The sun., 1919-02-02
BY JOHN w. HARRINGTON.

u RosNAN's saw ,1 trail is soon
X to be with things that were.
The paintings Of national bank
notes which adorn the walls Of Stew
arts quenchery are going on the block
Of the auctioneer. Already the sirocco
Of prohibition is whitening the oascs.
One cannot dismiss the old New
York saloon in n single Glove scented
breath. The memory Of many will re-
main. The great ones of the earth
have hooked their heels on the brass
rails of these old taverns which are
passing; the fates of nations have
been weighed around their dingy ia
bles.
Are there not saloons which are re-
positories Of literature and art--and
others that had stuffed birds before
ever we had museum of natural his
tory? Were the saloon in better odor
with the nation some one might build
a memorial to house its pictures and
statues and historical documents. But
-, as matters stand these valuable col
lections are being cast adrift on the
cold water, eventually TO find their
way into some back eddy or other,
there to be seen no more.
These taverns of old New York, SO
soon to be perverted to the selling OF
mere food or soda water. are we'll in
dented in the city map. Hardly had
the good Dutch burghers built their
palisade against the Indians when they
opened a saloon. 1t used to stand
down at Broadway, where there is an
office building full with those Of this
about to be ginless generation. There.
tradition has II, the first cocktail in the
United States was compounded. and
men Of the New World first took their
case in their inn.
All lower New York bears footprints
Of time in these old houses, where
mighty draughts OF schnapps were
once poured down.
History? John Brosnan's. in Fulton
street, Is covered with 1t. The ambi-
ton Of the National Park Bank to
spread eastward was responsible for
the decision that Brosnan's was to 60
When it goes the site probably will
never be marked by a tablet of bronze
like this:
Here Garibald planned the liberia
ion Of Italy"
And yet he may have. He spent
many a year within what is now
Greater New York. He made his liv-
ing as a chandler and soap boiler, and
down on Staten Island, near Rosebank.
is his cottage, and in the yard. on its
base Of brick, is one Of the kettles he
used. He and his compatriots In exile
took many trip to lower Manhattan
In those days and met other friends Of
liberty in the little back room of Lo-
renzo Eenturas wine shop. 1t was
about this time, 1850, that John Bros
nan took over the place. but with rare
delicacy permitted the sign Of the for
mer proprietor to remain, and so 1t has
remained unto this day.
The room where Ciaribaldi assembled
his junta is Just as 1t was in his day
In the middle OF it is ponderous table
with massive curlycue legs and topped
with an octagonal slab Of red marble.
The favored visitor to Brosnan's may
have look at Garibaldis Table or sit
in one Of the chairs in which he sat at
the head OF his council. Light slants
from a single window to find the ma
hogany bookcase nailed against the
wall and bursting with yellowed docu-
ments and newspapers. When the door
Of this haven is closed no sound of any
talk within can reach the outside
v%sld. Nowadays the room houses the
telephone,
Bros.ans is a saloon OF the plain old
type WEI, it was started there we're
two extremes in the decoration OF hos
telries. One was represented by the
famous Gem Saloon, picture of whose
. gaudy interior Is so broadmindedly
hung on the Brosnan wall. The Gem
had a tesselated floor of varicolored
marbles. I, had what was then said