Omaha daily bee., 1922-04-28

r. In explaining the closing OF tsmou.
restaurant in New York the other day. the
proprietor said. Restaurants don't pay. Eating
places pay. OF course. bu, not what should call
. restaurant" The distinction which this sug.
gests will not be understood by some people
but !. may be understood well by others Wha,
- served to the public in eating piaeess Food.
naturally. What is or was. served In the places
which would answer the old resizurateur's de6ni-
4 uon. OF a. restaurant! Food. drink. Psychology.
In them. these elements are. or were. present in
| about equal proportions. and which was the
greatest among them Il would be hard to tell.
II the food is not good, the restaurant, could moi,
be good. As 10 the drink. that may be obsolete:
!, may be gone. but i Is not forgotten and there
| Is nothing in the Eighteenth amendment that
prevents II from being included in the definition
OF the word restaurant" As for the psychology.
iha, has always. in truth been sll-mporiant
| Psychology Is the thing. IN restaurant. which
takes up room. II Is psychology which extends
| the reach OF your elbows several feet on each
| side. II Is psychology which limits the presence
OF persons at the table to those OF your own
positive selection. II is psychology which re-
auires q new cloth. and one OF al excellent quail.
| ity OF linen. when there is not spot on the old
one. II Is psychology which riSidly restricts the
number OF other persons whom the waiter may
serve. Psychology is the most costly item on
the bill Of fare. You can not feed people with
i. but there are some people whom you can no.
feed without il.
II was clearly this fact which put the ceie-
brated restaurant in New York jus, referred TO.
and several others OF the same class that went
before il. in the past tense, There the complete
restaurant. in the old sense. is now-ihe old
restaurant which served elegantly and delieately
many things now known chiefly to memory. II
las gone into the past There may be two sides
10 the case. 1t is urged that along with il has
gone the alcoholic ward in the hospital, and the
however that may be. the problem OF psychology
has not vanished into the past. II may be said
to be more important than ever The restaurant
in the proper and immemorial sense must re-
main. We can not eat in eating places alone.
This fact only serves TO render the psychology
OF the situation more important, as well as more
expensive. than ever. What the restaurant loses
in the revenue from wines and liquors il must
make up in psychology. II from the trinity of
Faith, Hope and Charity you eliminate any one
OF these Christian graces, you are compelled 10
increase by onc-third the weight OF the other
two. II is precisely so with the frst-class |
restaurants bill OF fare. What il loses in drink,
it must make up in the departments OF food and |
psychology. The American maitres d'hotel, Of
whom many noted examples still survive. are
under the necessity Of inventing new eleganees |
and new attractions-of introducing new and
ailuring items in the addition. That is all. II is
inconceivabe that people of fashion. high Of brow
and long OF purse, should be content with mere
eating places. The saving remnant of society |
can not be abolished even by constitutional
amendment. The restaurant, in spite Of the pes
simistic view even of distinguished restaurateurs
who have gone under, must still live