1931 Old Waldorf Bar Days by Albert Stevens Crockett

Hall of Fame early days, a small, snowy napkin went with each drink, enabling a patron to remove certain traces from his mus– tache or his whiskers-heavy mustaches and whiskers were abundant-without toting home odors in his hip pocket, or wherever he carried his handkerchief. And while questions were not usually asked, men who bought drinks were supposed to be able to freight them away in tact, and not to spill them, or to show other effects than a certain mellowness and good fellowship-though per– haps fluency in argument or reminiscence might be for– given one who was standing treat. In brief, a gentleman was supposed to be larger than what he drank. The theory of the proprietor of the establishment was that all his patrons were gentlemen. Atid the theory was good, even if it didn't always work out in practice. The law was the law, and it was strictly obeyed in that Bar. If, nowadays, certain laws seem to be "all wet" when it comes to their observance-well, that is another matter. The actual bar itself, a large, rectangular counter at the northeast corner of the room, as noted, had a brass rail running all around its foot. In its center was a long re– frigerator topped by a snowy cloth and orderly arrange– ments of drinking glasses. At one end of this cover.stood a good-sized bronze bear, looking as i'f it meant bu~·iness; at the other end, a rampant bull. Midway between.them was placed a tiny lamb, flanked on either side by a tall vase of flowers. The whole decoration was a more or less delicate compliment to the heaviest patronage of the room at cocktail-time, wags claiming that the flowers were all the lamb-the innocent public-got after Wall Street's bulls and bears had finished with him. [ 23]