The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-07-11
SCHOOL MA'AMS ABROAD.
BY CAROLINE II. STANLEY.

woman to choose her own way OF
going abroad. II she wish to have
no responsibility or care, if she be
not too tastidious about the kind OF
persons with whom she is for the
time identified, if she be amiable or
apathetic enough to submit her will
wholly to that of { conductor, and.
above all, if she is willing to pay a
good round price for these privileges
let her by all means join Cook $
party. They are very satisfactory
to many persons. But il on the
other hand, she as her own ideas
about the trin which she must have
carried out or be unhappy, if she is
willing to put up with some incon
venienceS and annoyances for the
sake of the experience--if, in short,
she wants TO get the most out of ii
for the amount eNpended-let her
60 with her own select party. This
was our theory before gong abroad
it is our settled conviction since.
We met many parties OF many kinds
parties conducted by ladies, by
gentlemen, by couriers-andwe never
failed to congratulate ourselves that
we were personally conducted"
The very vexations and difficulties
encountered are a means of educa-
ton in themselves, and the source of
great amusement in the ret aspect.
For instance, one learns much
about the customs of the country in
handling the money, buying tickets.
paying hotel bills, etc, which would
be missed entirely if one did none of
these things
Not that l wish to be understood
as saying that the handling OF
European currency is an unmiXed
joy. When tell you hat we had
to form an acquaintance with Eng
lish pennies, ha'penuies, tuppence,
thrippences, sixpences, shillings,
horins, crowns, halt crowns, sover
eigns, half sovereigns, Dutch guldens
German marks and ptennigs. French
centimes, sous, francs, and Napo
Icons, and that acquaintance must
be sufficient to keep us from being
cheated in five different languages.
you will know that we did not spend
all our time visiting art galleries; a
good deal OF il was spent in counting
money.
Before leaving home we were ad
vi5ed by means to lave common
purse. After trying individual pay
ment for just one day, we saw the
wisdom O, the advice and took it,
and |, alas! on account of my age
and matronly title. was chosen, like
Judas, TO carry the bag. thus got
little more than my share OF ex-
perience.
The English money was by far
the worst. The Dutch. German,
and French money, being a decimal
currency, was very simple after we
had once fixed in our minds the
value OF the gulden, the mark, and
the franc; for the Dutch cent, the
German ptenning, and the French
centime were respectively one hum
dredth part as much. But the Eng
lish money would never divide by
ten, and that was what continually
undoing US.
Now | wish to say, lest some
aspersi ons be cast upon my reputa-
ton as a teacher, that | know the
table of English money. | can say
huently in school.
4iarthings l penny
| II pence l shilling,
20 shillings pound.
| have even gone as far as what we
used to call, when we were children,
the also table
shllings l form,
| shillings l crown.
But | found that knowing the table
of English money and knowing
English money were two very differ
ent things. 1t is one thing to sit in
school room, mistress of the situa-
ton, and trip children up in their
shillings and pence, and quite
another thing to stand in a crowded
depot, before an official who is mas
ter Of the situation, ard count your
own shillings and pence. My intro,
duction to it was in this wise: We
had supplied ourselves before start
ing with some English gold and d
little silver. We we're very kindly
tutored on the voyage by an Eng
fish friend in making change, and
also in asking for tickets in the true
English way (Which is to say, please
give me four third singles, or 'foul
second singles" as the case may be
and we considered that we were eX
ceptonally we'll launched
The first tickets brought from The
common purse was at Chester
Going up to the booking office,
, as the ticket office is called, | asked
the price of a ticket to Windermere
Seven and eleven pence ha'penny
said the man.
| gasped. please give me tou
} SINGLES, | said, with one despairiul
clutch at my English tutoring, men
tally cropping, meanwhile, for tn
chalk and blackboad, and failing G
that, trying to make the ralculatio
in my head.
J; Thirty. one and ten, said the man
briskly, handing them to me.
Now that morning we had mad
deposit in the purse of four gol
:. ten shilling pieces They wer
5 bright, and we were unaccustome
to them, and somehow they SCENE