T THE OLD ENGLISH COFFEE-HOUSE BY FRANK C. LOCKWOOD HE American saloon has vanished.. It frittered away its day of grace, and the cold intelligence of the American public is set against it once for all. Yet, blight ing and iniquitous as the American saloon proved itself to be, we are compelled to admit that in some respects it supplied a legitimate social need. Is it not now high time for us to inquire what this pearl of value is that through all these years has found its lodging-place in the swine's snout? Since the saloon has disappeared, we should see to it that whatever component it contained of social value should be preserved and utilized for the continued benefit and enjoyment of men. What, then, is this subtle and potent ingredient-purity in the midst of impurity? Does it not lie in the deep and perennial desire of men to come together in free and independent good fellowship amid surroundings that minister to leisure and good cheer and physical comfort? And has not human nature always and everywhere decreed as an almost necessary accompaniment of such intercourse that men shall eat and drink together? Surely, if the charm exercised by the saloon resides in this enjoyment of unconstrained and democratic indulgence in talk and food and drink, it ought not to be hard to provide an acceptable substitute. It seems to the writer of this article (one who is incurably social and gregarious, and at the same time, both in theory and practice, an enthusiastic investigator of the eating and drinking habits of mankind) that the English coffee-house of the seventeenth century supplies us with just such an example of a popular social institution as we are now in search of here in America as a substitute for the saloon. There remains in England to-day no vestige of the coffee-house as a distinctive institution; but for a century-from 1650 to about 1750-it exerted a unique and powerful influence on the national life. During the period of its supremacy it met definite and widespread needs-needs that we speed maniacs of the twentieth century, with our highly organized business, social, and political life, can scarcely conceive of. The coffee-house was at once a sort of specialization of the higher and more intellectual aspects of the tavern, a forerunner of the club life of the succeeding century, and a substitute for the daily newspaper. It afforded every requisite for comfort, convenience, and companionship, and all this at the slightest cost and with no temptation to debauchery. At the expense of only a penny a man could find light and warmth and congenial company; a place to receive his letters; access to the latest news; a common meeting-place for the transaction of business; untrammeled opportunity to discuss politics; the privilege of gleaning expert knowledge from the lips of the great or those who were near neighbors to the great; and, finally, the incentive to cultivate fine manners, correct decorum, and sound morals. All this in addition to gratifying his palate for the outlay of another penny-with the beverage that makes men wise and keeps them sober. It is not strange, in the light of all this, that the coffee-house should have come to be looked upon as an institution of national importance; that it should have seemed so fit and fascinating to all classes; that it should have been called the citizen's academy; and that an Oxford wit should have said," Learning no longer remains a dry pursuit." The practical task of establishing and operating coffee-houses attractively and successfully here in America must, of course, be left to expert students of society and to professional caterers. But even in these bread and butter and coffee and pipe and newspaper matters much valuable information may be drawn from the practices and material conveniences of the coffeehouse in the time of Dryden and Swift and Addison. There is, too, so much that is quaint and charming about these old English coffee-houses that it may not be amiss to point out in some measure what constituted the rich and varied life of the typical From "The Early History of Coffee-Houses" HEADING OF BROADSIDE, 1674 English coffee-house in its high and palmy days. At that time each place had its own appropriate sign-a hand pouring coffee from a Turkish pot into a coffee-dish, a sultan or a sultaness, or the Great Mogul in his chair of state. Once within the charmed circle of the coffee-house, we see a clean, well-sanded floor, orderly and decent stools and benches, and nicely polished tables. A great fire burns cheerily at the end of the room, and before it an abundance of water is kept continually boiling. Shining rows of coffee-dishes and coffee-pots are conveniently displayed about the room. A buxom dame or a pretty maid presides graciously at the bar; and within a glass case near at hand the letters of the regular patrons are so arranged that the addresses may easily be read. The coffeeboy or the master of the house plies industriously to and fro, supplying newspapers, pipes, and tobacco; replenishing the empty dishes; and welcoming or repelling newcomers as occasion may demand. Upon entering, each person paid a penny at the counter, and coffee was usually twopence a dish. There was no other charge. Regular frequenters of the place had their favorite seats reserved for them, and were accorded special attentions by the mistress or the landlord. A certain amount of privacy could be secured by individual or fraternal groups by retiring into inner rooms reserved for guests of special pretensions. A man of fashion or leisure might be expected at the coffee-house between ten and twelve in the morning; and again after his two-o'clock meal from four to six. He might then go to walk in the park or might attend the theater; or he might remain throughout the evening, as Dryden and many wits often did. When quest was made for a man on any account, it was not asked where he lived, but what coffee-house he was in the habit of frequenting. Some habitual loiterers and gossips made a practice of going about from one coffee-house to another, visiting several of them between breakfast and bedtime. In the earlier days the coffee-house was a perfectly democratic and representative meeting-place. All classes and conditions of men came together; so that here might be seen every type of individual from