Southwest-sentinel., 1896-03-17

eler end Ms Hethtub.
AZ the travelling Briton IS known IN
this country BY his luggage, 90 the
American woman was onCo hated IN
Europe because Of her saratoga trunk.
The world has escaped the general
adoption Of the saratoga trunk, but a
worse thing seems possible, as British
luggage threatens 20 become interna-
tiOnal Even now you may buy In this
town all the impcdimeuta with which
the travelling Briton Cumbcrs himself
aud bedevils the rest of mankind. A
Broadway trunkmaker has for some
years past undertaken 10 fix tho thral-
dom Of these things upon his fellow
country mon and women, and many
travelling Americans. especially the
wealthy and fashionable. are 20 be REQ
oguized BY the multiplicity Of British
impedimenta that they carry to and fro
IN their frequent iourneyings between
the old world and the new. More curl
Gus still. those clever and initiative Jap
anese have begun 90 produce British
luggage identical wish the original in
the minutest details, even down to hand
Bew0d straps on leather trunks, port
manteaus and the like; but, drolly
enough. the whole outfit is merely pa.
per counterfeit Of the real thing
American imitators Of things British,
lacking the fino humor Of the japanese,
have made no substitution Of light ma
terial FOR heavy, but have taken on the
full burden Of ponderous British hat
boxes, portmanteaus, rugs, bags, hold
alls aud even bathtuha. It was a travel
ing American who gave TO the world an
account Of n refreshing scene ON board
q Mediterranean steamer bound TO Tan
gieF or some such MOhammedan port Of
north Africa A British passenger with
his bathtnb had nearly pestered the life
out Of a meek, coffee colored Moham-
medan. who accepted the BFiton s curses
without q sign Of reproach, 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 to
pause In his work and dance glecfully
upon the deck. exclaimiDg in triumph,
"Oh. Mr.. Goddam, Mr.. Goddam |" It
Sc since that incident that travelled
Americana in their aping Of British
ways have accepted even the burden Of
the bathtub.
A study Of baggage at a steamship
wharf on even at q large railway station
in New York Is Bn instructive lesson as
90 the cosmopolitan character Of the
city. There Is one article Of British
luggage that seldom survives more than
one journey within the limits Of the
United States and sometimes gets no
farther inland than the New York hotel
at which the traveller makes his first
stop. This article Is the little trunk or
box of japanned tin much used by trav-
elers in Great Britain. The flimsy trifie
hardly survives the first encounter with
the American baggage handler, and
after the first journey OF 600 miles in
this country is battered out Of all re-
semhe6uce OitsU 'ginnl rectilinear self
It is an article Of luggage not suitable
TO the exigencies Of American travel.
A pathetic feature Of the baggage at
the railway stations that are doorways
TO the west is the immigrants luggage.
sometimes il is a mattress from the
steerage wrapped about the few belong
ings Of the new made American. Again
It is the corded box Of the Irish, English
or Scotch immigrant It will be recalled
how important a preliminary to Char
lOtte Bronte's journeyings out into the
great world from her Yorkshire home
was the cording of her box. The corded
box is as rare among the luggage of an
American traveller as the old hair trunk,
though both are occasionally seen. The
seaman's locker, rectilineAr for q stable
Htowage and strong against accidents,
figures in the luggage at steamship
wharyea. One knows instinctively its
contents Of old clothes, Photographs,
curios, tobacco and long treasured let
ters from home and the array Of pic
tryes from the illustrated papers pasted
On the inside Of she lid
The elaborate dressing cases that
some Americans and all we'll to do
Englishmen used to travel with are GO
ing out Of fashion. Il is almost neces-
sity that the traveller with this pretty
piece Of luggage take along a valet, for
the thing weighs like so much lead and
is too precious to be trusted to 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
30 a. 70 form desks. The luncheon
hamper that used to accompany every
traveller across this continent in the
days before dining cara 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 a princely hospitality TO their fellow
travellers. The dinner hour ON board a
transcontinental train 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 Of the nuisances Of Euro
pean travel
Some Of the English theatrical oom-
panies have become so used to travelling
in America that they have adopted ouI
methods with baggage. They accept
with grace the great American trunk,
dispense with the hatbox. the bathtub,
the rugs, shawl straps and the rest and
calmly see their belongings carted OF
BY q stranger. who leaves behind as evil
dence only a bit Of brass bearing q few
letters and numbers. New York Sun.
zhs Littis Thing That Amused
A noted man passed mp Chestnut