The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-08-06
WOULDN'T LET
WOMEN EAT
AT HOTEL
Suffragist Leader and Friend
Not Allowed to Dine With
out Male Escort.

NEW YORK, Aug. "a suit vas
begun against the proprietor Of the
Hoffman House by Harriet Stanton
Batch, daughter of the late Elizabeth
Cady Stanton, because service at the
tables of the roof garden of that hotel
was refused her one day last week
Mrs. Batch was accompanied by Z
other woman, who was made IL by
their experience. Mrs. Blatch is well
known throughout the United States
as a lecturer, writer and prominent
s~uffragist leader and clubwoman.
Mrs. Batch says that she intended
to bring the suit. not for the money
damages involved, although she had
been Inundated and chagrined BECAUSE
of her experience, but solely for the
purpose of establishing the right of
woman to dine in the public restau-
rants of the city when and how they
desired.
There a five million women earning
their livelihood in This country" h
said, and it seems strange that teudal
customs should still exist here as they
do in other countries. / believe that a
| woman should be served in the restau-
rants, and I hope I will be ableto make
others think so, too"
Mrs. Blatch explained that she had
been spending the afternoon in the
Women's University Club. A friend
was with her, and she invited her to
have supper. Both women were hum
cry and tired. AS they entered the
Hoffman House they debated the ad-
visibility of going to the roof garden
for their meal.
A young man was standing at the
clerks desk, and Mrs. Blatch asked
him whether she could obtain her sup
per on the roof, and he told her that
she could. The two women assembled
in the elevator. When they reached
the roof their p%arasols were taken by
an attendant, and they walked toward
one of the tables.
Just as they reached the table Sc
lected by them a waiter approached
and asked Mrs. Blatch whether. she
had an escort or not. She answered
that she had not, and the man then
asked her whether or not she was a
guest of the hotel. When she told him
that she was not stopping there he told
her that he could not serve her. The
waiter In charge then approached and
repeated what the other man had said.
By this time the two women were
thoroughly angry. They made their
way to the elevator and were taken
to the office, where Mrs. Batch de-
manded to see some one in authority.
A gentleman introduced himself, and
after hearing the story said;
Il am very sorry, but that is the
regulation of the house, and we cannot
make any exceptions in it's application.
We do this for the protection of just
such ladies as you are. We do it to
keep out Objectionable women; women
of the type you would not like to have
dining in the same room with you"
Il have never been bothered by OBJ
~jectionable women" responded Mrs.
Blatch; when I have been annoyed it
has been by men. 1 do not suppose you
make any effort to keep Objectionable
men out.
1T does seem strange" added Mrs.
Blatch, talking of the incident last
night, that women, whose ~respecta-
bility Is apparent, may not satisfy their
hunger, unless they are accompanied
by men, while men, no matter what
their characters may be, are admitted
anywhere.
II know that many restaurants On
Broadway refuse to serve women who
are alone after 8 o'clock, but this in
cident happened in broad daylight"