Kansas City journal., 1897-05-24
ON GOING TO EUROPE.
EVENT OF A LIFETIME ABOUT HALF
A CENTURY AGO.
People Do Not Enjoy Foreign Travel
NOw-The Poetry Is Knocked Out
of Ii and IL Is n Matter
of Ordinary Routine.

years ago. il was the event of a lifetime,
lovingly mapped out in advance with ad-
vice from Travelled friends, prepared for
by reading, and, at the last, with prayer
in church and solemn leavetaking: pass
port was obtained. wills made and affairs
generally put in order. Once on the other
side descriptive letters were laboriously
written and eagerly read by less fortu-
nate friends at hOme-in spite of their be-
ing on the thinnest OF paper and with
crossing carried 10 a fine art, for post
age was high in the 'forties and. above
all. a journal was kept.
Such a journal lies before me as I
write: composed by my mother on her
wedding journey. Dear little volumes IN
worn morocco covers and faded Italian
writing. more precious than all my other
books combined, for they recall that lost
time-my youth-when, as n reward. they
were unlocked that I might look At the
drawings, and the sweetest voice IN the
world would read TO me from them! Dear
vanished days that are so far away they
seem 10 have been in another existence!
| II opens with the voyage across the At
lanuc. which. being made In an american
| clipper "a model. unsurpassed the world
over. was accomplished in thirteen days,
a feat rarely equaled now by sail.
Genial Captain Nye was in command. the
| same who. when later a steam propeller
| was offered him, Indignantly refused to
| boil "A kettle across the Atlantic" uu-
| worthy seaman. Life friendships were
| made in those little CaDins under the
| swinging lamp; last volumes reread. so
as to be quite prepared to appreciate every
thing on landing. Ireland, England and
Scotland were visited. with an enthusiasm
born of Scott" and the tedium of long
coaching journeys was beguied by the
| first numbers of ''PickwicR," over which
| my father rOared, but which my mother
| did not care for, thinking it vulgar and
| not 10 De compared to the children OF
the Abbey or ''Thaddeus of Warsaw"
a circular to all our diplomatic agents
| abroad was carried and presented in each
/ city. rite invariably followed by an invi-
| tattOn to dine. for which occasions black
| satin frock with low body and a few sim
| Dle ornaments Including. tsuDreme OLE
| gancel "A diamond cross We're carried i'm
| the trunks. In London a travelling car
/ rtage was bought and stocked and courier
| engaged Gin those days indispensablel. half
| guide. half servant, who was expected 10
| required. Four days were passed between
| HaNre and Paris. and the slow progress
| across Europe was accomplished. Murray
| I'm enc hand and Byron !n the other
| Do people enjoy Europe as much now?
| doubt it, Has it not become too much a
l matter of course. a necessary part of the
/ routine OF life? Besides so much of the
| bloom has been brushed from Il all by thou
| sands of descriptive books and millions OF
photographs, until st. Marks or Mount
/ Blanc are as familiar to n ChildS eye the
| house he lives in: until the reality instead
| of being revelation, is apt to be a disap-
| poIntment- Even in the writer's youth it
/ was still an event Ito cross, and remem-
1 ber my first voyage on the old Side-wheeled
| Scotia, commanded by Captain Judkins. in
/ a perpetual bad temper. pushed about the
Il
| when the inevitable female asking him
| (three days ouD how far we were from
land got the answer about mile. In
| deed, How interesting: In which direC-
| tion?" I'm that direction, madam" shout
| ed the captain. pointing downward as he
| turned his back TO her.
! II / remember right. We were thirteen
days to Liverpool. and made tho acquaint-
| ance on board of the friends with whom we
| Travelled during most Of that winter. Imag-
| .ne any one making an acquaintance now
| on board a steamer! Then, people depended
II
| boarding house for their visiting list. Now.
| when a girl comes out. her mother presents
her to everybody she will be likely TO know
| II she were to live in the city = century. In
| the EOS ladies chserfully shared their state
! rooms with strangers and often became
| friends i'm consequence: but now, unless a
| certain deck suite can be secured with bath
\ and sitting room on one or two particular
| steamers the great lady Is In despair.
| Yet oTr mothers were quite as refined as
| the present generation. only they took life
\ simply. as they found it,"
! We have complicated our lives terribly in
| these days. copying, in our way. many En-
| glish customs, such as 4 house full OF serv-
| ants. which over there have raison d 'etre.
| as the servants grow up In the families.
| But with our wandering habits these large
| households are constantly being broken
| up and formed again. so that the servants
| take no real interest and are wasteful and
| the service poor. The writer was speaking
| with an English servant the other day
| received in England. Yes. sir, but am
| almost half my year out of place. Your
| American families travel so much and new
| er keep servants when away
Children are taken abroad so young that
| before they have reached on age 10 appre-
| ciate what they see Europe has become
| twice-told tale to them. So true is this that
| receipt for making ycur children good
| Americans is to bring them up abroad.
| Once they get back here IL is hard to
| tice them away again. With each improve
| ment in the speed OF our steamships van
| isheS something of the glamour Of Europe.
| and the crowds that yearly rush across see
less and appreciate less in lifetime than
| our parents did in their one tour abroad.
| One good lady. an acquaintance of the
| writer. complaining how much Paris
bored her. What do you do TO pass the
| tine?' she asked. quite innocentiy
| answered that l knew nothing so entranc-
ing as long mornings passed at the Louvre.
oh; yes; ] do that. too. but think like
| the Bon Marche best"
A trip abroad now has become a purely
social matter to all but small class OF
| Americans. including being presented in
London and winter in Rome or Cairo.
And just smart Englishman Is sure
Tower so it has become good form to
ignore the Sightseeing side Of Europe and
l know hundreds Of New 1orkers rs Yho Yi,o
de la Paix and the ''BOis." and who would
as soon think of going 10 "Cluny' as or
| visiting the museum in our park!
They do go to Fontainebleau because
they are buying furniture and there they
can see the best. They go to versailles on
| the coach and do" the palace during the
| half-hour before luncheon. But beyond
that their curiosity rarely carries them
! AS soon as tneN arrive anu nave stAlActi
| themselves at the Bristol or the Rim. they
| begin the endless tTeadmill OF leaving CARDS
| on all the people they have just seen at
| home. and whom they will see again in
| Newport or Bar HarbOr. That and the all
| enhancing business Of getting clothes MI
! UP every spare hour Indeed. clothes seem
| to pervade the air in Paris. I'm May the
| conversation rarely deviating far nom
| them. You meet lady YOU know, looking
| really i'll, and anxiOusly ask the cause. 1t
| generally turns out to be -four hours u
| day standing to be fitted" have been told
| of one plain maiden lady. who makes a
| trip across spring ana autumn, with the
sole object OF getting her two yearly out
fits. Incredible as this may seem, II 10
| true.
| When thought of the hundreds of culti-
waited people whose one dream in life ihOw
| often Cnreallzed from lack of means) has
| been to go abroad once and visit for them
| selves the scenes their reading has made
| familiar and knowing what such "trip
would mean to them, OF pleasure and ap-
| rest of an obscure life. l felt IL almost a
| duty to suppress" the wealthy temal .
| doubtless an American cousin OF Lady
| Midasl when she informed me the ether
day that decidedly she would not 90 abroad
] this spring. II was not really necessary
now. Worth had her measures.-New
| York Post.
A woman who Is weak, nervous and
| cannot feel and act like a well person. Car
! ters Iron Pills equaliZe the circulation. re-
| move nervousness and give strength and
rest.
Imperial Council