Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-10-07
A TRIP ABROAD.
DR.. W. Scott Hill Talks on Some In
teresting Topics.
He Found the Foreigners Very Courteous and
Accommodating.

anu, 0haS, WIEN ne cflGlclseS, it is not
from any prejudicial standpoint, as is SC
lamentabiy often the case. He asserts
that the American people, although nom
inaily the most free of any in the world,
ls,at the same time the most encumbered.
The politics, and boarding houses rail
roads and carriages, and pretty much
everything which America affords are,
according to his views, pretty bad
DR.. W. Scott Hill has just returned
from a trip through Europe, with the
impression that there is no place like
America, Max o Rel to the contrary not
outstanding yet, at the same time he is
not blind to many ways in which his
country might take lessons from some of
the European counties.
He said to Journal reporter, yester-
day, when asked for some opinions of the
foreign countries which he visited
'Generalizations are dangerous things to
handle, and especially so where the Gus
toms and methods of different peoples are
concerned; there are always, of course,
exceptions to the rules. One thing i'm
pressed me invariably, at every country
which visited, and that was an evidence
of unccasing and apparently unconscious
| civility and obligingness of the residents,
not only towards visitors, but. strange to
relate, towards each other While away.
during the whole 100 days, L did not see
one person arrested. OF course, l used to
read in the papers of occasional arrests
for murders, and various other atrocities,
infelicitles and disturbances, but never
witnessed any of them.
II travelled through almost all the prin-
cipal towns Of Italy; through France,
Switzerland, Germany and Holland In
these countries wines and light beers are
quite as commonly used as water. Not
until reached Amsterdam, did 1 see one
drunken person and that one was merely
what we should call little tipsy and not
disorderly enough to be considered deserv
ing arrest In all, l saw three persons
who showed signs of excessive drinking
l was present In Dresden, ut the 25th an
niversary of tho baltic Of Gravelotte;
there were 5000 troops on review, and Il
tremendous crowd present. Everyone
appeared to DO perfectly orderly, and there
was no fighting or rowing of any kind,
that could sec.
II saw one fight between two guides
over party The party looked on and
listened with applause. for there were
more words than blows the matter was
finally settled by each agreeing to give up
his claim, and the party were left in the
lurch. ~
How did you like the officials, was
asked
THE officials were uniformly courte-
Gus and most obliging. When churl
imposes upon them, they treat him coldly
aud often snub him into shame. The
railroad officials there are q gentlemanly
lot, though they arc quite as quick In the
performance OF their duties as Americans
they are about the same as the best here
and what the arrangements of railroads
are trying to attain In all.
"Do women travel alone abroad with
more or less apprehension than in this
country"
with most decidedly less. There is
great courtesy there regarding this class
of travellers. Perhaps the drummers
there have not caught the offensive habit
of ogling every lore woman whom they
pass by; at any rate they do not exhibit
any of the tendencies so common here.
II woman accepts favor from a
stranger, she thanks him cordially, not
coldly, and no further progress towards
acquaintance is made Perhaps the divi'
sion of travellers compartments on both
trains and stations has something to do
with this, but certainly is not responsible
for all of it, l was greatly impressed with
the civility of the people in every way.
For instance IL a foreigner has hard
time making himself understood and
makes q number of wild reaches after
some way of expressing him self, 1t never
occurs to anyone to laugh at him. On
the contrary, everyone does his best to
helm the man out There was none OF
this ridiculc at ones ignorance, no blurt-
ing out some coarse joke or sarcastic piece
of far fetched wit The ticket sellers
were full of business, but not brusque or
petulant. And there are rather greater
pains taken there than here for the COM
fort OF travellers. -
Ibid YOU like the foreign languages
Il liked to hear them, they are SO
musical, at least when spoken by the
natives. The broad italian pronuncis-
ton was especially fine and resonant,
there are so many words In that language
which end in vowel 1t was very rich
and pretty. One paper seller in Rome
was endowed with an exceptionally rich
voice. He sold LA Tribuna, pronounc-