The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-06-29
POTHEB SIDE.

Tired IN the United States,
The Philadelphia exhibition is the
torerunner of vast. amount Of nonsense
N he written by our foreign visitors as
we'll as by our domestic scribes. Every
Fnqlishman and a great many French
men will surely get to work upon
us on principle. The American,
with national enterprise, has got
ahead of these contributors to CEN
tennial literature, and has blossomed out
already in hints to the English public.
Tn an article in Temple Bar, one of the
best Of English magazines, and one
which does not appear until the day Of
its publication, entitled "Tother side
O the water, by one who knows the this
side" is good beginning. We call him
an American abroad because he shows
such keen observation and genuine good
sense, and fair way of dealing with our
peculiatities, by no means English. He
commences his bill of instructions to the
Iondoner with a wholesome abuse of the
New York hack system, and the dis
agreeable duty Of looking after baggage.
But having once conveyed his reader to
Philadelphia, he lets him slip with this
warning:
"YOu will hear of hotels conducted
on the English plan;' avoid them as you
would a pestilenCe. I could make a
large fortune by telling you where to go,
but as the proprietor of this magazine ad-
mits advertisements only on, the puter
leaves, / must refrain. Go to an American
hotel. The young man at che i'Qfice' will
be serene, imposing, diamond studded,
mystic, wonderful but far more obliging
than the duchesses with ginger hair, who
infest the bars of lesser establishments at
home. Write down your name in the
book, and if you have a title suppress it.
1t is better to be seen as Russell, OF STAN
ley, than to be called Mr.. Bedford or Mr..
Derby, 1 think. You will be told that
the American system ties you down to
breakfast, lunch and dinner at fixed
hours, and that this is a horrid bore.
Don't believe it, There are not four
hours in the day during which some meal
isnOt being served, in a frst-class Amer
lean hotel, and with the most moderate
amount of nous you can make breakfast
at luncheon, and dinner at supper (if
your engagements do not allow you to
join the regular meals), and fare better
tor your four dollars day than you
could even in your London club for
guinea. But you don't want to live so
high There is the rub. You cannot
be content with ham and eggs for break
fast and the joint for dinner at an Amer
lean hotel. Let us sit down and count
the relative cost and sum up the relative
return, British hotel: Bed, three and
SIX; breakfast, two and six dinner, four
and six; attendance, one and six; lunch
con or supper, two shillings-total;
fourteen shillings, American hotel:
Lodging; what you please tout of twenty
choiceal for breakfast; what you please
Noat Of as many for luncheon; what
you please (out of torty) for dinner, with
gees and fruit to wind up with what you
ake, again for superficial; four dol
ans equal to (say) fifteen shillings a
DAY Yon can have secondTate ao-
Sommodations Every good) for three
dollars, | have calculated the British
rates upon the ham and eggs, and
lolnt style Of living. Go in beyond
~, sals, and how far win your fifteen shil-
lipga go2"
not very far, we are afraid, If the
Fate Of living in Philadelphia is to be on
speTPetually ascending scale, fifty shil-
angs viii not carry our visitor quite the
length Of his taste.
The Americans are the politest peo-
re Tie writer hasnlet ia q rather extern
s've life march, but the Englishmsn need
W. y, expect TO find them models Of breed
Alter the words win you join me in
s !, south, YOU may eat, and drink, and
g !, and visit the theatre, and do any
I salng you please except put your hand
= your pocket. BE good enough to re-
'''SlaAer this when you return to the land