The Washington herald., 1918-12-28

Special Correspondent oi The w.shington Herald.
New York. Dec. 27.-Jaded Broad
way habitues, drifting up through the
Roaring FoFties the other night for
their vesperal bite, got real thrlll
when they lolled up to Forty-ninth
street. ChurchilPs-which adveriises
mot restaurant, but an institution
was dark
Cap'n Jim Churchill more unlike
his debonair self than at any time
since he quit the police department
opened up a pretentious eat, drink
and be merry place and threw away
the key, could be seen anXiously pac-
ing his acres of snowy white linen
in darkness
II was just at the evening song hour
when 24O walters. 10 chefs and an
army of kitchen help went on strike
and walked right out on Cap'n jim,
leaving him, figuratively, fiat on his
back. Across the street the Pekin
walters Were also going out.
Diners looked into the darkened
cafe, shuddered and sought some other
lighted palace of LObsteria where
walters We're not so scarce. The strike
OF walters has leaped from hotel to
cabaret place. Just when II is believed
to be stamped out il breaks out afresh
in a new place. Now there is talk
of the ham-and places losing their
walters by strike.
A few of the exclusive places, like
the Ritz. ST. Regis. Majestic and
Plaza. have not been hit by the strike
as yet. but generally the strike has
crippled almost every hotel in town
temporarily.
The walters could interest New
Workers. in Cheir strike by denouncing
unanimously the further acceptance
Of tips by any members OF their Union.
| The tipping system has put the busi-
| ness of waiting into disrepute, al
though there are hundreds of worthy.
hard working men who are walters.
| Primarily the public is to blame. of
course, but now the public looks upon
the average waiter as an ogre ready
to jump on him at every turn and
gouge deep hole In his purse.
About midnight the other night. a
sailor lad, making heavy weather,
, lurChed out of a train and into an
elevator at the lSlst street subway
station. His head hung Imply down
until the elevator started up, when
ne heaved a deep sigh and remarked
: tough war. lemme tell you.
After which he lapsed once more into
broOding silence.
At Columbus Circle they are trying
( to revive Gilbert and Sullivan opera
to keep some singers fortified against
hard cold winter. The Mikado, ,'
The Pirates OF Penzance" and Pin
! atoTe' always 90 big. but the re-
vivalists put on "Gondolier'' one week
and almost starved. 1t ran for al
, most 60 nights at the Savoy in Lon
don. but on this side of the pond
, ii is a fiat failure. Despite this
| the gOndO!ese skit, in my opinion.
has some Of the best of the Gil
bertian satire and the Sullivan music.
An army officer sent a hotel mes
scnger to a drug store for some Ro-
Chellc salts. The boy misunderstood
the directions and asked for roach
salts. \ package was handed to him
which bore no warning to testify to
the dcadliness II taken internally
/ and the army officer swallowed a
dose. He died few hours later.
And nobody could he held to blame.
/ The case stood out because the army
officer was prominent but the hos
pital records show that every day
there is a patient or two victims Of
the mistakes of messengers they send
& to drug stores after different REM
cdies.
With the return OF peace and more
space for varied news, the ship news
reporters are rcveling in old-time
. glory One rplGS in a day of a boO-
doc ship, Of . CHEST in a cabin. OF
band of pirates of Sandy Hook
and OF a Vagrant submarine hunting
about for some ship to which il can
surrender 1t is all mighty fine read