The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1911-10-19
new WORKERS CARRY
own DRINKING CUPS
Found Health Law Hard to
Get Accustomed To-Its
Benefits Proven.

NEW YORK, Oct 19.-Ncw York is
gust beginning to realize what it
means to so without the common
drinking cup. The new local law.
which went into effect on the first OF
the month, has begun to reach out
and smite the water drinking public
in various odd ways that had not been
contemplated by those who heard Of
It ten days ago.
1t Ia necessary now to carry your
own cup about with you, II you would
be certain OF getting a draft OF Octo
Der Croton when attacked by the de-
mons OF thirst To drink from the cup
that some one else has used Is mis-
demeanOr, IL the cup has not been
washed thoroughly between times.
The rule has been made to apply to all
kinds of buildings where two or three
water dinkers may be gathered to-
gether. Hotels. factories, theaters,
public schools. public halls. railroad
stations ferry boats. jails and all 9th
cr public stamping grounds must alb
olish their common drinking cups. 1t
even applies to many offices down
and a single glass heretofore have
done service for the entire office
staff.
The health department intends to
enforce the new regulation vigorous
ly. but 1t has allowed a little time for
replacing the common drinking cup
People have been slow about making
hA ohor
they do not think the law applies to
them. No less water drinker than
ex-Justice Augustus Van Wyck yester-
day made the mistake of going to court
without his individual cup He was OBJ
1iged to summon all his legal skill to
obtain and ordinary glass of water
The court drinking cup had gone and
1t was only by the merest luck that an
attendant found an untouched glass.
Van Wyck. apparently had not heard
how another lawyer, John " Bouvier,
Jr.. had had the very same trouble on
the day before, and had been Obliged
to buy glass in order to quench a
thirst that impeded the progress of the
case
dent lawyer is the ingenious office boy
who has not missed a drink since the
law went into effect Business houses
downtown have complained of an un-
precedented increase in the demand
for envelopes. While the amount of
correspondence has remained unchan-
ged the envelopes have disappeared by
the score. Those In charge Of office
stationery could not explain 1t at first.
A boy had discovered that an ordinary
envelope made a good drinking cup.
First he sealed the flap. then cut the
envelope In tow and each half became
q water cup. The trick spread from
one boy to another. and from Office to
once. until the officers who wanted to
send out letters encountered a short
age Of stationery.
Frequent offenders were the en-
ployes who commuted each day from
westerly suburbs. Their source of wa
ter supply had been cut off all along
the line-in the Office. in the ferry
house. on board the ferry boat, and in
the trains. for the use of common
cups had been barred for many weeks
in Jersey. So when these good people
left the ONCE at night, they contrived
to carry with them enough of the
firms envelopes to ward off thirst on
the homeward journey. with enough
to spare for the mornings rush to
town on the next day
In the public schools, the city plans
to install new-fangled spouts from
which the water streams when you
press down spring Meanwhile. the
school drinking cup has vanished, and
children who do not carry their own
cups to school must 60 thirsty.