The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-08-06
WAITING AS A FINE ART.
servitors in Big Hotels Need Many
 Qualifications.

l president of the administration of Lunion Genevoise in the United States and until recently dining room cap- tain in the Hotel Astor. By the phrase first class waiter" is meant one who is thoroughly versed in all branches of the rtade, besides being able to speak several languages.
 Eight thousand of these men are members of L'Union Genevoise, and are mostly French, Germans, Italians and Austrains. Many of them have passed through regular course of training, best exemplifled by the Academic" at Friedewaldt, near Dres- den, Saxony, where everything is taught which Is necessary for the equipment of really good waiter. There the student learns cooking in lall it's branches and memories the end less varity of strange and unusual names given to simple dishes, in order that he may be able to describe and explain the contents to beWildered din- CTS, Wine lists are also perplexing pug zles to many, and these must be care fully studied before a waiter can ven- ture to recommend any particular wine lor special vintage.
 If one ask the hotel waiter about his work he will find that he looks on it as a profession which has it's stand- Iards and traditions, and which, in keeping with many other present day occupations, has a worldwide organiza- ton. The average hotel guest has pro- lbably never heard of L'Union Gene Ivoise, or International Hotel Employe lSociety, as 1t is also known. The fist is the proper title, and, as 1t implies, the society was formed in Geneva, Switzerland. It does many things for the quiet men in black who serve the hungry in hotel dining rooms. After having been thoroughly trained and made competent to hold q place in any lcivilized country, the waiter is sure of assistance wherever he may be, from Bloomfontein, South Africa, to Boston On arriving In strange city, he has only to present himself at the offices of the association and exhibit his mem- bership book, which shows whether he was honorably discharged from his last place,
 In case of illness, after man has been a member from six months to five years, he receives S5. cents a day. If on the other hand, his membership has spread over five years, the amount he gets Is $125 day; if more than ten and up to fifteen years, $1.60, and for anything above fifteen years, $2.00 for each day. Since it's organization in 1879 the society has paid out $S0,550 in sick benefits and for burial fees. Loans and gifts and obtaining employment for members bring the total to $155,55O. In lorder to qualify as a member of the club 1t is necessary that candidate be of good character and shall have been connected with the hotel and restaurant trade for at least two years. Above | all, he must be thoroughly competent and experience waiter.
 "A first class waiter is born, not made" says d former head waiter of the Hunting Room of the new Hotel Astor. From the moment that a man enters on his duties as the most insig- Inificant 'piccoio, or omnibus we can tell whether he Is going to be an effl- Icient servant. He must be attentive without being seryile, must be noiseless Idefthanded. and, above all, must be Icareful not to break things.
 "Even if he has natural aptitude for the business, the amount of care lful instruction required to form him is very great although his nationality makes much difference in the matter. The best men are generally French, German or Swiss, and these have often had the advantages of attending acade- mics or even kindergartens established at foreign hotels in the season when they break plates, spoil sliverware and generally sustain parts in a universal comedy of errors, to the great disgust of guests upon whom they practise their trade. The walters, academy in Vienna is the foremost in the world.
 Knowledge of several languages Is a very necessary qualification, and hardly any scrap of general informal ton comes amiss, but tact and discre- tion are the walters chief virtues, His attitude should be that of soldier, all at attention-aIways ready for the wor of command. He should answer politely when addressed, keep at re- spectful distance from the table, yet always be near enough to be easily called when wanted, In fact, really good waiter should need no calling, but make a point of watching the guests face, so sa instantly to observe what is wanted almost before the guest him. self has had time to form a wish.
 In the hierarchy of waiterdom the head waiter stands first. Next comes the assistant head waiter, follower by the captains" who supervise each his own part of the dining room, the serv- ing walters and the 'piccolo'' and omnibus" men, who keep the water carafes filled, remove dishes which have been used, and generally supply the tables with what small articles may be required from time to time. Aeeor- ding to Auguste, of the Hunting Room, the head waiter should always meet the guest as he enters and courteously commit him to the care of one of the captains, who places him at table. It is the duty of the waiter to help people to eat" said Auguste, "How can man who nearl always eats at home learn how to cat at hotel without some assistance? The menu is to him almost a Chinese puzzle, which he studies laboriously and with little profit. In despair he orders three steaks when one would do: then he is