The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1885-05-07
A "TIP" IGNORED.
no" Luke Sharp Attempted to Procure
Information about Parks.

I England is often referred to b,
Americans as land of tips. This is a
unjust as if an Englishman were Il
refer to this country as the land of tn,
hfsy. L know many instances where
tips have been refused, and one o.
thes9 / always have felt little sore
about. and think still my English friend
took a mean advantage OF the inno
cence of a stranger in strange land.
This is how it came about. Detroit. as
all the world knows, bought an island
| of about $50 acres with the intention OF
making park of it. Being in London
ut the time | thought would gather
! together little information about the
excellent and extensive parks of the
! metropolis and send it over to the
/ Secretary of the Detroit Park Com.
mittee.
l was walking through the beautiful
Temple Gardens of the Thames en-
bankment with my friend, the English
man, when we naturally drifted to the
subject OF parks and said to him:
~ want to find out what / can about
parks to send to Detroit, How had |
better set about it?'
That depends on what you want to
know about them. FIRST try and con-
centrate what mind you have on the
particular class of information Won
want, then perhaps can help you
want all the information there Is
on the subject. | was thinking of going
up TO the british Museum reading room
and asking the attendant to bring me
the books they have on parks"
NsIHnf'a O OnnI i.laa. I,;IIs..
When the assistants pile around you
the two or three tons of books they
have on that subject, ! suppose you'll
expect your friends to get up a relief
party and dig you out"
What would you do?''
We'll. wouldn't begin with all the
books the British Museum has. Now
here are the Temple Gardens. QUE OF
the loveiiest parks in the world. I'll
introduce you to the chief man, and
you can interview him."
There's Hyde Park, for instance;
th9t's Q sort of typical London park
How could I iind out what wanted to
know about that?'
Write to the Ranger"
''fll do that. Say, hadn't | better
offer him tip of some sort? A half
crown or so? Would't he answer NV
letter the more readily?''
This seemed to strike nv English
friend as grand scheme. He looked
at me with admiration, and it was so !
seldom that | advanced any ideas that |
quite met his approval that could not |
help feeling gratitied.
You We got the plan at last! That |
would be Just the thing. DO it delicate.
ly, you know, Use little diplomacy
Just intimate in an offhand whole
souled manner that you don't mind a
half-crown or so, and if that don't fetch
him nothing will"
Il suppose a letter addressed The
Ranger OF Hyds Park, Laadal.' would
Yes, that would do it,
When got back to the office wrote:
Ranger of Hyde Park:
DEAR S4R-l am desirous of obtaining
xhat " a Information can about Hyde Park,
Der or people employed, etc, and / thonvht
perhaps you would be good enough to mail
lie amy pamphlets that you have in ref
renee 10 the matter. L shall be glad to
'ay postage and any other expenses. and if
'Ou would do ME the favor to accent hair a
rown for your own trouble l snail be-
'bl ged to you. ES
y our ohedient servant,
waited day after day but received
10 reply. Every time we met my Eno.
ishman expressed surprise that the
hanger had not jumped at my half
rown offer. He seemed to have told
Ii his friends and mine about the mat
er, and when they met me they seemed
rieved that the Ranger had not writ
en-. They always inquired. 1 never
aw people SO anxious to help person
n. At last the man whom | consider
ntirelY to hlaAe, said to me, as we
let ON the Strand:
''By the way, did it ever occur to you
find out who the Ranger of Hyde
ark isa'
No" / answered. "Do you know
imp"
mot personally. He is the Duke of
ambridge, head of the British army
nd uncle of the Queen. ."-Detroit Free
resSs