the braggart and the bully to the fop and the philosopher. Hither came the wit, the beau, the politician, the country greenhorn, the soldier, the apprentice, the lawyer, the doctor, the clergyman, the man of the world, and even the gentleman of the road. Nobles and plebeians, Whigs and Tories, Quakers and Puritans and Cavaliers-all alike frequented the coffee-house. Men of like tastes and pursuits tended, of course, to meet together, with the inevitable result that each particular coffee-house soon came to have its own congenial group of patrons and to take on more or less the character of a club-but democratic none the less, and not until a rather late period crystallizing into distinctive club life. The distinctive features of the old English coffee-house are almost identical with the popular features of the modern saloon accessibility, democracy, convenience, physical comfort, comradeship, information, amusement-all this at slight cost. Whatever modern institution is evolved as a substitute for the saloon must recognize and emphasize these universally attractive qualities. It is not amiss for the church to do what it can to supply the physical and social needs hitherto provided by the saloon. But when the church and philanthropy have done their utmost to reclaim men and open to them the doors of sober comfort and wholesome fellowship for mind and spirit, the great mass of men who have been habitual frequenters of the saloon will have been unreached. In large measure they must find or devise their own substitutes, or must find their satisfaction in new institutions that will arise naturally out of new conditions. Community centers will increase more and more; cities and States will be more prompt and intelligent than they have been in the past to provide from the public money public comforts and conveniences such as the saloon has been accustomed to supply: and business enterprise and foresight will recognize the new demand and will set about meeting it, in the spirit of mere gain, adapting their establishments as far as possible to the same desires that were formerly supplied by the saloon. Foremost among all these purely business undertakings, it would seem to the writer, should be the modernized coffee-house, modeled upon that of two hundred years ago, but, so far as possible, taking over the unique, popular, and unobjectionable features of the American saloon. Why should not the great wholesale coffee dealers of the country take lessons from the brewers, and thereby, at this transitional juncture in the social and drinking habits of the American people, vastly stimulate the sale of coffee through the establishment in opportune locations of, hundreds of cozy, attractive, accessible, well-equipped and well-managed and advertised coffee-houses? THIS WEEK'S OUTLOOK A WEEKLY OUTLINE STUDY OF CURRENT HISTORY' BY J. MADISON GATHANY Hawaii's Serious Problems T ELL how Hawaii came to be annexed to the United States. Do you think we acted wisely in accepting possession of these islands? Explain the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the Hawaiian Government. How are the Governor, the Senate, and the House of Representatives chosen? Compare the Hawaiian Government with the Governments of Alaska, the Philippines, and Porto Rico. Can the Legislature of Hawaii enact any laws it sees fit? Suppose a question regarding the Constitutional privileges of a citizen of Hawaii should arise, where would the question be settled? Do you think the United States Government should take a hand in solving the problems of Hawaii that are mentioned in this article? a What points would you include in " wise and adequate programme of education and Americanization for the people of Hawaii? What is the meaning of the "coolie class," evictions, sabotage, equitable, heterogeneous? The Public and the One newspaper says that the two million or more Brooklyn citizens "merely desired to be let alone so that they could go peaceably about their business unmolested and safe from bodily harm." Is this the extent of interest the public should take in strikes? Do you think the public ought to be willing to undergo inconvenience in order to help strikers achieve their objects? As part of its plan for dealing with industrial disputes, The Outlook advocates. the incorporation of labor unions. What good would this do? Why don't union leaders themselves advocate the incorporation of the unions? The Outlook also advocates the right of collective bargaining. What does collective bargaining mean? Why is there any question about the right of collective bargaining? If wage-earners did not strike, do you think they would be working for less than living wages? Do employers of men and women in your community show a voluntary practical interest in the social and economic betterment of their employees? Ought wage-earners always to keep their contracts? Should there be a means of enforcing contracts entered into by wage-earners? Illustrate both of your answers. There seems to be considerable opposition on the part of labor unions to com 1 These questions and comments are designed not ouly for the use of current events classes and clubs, debating societies, teachers of history and English, and the like, but also for discussion in the home and for suggestion to any reader who desires to study current affairs as well as to read about them. -THE EDITORS. pulsory arbitration. Should arbitration be compulsory or voluntary? If you were a wage earner, which would you prefer? Why? Do you think industrial concerns should call in strike-breakers? What, in your opinion, are the purpose and the aim of organized labor in America? Define the following: Incorporation, ultra-radical, impertinent. corollary, public sentiment, subterfuge, Some of the most valuable books on labor movements and labor problems are "Labor and the Common Welfare," by Samuel Gompers (E. P. Dutton); "Labor's Challenge to the Social Order," by John. G. Brooks (Macmillan); "The Casual Laborer," by C. H. Parker (Harcourt, SELECTED GOSPEL HYMNS Brace & Howe); "Labor and the Employer," by Samuel Gompers (E. P. Dutton). The Hunger Strike as a Weapon A choice selection from the famous MOODY & SANKEY GOSPEL HYMNS, 1 to 6 COMPLETE Herein are the favorite and the tenderest of the World's best hymns; those hymns which have endured