The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-10-03
ITS WOMAN PATRONS.

4 ReporterCounted Thirty-one at the
 Subway Tavern in the Afternoon, and ] Fifty in the Evening.
 The Subway Tavern does not, so far, appear serious menace, as far as wo- men are concerned. The only alcoholic drink served them is beer, and com paratively few calls for that mild bey- craze are made in the course of the day. , Considerable nisapprehension con- cerning the wonlan's room in the tavern still exists, despite the publicity the place has been given. The room is a small one opening directly on Bleecker street. It connects with the cafe by swinging doors and contains, besides the sodo fountain with it's usual row of stools, half dozen smalltables and the cigar counters of the establishment. The windows are unscreened and the doors stand wide open, so that whoever i enters is in plain view from the street. Two hours of an afternoon, from half past four until half-past six, and one hour in the evening, from nine until ten, were spent in the room on Monday. During the afternoon the soda water fountain did lively business, the great majority of patrons being men. In the two hours thirty-one women came in. Of these seven bought beer. The rest drank ice cream soda. Of the beer drinkers four were escorted by men, ap- parently their husbands. One elderly Irishwoman, uneseorted, drank beer, Soon after she left two typical Bowery women entered, the youngest unques- tionably a woman of the street. The other was old and apparently intemper- ate. They hesitated at the door and wandered rather helplessiy around the , room before they decided that the beer ' was purchasable at the soda water fountain. They drank one glass apiece, smilingly congratulated each other on the quality, and departed. These were the only doubtful characters to appear. The rest were of a good class neatly dressed and perfectly well 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 east ward to their homes. They drifted in once in a while, and consumed ice cream soda. Many looked tired and l worn, but not a girl refreshed herself with beer. s
 The popularity of the soda water fountain has not diminished since tho tavern opened. In that part Of th' town soda water is apt to be poor, witt manufactured extracts instead of fresf fruit sirups. At the tavern the bes materials are used and the fountain il kept as immaculate as in the best up town establishments. It is the hope Q lthe management to create such a likint for soda that men as well as womel will prefer it to stronger drink. on' day the manager of the tavern Wlli that laudable object in view, advertised baraain sale of soda at two glasse flor five cents. The Hebrew population lof the neighborhood and beyond it cam in crowds. Many drank two to four be fore leaving. By seven o'clock in tn evening the fountain was exhausted.
 The evening hours at the tavern ar naturally the liveliest There were per
 haps fit Y women there in the course of an hour. Practically all were proper
 iy escorted. One woman, who is said t be a regular patron, brought her entir' family Of small children. one in a bab! carriage. She sat down at one of tn tables, ordered a glass of beer for her
 self and soda water for the childrn, ant sat for half an hour apparently enjoy ing the leisure of it. The childret looked happy. A great many out-of q town visitors drift in, and many up flown men bring their mothers and sis ters down to see the place, The mothe Eusually hesitates outside the door, ant much persuasion is necessary to induc ther to enter even the annex to saloon
 Finally, she makes bold to enter ant sips her soda water sitting on the edg Eof her chair. Her son opens crack Q lthe door leading to the tavern, and m lyites the woman to look. After muel misgiying they solemnly peer in tn mother shaking her head dubiousiy a the sight. --. I The group of East Side youths am Imaidens at the next table finds this sor lof thing very diverting, one of the at fractions of the tavern, in fact. It hap inened several times in the course Of al . ..g9. ',y.... xyorIy Il1raniI,pr+ Post.