Evening star., 1923-01-20
AMERICAN IMPRESSIONS
By EMILE COUE.
ARTICLE iii.

tuated by the popping of corks; and
glasses OF water and ginger ale re-
place the familiar bottles OF cham
pagne emerging from their glittering
nests of ice.
Quite seriously am inclined to see
In the American glass of iced water
the symbol of a new era 1t has the
rhythm OF a scored rite, with real
one goes, to the chic restaurant or
smartest tearoom or to the humblest
eating house, a glass of water is I'M
mediately placed before one. To my
mind. the repetition of this gesture
has developed a sort of hypnotism
and the constant appearance OF the
inevitable tumbler of glistening lin
pidity has frozen in many peoples
minds all idea of any other drink.
AS time goes on this force of pub
lie conviction must increase and. un-
less change of state policy inter-
venes. the protesting clamors OF anti
prohibitionists will end by being lit
orally drowned in the ubiquitous
a generation or two an American Will
no more dream of placing in front or
a guest a bottle of old wine (pre-
ciously preserved, perchance. by his
parentsl than a European would to-
day think of treating a friend to
glass OF water. Is there not an I'M
pressing demonstration of the force of
suggestion in all this?
seIf-Service I'm u. 8.
The fruits of suggestion are visible.
again, in other respects of social and
public life on this side of the At
lantic, so different from that or hu.
rope. Certain obstinate notions as
to the indispensability of servants,
for instance, would appear to have
been eliminated over here. 1t is, per-
haps, rather presumptuouS for me 10
discuss this subject, in view of the
r-l,n NP N
But, after all, these are only impress
SionS based on what l have seen or
not seen. Now, l have seen very few
servants; yet everything is done In
homes and hotels with an efficiency
that is amazing to European visitors
accustomed to a ceaseless and hopeless
wrestle with the servant problem.
Whereas in Europe we are obsessed
by the idea of getting things done
for u.s. Americans have replaced 1t
by that of "self-service." and every
thing is organized accordingly. One
goes into a busy subway station, and
the only employe visible is man
who sits in boxlike office and
nickel dropped in the slot lets you
! through the turnstile; there is no
ticket to buy. The time saved is
enormous. The work now done by the
passenger himself is reduced TO an
Incredible minimum. Almost every
thing is accomplished automatically.
'Self-service, ! notice, is a feature
of many popular restaurants, the
brightness, cleanliness and attractive
ness of which have won my admira-
tion. 1 should like to see them imi-
tated in my own country. And, while
I am on the subject of restaurants, /
must confess to chuckling a little on
| discovering that the maitre dhotel or
head-waiter has been abolished His
work too is now done automatically,
| judging by the number of restaurant
| windows which display in big letters
| Suggestions for lunch or Suggestions
| for dinner followed by list of dishes
specially recommended to patrons. And
1 am told that in other establishments
J the huge menu card saves customers
| the trouble of making a choice from a
| hundred different dishes by carrying
a little oasis of suggestions" for the
! days meals. What would the pompous
old European maitre d'hotels say? But
| who shall say that America does not
understand the value of suggestion?
! Copyright. 1923. United States. Great
! Britain. Canada and South Ameris. by North
| American Newspaper Alliance and New York
| World press Publishing Company. All rights
| reserved. Unlicensed reproduction In full or
in part expressly prohibited.l