The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-08-09
sMYTHE's SAYINGS.
A Talk with a Travelled Man-How He
FIRST Became an Exeursionist.

A Talk with Travelled Man-HoW He
First Became an Excursionist.
While lounging around the New Nc
Lure House the other evening we came
across Colonel W. O. smythe, the Excur.
sionist, who is in the city, in the interest
Of his great excursion to Washington,
Baltimore and Fortress Monroe, by the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. Colonel
smythe is as well known in this Union as
any other man, and probably as favor.
ably.
Colonel" said we, "what drstgaye. you
the idea OF these great excursions that
you have been carrying on for years?"
"well, my son, in 1875 was in England
with a party Of Excursionists from the
United States, and I went into y Liver
pool ticket Office to purchase ticket for
London. The price Of the ticket struck
me "a rather high, and l asked the agent
about It. 'Oh, you only want passage one
wsy, do your he asked. This set me to
thinking, and as trayersed England, and
noticed the great number Of holidays pro.
vailing in that country l thought still
more. There Is haberdasher's day, IN
which all the dry.goods merchants ana
their clerks take holiday; iron mongers
day, when all the hardware men are OIL
in short, all classes and grades OF people
have their days Of rest, on which they
20 to the country, the parks, or the at,
tractiye suburbs OF London. AS said
before, seeing these holidays set me to
thinking, and naturally contrasted the
condition OF things in the Kingdom with
the state OF affairs in my own country.
Al home there Is nothing but concern
trated struggle for the acquisition OF the
mighty dollar and from the time Of
youth until death neither time nor
health Is spared in It's pursuit.
This, reasoned, should not be. God
Almighty has provided woods and forests.
streams and rivers, animated nature, and
an endless variety oil diversions for bis
noblest creation, man, and It'll his duty TO
enjoy them. It Is right that once In q
while the tired bookkeeper should tear
himself from his desk, take his family and
90 ont into the country and breathe Gods
pure air, and let his little ones enjoy
nature. WhenI take this man /! only use
him to illustrate my point. All Of our
overworked people should do just what
say in this matter, and We would be a
purer aud better people for 1t.
"When l came home ! went to see
Mr.. David NJ. Boyd, Jr., General
Passenger Agent Of the Pennsylvania
Railroad, and told him my ideas. l
was on my 6ay to Europe with party
at the time. He laughed at me, and ]
went on, leaving, however, cablegram
addressed To myself, at the Queens Hotel,
Glasgow. When the vessel drew up to
the docks my cablegram was handed me;
Come home l saw my people sale 70
Paris, where they released me, and lett
| for home at once. Arriving at Phila'
delphia, l said To Mr.. Boyd, L got your
cablegram. -, 80,
~ propose to carry people IRON pitts'
burgh to the Centennial for abouts7 6O FOL
the round trip.
at can't be done, it's outrageous" wat
the reply. i,
"If not at that figure, then Mr.. Boyd
what do you propose" said /. :,
81 think the people Of Pittsburgh should
pay SIS for the round trip" said Mr.
1You will never get them sir, unless
you give an attractive figure" =,
"What do you call an attractive tigureY
"Seyen dollars and a half the round trii
from Pittsburgh to philadelphia and re-
turn?"
He thought while, looked, talked tc
some other fellow and silence reigned fol
ten minutes, and after a long time said
"Smythe, I'll do 1t, 60 ahead" and from
that lime to this have been In the bust
nesa. The result was that trips began i'm
mediately, and in place OF one train day
on Smythe excursion day, there wert
eight, nine and ten trains day:
| The thing think the most Of in all m!
career is that school excursion from Pitts
burgh to the Centennial. On that day
leaving Pittsburgh, had twenty-one sec
tons OF trains. The merchants on the
street came out with apples, the baker,
with cakes, the confeotioners with candy
and poured them into those trains, ano
when they arrived in Philadelphia they
all stopped at the Grange Hotel, making
the trip in twelve hours, and the next day
| took them to the Centennial where Gov
Hartranit addressed them. That trip isone
OF the most precious recollections have,
Money cannot buy the pleasure felt and
still feel over 1t, and to-day as ] pass
through Pittsburgh the children will run
out and cry, "Mr. Smythe, don't you mind
the 'scursion =" But to conclude, said Mr.
Smythe, ~ have always time to makepeo
pie happy. Sometimes have made little
money and other times have lost, but
don't mind either so long as lam sure my
people are pleased"