The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-07-11

| where we were gong ana by What
class, pointing out the booking
office, then led us to our train and
found us a nice car. | had mean
time been nervously lingering the
thrippence that l had been told to
give. | looked at both. The man
was very large and the thrippence
very small. Could | give that mag
nifcent looking creature so small a
coin? No. Like a coward, | gave
the money to some one else to hand
to him, and busted myself about
the baggage, keeping one eye upon
him, however, to see how he took it.
He took it we'll He smiled as il it
was more than he had expected,
touched his hat, and bowed himself
off.
And then-oh, the meanness of
human nature we wondered if
tuppence wouldn't have done.
The tipping system is an abomi
nable system, and is the bane OF the
American travellers life /; you never
know hen you have paid enough,
and are always feeling uncomfortable
les. you have been either mean or
extravagant but this particular ser
vice Of the porter is legitimate ser
vice we'll rendered, and is in no sense
a gratuity. On the Continent par
ticularly, in a babel OF foreign
tongues, it is an unspeakable reliefto
surrender yourself into the hands OF a
porter, feeling perfectly sure that you
and your baggage will be taken to
the right train and put into the right
car. When l tell you that in three
months journeyings we never once
got on the wrong train, you will
know that our confidence was not
misplaced,
We have been asked many times if
we mad any trouble on account Of the
language. We really had very little.
We took the precaution before leaving
London to get Gaze's Continental
tickets, taking them in preference to
Cooks, because they were more
highly recommended. We found them
perfectly satisfactory. They were ar
ranged III books, each leaf OF which
was coupon printed in English on
one side, and IN Dutch, German, or
French, as the case may be, on the
other. When The conductor or guard
came in, we handed him cur book,
and he tore eff leaf or punched il, as
he chose. They were never ques
toned, and as we paid Ter them at the
London office, we avoided the hand
ling of much Continental money. We
pursued The same plan IN regard to
hotels. We purchased Gaze's hotel
coupons, consisting OF breakfast, dinner,
and bedroom tickets, which could be
used slngIy or in sets. These were &C
cepted at any hotel on the list which
he furnished US. A comparison OF this
list with that of Baedecker showed that
our Gaze hotels were generally among
those that Baedecker starred, and often
the first on the list. So we felt satisfied
that we were going 10 good hotels, and
1t saved US d world ct Trouble in settling
bills.
We found at all hotels at least one
man (and often moTe) who spoke Eng
lsh, and as our coupons called for a
table akote dinner, which is, being
interpreted, dinner at waich you ca!
what is set before YOU, and ask no ques
tons for conscience sake. We got
along finely.
This Engish-sBeaki1g min is gen.
orally the porter-not cur American
baggage swinging porter, however, but
altogether different parsonage. This
man is the p or ii e-r-tbe Great
| Tacoon Senior Aicade-the man who
knows everything, and to whom you go
for everything, from postage stamp
up. | have never found the limit OF
his knowledge or his responsibility. He
tells you OF the objects Of interest and
| how to get there, posts your letters,
changes your money, tells you about
your train, aud sees that you are there
in time In short, he is perfectly in
valuable to the American tourist. Such
a man met US as we drove up TO the
Hotel des Indies in the Hague, in great
trepidation lest we should not be able
to make ourselves understood. He
threw open the door of the bus
smiled upon US, and said, blandly bu
doubtfully. Do you speak English?
Well, little, said the junior member
of the party, and then we all laughed
together at the absurdity of the situa-
ton.
The porter's English is not Away:
perfect, but as you hear 1t among the
nasals and gutturals of an unknown
tongue, it seems to you the finest, the
most musical, you ever heard.
OF course We did not fare quite sc
well outside of the hotels as inside il
our efforts to be understood, but We
had very little trouble anywhere
Many OF the stores had English-speak
ing clerks, and where they had not
they were quick to understand it'll
German goes long way IN Germany
Then the sign language is universal
and we found there uere few things W
could not ask with the help Of our tw
hands and the rising infection. L
Paris we found it very convenient f
write our directions, and give them t.
the cabman. For insta &c, we aske
TO be driven to the E!ffel Tower. Tn
man shook his head and shrugged hi