Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-05
A QUAINT TOW N
Lederer Strolls About the Streets of
Southampton.
CANUPE AND 1HE MAYFL0WER
A Fine Assortment of Ruined Castles,
Abbeys and Noblemen.
IS L E OF WI g II T
CANUFE AND 1HE MAYFLOWER
I S L E OF W 4 g H T

Copyright, 1895, by Bachelor, johnson Bacheller)
SOUTHAMPTON, September, "a, 1895.
If this town could only engage a good
advertising firm t. toot its horn for 1t the
returns would more than balance the out
lay. When they come to England by way
of Southampton, Americans as a general
rule make a bee line for London, remaining
here only long enough to lie to the customs
officers. check their baggage and say.
'.Ain't we glad there's train out Of this
teastly little seaport town." Then when
they've been thoroughly bled by the Dick
Turpins of Great Britain and the fellows in
the same line of business on the continent
they come to Southampton, if they return
by any Of the transatlantic lines that
touch this port, and count the minutes that
intervene between their departure. If they
get here the night before the steamer starts
they usually put up at the hotel nearest to
the docks or railway STATEN. Well, we all
know what a railway station hotel is, and
they're no worse here than in the states.
Then there is a numerically small grade Of
tourist who gets here in time to spend
day or two on the Isle of Wight.
There is no such thing as an overdose Of
the Isle of Wight, yet should not wish to
miss seeing Sol Hampton thoroughly on
that account. If one has only a months
vacation, it couldn't be spent in a more en-
joyable way, to my mird, than devoting
the necessary two weeks to the ocean trip
from New York and the rest of the time in
Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle Of
Wight. There is no need of running up to
London. It's waste of time, trying to the
nerves and causes immediate wasting away
of the purse tissues. London Is a hodge,
podge. 1t is big. Southampton isn't either
1t is old and respectable. even to the wa
ter's edge and the bar maids. The people
are docile. and a steady influx of American
visitors would no doubt wean them from
their staid old English channel ways. They
are trying to do the best they can. If there
exists in tie Southampton mind only a dim
idea of street car, they do the best they
know how by substituting lot of two
deck Noah'S arks on wheels, which they
run at long, bewhiskered intervals on rails
metals they call them. They answer the
purpose of street cars to the inhabitants
and to Americans who aren't in the least
bit particular as to time or direction. Then
as to Eotels-they have acquired some bad
habits, have the innkeepers, from their big
brothers, the LuDnun hotel pirates; but the
Southampton hotel people, like all South
amptoners, evince sincere desire to do
the best they can. The inn 1 am writing in
now is a quantity cheerful place, overlook
ing Above Bar, an oddly but appropriately
named street, centuries old. The rooms and
meals are all that could be desired when
one keeps desire screeI ed, but the prices
that prevail show almost g. slavish desire
to initiate London again. But, let us for
give, the fare Is excellent-and monotonous.
However, 1t is all thousands per cent bet
ter than the accommodations that are to be
found in any American seaport town of the
SdHle Size BESIDES DelnS amenaDle TO KIND
ness and civilization. the people here are
more sensible than ths monkey men of
London They don't wear high silk hats all
the time, or eat their breakfasts in frock
coats out of respect to the Bank of Eng
land. The mail carriers wear the same Or
phan asylum uniforms as in London and
carry the same garbage-barrel collectors
bags, but 1 suppose that the royal mail car
riers' Is a national costume, and not the re-
suit of local freakishness in tailoring. The
baby carriages are quite as absurd in con-
struction as those that abound in the Brit
ish capital AS usual thing they bear a
close resemblance to what might be i'm
agined would be the result of a cross be-
tween a wheelbarrow and a railway por-
ter's truck. They are awful in construction
and appearance. 1 wonder that infant NOR
tally is rot greater in Great Britain.
Southampton. however, has features that
are otherwise than mirth provoking. Its
natural surroundings, both by water and
by land. are all that the most fastidious
tourist could wish for-if he Is not too in
formally experienced and suffering from q
chronic attack of blase. Southampton has
as fine an assortment of ruined castles,
ruined abbeys and noblemen in a ditto con-
dition as any town in England. Its collec-
ton of antique, intermingled, catercornered,