The Sunday globe., 1901-05-12
HOTEL CLERKS.
No Longer the Butt of Criticism and
Poor Jokes.
NEVER AS BLACK AS PAINTED.
His Trials, ThbuIaiions, UTbanty, and Un
Yersal knowledge Freely Conceded
by Intelligent travelling
Public.

which the position gives him to beneht
or annoy his fellows. The banker and
the stock broker are of importance in the
commercial world because they can
exert potential influence upon a bust
ness mans reputation and his financial
standing, while pawn broker who on a
more limited scale and with different
class of people, does the same kind of
business that the banker does, is OF less
importance in the business world, because
his position is not commanding one,
and his influence is not so far reaching or
so powerful either for good or evil. The
most brilliant writer that ever welded a
pen debarred from the privilege Of pub
fishing his thoughts becomes as impotent
as a gossip who retails his gauulity to
his barroom companions. 1t is the power
then that a man possesses to effect those
with whom he comes IN contact that
gives him value in the community in
which he lives, and it is the position
sther than the man himself that becomes
a potent factor in the affairs OF life. Two
of the most constant and principal wants
Of men being to eat and sleep comfortably,
ne caterer TO these desires becomes an
important factor in the average mans
daily life.
O'rrhi This being true, the hotel clerk becomes
a nroper subject for the study Of man,
csnecially for the study of a man who
wanld eat and sleep properly, and who
Joes not perform these two functions as
meie haOlt OuI as d uu'y anu " p'eoS'
ure, l, =, t, ,,s, b,o,,
tho butt of good many poor Jokes and
Las sometimes been The subject Of cTiti-
risms that would hardly bear the con
strnc,ion Of a Joke, but would be con-
sidered by the unprejudiced reader rather
IN he nature of a savage attack upon the
hotel clerks as a class. His big diamond
ard his superclous manner ~ the travel
,,-orr wayiarer have been mlnutely de-
ecribed by the witty newspaper writer
zinc and again, but no knight OF the
G,,i1l has ever yet broken lance in his
Soree or laid Faber in res; for bis de-
fense. ,,..,....t, L.. -
rain,ed Ifhe is autocratic in his man.
ner. II is only because he is compelled to
Le 80 Inv the circumstances surrounding
lin, and is no more so than your bank
caebier ticket agent or other man who
nonst wait upon several hundred clam
orous people in the course of the day and
niqbt. and who is expected oy them TO
devote as much time and attention to
eacb one as he can afford to bestow upon
a score of them. / he should stop in
his duties long enough TO answer all Of
,,our foolish questions in detail, tell you
svhat time you can leave the depot In the
morning. for which is the best route to
lake what the fare will be, how you had
better 90 to the depOt-wheiher by hack
or street car. and a hundred other bits of
information which you can find out else
where 10 much better advantage, and do
ali this while twenty other people are
waiting to register and be assigned rooms,
Won would probably vote him splendid
fellow-"so accommodating, you know -
hut the other twenty would become dis
Cus,ed with him and patronze some other
hostelery.
.sPeople who suppose that hotel clerk
has a 'nicnic are not posted, said one of
these public martyrs Off duty. III any
class of people ought to escape purgatory
after death. for the reason that they have
undergone its miseres while in the flesh,
il is he hotel clerk Just imagine your
eelf standing behind the register there
and being the target for thousang ana
one questions from hundred dlnerenl
people from morning till nght or from
dark until daylight II you happen 10 be
tbe niCht clerk. If they were questions
within the ken Of the clerk or that he
ought to know, 1t would not be so bad
but the questions range from a problem
in metaphysics to the probable state ol
the weather tomorrow.
"What class of travellers give the hotel
clerks the most trouble!
HCountry people and those who have
travelled but little but who wish to appear
as though they were great travellers and
nerfoctiy familiar with first class hotels.
The first class make trouble because they
are ignorant Of the ways of city habits,
and are eXcusable to some extent on that
score for the annoyance and trouble they
unwittingly occasion by their senseless
questions. The latter class, however
have no patience with, and an experienced
hotel clerk can tell them as soon as they
act foot in the house. They seem to have
an idea that the more eXacting they are
and the more captiOus they are in theil
criticisms OF the house and its way Of ac
comodating its guests, the more they vii
be enabled to impress people with the
idea that they are travelled people. Moth
ing in the house is good enough for them
and TO hear them complain one would
suppose that they had at some time LIVED
in a palace and been fed upon the riches
yiapds that the earth affords. The fac
is. the most of these people when at home
live upon the most frugal fare and they
are accustomed to any luxury at all, j
has been on the most limited scale JIM
apinable. This fact is made apparent by
about the first break the individua
makes at the table or about The house
though / or any other experienced clerl
can tell IL before they get through signing
their name to the register in the office
They want the best room in the house
and they generally want the clerk I,
swear that II is the best and TO have /
put in proper shape for then reception.
'DO you have any trouble in puttinl
nervous people who are afraid of fire il
the upper stories
"Yes, often, especially among th
travellers from the rural districts.
man came here during inauguration weel
when the house was crowded, as well a
all the other hotels in the city. He ar
rived about halt past eleven O'Clock a
night and after stopping at one or tw,
other places which were full, he cam
here and asked me if could give him
room. We had none except room ol
the sixth floor and to this he wa
assigned The boy took him and hi
grip up to his room, but in about thre
minutes he came down at the boys heel
and walking up to me said Say mister
cant YOU give me a room little neare
the qroundp No, told him couldn
do il, as all the other rooms were taken
well, then, said he, you may take M
name of your book, for wouldn't 20 t.
sleep on that floor for your'r whole aote