The sun., 1910-05-15
LUNCH And TROUBLE TOO
CLUBS WHERE MEMBERS WORRY
THE HOUSE COMMITTEE.
Rise of Great luRcheoa clubs Downtown
Odd Complaints FrOm Nembers-A
Chlcksn sandwich CAse-The Pipe
Qnestion-Narletles of FAultnnders.

NutAtleu- -NafteAes 81 FhulAluattefa.
In the hallway Of one of tho biggest
luncheon clubs one rainy day a timid
stranger stopped a worried looking man.
-CScuss me, sir. I'm q new member. =
FGid tho tinid man apologetioally, -Could
y,u toll me- -hs hold up a pair Of very
muddy rUbbarJ- -whsrO I oould-ah-
Get these Clesaed;-
The hara ed mans face took on a
look Of add'd rrsirnAtion.
! -Wips '"In - un me- he said. I'm
on tho hol,s comrr it.Se.'
The tinid man rr;.csi in tho dining
room. an hour o' o. ls'Dr. that this same
house committeeman wa enjoying tho
Difference that commonly il accorded only
20 multi-milionares. Tn steward stood
listening 70 him az though b. vas the
president of a great corporation. The
head waiter hovsrsd near by. nervOusly
keeping an eye over everything. The
best Of the captains and a crack waiter
had been told oh TO see % tho welfare
Of this important man. He was getting
a substantial reward for his endless worry
and trouble.
The great luncheon clubs that in tho last
ten years have sprung up in every inn
pOrtant American city. and especially in
downtown New York. are not social clubs
At all a. the word social IL understood.
Tho newest development in club life. they
are huge. ornate and exclusive food fac-
tories. They open up early each morn
ming and Close az clock az night.
A. a general thing there is little life in
them except during the rush hour at
midday. Then hundreds Of men Of active
business life. of all classes and kinds. and
all busy. come together. There is little
Of the dillydallying and lounginR Of tho
traditional club that has most Of its Co
tivity at night. Not even billiards are
played. The one object in these clubs,
some Of which are 40 big that they pay
rental Of close to SSO,OO a year. for they
are lodged in great Office buildings and
have no clubhouse of their own. IL 70
furnish food and drinkables. and it Ia in
them that the science Of being a clever
houss committeeman is developed TO it,
highest point.
The mail a house committee gets IL a
wonder. No matter how big business
man q member may I've the moment he
arrives a. his MONDAY club he begins
TO take notice of minute details that
annoy him there but would not make
any impression on him elsewhere Inn
mediately he sits down and writes letter
to the house committee ore Of the vice
presidents Of a manufacturing concern
dropped this letter into the complaint
box right after luncheon
Is the chef under the impression that
he Is furnishing food 10 q lot % long.
shoremen' To-day ordered roast beef
and when 1t was brought to me Il was
cut thick enough for a day laborer. Roast
beef should b. cut about one-siNteenth
Of an inch thick. The way il is served
in this club is disgusting.
This man was genuinely annoyed
Il took two tacifully written letters to
get him into good humor again. The
house committeeman who handled this
particular complaint drew a long SIGH
of thankfulness when he had finally
satisfied the kicker
I've sold that man half dozen bills
oT goods Of from so 0Oo 10 $4,000 each
within the last two wears he remarked
YEARLY. Each Of en- vas an easier job
than this
Another man wrote'
Grvrt.grEy. Why do you allow vouT
walters To serve 'he WronE fnTss With 1sh p
do you no; ,nov the usages NJ polite SO. .sty
REGARDING those things. and II YOU DO whv
are the walters ignorant W thetn'
The chairman oT the house committee
took this letter IN hand himself and re-
plied that tho club didn't have any fish
forks lie added diplomatically that.
dasDite what the gentleman had said. the
committee could not see that they were
n necessity. To this answer the unap-
teaaad unent.r replied. L shall never
order fish in this club again
In the complaint box og one of these
clubs was found not long AGO a note
demanding that every table in tho dining
room he eOuipDet with telephone
He added this Ultimltum, that u his rc-
.,uest was not complied with he would
resign forthwith The house committee
carefully explained In - answer th7t
the idei had already been talked over
and dec.dsd against. as II WIS feared
that the shouting Il the members while
they we're telsuhonlnE NOuli annoy
every me e!sa IN the dining room but
th. committed continued. hp might hrvc
some Rood arg7Imsnt for their inst Ia
zion that the committee had never thought
~ n he could give any good rclspn
vhv the telepnon.g should be- installed
they would be- my ~ lt once,
This man dd have q reason. He ev-
planned Il 70 leu 9Th IN ? letter that went
- the long suiicring house COMMITTEES !
Gy return mail. Every committeeman F..
when H. wis read.
The r.1snn the man waited phones /
nut IN the dining room vas ~ ne
coul ken truck II Nis stenogra uhet /
Ws saii that Ier lunch hour was frnm
Il 10 I and h,a from - .. and he wanted
TO call her up while he was Unching
10 make SIRE that IN" was On the job
He tnuk tho committees refussl to |
ncoais a. h,a wishes AZ much to heart /
that he really did resign.
In the files 1T anOthar luncheon club I
there arr, preserved IN probably a dozen .
letters the history oi the chicken sand
wich.
An ordinarily sane and very able business /
man who for the PURPOSES II this recital .
NAV he called Thomas BJones or ,
dered one noontime a chic.en sandwich |
When II came he objected 20 IL. saving .
that there was not nesrly enough chicken .
hsstween the slices Of bread. He ate .
mart, gruWled. called tho head waiter .
over and departed IN a hun The incl .
dent ~ raaped the aenSibiities ~ that 4
usually imperturhsble iunctiOnary thai. ]
one ID the hOuse committee heing at a .
table near by, he carried over what re- I
NAMED Of the sandwich for inspection. /
The hotIHe committeeman said at once I
tI,at vvhafayar else miRht ~ wrong about .