The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-30
GLASGOW WAYS.
Points That Interest an American In the
Scotch Metropolis.

Points That Interest an American In the
Scotch Metropolis.
LET me take you tomorrow to see
our municipal buildings, and you will
see palace which cost several millions
of your dollars. of which sum not a
sixpence was stolen nor iobbed," re-
marked Glasgow bailie to a Boston
Herald correspondent, who was his
guest.
Next morning went to the munich
pal buildings what we would call the
city hall, writes this correspondent. I
found the place no less palatial than it
had been described to me- It is far and
away the most beautiful building of
the kind I have ever seen. It's marbles,
Its stairways, its reception rooms, are
exceedingly beautiful; it's business
rooms are in admirable taste. The
building is the palace of king-King
Demos-and no crowned colleague has
q lovelier dwelling.
There were no loafers in the halls;
no large jawed politicians were holding
up the exquisite iron gates; no Office
seekers were sprinkling the yard with
strong language and tobacco juice; the
place was more than respectable-it was
attractive.
In this palace Of King Demos there
are state apartments most richly be-
decked; there are drawing room, a
danceroom, banquet room, and / know
not what, and these apartments are
used on festive occasions when official
citydom is expected to disport itself to
the credit of the community-which
latter by one, two, three, four or more
thousand representatives comes to join
in the gayety.
The mayor Of Glasgow is called the
lord provost. He is chosen for three
years at nothing year. He is expect
cd to live in some state and hospitality
and to uphold the gentle dignity of the
town. 1t costs him from $40, 900 to
$15, 600 or $40, 900 annually to do this,
as circumstances serve. Obviously it IS
easier for rich man than it is for
camel to enter the provostship of Glas-
gov. But the Glaswegians propose
that if the camel benot available, then
shall not the rich man have it all his
own way. They talk now of endowing
the provostship, SO that the sums nee
essarily spent upon splendor may hence
forth come from the public purse. But
they do not propose to give the lord
provost salary. His services must be
gratuitous as before.
Glasgow is solid looking town.
Every building is of stone, after the
Scotch way. One rarely sees brick in
Scotland. The ribs of the hills are dug
out for building withal, SO that
Scotch town seems built to endure.
Wherever you go you find stone stairs
in the buildings of Glasgow.
The difference between British build
ing and American is not more marked
than in this matter OF stone stairways
and brick partition walls-dwelling
houses, mean, as we'll as warehouses.
Deeming it necessary to prevent the
construction of sky cleaving buildings,
which shut out light, air and every
thing but ugliness, the Glasgow folk
enacted a law that no building shall be
higher than the width of the street on
which it fronts. You can build mile
high if you have thoroughfare as wide
as that.
A capital thing they have in Glasgow
which we have not. The municipality
has constructed a number of bath
houses, fitted with huge white tiled
swimming tanks, each holding from
$4,000 to 100, 900 gallons of water. The
water is kept at a temperature of 10 de-
grees. These baths are open day ana
evening throughout the year. The adj.
mission to these baths is cents per per-
son. Half million bathers use these
tanks in a year. Connected with the
bath buildings are washhouses where
workingmen's wives do their family
laundry work, having for charge Of
cents per hour the use Of washing
stall with hot and cold water and steam
drying appliances.