looked pi' as oobiiisinr as Could be ex.
pccted in vie >. of the fact that tips would neces-
'' They &c ca srnen to nna SsiS!'o at fis but later in
numbers enough TO I'LL every table. There are
still persons who enter cautiously. The big
hotel has placed many problems before New
York that had to be solved without any preoc-
dent to fall back on. The evening yaudev!llo
enough in their way. But the tearoom, even
with its modest afternoon hours, was more So.
enter the room yesterday afternoon. I'm not
going in there ii ANYTHING peculiar is going to
room. anyhow"
But he was not q New Yorker, and the he hotel
up his hat and coat to the liveried boy, how
ever. and went into the room. There was no
tho oftprnDOn when he looked in and feared the
ment. There had been several men, although
the ratio between them and the women had
looked shsepish: There were two who slipped
ness. A pretty girl sat at the table with them.
but she was no moro dainty in coloring than
blond. haired. So were they. The three chat
tered cheerfully, and no other table in the room
held a group 30 much at homo as the pink
How changed it is said ono woman who
was the greatest crowd, and the Conversation in
rather %suhduod. tones. the smell OF tea mixed
S E1ts ssrf BREAD Ss yi tSs sri naS G q ta'%s s sqs &c %oms of
and the warm air suggested that the afternoon
fest dnr wa" asa at t its height ,o "ii9w b Snang Hnt it ro is;
you don't know anybody"
had its occupants accenIuated the venom OF
this young woman's criticism. She is a matron
go well known that her presence there cast a
social splendor on the entire room. Not every
body knew that. however. and she with the
the door while the head waiter was moving
rapidly toward them. There were no seats
two Gould occupy. They knew that the waiter
was coming to tell them that tea would be
was empty and they would be the only persons
in TINT room. That would be a worse fate than
to a %i%E,G Win Mns. te %.. ST ssi% t ane Of no9 PSem k delight
eddy, and nobody is sitting with her. Sup
= ,Thcra Sos nlentv NJ roou Mt otbcr "a HES hut
the women who were occupying the other seats
Mt them were a part OF the crowd that nobody
But just rs these two started toward the table
at which their friend was sitting two other
same seats; They reached them first;
We couldn't get here any quicker" said the
msnt. we could not run
The woman seated at the table indicated her
dissatisfaction in an equally emphatic way, and
her friends left the. room with no further at
KNEW knew. 70 Ii lha g'f fos t h InG th esG two ! Women n0G that
had gotten the sents were not thin-skinned
enough to mind the conversation levelled at
them. They kept the seats because they were
the best in the room that commanded not only n
view OF every table. but of the halls ABOUT the
dressed, and their brightly colored-straw hats
were n moro farinc reminder of spring than tho
they ordered was lost to the woman sitting at
,ho,abls with them: The T TSntn put two caviar
already s'af pl" a" ed When : two %,eIamps sns
glasses followed tho sand wiches she paid her
cleck with promptnes3 and left the table.
'Know her, don't your asked one of the
women: The other did not.
She's Mrs. ", one of the swells. Her names
In. the paper every day. I'd have sat down /
with her once If 1t had cost mo my last cent.
who would ever have supposed that ] would be
able to sit down AT n table with bert The near
est ] ever came to any thing of that kind before
was to meet her at the drcssmaker's.',
The crowd In the room changed slowly. It
was always smartly dressed, polite, and quiet.
One or two well-known actresses came into the
room. and there were other familiar faces at
times. Some Of tho names OF the persons nj the
tables were rs well known as any in the city's
social lists. Others-nnd possibly. they were
in the matority-were not so familiar. A part
OF tho gathering plainly came from the hotels
out-of-town guests, to whom tea, unless it is
taken at breakfast. dinner. or, supper, was an
unfamiliar beverage. One old lady showed this
plainly by pouring her tea into her saucer and
slipping it up. slowly, The old gentleman with
her showed his familiarity with the function by
absorbing his ga wholly by. means of his toast.
But the asscmblage was for tho good part wholly
typical of New York. The few men who camc
into the room were with women and none OF