The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-06-01
THE BOYCOTT on DISPLAY.

Countrywide Interest excited by the strike
OF n thousand more waters, cooks, and
kitchen sersitors in a dozen or SO fashionable
New York hotels and restaurants Is specially
significant showing that the local and pro-
sincial conceptions of New York are the same
That is TO say, the individual who calls HIM
salf the typical New Yorker" has mental
horizon fixed at Wall Street by day and some
where West Of Thirty-sixth Street by night.
/. rs viewpoint hedEed in with business sky
scrapers, blocked by The sub Treasury and the
Stock Exchange. relieved with the lights and
sra-tfe TT Broadway and Fifth Avenue, spotted
with the flaming signs of theatres mixed with
the palms and foliage and madly fddling or
cbestras Of the lobster palaces TO the
rapid artillery of feeding TO decrease it's fire
fer a moment TO still for night the iufan-
cry Of popping champagne corks gives to the
typical New Yorker the same sense Of loss and
distraction that happens when a great bank
closes its doora or a potent firm of brokers is
declared insolvent.
II in this conception os New York by New
Workers that gives the walters strike bigger
place in the news than tho stopping of twenty
thousand Industrial workers even than the
stopping, as happened last Fan. Of the entire
street-ceaning department OF the city. When
the fash and glitter OF Broadway and its pur-
views are even momentarily doused, the New
york' gasps as though the very gates OF
heaven had been smirched, Two thousand
funkeys Of the napkin off the job create more
excitement than twenty thousand stevedoree
holding up the traffic OF a metropolis.
In this artificial view of the great city the
provinces heartily share. Every year they
disgoree into New York hundreds Ct thou-
sands OF sght-seers. OF people called there by
temporary business, of honey mooners and
star-gazers and open-mouthed spenders OF long
savings In a deiirious ten days of pilgrimage
from one lighted cave OF tinsel life To another.
The typical New Yorker" would be surprised
indeed TO consider the truth. which is that his
peculiar knowledge Of his town is shared by
every crossroads merchant who once year
takes the occasion of replenishins his stock TO
indulge himself tn his annual bit Of dissipation.
But behind all this lies the great fact about
any great city that the fash restaurants. the
snowy hotels. the brilliant lights OF far-famed
thoronghfares, do no know, and are known by,
not FIVE per cent OF the popu2atlon. In and
around New York dwell and work aHd live
and die something like five million people %
whom Broadway is nothing more than aSnama
Most Of them may have heard in vague sort
oe way Of The k4nckerbocker. OF The Plaza
% Louis Martins and ChurchHrs, and the rest
of them. To these people waters strike means
less than nothing 9but the constan, striking
Of the servan, questloj means EVERYTHING. ~
t4rr77 orfre- 7rffitorta srtfo are fhA very ha X
bone Of the city's prosperity, are the servants
Of themselves and their own desfines. Boiled
down the strike that has thrown such con
sternation into The metropolis means nothing
except that some proprietors are our of pocket
and some imperious spenders out OF patience
Even the latter could go on side street and
get as good or better food at a cheaper price
The blow Is blow TO show. and nothing more
II the walters strike could only impress or
New York how little the walters or the waited
on amount to in the economy OF the city. Il
would be we'll worth all and far more than Il
has cost