The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1881-05-14
RAILROAD COURTESY.
The Scenes of German Travel-A Smoker
Among the Ladies'.

should be. one of the clements Of pro
@reSs. and when we find it wanting wher,
we have been taught 10 look for II. W.
mutually pause and wonder.
The following anecdotc. based on per
Sonal experience, may perhaps interest
transatlantic travellers who go to Europt
to receive new impressions.
We We're "a party III four ladies on ON
way to Heidelberg. We had come NJ
the Rhine as far as Naycnce, and We're
waiting for the night train 10 convey rs
TO our place Of destination 1t was late
The night was dark and the station ser
vice very inditierently performed. There
was terrible hurrying to and fro to find
out which was first, which second class
which were the smoking cars, which not:
no conductors in sight but help yourself
all You can. There seemed, moreover, :,
scarcity Of carriages for the number OF
travellers. After looking inCo q few OF
them, and finding them all full, we
CHANGED upon IN empty one. Good luck
no one here; nothing but cap in the
remote corner. But alas, what trouble
even cap may give. Anna Bolena lost
her life on the evidence of 2 handker-
Chief: Desdemonr likewise. But such
wcighty considerations were far from our
| minds at that moment; the cap was un-
tremendously thrown elsewhere: and,
CT.
we enSconced ourselves each to our lik-
| ing in the most comfortable seats of the
car. The younger members of the party.
fresh and fair and gay, exulted over the
! piece of GOOD fortune. "A ear all to
| ourselves! How nice Presently comes
another hurried couple. Here, Sarah
dear, here. plenty Of room here, and 4
gentleman and lady enter. They are
English. The cap is flung into another
| place, and they take possession Of the
next hest seats. y carriage, or wagon,
as they are called in England and on the
Continent, accommodates ten persons
But now came the knotty point. The
owner of the cap, 4 tail, imposing speci-
men of Teutonic gentry. in magnificent
German, the perfection of horh d5Ht&ch,
claimed his seat.by virtue Of his cap.
His first words were: This car is occu-
pied ladies and gentlemen.
Undeniably so, replies cheerily the
chaperon of the party of four, and the
only one among them who could treat
with the newcomer in his own yernacu-
| lar.
:" 1t was occupied before you came
by your cap
Il want my seat; left my cap on it.
1t is not customary in these Parts to take
other people seats.
/ Halloa. thought the advocate of the
| first come first served theory: here is
fling at England OF America, and who
! knows at how many of the institutions
of these model countries.
Meanwhile the Young lady who had 50
innocently given rise to this coIloluy,
guessing :he drift Of ii. rose. replaced
! The cap where it vas icforc and took a
| scat opposite.
Besides resumed the uuaniablc
trouhle-ietc without even a word of
! thanks for the graceful surrender OF his
seat, this is smoking car-no car for
ladies'
SNORING car o. not, all the others
| were full, tncre was scarcely light to see
| by: no officers near TO inquire Of: shame,
city like Mayence to have its railroad
| business SO badly conducted =.
You should have seen the cht5 &c
gGrt. They are obliged by law to put on
additional carriages when necessary"
Yes: have no doubt there are laws
to that effect, and plenty of them; but
| the question is to have them enforced.
doubt whether they would have put on
Il fresh car, with this one unoccupied.'
| :" 1t was occupied, madam.
! . This fellow apparently considers him
self legion, said again the lady chaperon.
| turning to the rest of the company and
| translating the substance of the dialogue.
/ 81 will show You" continued he, ris-
| ing from his seat, and, with marked
pompousness, putting again his cap upon
| it: 81 will show you how to manage
| them" \ buzz of anything but com
planetary remarks covered his dpart-
IRE. THE bear" did you ever see
anything like it - "Are these German
manners" and the like. Presently he
returned, grufler than before, and sulkily
resumed his seat. 1t was evident he had
not succeeded.
Well" asked the lady, inwardly
chuckling over the discontinue of her
surly antagonist, what about these rail
road laws??''
But 1nein herr vouchsafed no answer;
he drew instead from one of his pockets
a cigar and from the other a matchbox,
Il procedure which left no doubt as to
his intention.
"Oh dear whispered the English
lady. who had all this while been anxious
~ watching his movements. " he is going
to smoke: if he does | shall faint. am
not well and cannot endure tobacco.
'Speak to him again, we suggested,
| addressing the recognized interpreter of
the party. and in the hope of her mollify-
ing the obduratc barbarian.
=. Sir said she, complying with the
request, you will certainly desist when
! tell you that one of us is an invalid
whom your smoking will serious incom-
mode
This is a smoking cal"
"Yes. but this is no reason why COM
mon deccncy should be banished from it.
| We are all ladies here. and entitled to
some regard. Your smoking is obiec
tionable. | must beg you will desist.'
He made no reply but struck a match
| for an answer.
! Did you ever see anything like it'''
| said the unsuccessful mediator to the
mediator to the company, repeating in
| English what he had said - You m ght
travel in America from the Atlantic to
the Pacific; you might go all over Eng
such brutality. These Germans are not
susceptible of civilization. They are the
same barbarians to-day as they were in
the time of Tacitus: cruel. uncouth,