Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1896-08-27

Gus Amerfcans-People of Geneva
Live Their Fathers Lived-Expc-
riences I'm HOteIssaRd Barber shops
European Towns Maintained by
American Tourists
Geneva, Switzerland, Aug. 81 have been
IN Geneva one day, was never here before,
and feel admirably equipped for an ex-
tended description of the city, profound dis
sertations on its customs. its outer and in
ner life. Shot through Europe in q pneu-
matte tube, every tourist imagines that he
mas received q call to write q book In which
everything relating to country and people
Is made quite clear, Kodak work In liter
azure Is everywhere prevalent. Why not?
To write about that of which YOU know
nothing or next to nothing is absorb.ngly
tnteresting-to the writer. Ones imagina-
ton is quite untrammeled by the some
what imperious and uncomfortable demands
of truth when known, 50 better to dip your
pen into a dream and write.
seriously speaking, the imagination is
powerfully stirred by this old town. Sitting
by the window of my hotel, the Grand Ifo-
tel De La Paix (the Understanding prefix
Grand, by the way, seems to be in high
favor among European hotels), my eyes
rest upon the blue waters of Lake Geneva
the river Rhone rushing swiftly to mingle
Its clear waters with the muddy Acre; the
cloud-gtrt Alpine peaks in the distance:
Mont Blanc. stern, snow-clad. king over
all / can toss stone upon Rosseau ISL
and. with its monument to the gifted and
unhappy Frenchman whose name IL bears;
not far OF is Furney, the home of that
hooking spirit, strange compound of gen.
tus and diabolism, Voltaire; hard by also
the scene of Calvin's labors, echoing yet
with the grave notes of this superb dialec-
tician and theologian-set in strange vari-
ance with the holiday music 10 which the
gay Geneva OF the present loves to move.
Beautifuiness OF the Commonplace.
Now let me make a humiiiating confess
sion Neither the memories that Irvine
about the names OF the great sceptics, nor
the great preacher, nor even these stern
visaged. dark-browed mountains interest
me so much as the shop windows. with their
gay array of toys, watches, daintiest paint
ings on porcelain. and the most artistic,
inimitable wood carvings. These have a
human and present interest, and I would
turn aside from a page of history any day
to read a newspaper, telling ne of the now,
from the study of a mountain TO the study
of man.
1 was standing not long ago before one
of the masterpieces in a great art gallery
and admiring II, too Up came little
child and found far more beautiful its
sweet, pure face, than the marble beauty
T Sbaens men me- . cross seas to sec Were the
not SO perfect as the little fingers that
easse nFe So @ere pf the Ps
of the little child. and the child's lips were
and more see the Beautiful in abe common
place and in the everyday.
not u Consistent ah IN MIS- oi Do nos dreams
ways wander? But, think hear a harsh
Ters @e peTn To beeR the rsf Ting that
you catch with your kodak is a leisurel-
ness to which all Westerners are strangers
Is 1T the mountain calm, the placid lake
that weave themselves about these people,
giving to them their life? Is 1t because
that here laboT's rewards are not SO great
as with US. and tons Incentives are there h,
acteristic? Is it a philosophic pose? Is it
You may answer these questions, I can
not But the fact is not to be controveTtSc,
| better shops do not open until OF 10
! o'clock in the morning and close at or 8
h aT t is nnTepsa This IS true Of 1 an the
| cities on the continent And during bust
vous tension with which we are, alas, too
familiar seem absent here.
Take the elevator lifts as they are CALI
eiovIV. at times do not seem to be moving
yesterday, five gentlemen by actuaI Gount;
a ana came sn9 to dead stop. There are too
many of you in. gentlemen So one man
eeaflde es te snail IS supposed to GO After
several minutes we suggested to the boy
h halo we might go faster if he would get
out and walk up. To our surprise ne took
snilingIy assented and stepped out After
q few minutes ride we reached the IouFta
walking
Europeans Ignore BustIinE Americans
recall now a Chicagoan at the Midland
hotel in London. waiting, waiting, waiting
expressing himself in language more Wig
orous than choice, and not In Hebrew;
YOUR hurry won't bulge these apostles
Of calm one inch o, for few ounces OF
I don't think that shall smuggle any
diamonds through the custom house There S7Ite
diamonds-but I would smuggle q little bit
of this Continental restfulness " i couId,
P ! ePG~ could bring no F,1nsr s,,. . my
have learned It Their monuments TO their
dead seem hardly more undisturbed- Lire
murm1ring waters Iuiling to rest and sleep
They, are not progressing as We are eions
ma ettinR rich nor with Re. EXCEPTIONS
caring to get rich, but they are positively
TSese p s live as their fathers lived.
Yesterday we saw a building here in process
eTi3Ffng with ease and grace the great
blocks in air. We saw them being laoorlousIy
expected that kind OF a revelation IN Egypt'
but was surprised to find IL here
American Barber Chairs Not in Favor.
Innovations are everywhere discounted
Enter a barber shop. and. by the way. Mark
is not so exaggerated as you would imagine
You are PLACED In a sun: sbTaignt Gna1T-
can barber chair7'' You are told that they
we're INTRODUCED but thst at, The peSple a' Wb not
blockheeds they aTe Softly dtS.- .,,r,-,s. ton
and not to your liking. The tourist |. night,
mare is extras" How the extras pile up!
Recnrrinz to the barber shop. stepped
into one the other day to have my hair
trimmed. The charge was extremely rea,
sonahle for the trimming" but the extras.
So much for smuggling, so much for
o1fnine hath so much for q preparation
~ bay rum so much for dressing the hair.
In All five extras, five separate bills. nVe
additions my account
NO Charges for Hanging Up Your Hat.
At the hotel you fare no better Room
so much, meals so much. attendance 50
much lights so much At q reStaufant the
other day we were charged for napkins-
One of our party was moved to ask II there
were any extra charge for hanging UP our
hats Thus far we have not been charged
for that
us all They love US, we sometimes think.
for what we have, more correctly IN the
present case, for what We are supposed to