The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-01
THE APOSTLES OF SCIENCE.
The 'Long Drinks They Take and the Nasty
Pipes They Smoke.

The sLong Drinks They Take and the Nasty
Pipes They smoke.
Montreal Letter.
One very disagreeable. subject which has OBJ
truded itself on the attention Of very many of
the visitors here isthe matter of drinking water.
Complaints are made universally of bad effects
following the drinking of the ST Lawrence river
water furnished in this city. There have been
numerous cases of diarrhea oceasioned by its
use. Ihat the cases are not more numerous can
only be ascribed to the fact that water is not in
as general use as a beverage, mdiluted, as it
might be. Some Of the older and more expert
enced travellers have substituted Apollinaris
and like table waters for the ordinary water.
There IS also a general disposition to the use of
stronger potations. 1t should not be inferred
from TINS that there is any abuse of liquor.
Very far from it, indeed, Is the fact. Neither
should 1T be considered that the distinguished
persons among scientific men present are adj
dlcted to the use of spirits. The fact is that
there are very many persons here who are mere
tyros IN scientific matters. They have followed
IN the wake of the bigguns, and to many of them
the inducements offered to come hither were too
powerful to be resisted. It would be an inter
estlng statement. If an accurate one could be
had, which gave the names and the numbers of
the genteel persons whose trip to Canada will in
volye no personal expense. These persons are
the most self assertiye, and are in many in
stances offensive. They have a sublime CON
tempt for everything which is not English, and
show h efeeling q in their conduct rather than in
their conversation. In point of fact, they are
little given to conversation, and preserve a tact
turnlty which is doubtless regarded by them as
indicative of the manners of persons who are
deeply conscious of the positions they have in
the social scale.
| fit be asked how 1t is that these persons are
to be found holding memberships in the British
Association, the explanation is an easy one to
give. The association, for the laudable purpose
OF getting all the funds it needs, is reckless in
/ the matter of mamharShin Anu with q
hve-dollar bill can gain annual membership.
But great care is taken that such members have
no say IN the conduct of affairs. Still it is these
persons of objectional ways and bad manners
Who. are sufficiently numerous to give a disa-
| greeable feature to the meeting Of the associa-
tion. And while upon this subject / may add a
few words as to their ways and as to the manner
ID which they are regarded by the general
run,of Canadians. The principle point seems to
be the avoidance of expense. This leads them to
smoke pipes in the streets and in the corridors
and reading rooms of the hotels. They are con-
%tinually knocking the ashes out of the wooden
poWlS OF the plpes, and are not overcareful of
the place in which the ashes fall. When they
60 to bar-rooms they select what the mixers call
long drinks" so as to get the worth of their
money. In the matter of cigars it has been a
great surprise to many Of them apparently
that they cannot get an admirable weed fresh
from Havana for the modest sum of five
cents, Having satisfied themselves on this
point by personal experiences is perhaps the
reason for the general use of the pipes, While
grouping grievances it may be as well TO men
ton one more. This refers to the manner in
which the hotels here are trying to make the
meeting a bonanza, regardless of the effects on
the regular guests. | will mention the case of
the Windsor Hotel, of which I am personally
| cognizant The first thing the managers of this
hostelry did was, OF course, to fill up every room
In the house. While engaged in this, pains
were taken to put two persons in each room
that was capable of holding that number. Then,
in order to sweep in all the stray dollars posi-
BILE, meal tickets emitting the holders to eat at
the hotel table were issued to many visitors who
have rooms in private houses. The result Of
all this was that the dining-room is
crowded to suffocation at meal times, and lines
ofpeople wait outside the doors for an opportu-
nifty to get in at the tables. Delays, annoyances,
complaints of bad service, and general grum-
bling are among the the results. Seeing some
thing of the evil they had created, the hotel peo-
pie tried to check it by announcing last evening
that they would issue no meal tickets to out
siders. This brought down on them the ire of
these persons, who insisted that they had come
to the hotel and had taken their rooms outside
solely on the representation that they shonld be
given meals at the hotela The result was a sur
render by the hotel people, and things remain as
bad as ever.
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