The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-07-31
DEUCED DISAGREEABLE.
A Young Englishman's Criticisms on
American Customs

! American Customs
blow this country, | say" remarked
young Englishman in the corridor OF
| Fifth street hotel, the other after
noon, yawning spasmodically and
| throwing away a half-smoked cigar
| ette.
What's the matterP" inquired a
| sympathizing Times reporter.
''Oh. I'm going back again to Lon
and work is far too much for me- The
idea of working at the Office all day
and late at night and frequently on a
Sunday! It's too much, you know, by
| GeorgeT
much difference in office hours be-
tween your country and ours?"
''Well, should just say there is. l
should like to see the average English
clerk commence work before 8 O'Clock
in the morning, and everyone leaves
at 6 o. clock. Then we have a half-holiday
on Saturday and bank holidays, and
that sort of thing, you know"
The English clerks get well paid. no
doubt, in comparison to the Ameri-
canP"
''Oh, well, our clerks are not so we'll
paid, l suppose. A man who gets
forty shillings a week considers him
self pretty well off. You see every
body in England learns to be clerk,
and it is supposed to be mira dig. TO
learn trade. Tradespeople, you
know, are looked down upon, and are
in fact very inferior. They make more
money. aud obtain higher salaries, and
L think it is beastly shame; but the
employment sought for by most young
fellows is bookkeeping, and of course
the market can be overstocked and
salaries are reduced in consequence.
been long over hereP'
''Oh, about six months; and that is
six months too long. l think the
Americans are awfully rude and plain
spoken. When l was in Chicago
asked one of the railway Office officials
if he could obtain a position for me.
He said: Are you out of work?' The
idea of asking gentleman if he was
out of work told him l was tenn
porarily out of employment, and he
then said; What can you do?' Oh
l said, L am very fair bookkeeper.'
What do you think he said? We f~o
hogs on bookkeepers in this n --.,tv Ma
you ever hear such h--rtsI eynreSsion
in all your litep" 00N
Did you catch onP to use an Ameri-
/! canism.''
Catch whatp Oh, sse what YOU
mean. Yes, he offered me an engage
ment, and L accepted it; but l soon
found had no leisure time, so | re-
signed, and tried one or two other
things. l thought it would be awfully
jolly to go on farm for little while.
and did SO, but the work was too
hard, and l went back again to Chicago.
by the by, do you know that when |
arrived from England came straight
through to Chicago, and it was shock
ingly cold of course. Twas wearing
an English fur cap and corduroy
clothes, and Whnn 1 got OF tho train n+
the station some boys called out, What
is it? l said, i beg your pardon;' and
they repeated, w hat is it?' and laughed
rs though they had made some amaz-
ingly witty observation. | gradually
became conscious that they were max
ing game Of me, and that they meant
What was L. Wasn't it a terrible
position to be placed in? So embar-
RAISING, you know"
You seem to have come westp,J
"Yes, but the further away ] gat tho
less 1 like the country, Iwent To one
place to seek employIm and the head
OF the firm aske1 me if 1 was a .hust-
ler,'''
II said, No, sir; am bookkeeper.'
and then he laughed in a callous sort
of way, and said he guessed l was too
gray for the place. l did not like to
ask him what he meant by gray for
fear he would think that l was not
familiar with the language of the coun-
try, so | walked away"
You do not seem to have too great a
liking for the countryP"
You are right, my boy. | have
given the place fair trial and am
going straight home. There is nothing
congenial to me here"
What would you suggest as q
means OF improving our unfortunate
countryP'
why, my dear boy, l would sug-
gest that in the first place YOU have
pockets in your billiard tables, and,
next, that you employ barmaids in your
hotels. Then fellow can pass his
evenings pleasantly. and manage to
survive the hard work. How can you
expect man to play billiards on
table with no pockets? And how can
fellow enjoy himself at the hotels
when there are no barmaids to chaffP
The English barmaids are 80 deucedly
pretty, you know, that they are
source of great attraction to the hotels,
and am sure would take very we'll
here in America You newspaper men
should agitate the question, and then
there would be some inducement for
fellow to stay over here l think FL
60 and take nap now. Have you q
cigarette? Good-by." kansas City
IttnaeS