100 years ago in Spokane: Chili parlor serves 400; burglars go on rampage; John Philip Sousa dispenses advice

Bob’s Chili Parlor, a famous Spokane eatery, served its annual free Christmas dinner to 400 hungry people.

For the past seven years, Bob’s Chili Parlor had been serving tamales, chili, fruit, coffee and “dainties” to all in need. The crowd included widows, widowers, children, and people with disabilities. An orchestra serenaded the diners.

H.L. Steenberg, who ran the parlor with Robert E. Cleary, said that the crowd was down by about 100 people over recent years, which indicated that “conditions in Spokane are better than in the last two winters, leaving fewer unemployed.” The proprietors had prepared food for up to 1,000.

From the burglary beat: Burglars spoiled Christmas for numerous residents who were away from home on both the north and south sides of Spokane.

The Spokane Daily Chronicle ran a long list of homes which had been entered and ransacked.

From the advice file: John Philip Sousa, King of the March, dispensed two bits of advice during his stay in Spokane for a pair of concerts.

The first was, “Success comes to him who does more than he’s paid to do.” He said his father instilled in him the idea that he should never to be satisfied with anything short of perfection.

The second was, “It’s easier to believe than it is to think.” This was his response to religious fundamentalists, because Sousa sided unreservedly with religious “modernists.”