New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-20
NOTES OF A IRA VELER.
AMERICAN HOTEI-LIFE.

Correspondence OF Inc NJ l. lrlDuucs
SARATOGA SPRINGS, June II, 1857
Trenton Falls compensate in the highest degree for
the trouble of visiting them. The wild beauty of the
banks and of the foamy current Of the black river just
by counts among the most impressive scenery. The
shores of the Mohawk are rich in many salient and
picturesque views, forming the whole with their
cultivated and untouched valleys and chains of hills.
with their villages and towns, long and varegated
landscape. Where in Europe, by rivers or on hills,
the picturesque elevated points are occupied by
castles still standing, by still frowning ruins of tow
ers strongholds and burgs, here stands mill, fac
tory or paatial benevolent establishment poin.edly
marking the opposite and reconciable directions OF
the two civilizations. If the New World should like
wise be eaten up by time and tumble into ruins, these
ruins will at any rate recall to future generations no
bier membranes thaa bloodshed violence, oppres-
SION tears and curses.
Its almost out of place to eulogze the region forming
the State of New-York. 1t may have gloomy aspects
but it has more luminous in culture, intelligence
thrftiness activity and varegated internal develop
ment. The only wish to be put up for its future Is
that the country may not become absorbed, over
whelmed subdued socially and governmentally by the
boisterous andn most political or social aspects
reckless metropolis.
Here in Saratoga, the immense caravanseras are
still almost eless, and the peculiar Saratogan hotel
life has scarcely begun to bud In American customs,
manners and habits, hoelfe stands alone in its com
peteness forming distinct world with features dill
ferent from those Of all other countries. AS such, 1t
deserves to form object of special study and ob'er-
vation and offers rich field for novelwrter Hotel
fehas many varegaed characteristics; it embraces
oil the ages from the nursing in the cradle to the
individual bending under the pressure of years and
Ea however If of these characters
| tics are laudable; few if any, but of baneul
influence on domestic life its real comfort on NOR
atty, and on true easy sociability. llOteLlfe, as
| carried on in America generally, and in large
proportions is the caricature the perverson OF as-
| ISOLATION Besides, simple traveller does not find in
American hotels all the comforts of repose. Their only
superiority European hotels consists in the posses
sion of water and of baths in the rooms or on the same
| floors or at any rate, in the same building But the
| gorgeous, gaudy, overchsrged drawing rooms and
brida-chambers less, if at ALL desirable In fact
room possessing simple but comfortable furniture,
clock on the mantle piece bureau with drawers, ac
| commodations for writing-a luxury which Is to be
| found in the smallest European hotel, and nowhere
not in the most celebrated hotels of any city, iu the
| United States Here, among etageres, ronnd-taoles
there is not even special table on which to put COM
| fortably ones Own writing-case The ladies who 1--we
in hotels generally write on their knees, AID the travel
ing males forth to the office to the common par
| lor This however forms of the minor miserieS
| for one obliged to stop at American hotel. Every
male or female inhabitant of room seems to consider
| il as duty toward himself, toward his neighbour to-
ward those occupying room below him, aud toward
society in general to make much noise as possible
| Every one handles as roughly as he can everything
within his reach DOORS keys, locks blinds windows
sashes stools tables and his trunks Neither travel
ers nor walters refuse themselves the pleasure OF
treading on the floor rudely and as heavily as pos
sibe far outdOing shod elephans- elephants can De
shod Slippers out Of use, and the traveller reins
IN his room enjoys the luxury Of tramping as long As
possibe with his heavy boots over the head OF the
victim irving to sleep in the room below The rooms
Of European hotels are generally provided with slip
hers. and the hotel-keepers oblge the walters and
servants 10 use shoes and TO walk noseleSsly IN the
halls. Here. neither gentleman, master nor servant
sof,ly shuts any door but all of them habituay slam
them with ali their might. Add to this the thin
walled. pateboard American houses, in which every
thing shakes and vaciates. In one OF the great n'S
class hotels counted once, during sieePleSs hlsu
li0 explosions Of slammed doors The custom OF DONG
this is common in hotels, as it is in private houses
and mansions. Undoubtedly, no American parent OIL
tutor told his children pupils that the sanhs
of doors, instead Of shutting them gently ioEm