The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-06-22

THERE used TO be a saloon in
32l East Seventy-first street,
and the sign that We'd for
honors with beer and whiskey adver-
tisements said 1t was 1.-THE Little Bo-
hemia Cafe" and at 4o4 East Sixty
fourth street there was another sa-
loon, ''Tony's Place." one of the great
gathering places for the young Italians
of the vicinity. principally because
there was no other place to go; and UP
In IS East End avenue.'in the same
district, there was a third saloon, a
rather greasy and dirty place that
never had any real name. but which
was something OF thorn in the flesh
OF the policeman on the beat because
It's patrons were descendants Of the
people Of southern and lower central
Europe and they took their drinking
very seriously. Pour few drinks of
whiskey down the throat of a South
European and he is fighting mad. and
then he Is a good subject for police at
tenion-and gets 1t.
But these three places are saloons
no longer. The Little Bohemia sign is
gone and in its place is one that says,
"Lenox Hill Settlement Boys Club"
and on "Tony's Place" you can see a
sign proclaiming it to be the United
Community Club, while the unnamed
saloon in East End avenue 10 now the
American Hungarian SOCIAL Club.
The Transformation.
The fumes OF whiskey and the odor
Of stale beer has given way to the
steaming aroma OF coffee and the mild
odor Of soda pop and the fights that
developed in the back rooms have
given way to friendly arguments in
the same backrooms. over whose
next move 1t is in the checker game,
or whether Tony Marillo fats the notes
on the piano that he ought to sharp.
and, of late, quite exciting debates
have arisen over the League OF Ma
tons. But there are never any fights;
there never has been anybody thrown
out by way OF the back door because
he got too boisterous and didn't look
as II he had any more money anyway.
and nobody now goes home drunk
from these old back rooms OF saloons
and beats up his wife.
These three clubs were established
by the Lenox Hill Settlement OF 611
East Slxty-ninth street, which FOR
some years has been working quietly
and unobtrusively in that district to
alleviate the poverty and the misery
there, and they are but the beginning
Of a post prohibition campaign which
the settlement hopes to make as its
part In the solution of the problem OF
what is to take the place OF the sa+
looms.
They were organized partly because
Il was in line with the work OF the
settlement, but principally because
Emory F. Hamburger, director of the
mems and boys work OF the settle
ment, is blessed with vision and en-
dowed with energy and determination.
Hamburger decided that the average
man up in that district did not fire.
quent the saloon because his principal
aim in life was to get drunk; he de-
c'ded that the saloons always had good
crowds In them because man, being a
most gregarious and gossipy animal,
wantei TO meet other men, and the ga
loon and the street corner were about
the only places he could do II.
Hamburger believed that the great
majority OF the saloons customers
went 10 the saloon because, first OF all,
ere was a place for them to sit In
comfort and to stand more or less In
comfort. He reasoned that II he could
put at their disposal a place OF that
sort, with everything and more that
saloon offered except the booze. he
could get the crowds. But OF course
there must be something to replace
the liquor. He decided that this could
be done easily enough by games and
lectures and books and magazines and
music, particularly music. because
there is nothing that appeals to your
hungarian or your italian and gets
MIN with you 80 quickly as music
And since the men of the neighbor.
hoo1 were mainly used to the saloor