New-York tribune., 1910-12-25
Leading Hotels
he AHotvn6 Members Of tie
10 Trans form6 Rolls Blue
Rings in Cafe5 Rooms.

Avenue. Not that the good hotel man is
! anything of a snob. not in America, at
least. Abroad he must be.
These remarks clear the way for what
/ have to say cigarette smoking. 1t is
not the thing that mother will teach
| a daughter a social accomplishment.
She may smoke herself. but she would
rather her daughter would not do so, and
that is the point of view of nineteen moth
ers out of twenty among the people who
patronize hotels Therefore, why lower the
standards set by the American people and
respected by residents and visitors from
European countries? There is a large
class of women of a sort all of whom
smoke There is a class of women who re
fuse and always will refuse to smoke on
principle. To change a standing conven-
. ton arbitrarily will attract more of the
undesirable class and repeI many of the
desdra BILE class So ] am in favor of wait
ing till such time as there is no sugges-
ton of improperly wha in smoking
by women before the privilege is offered
them"
Fred Sterry, of the Plaza, is noted for
his pronounced views among hotel men
and his direct utterance of his quick de-
cisions When the question of women
policy. voiced in the following words:
What is opinion of women smoking
cigarettes publicly? Why. we have never
found room for argument in the matter.
In the first place, we never have been
forced to consider the question to
whether or not we should allow 1T in our
dining rooms because there never has
been an occasion which woman patron
tried to set aside the unwritten but Gus
tomary law in this regard. Should such a
situation arise however, we should most
certainly inform her. tactfully as pos
sibie, that we do not wish to have her, or
any other woman, smoke in our public
rooms Therefore, while there may or may
not be in the near future, any radical de-
parture among New York hotels from the
long established precedents to which L
have referred our policy will remain the
same.
"Of course this is a thing which can
not possibly be forecast with any degree
of exactitude, and ii might be that in a
few weeks women will be allowed to
smoke almost everywhere, not only IN
New York. but IN other cities. II this
should transpire still we beg to inform the
public positively and politely. that We do
not want and Will not allow women 10
smoke publicly in the Hotel Plaza. 1t ism
that we differentiate between the women
who do smoke AMI those who do not. and
maybe We will be compelled to provide
smoking room Ior the exclusive use Of the
paradoxical sex, but 1 repeat that our tea
rooms, grilis and gardens will always be
so managed that there will be nothing In
them that will not conform to the demands |
OF the most conventional and exacting of
our patrons"
The manager of another upper Fifth |
avenue hotel, a man recognized among /
the most successful of the old school. de-
sired to be non-commital at present, but |
volunteered this interesting commentary. |
Said he:
.sThe present discussion in New York of /
the smoking of cigarettes by women in pub I
lie is something to be regretted, there is |
no real ethical principle involved, the only |
thing debatable being the form of it. A |
very fair percentage Of women smoke in |
private and many of them with more or |
less publicity and disregard for opinion. |
req Hing that the time has passed when a
woman may az well reiinquish forthwith |