Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-06-03

kief, or your quid or your passion for castle
building. There are degrees, my son, in hu-
man enjoyment. A cool tankard and long
pipe In an arbor looking upon . smooth bowl
ing green has, ere now, been the dearest 30
lace Of scholars or divines. Others can 6nd
no enjoyment more gratifying than . bright
nre, close drawn curtains, . silver teapot, and
an uncut number Of the Quarterly. There
are men whom you could not tempt with gold
or jewels or trinkets for the Lord Mayor's
banquet, to say there was greater pleasure in
NE than playing with their children. Sugar
ana water and tooth pick will content some;
cigar and cold toddy on the tiles others but
iof my part, L do not know more pleasant an
imai enjoyment, of the tranquil, msditstiye
klnd, than an American drink and q cigar,
ana my kief afterward. Yet even these re-
goulssances are transitory; a melapcholy bub-
ping In the straw tells Of the last drop of the
nscai agent. Then comes the empty glasses
and payment and remorse.
The barkeeper and his assistants posses, the
agility of scrobats and the prestidiritative
skill of magicians. They are all bottle con
Jurers. They test the drinks about; they
throw brimful glasses over their heads, they
shake the saecharine, glacial, and alcoholic
ingredients in their long tin tubes; they
scourge eggs and cream into froth they send
bumpers shooting from one end Of the bar TO
tne other, without spilling drop; they give
change, talk politics, tell quaint anecdotes,
swear strange oaths, smoke, chew and expec-
torafe with astonishing celebrity and dexterity.
l should IKE 70 be barkeeper, If / were clever
enough.
1t is in the Saint Boblink House that YOU
can comprehend, in its majestic amplitude,
the great American institution of liouorine
Here, where the desopiated loafer, and the
shrewd merchant, sallow from Wall street
bargains; the over-pressed. over-smoked,
oover-saturated with tobacco juice aristocrat
from Fifth avenue; the cotton sampling
clerk; the dry goods selling dissent not be-
Ing an advocate of the Maine law, or a sitter
at the feet of John B. Cough the Congress
COLONEL; the courteous steamboat CAPTAIN
the scorched Southerner; the apathetio Dutch
man from his Hudson farm the turn-down
oollared lecturer; the black waistcoated edi-
tor the raw-boned Kentuckian the blue
eyed German, and the boastful Irishmap, min
gle and drink, and drink again. The thing
Is gravely done-sternly, almost solemnly.
The drink lie duty as well as a mere relaxa-
ton and refreshment. 1t is a part of the mis-
SION OF the sovereign people, and the list of
American drinks should be hung up in the
natural museum, along with the national tar
bucket, the national feather bed, the national
revolver and bowie knife, the national Decla-
tion of Independence, and the national and
almighty dollar.
have no hesitation in saying that the ia
BILE d 'hote at the Saint Boblink House Ia the
best array Of eatables in the whole world. In
cookery the subtlety Of the sauces and refine
ment of the favoring may be surpassed by
some European diplomatic chiefs, but the
quantity and quality of the yiands de, TO
adopt native locutisn, whip all creation.
Roast and boiled, fried and stewed, 6sh, soups,
including the delicious terrspin and the "a
nous gumbo, oysters, (such oysters y game,
poultry rice, birds from South Carolina, inf
nitely preferable to ortolsns, pastry, sweets,
jellies, blancmangss and ices. Fer an Api-
clan feast commend me to the Saint Boblink.
Sing, muse, too, Of its breakfast, with it's ple-
thora of strange but delicious fishes, and their
hundred varieties of bread, hot and stale.
This is, then, the Saint Boblink Hotel with
lis clerks Office like bankers counting house
with its courteous accomplished chambers
lifted up lin white satin, ivory and gold, for
new married couples on the wedding tour;
with its hundred mechanical appliances for
bell ringing, message calling, and trouble saw
ng of every description; with its electric
telegraph laid on like gas or water its really
Moderate charges, and admirable management
Ind discipline
Can anything be wanting to make it perfect?
little, perhaps, save the conversion Of the bed.
'ooms into which single travellers are put, from
,omfOrtless, scanty, draughty dog holes, into
iecsntly furnished and moderately comfortable
chambers, and save the abolition of punish
Aent of that great nuisance, and curse, and
scandal, the expectorstion Of tobacco Juice
Come away from the Saint Boblink House,
raveler, for We are wanted in Europe again.
8y the time we return to the States the giant
palace will have been burnt down and built
up again, larger and handsomer than ever.