New-York tribune., 1919-05-14
1t Looks Like a Saloon,
Has a ''Barkeep" and
Every Appurtenance En-
cept the Familiar Kick
Salvation Army Runs 1t
Experimenters Seek Other
Sites, but Proprietors
Say, ''We'll Keep Selling''


and tension that in the past have
marked the opening to settlement by
the government of a territory known
to contain raw gold is visible at pres
ent in the attitude of churchmen, So
cial workers and business men who, in
spired by varied motives, are seeking a
substitute for the saloon-the "ersats
bar" of a bone dry nation.
July 1, when every saloon in the
United States must close, unless Presi-
dent Wilson at an earlier date pro-
claims the war ended and the army de-
modified. is the earliest that these
business projects, church adventures
and social experiments may be en-
pected to sprout in this new field.
None of them wants to compete with
tho magic bottles of real saloons.
Whether they shrivel quickly after the
start under whitening overhead ex-
pense or blossom with dividends de-
pends almost entirely on the shrewd-
ness'of the men who thus attempt to
guage human nature.
Dry "Bar" Already Here
Only one serious effort Is being made
in New York to conduct dry bar in
competition with the 6,955 drinking
places that are facing disbarment
through the action of the Sheppard
amendment and constitutional prohi-
bition. This is an experiment in brass
foot rail psychology being made by the
Salvation Army in The Argonne, its
hostelry for service men In Forty
seventh Street, between Sixth Avenue
and Broadway-the old King George
Hotel.
Adjutant Samuel Wood, in charge of
the hotel, rested one foot on the brass
rail before the old King George bar
yesterday, leaned an elbow on the
mahogany and ordered beer substi-
tute as thirstily as ever any "horrble
example" of the Salvation Army or
dered booze. There were no other Gus
toners. 1t was 80 o'clock.
"We haven't much patronage from
outside the hotel" he explained. "Many
discharged service men come here,
though, in addition to the men who
are still in uniform This canteen
pays US better than our cafeteria ad-
joining The biggest crowds are at
night between 1O:3O and midnight,
after the theatres have closed"
They Line Up Three Deep
Fred Seller, the eighteen -year- old
bartender" who is the son Of a Buff
falo Salvation Army major, resumed
where Adjutant Wood left off. He
said:
Sometimes at night the men are
lined up R in front Of the bar three
ia1z tuna Opo ,,irLf x.,o 70 l. can
All the old barroom fixtures have
been retained. A fern in a big flower
pot and a catsup bottle occupy places
| of honor on the bar. Behind the bar
: is the old mirror, its reflection marred
! by bottles of soft stuff. In the centre
of the bar is a soda fountain. There
are no portraits of women on the
walls.
But $40 in one night wouldn't pay
the daily rent of many of the hard
stuff saloons in the vicinity of the
Argonne experiment. However, the
Salvation Army's real laboratory work
in finding a substitute for the saloon
is still to come. Commander Evan
geline Booth has announced that the
organization would concern itself with
saving the good that was in the saloon
for prohibition days.
Would Keep the "Barkeep"
Her plan includes the retention of
all saloon fixtures and features, in
cluding regular "barkeep." Only al
cohol will be missing. Col Mcintyre,
who directs Salvation Army work in
what is known as the New York prov
ince, is seeking a suitable location.
His plan is to lease some defunct sa-
loon on the East Side after the saloons
have gone out of business. There is
no intention of attempting the work
on a large scale at first.
If the first experiment proves sue
cessful others will be opened and kept
open as long as they support them
selves.
Over on the East Side the Rev Will
lam Norman Guthrie, of St. Marks
Church on-the- Bouwerie, and his lay
associate, Eric. Wilder, are seeking a
corner saloon keeper in their neigh
borhood who will be willing to SUBJ
lease his place as Coffee Palace,
"This must not be considered as an
adjunct to the church." said Mr.. Wilder
yesterday. at is not an effort to help
the church, but it is an effort on the
part of the church to help men.
by our plan we would serve the
best coffee it is possible to make and
any other appropriate drinks as we'll
as the best kind of sandwiches. We
would retain the fixtures of the saloon.
If the personality and character, of
the bartender justified, he would be
retained also.
This thing will have to start in a
small way. 1t will be successful only
if it can be made to pay it's way. If
the saloonkeepers themselves will run
places of this sort in their present
buildings and surroundings so much
the better"
Don't Expect to Be Closed
Another experimenter is Urbain j
Ledou~, who conducts the Stepping
Stone Mission, in 203 East Ninth
Street. He is cooperating with Mr..
Wilder. Thus far all the saloonkeep-
ers he has approached with an offer
of leasing their places have told him
quite airily that they have no inten-
tion of being closed on July 1.
"That1l all be fixed up in the courts. -
they tell him.
But Mr.. Ledoux and Mr.. Wilder are
continuing their search and hope soon
to find saloonkeeper in their neigh
borhood who will listen to their plan.
There are other efforts in view by
social settlements and individual mas.
tors. There remain the business men
who are preparing to enter the game.
See Sweet Opportunity
The experience of states that arr
already dry has shown that increases
consumption of candy follows in tn,
wake of prohibition One arswer |;