The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-14

have exhibited under similar circumstances.
The Annoyances or Summer Travel.
Summer travel is one of the glories which
everybody anticipates, but nobody dreams of
its annoyances and inconvenience until these
must be endured. The dust from the track
and the smoke from the engine are expected
as matters OF course, and so is the newsboy
who thrusts upon you everything you do not
want, and has nothing that you do want; but
you had not anticipated that all the best seats
in the drawing room car would be taken before
your application was made, or that you would
have to be content with an inside room in the
Sound steamer; you are surprised that there is
no ice water on the train; you are panied
Tin the back) by the inconvenient seats
on the connecting line; you are unprepared
for the absence of many things which are alb
solutely necessary to comfort. In these re-
spects some Of our railroads are badly man.
aged. The other day not drop of water
could be obtained on one of the fastest trains
between this city and Philadelphia. On the
trains between New York and Boston it is not
easy to get any refreshments except ice cream
and fire water. Then the boats have their
terrible to get out of bed about three
clock in tho morning at Stonington, or to
be kept awake all the way from Newport to
Fall River. With all our boosted improve
ments we have not yet learned to travel with
absolute comfort and nothing short of the
IF r,apiuc
range the time tables of our railways and
steamboats, as to give the greatest pleasure to
the greatest number. Reform is necessary,
but where to begin is the great difficulty,
though we hope that before many years the
different lines of travel will afford the comfort
of a grand hotel This is an object worth
striving for, as in summer especially the whole
country becomes nomadic, while wishing to
endure none Of the annoyances of nomadic
life. We want the railroads and the steam
boats to afford summer rest as well as the
banks of streams and the mountain sides and
the quiet corners in out of the way places.
While we are discussing this question of the
annoyances Of summer travel we cannot fail
to point out the fact that among the worst of
these is the incivility of the persons employed
on the cars and boats. The porter on palace
cars gives most Of his time to his duties of bar
keeper. If q lady asks him a question he
pays no attention to it, or bawls out his
answer from the other end of the car.
There is no polteness from servants who are
paid to be polite. If gentleman asks ON
officer of a Sound or river steamboat civil
question he is almost certain to get an uncivil
answer Sometimes there is no answer at all,
and if given it is almost always ungracious.
Such is the awful importance which the upper
servants on boat-we mean those in gilt
buttons not the more gracious ones in aprons
give to themselves that it is only very bold
individual who would approach one of them
second time. Through this incivility much of
the pleasure of a journey out of New York is
destroyed, and we would suggest to the diff
terent companies that it would be an improve
ment in their service if their officers were not
such very great and important persons. Sum-
mer travel is necessity now, and politeness
on the part of those who undertake to conduct
it must become q part of it. Railroad and
steamboat marinets applying military disci-
pline and garrison etiquette to the passengers
is an unworthy exhibition which ought to
cease. Polteness is one of the first steps
toward efficiency, and both politeness and
efficiency are necessary to the comfort of
travellers