The Washington herald., 1920-02-12
New York City
By o. o. Mcintyre

New York, Feb. 1.-THE smart,
snappy walters so dear to the heart
of the Broadway spenders are no
more. The craft has vanished. They
have been caught in the current of
q new age, and swept Into oblivionS
Times have changed and Henri or
Jacuues-the names were used as an
actress has her stage name-found
that their art was being trampled
upon by invaders.
Bolsheviki, the lurking denizens
of the Moscow cutters, are taking
all the waiter jobs, according to the
white shirted gentry who were so
efficient that they could use an Eng
Iish or French accent as suited the
patron, The invasion began shortly
after the war and now the tide has
swelied until all the familiar faces
are gont.
1t is a strange new world for the
Idiners-out. Walters who knew
their whims. their favorite dishes
and all the little things that make
gastronomic satisfaction are sup
PLANTED by a different crew. In one
of the smartest restaurants In town
the other night l saw a focS of
walters that I would hate to meet
in a side street after dark.
And a tale is told of rich young
blood of the avenue sitting down
at one of the tables and a new type
of waiter staggering up to him
with: What cha goin' to have?
Not to be outdone the young blood
bawled out loud enough to be heard
all over the place: Brown some
wheats, fry a couple sunny side up
-, hA
up and walked out in his most
dignified manner
The pre-war waiter made his oc-
cupation an art. He knew the
favorite du jour dishes and he could
make a Welsh rarebit or golden
cock fit for the gods for after thea
ter crowds. He was always very
quiet, but extremely courteous and
he carried a dignity that was i'm
pressiVe. The walters now seem to
regard everything as piece Of
work that must be done.
Poet Cowper held the record for
tenderness to dumb creatures. He
once wrote:
1 would not enter on my list OF
friends
Though graced with polish'd man
ners and fine sense
Yet wanting sensIbility the man
Who needlessly sets foot upon n
worm.
Yet Cowper was hero compared
with the softest hearted man in the
army discovered at a New York
! port. A bunch of New York soldiers
/ clad in full undress were giving vent
to loud applause as their uniforms
were being fed to the delouser.
when a corporal called out:
Don't cheer boys, The poor devils
are dying"
The following ad In a New York
paper sounds a tragic note: Per-
sonal: Man with pint of vermouth
desires to meet man with half-pint
qSp gin; object cocktail.
ran into Bide Dudley, poet,
humorist and playwright on Broad
way the other afternoon. II l didn't
know his habits I would have sus-
pected that he had been fractur-
ing Mr.. Volstead's idea. He jumped
up and down, gave a couple of
cheers. and l stopped him as he
started climbing up a telegraph pole.
Then he dashed into a telegraph
office and sent the following tele-
gram to his mother in Kansas:
It's a boy and looks like his
mother. Thank God"
| Indignant music lovers are writ
ing TO New York newspapers about
a lack of consideration shown to
those in the humber walks of life
at the Metropolitan Opera House.
The workingman who buys a fifty
cent seat is entitled to the same
consideration as the boXholder. The
chances are that he knows more
about and appreciates more good
music than thebepIumped, bejeweled
dowager of the horseshoe circle who
comes only for personal display.
Nothing will kill the love for opera
so quickly as class snobbery.
Norris Gest has a Russian pdince
working for him in the cast Of a
Broadway show. All of which isn't
bad when you consider that not so
long ago Morris was a newsboy in
Boston. The prince business doesn't
seem to be holding up much these
days ANYWAY,