the longest by the estimate of time. In durable cloth binding for all departments of the Church. $50 per 100, carriage extra. THE BIGLOW & MAIN CO., 156 5th Ave., New York A Cash Offer for Should the British Government release Cartoons and Photographs Mr. MacSwiney from prison? Many people do not know the plan of self-government which Great Britain has offered to Ireland. What is England's real attitude on Ireland? What are the rights of Ireland as seen from the Sinn Fein view-point? Is it the divisions within Ireland itself that causes the delay of a peaceful settleor want of good will on England's part ment between England and Ireland? Tell what you think of injecting the Irish question into American politics? Do you think this country should recognize the so-called Irish Republic? Tell why or why not. Would you be willing to have the United States engage in war with Great Britain over the question of Irish independence? Both sides of Ireland's case are presented in the September (1920) number of "Current History Magazine." Read it. Also read "Ireland and England," by E. Turner (Century), and "Ireland a Nation," by R. Lynd (Dodd, Mead & Co.). A Question and a What is your opinion of The Outlook's argument against a federation of nations at the present time analogous to the federation of States in the United States? Support your opinion. An editor of a Democratic newspaper charges the Republican party with playing politics with peace. Is there any proof that the editor is right? There are those who believe that if the United States does not join the League of Nations as advocated by President Wilson and Governor Cox it will show that the United States is a coward. Is this so? What is your definition for the following terms: Civilization, federation, analoyous, confederation, contiguous? Cash payment, from $1 to $5, will promptly be made to our readers who send us a cartoon or photograph accepted by The Outlook. We want to see the best cartoons published in your local papers, and the most interesting and newsy pictures you may own. Read carefully the coupons below for conditions governing payment. Then fill in the coupon, paste it on the back of the cartoon or print, and mail to us. THE EDITORS OF THE OUTLOOK 381 Fourth Avenue, New York To the Cartoon Editor of The Outlook: date To the Photograph Editor of The Outlook: The attached photograph is the property of the undersigned and is submitted for publication in The Outlook. Postage is enclosed for its return if unavailable. It is my understanding that The Outlook agrees to pay $3 for this photograph if reproduced as a halfpage cut, or smaller, and $5 if reproduced in larger size than a half page. The enclosed brief account of the object or event depicted you may use as you see fit. Name.... Address. M% 20 miles to the gallon of gasoline 12,500 miles to the set of tires (National Averages) OTOR CAR performance above the average is Greater comfort, easier control, fewer annoyances and Nothing indicates more clearly what motorists think of 1920 will increase the total number of FRANKLIN AUTOMOBILE COMPANY, SYRACUSE, N. Y. PILGRIM MOTHERS BY DANIEL HENDERSON (The first baptismal names entered in the records of the church founded by the Pilgrims at Boston were those that appear in these verses) Pilgrim mothers-when your ship Clove the wildness of the West! When the sea-wind's icy grip Chilled the dream within What of peril? What of woe? What of pain and pestilence Made you name your children so"Pity," "Joy," and "Recompense"? When your unaccustomed hands your breast! Helped to break the stubborn ground, When your titles to the lands Were a headstone and a mound; Whence your calm, submissive mood, 'Midst the new world's turbulence, That you named your infant brood 66 Pity," "Joy," and "Recompense"? Pilgrim mothers-still the years Hang their misty goals in space! We in turn are pioneers To an onward-surging race! You who by the barren rock Built the spirit's excellence, Make us worthy of your flock "Pity," "Joy," and "Recompense"! Children ARE IN Danger PROTECT THEIR SCHOOLS American communities have suffered the actual horrors of schoolhouse fires. This costly lesson is unheeded in cities and villages without number. In every community there are school buildings which lack full fire protection. A Pyrene Fire Extinguisher will put out any fire in its early stages, even a gasoline or electric fire. A teacher or pupil can operate it. Pyrene puts out many a blaze while the fire department is "on the way.' A Pyrene extinguisher should be in every schoolroom and a Guardene soda-and-acid extinguisher in every hallway. HOW TO LOSE YOUR BY MARGARET WENTWORTH We are told all through childhood's formative years that we should always keep our tempers, and we are given examples like Sir Isaac Newton and his little dog Diamond and Patient Griselda, just as though they were equally applicable to the case; whereas, as I shall endeavor to show, they are poles apart. But, after all, who wants the same old temper all his life? Who can be sure that if he lost it he would not find a much nicer one? Above all, what person who contemplates the benefits won for himself and others by people's having lost their temper at the right time can dodge doing his share? On the other hand, if the people who lose their tempers, anyhow, would but study doing so to the best advantage, who can tell what might not be gained thereby? No one spends time or thought on how to do something which he does not want ever to do, like falling out of a third-story window or interfering between man and wife; but, though some very good people disapprove of dancing, most people feel that those who are going to dance anyhow should be taught to do it gracefully. Therefore I am about to lay down a few cardinal rules on this question of losing one's temper. It should be doneSeldom; Thoroughly; At the right time; To the right person; It should stay lost until the situation is remedied if it be remediable; A better one should be recovered in its place; The evil remedied and the temper recovered, the incident is dead, and there should be no post-mortems. A word or two under each of these heads, like an old-time sermon. It should be seldom, both because otherwise it loses all its effect and because it is really very tiresome to get angry. That is |