Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-06-16

ners ofa Well-bred and courtly gentlemen
s became renowned for his hospitality. In
: those days, the hotel clerk had, of course
his own responsible duties to perform; but
: under the immediate direction and super
: vision of the proprietor, he assumed q
much more gracious demeanor than his
) representative of the peeseRt day.
The rapid improvement in travelling
: facilities, and the ease and safety with
: which we are transported from one point
to another, have, we regret to say, brought
with them most revolving change in the
treatment of the citizen when he arrives
at the end of his Journey. His first disap-
pointment is the almost total disappear
anee Of mine host" from the scene. The
proprietor Of frst-class hotel now-a-
days, generally resides in some other part
Of the city, and the welfare of the guest
is too often entrusted to the tender mercies
of extortionste servants and domineering,
unapproachable and reticent hotel clerks.
For instance, q gentleman arrives at a
strange town or city, after long and
wearisome travel inquiries for hrst-class
hotel, and full of hope and confidence,
anticipates the comfort he will derive
from the luxurious accommodations there
to be obtained He enters the office Be
| ing a man of some consequence in his
own neighborhood, he feels that he may
expect fair treatment at the hands
of the parsonage who, with care
fully brushed hair, dressed in the latest
style of fashion, with garments of unex-
/ ceptionable cut and finish and who, with |
pen stuck behind his ear, leisurely picks |
his teeth, as the gentleman quietly asks |
for accommodations for a few days Nine |
times out of ten this formidable character |
is just then engaged in an animated con-
versatien with some conceited eOxcomb |
of his own caliber,j snd returns you a
scowl on account of your ill-timed inter
ruption. You are then surveyed in one
sweeping glance from head to foot. The
temper and disposition of the man in
whose power you then feel yourself to be-
will have much TO do in determining the
quality of the accommodations you are to
receive. First impressions are said to be
the most lasting If you have Gre
ated favorable opinion in the mind of
the man behind the counter, you can OBJ
tain a well furnished and desirable room
on the second or third floor; if You have
not he spends some minutes in peering in
the little pigeon holes at his side, and af-
lCI u long anu CdIClul lAEulldLlOuy WAllG |
your heart trembles at the prospect of be-
ing turned adrift, and compelled, proba-
bly,, to undergo the same treatment at
another -ostensibly provided for
the entertainment" of guests-he rings
for a servant, and desires him to show you
to room with number ranging in the
hundreds. The prospect of ascending
five pairs of stairs, especially if that use
full and modern contrivance entitled
elevator has not been introduced into
the establishment, Is no more agreeable |
than are the manners ofhim who has thus
graciously offered you the shelter of his
roof for the night; but the line of march is
taken up, and you congratulate yourself
at last in having accomplished the peril
Gus assent.
Recollect, You are informed that the
house is crowded to its fullest extent; but
hours afterward you are surprised, upon
the arrival of other trains, that some who c
are acquainted with the monarch behind {
the counter are readily installed in well
furnished rooms, which have been re-
served for the emergency First come
first served, is not the motto at many of
our leading hotels. The pleasure of
never so generally INDUCED in
as at present, is almost entirely destroyed
by these petty snnoyanees.
And how difficult it is to obtain the
slightest information from these hotel
clerks as to the whereabouts of friends :
who may be stopping at the house. Al b
though you may have made previous en-
gagements to meet them there at certain l
hours, it Is almost impossible to ascertain
positively whether they are not at that very
moment waiting your arrival in their
rooms. Without deeming it necessary to -
send and inquire, yoH are almost invari-
ably informed that they are "not in" If
you insist upon it, occasionally as a great
avor, you are permitted to accompany
he servant to the room in order TO satisfy
Yourself There are, of course, eXcep- =,
ions to the general rule. The extensive :
raveler, once in great while meets with
polite and kind attendants, and he ever
afterwards holds in grateful remembrance
he courtesy he received, and pleasantly II
contrasts it with the annoyances to which Ii
le has been subjected. CT
Conductors on railroads and persons in II
,hsrge of ticket offices are generally the ii
most uncommunicative of any class of al
public servants; and yet there are none CT
who can, by few words impart more de- Ot
irable and satisfactory information. The a
answer to a simple question is uttered in IL
ueh obscure language and muffied tones Ii
hat he who asks it finds himself no wiser d
han before, and the fcrbidding manner
n which the reply is given is sufficient to
make another attempt in the same direc-
ion too hazardous to repeat.
Conductors, however, are much more
l. Al L. ~. r.afas al 20 oh 1
Their business necessarily prevents them E
rom paying much attention TO their g
-uests, and their services are brought into :
CONSTANT requision on various parts of the q,
rain, in order to insure the comfort of g
hose entrusted to their care. But as we
lsve stated, they are celebrated for their
eticence. Even ordinary matters con-
lccted with the arrival or departure Of
rains at various points along the line,
hey seem to be unfamiliar with, or deter N
mined not to deparEto anxious inquirers. O
The responsibility of one of the railroad a
conductors is immense; the lives Of hun s.
ireds and thousands of useful citizens de- le
,end upon his department and habits. 'i
Alexander Dumas, the celebrated nov
,list, is said to have left Paris, to join
3aribsldi, at wqose side he is to fulfll the
iuties of ofhistoriographer in the approach
ng campaign. u
The chair of Political Economy in
University College, London, will become
7scsnt at the end of the present session,
n consequence of the retirement of Prof
Valley, who has occupied it since 1853. I