The Washington herald., 1918-09-20
By DWc

New YORK, Sept. g.-What Is tne
most nonessential job in Gotham
Some wag has said it is washing the
windows in Grants Tomb and still
another points to the hammock dem
onstrator in department store eel
lar. Grants Tomb has a single tiny
window-the hammock demonstrator
wears fannels and lounges about TO
show the comfort OF the hammock.
Before the war when Broadway was
a blaze OF light there used to be a
very important job-the only one Of
its kind perhaps in the world that is
now going into the discard.
At the hour when the theater
crowds scurried across Times Square
and the thread sign kittens COM
menced their evening romp. groups
of men, women and children who
gazed aloft awaiting the message TO
be unravelled by the thousands Of
glittering electric lights could be
easily spotted for their newness to
the big city and the wonders OF the
Rialto.
Out Of the jump OF honking auto
mobiles, soldiers, surface cars and
traffic policemen passersby came upon
swarthy person who took UP a posi-
ton which kept him on the inner
fringes Of the crowd close up by the
wall
He kept a constant watch at a GER
tain sign. His gaze, unlike that of
the country cousin crowd. gave evil
dence of sheer disgust and failure to
be thrilled by the novelty of the show.
In one hand he held a large sheet
Of white paper. With a heavy pencil
he inscribed certain marks upon It,
but only after a long directed gaze.
For almost two hours he kept writing
and watching the signs.
He was employed Jointly by own
ers Of huge electric signs to see that
all the letters, corset stays. threaded
spools and kittens forepaws were
|, kept brilliantly lighted for the amuse-
ment of the 10000 who pass along
Broadway nightly.
Along came the dimless nights and
he was temporarily de trop. But
when the lights blinked again he re-
turned to his post. Now there are
only about three big signs to watch.
| The others have gone the way of all
luxurfes-and to many the sign
| watcher has the most nonessential
job in town.
Things have changed greatly at the
Nameless Coffee House. 1t is situated
on Houston street, and it is so unlike
/ the traditional coffee house that Il
does not fail to attract attention de-
spite its lack of nomenclature.
The proprietor never gave it a name
yet for years it has been the gather
ing place Of the Jewish literati. musi-
clans and actor folk and Zionsts.
Most Of the young men who once
lounged over the bare tables slipping
heavy Turkish coffee and smoking
cigarettes, now drink their coffee in
some quaint town in France.
Only the older men are left. The
heated discussions of Futurism VS..
Realism. the actors art, free love,
its merits and dement's, the future
| of the Jews-these are things of the
past. The Nameless Coffee House
lives on memories.
He clung weakly to a striped barber
pole on Forty-second street. His fact
was like statue in chalk and he
trembled like an aspen leaf. gasping
| intermittently for breath. A police
man walked up to him and inquired
the trouble. II just dropped into that
barber shop" he said. THE BARRIERS
are women. After I got in the chair
began telling the lady barber how
liked my face shaved when sud-
dennly 1 looked up and discovered
that the wielder of the razor was my
ex-wife." The officer took out his
big handkerchief and mopped the
lather from the agonized face and
led him away to safety zone.