Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-10-07
ITS WOMAN PATRONS.

The Subway Tavern does not. So lar, appear a serious menace, as far as women are concerned. The oply alcohol1c drink served them is beer. ana comparatively few calls for that mild beverage are made in the course of the day.
 considerable misapprehension con- cernlng the Woman's room in the tavern still exists, despite the public slty the place has been given. The room is small one opening directly on Bleecker street. It connects with the cafe by swinging doors and con- tains, besides the soda fountain with It's usual row of stools, half a dozen small tables and the cigar counters of the blishment The windows are unscreened and the doors stand wide open, so that whoever enters is in plain view from the street Two hours of an afternoon, from half- past four until half-p six. and one hour in the evening, from nine until ten, were spent in the room on Mon day. During the afternoon the soda water fountain did lively business, the great majority of its patrons be- ing men. In the two hours thirty one women came in. Of these seven
 
 cream soda. Of the beer drinkers four were escorted by men, apparent ly their husbands. One elderly Irish woman, unescorted, drank beer. Soon after she left two typical Bowery women entered, the youngest unques- tfonably a woman of the street. The other was old and apparently intenl-s perate. They hesatated at the door and wandered rather helplessly around the room before they decided that the beer was purchasable at the soda water fountain. They drank one glass apiece, smilingly congratu- lated each other on the quality, and departed. These were the only doubt ful characters to appear. The rest were of good class, neatly dressed and perfectly we'll behaved. Not one asked for second glass of beer. From half-past five to six o'clock hundreds of working women, factory girls, shop girls and others passed the tavern on, their way eastward to their homes. They drifted in once in while, and consumed ice cream soda. Many looked tired and worn, but not girl refreshed herself with beer.
 The popularity of the soda water fountain has not diminished since the tavern opened. Tn that part of the town soda water is apt to :, be poor, with manufactured extracts in stead of fresh fruit sirups. At the tavern the best materials are used and the fountain is kept as immacu- late as in the best uptown establish ments. It is the hope of the manage ment, to create such liking for soda that men as well as women will pre- fer it to stronger drink. One day 1 the manager of the tavern with that 1 laudable object in view advertised bargain sale of soda at two glasses l for five cents. The Hebrew popula- 1 ton of the neighborhood and beyond I it came in crowds. Many drank two l o'clock in the evening the fountain was exhausted.
 The evening hours of the tavern are naturally the iveliest. There were perhaps fifty women there in the course of an hour. Practically all were properly escorted. One wo- l man, who is said to be regular pa- tron, brought her entire family of 1 small children, one In a baby carri- age. She sat down at one of the tables, ordered glass of beer for herself and soda water for the child ren, and sat for an hour apparently enjoying the leisure of 1t. The child ren looked happy. A great many l out of town visitors drift in. and
 many uptown men bring their moth I CTS and sisters to see the place. The 1 mother usually hesitates outside the door, and much persuasion is neces-
 sary to induce her to entere even the l annex to the saloon. Finally, she l makes bold to enter, and sips her
 soda water sitting on the edge of her
 chair Her son opens a crack of the
 door leading to the tavern, and in-
 vites the woman to look. After much
 misgiving they solemnly peer in, the
 mother shaking her head dubiously
 at the sight.
 The group of East Side youths and
 maidens at the next table finds this
 sort of thing very diverting, one of
 the attractions of the tavern, in fact.
 It happened several times in the
 course of an hour.-New York Even
 ing Post.