The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1853-05-09
ITEMS ny THE wAYsIDF.
PIcKEDUP AT RAvELrSG EDrroR.

the apron strings Of the community-letters
telling all about the towns, cities, scenes and
people, met by the wayside Of our journey
ings, that they have really come TO demand rs
right that which editors generally only con-
cede as especial favors. "Why hav'nt you
written letters!" has been queried to US from
nearly every corner of the street, after re-
turning from brief trip, briefer in time oc-
cupied, however, than in distance Travelled.
There are several very good reasons in an
swer-but the principal one is, we didn't
want to. However, in memorizing the ex-
cursion. "A few agreeables and disagreeables
stand out in bold relief, which we intend in
our familiar manner to ink docn for the en-
tertanment of readers, as better provisions
are sailed down for future use.
ENTHUSIASTICALLY the greatest hum
bug of all pastimes pursued by men, is straw
cling for pleasure" We don't recognize
such an expression in the vocabulary of any
sensible mans experience or hopes. To-be-
sure, we never yet tried the experiment of
"traveling for pleasure, but we are quite
sure that in all our business excursions, switch
have been many, varied ard sometimes te-
diously long, the idea never occurred to us
there was half so much pleasure in travelling
as in staying at home. Little children will
differ with us, and so may some grown-up
children, hut they are big and little humbugs
in themselves, and amt worth minding. Yet,
bless you, we readily confess to lightness of
heart, and very exuberance of chi!dishly
sanguine spirits, in anticipating long loos-
ed fer excursion, and even at the very hour of
its commencement. But il won't do. "Pleas-
Tres are like peoples spread" Presto-you
are on steamboat, where travelling pleas
ures are like puppies spread, three deep over
a cabin floor, whining, crowding, snoring
duly ticketed by accommodating officers
to this precious privilege from ten P. M. to
four A. NJ. Presto again-you are clatter-
row seat with fellow being, ,icketed there
for six or eight or dozen mortal hours, inn
mortal it might seem from their length, your
eyes and mouth filed with dust, ears stunned
by the rush Of many sounds, nostriIs defled
by mingled odors disagreeable, and magma.
ton pleasantly excited by memories of in
hume, able smash ups and tumble downs, ard
the dreadful account in the paper before you
of the last ''terrible disaster" by which two
locomotives. six passenger and emigr ant cars,
and fifty people, turned double somersets
together for five minutes, then got SO tangled
that two scores Of laborers, with divers sur.
geons, were engaged a day in separating
cars, engines, and human bones and flesh,
into their respective constituent individual.
ties. Presto once again-and here you are
jogging along at the rate of from one to five
miles an hour in numbering coach, over OF
through mad roads, with eight sweltering
steaming companions "inside," three band
boxes and two squalling brats-dozing, start
ing in alright, "like to have gone over thai
time," snow we're stuck, get your rails,
passengers please get ut'-swearing bump.
ing, thumping-ah, the pleasures Of travel
! ing" But enough Of that-till form these
fancies into the realities of our ''Items by the
Wayside."
POPULAR BoAr.-It may be set down as q
fixed steamboat fact--that no steamboat il
popular from the merits of the craft alone.-
She may be swift, her accommodations supe.
rior, and a first class boat in every particular
but made an unpopular boat at last by Off
GERS not adapted to their business. Steam
boatmen, we mean leading officers, have got
to be gentlemen nowadays. We recolec
the time when it was not SO by any means
There has been a change with the progress
Of the times, in this particular. But to ram.
bic on, some boats without any particular at.
tributes of superiority, maybe made popular
by those in charge of the boat, her business
and the comfort of those who travel on her
The Lady Pike is an instance. There are
boats much her superior running by Evans
vile. although she is fast, punctual. and pos
sessed OF good accommodations. But why is
it that when boats of the FIST class, and, o
every class, are half the time without full
supplement of passengers, this steamer is al
ways crowded from stem to stern! Now We
are not writing puff, but making suggestion
for the rejection Of steamboatmen them
selves. We answer our own question. Sim
ply because, and from no other reason, thu
officers not only strictly attend to every dut,
necessary for the safety of the boat, freigh
ant passengers, and for the securing of pune
tuality in trips, but they devote personal at
tention to the comfort and pleasure of thos,
, who travel with them. More than this, the,
secure popularity on land, by neglecting n,
1as mrs the and fDieb IN m a., a ,bo a;