The Era-leader., 1919-08-14
SOFT drink SALOONS
OF SALVATION Army
Commander Booth Tells Of New Com.
munity Centers.

Following the announcement that |
the Salvation Army was to take over
all of the available saloons in the big
community centers this explanation Is
given by Evangeline Booth, command
er of the Salvation Army in the Unit.
ed States in the New York Evening
Post:
We of the Salvation Army believe
that the saloon became an institution
because it was not wholly bad 1t had
an appeal to the social instinct. In
taking over saloons the Salvation Ar
my will sell only non-intoXicating
drinks and it will try to give the good
features of what we call the saloon
and take out Of it all that made for
the undermining of character.
What is a saloon? When we say
saloon we employ merely a polite
name to gloss over the business of
selling strong drinks. The original
saloon was a gathering place for social
purposes. 1t had the nature of the
French salon, which was nothing more
nor less than reception room or par
lor in which men and women gathered
to discuss literature, art, politics, and
in fact everything which tended to en-
bellish civilized life. The serving Of
refreshments in the salon of the real
type is an incident. It made little diff
ference whether they were drinking
champagne, sherbert or tea When
the keeper of a lowgrade groggery
calls his place of business a saloon,
he wrests from its true meaning
name which should make for good and
for the uplifting of the ideals Of man
kind.
Still Hold Old Meaning.
Strange as IL may seem, even the
cheapest saloon has in it something
of the character of the original salon.
Men foregather there to talk politics,
to discuss sports, to give their opin-
ions about their favorite baseball
players or to play a quiet game of
checkers or pinochle.
Col William A. Mcintyre has made
careful study OF the class whom the
world calls the Down and Outs" He
has come in contact with all kinds OF
the victims of drink. In so doing he
has learned to know the habitues OF
the American drinking places which
we have come to dignity by the name
saloon.
The saloon of tomorrow is intended
mostly for men who are unattached
It woud not so seek to cater to mar
ried men who have homes of theil
own. 1t does aim, however, to reach
bachelors, especially those who are
likely to be lonely in our great cities
and who have natural liking for the
society of men of their own class OF
walk in life,
Merely a Salvage Move
Since our announcement with re
gard to the taking over of saloons w
have received many inquiries as tt
how we would carry out this projec
on a large scale st is not orr inetn
ton to make extensive investments o
to ID, any large amount of capital TO
this purpose, but where there are leas
es which may run for year or so an
| where fixtures are available it will b
practical to carry out our plans with
out any large expenditures.
2 The saloon as planned by the Sa
vation Army would become essentia
, " poor mans club, where non-intol
4 icating liquors and wholesome foo
would be served.
i A Soft Drink Club.
0 The soft-drink club, if may use ths
:, expression, would have an entirel
u different moral effect, not only upo
the individual but upon the famil
than does the hard-drink saloon. TIL
T statement is not based upon mel
=, theory, but upon actual experiment
" which have been conducted by tt
n Salvation Army.
- We have, for instance, in West Fo
I ty-seventh street hotel in Whic
q there was a typical barroOm. v
. took away all the intoxicants but Il
> the fixtures remain exactly as the
r we're and retained the barkeeper. TT
brass rail on which so many me
y seem to like to rest their feet is st
O there. The customers of the pla'
can still put their elbows on the shi
}, ing bar-rail of mahogany directly lev
q with the counter. They can foregat
!" er there as of old, where they c;
|! lean in attitudes Of ease and hn'
=, their drinks served to them much
II the same manner as they did VIII
" the rum bottle was showed around q
y shining wood.
. $*&*****+**'s&sss
III uEA1n