The Wilmington morning star., 1940-12-06

49, llllS GNtIol-
are those of the author s sus
may not always harmon ~lo
with its position 1.-The Editor
BY WEsTBRooK PEGLFR
NEW YORK, Dec. 5.-Tbe ~.
statement of the New York I'm tela'
correspondent in Rome. whenna eS
had been expelled for o~ffensiye ne
depreciation of the news. has III
rise to a hope that similar sven
justment may be made batus au'
Mr.. Harold Ross, editor of the N0sa
Yorker, and the press ministrr
the Stork club. 1t may be recsn'
that the press ministry of the StosS.
club recently Cancelled Mr.. Bns.'
visa, pointed to the frontier s"s
told him not to come back Th.1
action involved a 2erious orae,i ms
OF the freedom of the press ha
cause the expulsion was ordered
retaliation for something which nu ~
editor had published a bont .s
dean of the gents room cornS
Journalists, an elite and temner'
mental group.
1t appears that the journalists =,
this sensitive clan have becona
the successor of the late Harrr
Lehr, who was the social tvran+ :.
New York 40 years ago. MIR, LEN,
in his day, with n impatient ,os'
Of his lovely head, the merest sbss'
ow OF a pout or a stamp of bS.
pretty foot, could exclude from tbo
haunts of polite society anyone wbo
displeased him.
Assumed BY Journalists
Since society moved into the G..
looms, however. this arbitrary Al.
thority has gradually been assumed
by the journalists of the 81.
loon beat, and is exercised thropob
their power to advertise Or omit
from their dispatches all mention
of any place whose proprietor ad.
mlts persons of whom they disan.
prove. Most proprietors believs
that their economic life is in ths
hands of the journalists of tha
gents'-room corps, figuring that in
return for frequent free mention IN
print they a we'll afford to sub.
ject their paying customers to in.
trusion at their tables and embar.
RAISING publicity. On the other
hand, if they do not receive free
publicity they may have to fold IN,
This attitude has produced a va.
riety of results. Some customers
are so eager for personal publicity
that they welcome such attention.
and others are so fearful of re.
prisal in the press that they sub.
NIT, anyway. There is also a dan. |
ger that a client who tells a Jour.
nalist of the gents'.room CORPS TO
get away from his table will be
turned in to the management as
an undesirable person and black.
balled the next time he wants 10
impress an out-of-toWn customer
with his entree to the best saloons.
Thus, from the status of more or
less obsequious moocher in the
days OF the speakeasies, to be seat.
ed at a small and rickety table
near the kitchen and buffeted by
the swinging doors as the waters
went in an out, the journalist Of
this corps has now become him.
self a social celebrity of high de.
gree. He commands the most
prominent table, where he may be
easily pointed out, and it would be
dangerous in the extreme for
proprietor to decline to prov.ie the
best accommodations for a mem.
Der OF the corps, even though cash
customers were lined up ten deep
outside.
Satisfactory Results
A few proprietors have taken the
opposite view, and one of these
has gone so far as to exclude prac.
tically the entire corps-by indi.
rect methods, it is true, but with
satisfactory results.
The method in this case was not
to keep out the members Of the
corps but to treat them as gentle
men which, of course, is a mortal
affront to a gents'-room Journalist.
Forbidden to sit in the laps Of the
customers, to ask them questions
OF an intimate, personal nature and
to spread notebooks conSpicuously
on the main table, the journalist
OF this special corps Immediately
becomes aware that his celebrity
has been impugned and autonat'
cally bars himself by refusing 10
return to a place where such III
dignity awaits him.
The result is that in a short time
the entire corps drops away, and
the proprietor is able to pass the
word that his customers are tree
from molestation. Rather Oddly
Notwithstanding the publicity boy
colt, saloons observing this policy
have been known to prosper srear
ly.
Holding hat an important prn'
ciple is at stake, If. Ross has re-
fused to apply for a new visa ~
the Stork club, although it is uH
derstood that thu press mlnlse!
has relented and would meet hN
half way. Indeed, Mr.. Ross n"
said he is delighted to know W'.
wherever he goes all members u
the corps will abruptly leave nv
has thought some of hiring OUT d.
a social exterminator whose Vei
presence in a saloon is guarantee
to eliminate gents room JoufDe