The Washington herald., 1922-03-30
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NEW YORK, March 2s.--He was
a professional hoofer a few yeas
ago In a hotel dansant--a mem
Der OF that strange brood who
danced with unescorted women
and permitted them to buy drinks
and cigarettes. A caliph -of the
Gorgeous Garments fattening on
petty graft In the Broadway ba-
zaars of this modern Bagdad.
In the same hotel I saw him.
He had just left his eight--oom
suite on the fourth fioor--valeted
into midafternoon sartorial mag
nlficence. His electrically Lighted
name floods the facades Of a thou
sand movie theaters from Maine to
California.
He is one Of many snatched from
the cutters and hurled into amaz-
ing opulence by the magic of the
movies. He is shunted through Sc
cret hotel entrances to avoid the
L-ess OF the crowd. Women shower
him with gifts-indeed he carries
a diamond studded cigarette case
given to him by the daughter OF
a man whose name causes Wall
Street to tremble.
This particular star was cast to
play the troglodyte-a cave man
nish person who repulsed women
Into fawning submission on the hot
desert sands. Girls In select board
ing schools b-ave expulsion for the
mere sight of him and the hotel
clerk told me that his mail came
in sacks every day:
The son of a bootblack father
who came from Sicily. he spent his
early days selling newspapers about
the docks and shooting craps. He
has had only two months school,
ing and he was a cadet. living off
women, before he reached 81.
Now he is the Nadir of naughty
insolence rolling in wealth. Any
one who is not manicured. bar
be-ed and furnished with a thrice
daily change of clothes is a brush
ape"--a yokel. He has only scorn
for the herd. They, annoy him.
He still says dis" and dat" and
saucers his coffee. But women
cry for him just the same.
A lobster lies under a window
sign in a Harlem restaurant which
reads: Ten years under the same
management" And a Bowery shoe
store flaunts this placard: STRONG
Shoes for Tough Kids"
Many OF the tea rooms emplay
"sitters." Their job Is to give at
mosphere to the place-life and
laughter. New York follows the
crowd and II a tea room looks de-
serted they go observation-disclosures
the ''sitters.' The tea room names
are also undergoing a change. For
me-ly they suggested Colonial
quiet. There were the Queen
Annes. the Martha Washingtons
and the like. One on Forty sixth
street is called THE Raz-Ma Tar"
Another The Hot Dog"
A gnarled, old flower peddler
with his tray OF faded posies was
walking along Broadway. A po-
liceman pulled with the official
afflatus pounced upon him. The
old fellow pleaded and gesticu-
lated in broken English and finally
dropped to his knees in the street
and piteously begged to be re-
leased. 1t seems he did not have
his license. But he was gathered
in and carried off weeping. Among
the circle that gathered around to
watch the proceedings was one or
the most prominent of the boot
leggers of the White Way. He ap-
peared to be half amused at the
vagaries of the law. One could
not help but wonder what he was
thinking about.
Subway officials a-e putting .
stop to inebriated New Workers
sleeping off bad nights in their
trains. The guards now wake the
>sleepers at every station once they
have made the round trip.