The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-12
THE AMATEUR REFoRMER.
After Delivering Lecture III
Changes His Eating House.


no, sub Can't wait on you. sub
| This remark was addressed by the wait
| er at the downtown lunch counter to the
tail. cadaverous person who had dropped
| in for ham sandwich and a cup OF coffee.
why not?'
IT'S against awdahs, suh.
Turning around on the stool. the tall
man beckoned to the leisurely individual
with the swell front who seemed TO be
doing d dignifed foor-walker act
Are you the manager here?'' he asked.
Yes sir
What is the reason l cant get any
/ thing TO eat?''
Because YOU haven't any coat on
Did you notice whether or not | had a
coat On when / came in?
No. SIR
That was the time to have stopped me
II you didn't want to feed me / had my
coat off because this place is as hot as a
furnace. Do any women ever come here
| TO eat?"
No. but they could if they wanted to-
And they don't want to. No woman
wants to perch herself on a stool and eat
her luncheon at a counter. This is ex-
clusively a mans feeding place. and you
know it. Would YOU turn away a respect
able American citizen of African descent
If he had his coat on?''
NO. We're not 10 make any distinction
on account of race. Ali tine rule we've got
is that a man has 10 be dressed or he
cant eat here"
Would you call a man dressed if he
wore shirt waist?"
Not unless he had a coat on We've
had instructions about that
"A thought ST. '.es me. You don't con-
slider this a shirt waist do your
No Ii seems - Ne shirt
Seems to be a clean shirt, doesn't it?"
Yes. l guess so"
Yes, 1t seems to be a good deal cleaner
shirt than the one you are wearing. You'd
feed Chinaman, l suppose?"
Never had any instructions to the con-
trary."
mo. You would feed him all right. The
fact that he dresses himself and then puts
on his shirt would make no difference.
You wouldn't have any objections. either.
10 setting out a luncheon for Turk or a
Mormon, would you?"
Probably not, sir, il he had a coat on"
"And cab driver, or a prizeighter with
a sweater on, could button his coat up I'M
der his chin and sit down on the choicest
stool in the house. Do you know what l
think OF this establishment"
You don't have 10 eat here, you know.
There are plenty of other places"
Il don't want TO eat here il the man who
owns IL ever does. He's trying to do too
big business in gentility on too small
capital The only reason under the sun
why | ever come here at all Is that | am
fond OF one particular kind OF bread you
serve. / have put up with your greasy
walters, with all kinds of company, and
with a temperature Of hundred in the
shade for the sake of that bread, but If
you don't considef that I'm vel, enough
dressed as I am this moment 10 associate
with Australian Bushmen, American In
dams. or natives of SomaliIand, in any
kind Of full dress, I'll go without that Kind
OF bread q thousand years before I'll come
here for It again. Give my compliments
10 your proprietor, whoever he is, and tell
him so, for ne,p
Then the tall, csdaverous man slowly
rose, put on a light brown coat that lay
across his knee snd walked QUIT and that
particular resort for hungry men probably
will know him NO more forever.