The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-08-17
A Practical Letter from MIR. Halstead.
Correspondence CINCINNATI ColnmcrclHI'
THE AMERICAN TRAVELLERS DISCoMFORTS IN
PARIS.
PARIS, July %, 1870.

THE AMERICAN TRAVELLERS DISCoMFORTS IN
PARIS, July %, 1870.
Perhaps the prevalent idea of Paris III The
American mind is that of place of opu-
lence and luxury, leisure and feastlng,
splendor and the license of social liberty.
Something should be said of the prlyations
of American citizens in the midst OF the
sumptuousncss and magniticcnce OF this city
of palaces.
Let us imagine an American traveller ar
irving late in the afternoon, tatlglled and
dusty us usual from the cars, and able to
find his way to some one of the many grand
hotels-for grandeur in naming hotel is
his apartment, he is probably dismayed by
it's corgcousncss, and recovering, proposes
to pull oil his coat and have fine wash.
He discovers perhaps Il quart and perhaps
a pint of water in the room, divided exactly
between Il little pitcher and Il large bottle,
but no soap. The servant comes and
hears the call for soap, retires, and
presently appears with several spec-
mems of the article, and you take your
choice and pay your money. Then
the soap is your personal property, and
with economy as to water-the compenSa-
ton being sllperabundance Of toWels-the
bing his hands and face. The next thing is
to get his clothes washed. Probably he is
fresh from ship-board and wants a few boil
ed shirts within few hours. Behold, the
washing is not done in the hotels here.
The washerwomen have their views and
their private residences, and must have
their own way and their own time. The
American style of sending out your wash
ing in the morning and having it returned
within few hours has not been introduced.
Our travellers beard is rough, and not
having been trained to shave himself, he
goes forth and seeks barber. a barber
shop is not part OF any Well-conducted
hotel in Paris. They are as foreign to hotels
| here as bar-rooms are. If he seek solid
comfort every man here must be his own
barber and keep his own bar-room. We
| will suppose that our traveller, who has
| bought his soap and washed i'll a pint OF
water, and who learns that barber-shops
are not connected with hotels, succeeds in
| finding Il hair-dresser who permits some
Young men who use raZOrs to hang about
his establishment and do the shaving, as
they call it. He takes a chair to be shaved
| and-such q chair. Why, our, hrst-ciass
American citizens at home would scorn &c
sit in such chair to have their boot:
BACKED.
And such shave! The barbarian get:
alonr very we'll with the lathering, but his
razor scrapcs like case-knife, and the more
| it is strapped the duller it gets, and the
more YOU complain that your face is tender
| the sitter grows the wrist of the wretch who
Yields the knife. Presently you are shaven
and then invited, with the towel about YOU
neck. to step UP to the washstand and Wasi
YOUR mangled face, whose roughness at las
| Is only modified in places. No gentle ma
nipulations there with the cunning hand o
the artist who ministers to you ut home.
| do not wonder that the people on the Con
tinent cultivate boards.
Before going further our traveller desire
Ito eat something, and if he happens to know
what he wants. and is able to order it, hi
can nourish himself abundantly, though i
| is not extraordinary for Americans to ht
here fortnight before they succeed il
achieving a "square meal" The troubl.
Of persuading the man who yields the cot
fee-pot with long, straight handle) tha
you do or do not want milk in your coffee
sometimes becomes serious, and NIGH
eventually, believe, be ranked among thu
torments of existence.
On the streets our traveller will fine
enough TO occupy his time, and to amuse
instruct, fascinate, or warn. His privation
begin with his return to his palatial hotel
The gas blazes outside. Within the room!
there must be candles or darkness. Per
haps the night is hot, and the rude Ameri
can wants little free air. lie will, in the
first place, find his bed in a recess, so nicely
put away that it is not possible to raise il
the vicinity of the bed the slightest breez'
to provoke
| ssThe sillten, sad, uncertain
| Hustle OF each purple curtain"
Not only is the bed bestowed in recess e.; i
is envircned and fortified against air b,
double curtains. with cords and tassels o
amazing length and weight. There is NJ
possibility OF raising Il zephyr within tina
bccurtained domestic casemate. Then tn
comfort will appal you-perhaps a brilian
green silk on one side and delicate whit,
; silk on the other, and so well stuffed will
, inest,mabie pllmage, no doubt, that it in
Varlabiy slides to the floor. The Frencl
,, are sanitary gentlemen. They exclude th,
air from their beds in order to keep thei
sleeping forms out OF draughts. The youn.
American custom of sleeping naked be
tween two windows would seem to then
the most frightfu form Of suicide.