Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-09-26

They Travel Without Male 6s-
corts and Put Up
AT FlRST-CLASS HOSTELRIES
They Come and Go at Their Own Sweet
VIII and Nothing IS Tho ught Of
IL BY the Clerks

cit Is surprising how many women
travel alone" said a clerk At the Nor
ton as trlm. demure matrou left the
cashiers desk after paying her ball.
1.-The number increases every paw. In
fact, Il has become SO common That We
don't think any more about II than We
would II 10 were man. IL was only a
few years ago that a wuman hesltated 8
long time about stopping at a hotel
alone. She was not the least bit anxi-
Gus to, and the hotel was no. anxious
- have her. The house was always
little suspicious OF her unless she were
known or had gilt-edged letters. And
even then she was not always well
come gCest. IL was very uucomtort-
able for her. too. No matter how re-
spectacle a woman was. she could not
help feeling that so long as she was III
the hotel upaecompaned, she was an
object of more or less suspicion. All
that nonsense grew out Of the idea that
good woman had no business any
where unless she mad a male escort,
and that any woman that travelled
alone must necessarily be an adven-
turecs.
Were rImid IN Hotel.
Women felt this and they approached
a hOte. with great deal OF tlmidlty.
The feminine traveller generally went
in at the so-called ladies entrance"
and rang for bell boy TO take her card
to the clerk. One Of the clerks would
then rush out and have her taken To q
room. Whenever she wanted anything
sue would ring for bell boy and send
him on the errand. Ii she wished to
consult the clerk she went to the parlor
and sent for him TO come up. When
she was ready To leave she sent for her
bill and paid il 10y proxy. She kept out
Of sight so far as possible and acted
like cat IN strange garrett.
That's what IL used to be. but IL isn't
that way any more. They come into q
hotel with all the freedom of man.
/ The side entrance Is ignored. They
walk IN at the front entrance and
march straight to the desk. Then they
register and state what kind of room
they want and how much they are will
ing to pay for it. They are as unhesl-
tatIng az travelling man and ask for a
$3.50 room with a bath on $3.50 rate
| without blushing a bit more than the
l lllOct uhIututu ulullliltI. lICN ~ III
and out at their own sweet will and
| don't ask any unnecessary favor of any
| body. When they are ready To leave
they march down 10 the cashiers desk
and settle just as that woman did few
| minutes ago.
Deiightfuliy Unaffected,
They are so delightfully."- unaffected
| about all those things that a man feels
| like shaking hands with them when
| they go and asking them to stop with
us the next time they come-Just as
| he would with one of TIE boys.
There are large number of promi-
nent and wealthy Michigan women
who stop here at the Morton on an
average of three or four times a month.
They are rarely accompanied by their
husbands, although they frequently
meet them here. They want to do a
little shopping and so run down for a
day or two. They're just as valuable
| patrons of the hotel as their husbands
are, and we are just as glad to see
| them. They do everything IN straight
| forward buslness-llke way, and a man
can't help admlring their unassumed
| independence. So long as woman
conducts herself properly, no first
class hotel asks any questions about her
| any more. She can come and go as
| she pleases and it's nobody's business.
As matter of fact, the hotel seldom
| IL let down by a woman. Once in a while
| one comes in and drops the house be
| fore she goes away; but it's very sell
| dom, and we can't afford TO dlscrlml-
nate against women on that score. We
| get done up by men ten times as often
| in proportion to their relative numbers