The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-10-07

The manners and opinions of the visitor
to the exhibition furnish good deal of inter
est in themselves. The occupants Of rolling
chairs are Enthusiastically the objects of a slight
scorn to those on foot, akin to the supercil-
iousness of early risers. And, notwithstand.
ing hundreds of daily instances to the con-
trary, the pedestrians are evidently persuaded
that every body in a chair Is the victim of
some strange mainIpg or malady, about
which they cannot conceal their curiosity.
The interest taken in any purchase by the by.
ISLANDERS is so intense as to be painful TO the
purchaser; a ring forms Immediately around
the latter and the vendor, which increases
mOmentarlly until the transaction is over, all
hanging speeches. on the dialogue between
the two; when this Is carried on in foreign
language the audience looks discounted and
displeased, as if baked of its rights.
A lady acquaintance told me that just rs her
purchase was concluded and the article re-
placed IN the case, so that it became indistin.
guishable among its fellows, a stranger of her
own sex arrived on the scene, and, seeing it
was too late, logged her until they reached a
secluded spot IN one Of the less trequented de-
partments; then she accOsed her in low
voice: "You bought something just now"
Eyes" what was it?" But this inqusI-
,iveness IS generally sympathetic. l witness.
buyer was anxious to see it folded and tried
on A couple ct good natnred young English
men, evidently novices in playing shopmen,
we're hclplessly pulling it hither and thlther,
when very nice middle aged woman with
an ardent gaze stepped from the circle, took
it from their hands, gave it IN trice the prop
er twist and then turning about deity threw
it over her shoulders and stood there on ex
hlbition until everybody concerned or not
concerned was satisfied.
That sort of readiness to oblige is char
acteristic of our country-fok, but both abroad
and at home it renders us liable to be impos-
ed upon by foreigners which Is to be observ-
ed at the exhibition in the conduct of the at
te1dants. A friend who has been at more
than one ot the European exhibitions recog.
nized in several ofthe departments men whom
he had seen at Paris and Vienna, where they
had been civillty itself; under the influence
OF our good humored democracy they have
become extremely impairment. The same
changes has taken place In the manners OF
many since the opening OF our exhibition,
notably in those of the walters at the restau.
rants; but If spoken 10 in the right tone they
come To heel at once, except the Germans,
who are apt To be ill-trained ours every where
On the other hand, the misconduct of ones
own country people has more pungent pow
er of annoyance than that of any ether, and II
was almost lntolerable to see them handling
articles the most easily broken or soiled, with
"a total disregard of the placards, where one
would suppose To the cOmmonest consider
alton placardS would be supertiuous. ] wish
| | could have felt certain that the person who
raped and shook every article in the Chinese
annex was not fclluw Countryman; untortu
nately there coull be no doubt Of the nation
alliy of pair, male and female, like the frs
sinners, who having broke down the protect
ing rope were spreading themselves in theil
dusty clothes on the Gobclin sofas in The
French depariment-Itlmiie Monthly Jol
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