THE PRETTY BARMAID' CONTROVERSY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3495, 19 September 1882, Page 4

THE PRETTY BARMAID' CONTROVERSY.

(Australasian.)

The ' pretty barmaid ' controversy lias run a prolonged course without throwing much light on the subject which we did not possess before. It is shown, indeed, that the system which now prevails is not devoid of evil, and it is quite possible that some too susceptible youths are led by the spell of bright eyes and pretty looks to linger about bars longer than is good for them, in the manner which so grieved the austere soul of Mr Patterson. One correspondent, who signs himself ' Once a Barman,' is able from his own experience to show that what, by way of contrast, may be culled tho plainbarman system is also subject to some objections of its own, and by way of illustrating the practices of tossing and gambling for drinks which barmen at times encourage, supplies the following curious psychological observation ; —So gi'eat is the advantage that skill and conversation give in the latter stylo of gambling {i.e., tossing) that a barman who mew his customers could nearly always win. My own practice was to find out the condition of my opponents. A benedict was very likely to call ' a man, , whilst the unappropriated were safe to sing out " a woman." ' But to return to the general question, few readers of the controversy will be disposed to think that even the merest shadow of a case has been made out of any interference by law or legislation. A very strong easo would be required to justify shutting women out from one of the few employments open to them, one which they have held from immemorial antiquity, and which is consecrated by the myth of Hebe, vho dispensed drinks to the immortal gods. Justification would be wanted very much stronger than is given by the miserably weak pretext that men will drink for the sake of enjoying the company of barmaids. Men who will do this are bound to drift to ruin in some ■way; they may as well do bo this way as any other.