Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-08-31

bark in what seemed a more promising c
field of work which was a little more S
Tea rooms kept by women are plent1-
full in London. In Paris there is very i
famous one, owned by an English lady e
of gentle birth whom uncertain fortune
made almost penniless. This tea room {
is the afternoon rendezvous for fash S
ionable English and American women |
at from to 5 o'clock. Its rolls and tea
have received the approval of royalty. {
The Princess of Wales and her daugh-
ters have more than once enjoyed the
hospitality of the tea room, their inter- {
est having been aroused when they
learned through a mutual ACQUAINTANCE
the story of the opening of the place. !
This tea room is unique in Its way, for
it has all the appearance of being
private apartment. The little tables
are scattered about the room in such
way that by the use of screens ana
palms one may secure degree OF
privacy impossible In ordinary restau-
rants The owner, handsomely gowned
in black, plays more the part of a
1 she is known personally to nearly every
one of the English guests, who do not
| forget that her blood is as blue as
| any in Great Britain
4 Tea rooms have been opened in
America with varying degrees of sue
cess. In New York society women have
lbeen widely advertised to open tea
rooms, and for a time seemed to flour
lish The difficulty with the tea rooms
kept by Fashionable women is that no
one outside the owners special clique
ever feels at home there. and the
prices are generally exorbitant.
A few months ago a clever manufac
turer Of flour opened a tea room on
Broadway, New York, that, to the sur
prise of the orisinators of the enter
prise who intended it altogether as an
advertising venture, has had great sue
cess. In the first place it is quietly and
handsomely furnished The little tables
at which refreshments are served are
set in lattice work alcoves, where there
is no jostling and no intrusion of stran-
gers. In each alcove is an electric fan,
handsome electric lights and wall seat
cushioned prettly, so that each space
is simply tiny apartment. A little
gallery runs about the upper part OF
the room and tables are placed there,
without any alcoves. There is dainty
dressing room supplied with delicate
soap, hot and cold water, combs and
towels kept scrupulously clean, and a
handsome mirror with lights on each
side of it, where the shopper may rear
llange her hair or powder her face. The
menu is quite simple, but everything
is prepared with the utmost daintness
and served in blue china. One is shown
the same courtesy whether purchasing
ice cream soda or pate de fois gras.
Nearly all the department stores fr
llarse cities now have restaurants where
their customers may lunch, and they
have done great deal to lessen the
trials of the women shoppers, but price:
at many of these places are high, ant
their service is not what woman whit
wants a light MONDAY meal prefers.
Probably the ideal womanS restau
rant is in Philadelphia. 1t is co
operative affair. and was started b,
some clubwomen who noticed the lacl
of restaurants where women employs
in town during the day might obtain
wholesome meal at a reasonable price
Tickets are sold for several meals a
this restaurant at reduced price, bu
for 20 cents a wonderfully good lunc
is served. 1t consists of soup, fish O
meat, TWO or three klnuS OIL Vegetables
rolls or bread and butter, with coffee
tea or chocolate and dessert. The res
taurant is in a neighborhood wher
rents are not cheap, but counting sery
ice, rent, food and other expenses,
said to be ahead at the end of eac
week.
No woman can work well withol
wholesome food served in pleasant SUI
roundings. The noon lunch hour ougl
to be an hour of rest as we'll as II
freshment. With thousands of women
clubs all over the country, whose men
bers are simply yearning for an OF
portunity TO do something to pro,
theirFusefulness to society, it would
a good thing to take up the question
helping working women to pure III
clean well cooked food at u modera
price, Young Women's Christian Il
to ISOLATION restaurants are all very We
led in their place, but many persons lo'
sen on them with disfavor as an effort
ley give them something for nothing,
Pc attempt which all self respecting wor
ter ing women resent, and. there are man
M too. who, While not of the Christi;