Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-01-23
9lwanotia Q6a}ette.
TUESDAY, JANUARY -. 1877.
snnKeeping asa Fine Art.

| The London Spectator says we tear that
| the fine art Of innkccpiDg I5 on the decline. AS
in other departments Of life, the inrush OF bour-
geois ideas and Of the people who live to make
! thugs pay. rather than 10 make them worth
paying for, has n0t !dcaIiZ,d the art .! innkeep
| inc. There was time when it WAS at least
| the ideal OF an English nn to make Z lad the
strangers heart, and not merely to sell him a
certain amount of Indispensable cou"eniences
oflire. But no doubt this was the ideal before
the time OF railways and that multiplication OF
travellers which railways produced, rather than
since lt must be very difficult to make fine
art Of nkeeping Tor, indeed. OF anything else)
without certain overflow OF feeling IN the dis
charge Of tho ordinary duties Of the profession,
and it is not easy, wc dare say, 10 abound ln
cordiality of sentiment toward the crowds which
railways have launched az travellers, on the
country. The hosplab!e state OF, mind is cs-
scntiaI to the fine art, though uorto the trade,
of innkccping; and the hospitabla state OF mind
must be difficult to attain toward all the per.
sons who crowd one after another into the doors
oil toIerably prosperous inn, with persistent
and perempory cries Tor breakfast, lunch, din
ner or supper, chops outlets, wlue, beer, ba-
con, eggs. beds, baths towels and hot water,
between the earliest hour OF the morning and
the arrival OF the last omnibus at night. But
whatever the cause, il IS certain, We thlpE, that
innkeeping rs fine art is on the decay. We
admit that "crack" hotels exist and are likely
to exist in still greater plumbers IN taVorte
spots or 10 great ci,irs-"crack" hotels where
any luxury can be purchased for the requisite
consideration. But that no more realizes the
ideal of iuDkcepug cultivated as l tiue art than
good printing realizes the ideal OF handwriting
cultivated as fine art. Printing may answer
great many OF the purposes OF the reader bet
ter than the best writing, but il has none OF the
beauty Of fine writing for all that And so -
palace hotel, such as Switzerland crcct5 on all
her most magnificent sites, and even England
crccts 10 great cities and here and there, at rare
intervals, in scenes OF Justly celebrated beauty,
may answer some of the purposes OF the travel
Ter more effectively than the most perfect OF
the old fashioned inns; but ioc al! that 1t Is the
effectiveness of machinery rather than the ci-
tectiveness Of firdlvldulltcmpcr anu taste "hlch
these hotels attain-thc effectiveness which
comes Of large plans aud successful organlza'
ton rather than the effectiveness when comes
Of mind which finds something more in 4 par"
tcuIar calling than opportunity lor prc!lt III
the adequate supply Of dcmaud.
Color POISONING.-A belief IN color p0s.
oniug by means Of green dresses and green wall
papers has already been forced upon the public
by some tocraby conclusive evidence; but lt
seems that the mischicvous propcns!Ilcs o! tins
color are far from bcing yet fully exposed.
Frcpch savant, NJ. Paul Bert, has Just exhibit
ed against it articles ol impeachment OF tue
praycst character, supported by reports OF u
whole series OF startling experiments. Ii lis
theory is true, it Is not 1nly the arsenic u5eu 'n
producing the color whcl. does the injury, but
The actual color ITSELF; and y mere ray Of grecn
rht is carabIe Of affecting the health OF the
person exposed to it, apart from a'i ana allora'
ed to it by the smell or presence OF arsenic.
70 demonstrate this alleged TACT II. bert M"
submitted several specimens OF IN" sensitive
nIaur to rays Of different coIors drown upon
Them through stained gIa.4, and N every case
those which were treated /" the hl+Ai pf'"lanI
green light wllhcrcd and dicl in the Shor'cst
time lu thos: ianI@ which Were eSp"-ea I"
red light il peculiar phenomenon wa" o"S"iV.
cd the tip or spikes oi hr leaves pIonhHei
themselves and grew forward ina lean and hun-
cry fashion horizontally w:i' TEE hranch lfon
which they sprang; whlln in Il blu" hight thc
contrary effect VA rroduc:d tue SPIKES ''tua
inp out abruptly and pcrpcntcuiary from Their
stem. % one Of the 'rIan!s beng ine9sea IL
a sort OF laulcrn, having rcd %iass on one sac
and green on TIE other, instead g! ah!'hh'nE
away from the poison on their right 10 The /"
sGatt antidotr on hr!r !";i, the leaves aS II ~
= Iata! fascination, turned With one consent ti"'
other way and literally !D0hc H"aI'i Ia 'iiH
cc.-PN NW Gu=etit.