The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-03-24
A BRITON'S LUGGAGE.
ATTEHPTH or AMERICAN IMITAToR9
TO INTRODUCE IT HERE.


AS the travelling Briton Is known in
this country by his luggage. so the /
American woman was once hated l., /
Europe because " her saratogn trunk /
The world has escaped the general I
adoption of the saratoga trunk. but a
worse thing seems possible. as British
luggage threatens to bccume intcrna- I
tiunal Even now You may buy in this I
town all the impedimenta with which /
the travelling Briton cumbers himself /
and bedeyils the rest of mankind A
Broadway trunkmaker has for some
years past undertaken TO iix the thral |
dom Of these things uTon his fellow I.
country men and women. and many
travelling Americans, especially tho /
wealthy and fashionable, are 10 be rc--
ognized by the multiplicity OF British
impcdimenta that they carry TO and frn
in their frequent juurneyings between
the old world and the new. More Curl
Gus still. those clever and initiative Jap
auese have begun 20 produce British
luggage identical with the original in
the minutest details. even down 20 hand
sewed straps on leather trunks. port
manteaus and the like: but. drully
enough. the whole outfit Is merely pa
per counterfeit of the real thing.
American imitaturs Of things British,
lacking the fine humor Of the japanese.
have made no substitution q hght ma
terial for heavy, but have taken ON the
full burden uf pOndorous British hat
boxes, portmanteans. rugs. bags. hold
alls and even bathtub-. IL was a travel
ing American who gave 90 the world an
account Of n refreshing scene ON board
n Mediterranean steamer bound 20 Tan
gier or sCme slch Mohammetian port u
north Africa. A British passenger with
his bathtab had nearly pestercd the life
cut u q meek. coffee culored Mcham-
me,lnn. who accepted the Briton 3 curses
without n sign Of repTuach. but when
in the course Of getting the luggage
ashore the precious bathtub fell over
board and sank like lead. the harmless
follower of the prophet was seen 20
pause in his work and dance gleefully
upun the deck. exclaiming IN triumph
'Oh. Mr.. GOddam. Mr.. GoddAm - 10
Is since that incident that Travelled
Americans in their aping u British
ways have accepted even the burden q
the bathtub.
A study Of baggage at a steamship
wharf OF even at a large railway station
ia New York is an instructive lessun as
20 the cosmopolitan character of the
city. There Is one article q British
luggage that seldom survives more than
one journey within the limits uf the
United States and sometimes gets no
farther inland than the New York hotel
nc which the traveller makes his first
stop. This article u the little trunk Cr
box Of japanued tin mnch used by trav-
elers in Great Britain. The fiimsy tribe
hardly survives the first encounter with
the American baggage handler. and
after the first journey II GOO miles IN
this country j. battered cut q all ie-
semblance 20 its original rectilinear self
Il j. an article OF luggage not suitable
70 the exigeBcies of American travel
a pathetic feature of the baggage at
tho railway stations that are dcurways
TO the west is the immigrants luggage.
Sometimes IL Is a mattress frum tho
stecrage wrapped about the few belong
ings of the new made American. Again
il is the corded box of the Irish. English
OF Scotch immigrant. II will be recalled
how important n preliminary TO Char
lotte Brunte's journeyings out into the
great world from her Yorkshire home
was the cording of her box. The corded
box is ~ rare among the luggage Of an
American traveller us the old hair trunk.
though both are occasionally seen. The
seaman's locker. rectihnear for n stable
stowage and strong against accidents,
figures in the luggage nc steamship
wharves. One knows instinctively its
contents Of old clothes. Photographs.
curios. tobacco and long treasured let
tiers from home and the array Of pic
lures frUm the illustrated papers pasted
ON the Inside Of the lid.
The elaborate dressing cases that
some Americans and all well 90 do
Englishmen used 20 travel with are 60
ing out Of fashion. Il Is almost a neces-
sity that the traveller with this pretty
piece Of luggage take along a valet. for
the thing weighs like - much lead and
is too precious TO be trusted 90 the ten
der mercies Of the baggage department
The travelling desk also has nearly dis
appeared though some ingenious trunk
makers now produce trunks that open
80 n 20 form desks. The luncheon
hamper that nsed 10 accompany every
traveller across this continent in the
days before dining cars came into use
has almost entirely disappeared The
California millionaires Of early trans
continental travel carried enormous and
richly laden hampers and dispensed Of
ten princely hospitality TO their fellow
travellers The dinner hour ON board n
transcontinental rain was picturesque
incident Of travel in those days. The
travelling Briton in Europe still some
times carries his luncheon hamper. and
it is often one uf the nuisances uf EurU-
pean travel
some Of the English theatrical com