The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-02-15

city OF Ice = Women In Barrooms.
.'sweets" Not Up to Our Candy-Mys-
terious Sign In Cardiff.
The books that are written about foreign
countries are most unsatisfactory. This is
just as true in the case of such an easy
country to write about as England as 1t Is
In the case of central Africa. The books
tell the poor Americans who have not been
there good deal about Westminster abbey
and the Tower of London and the houses
of parliament, but they do not disclose the
little things in which English life differs
from American life, the little things
which, after all, make up life, the things
which an American on his first English
visit finds almost as diverting and surpris-
ing as palaces and cathedrals and galleries.
The very first experience of the present
writer and wise companion of his in
London was of this sort. They got into a
cab at the station and gave the cabman
the address of the house where they were
to stay When they were set down at the
door, they saw beside it bell handle and
beside it the words, "Ring also." No such
words as these had they ever seen on q
door before, and they stopped and studied
them, while the cabman wondered what
they were waiting for. What could this
strange request to "ring also" mean? Did
it mean, "Ring thou also, others having
rung,'' or did it mean, ooh, thou who
hast done something else, ring alsos" And
If SO, what else? Then the companion,
wise in the Socratic method, remembered.
In pretty little edition of Thackeray's,
"The Rose and the Ring" he had once
seen picture of door with a knocker
and a bell and the words, KNOCK and
ring" This door had a knocker, too, and
"Ring also" must be shorter way Of say
ing, KNOCK and ring" He knocked with
the Rnocker and rang with the bell, and
that proved to be the right thing to do.
There Is quite as much strangeness In
the things that are missed as in the things
that are seen. Probably the most terrible
affliction for Americans In England is the
want of ice. 1t takes time to learn to
drink warm water, IL the silly and un-
English American will insist on drinking
water at all, and 1t Is just as bad to drink
warm beer. Perhaps 1t is in part the hor
rible tepidness of the alleged cold drinks
that drives the English themselves to
drink so much tea and so much spirits.
Ice is not wholly unknown. Now and
then a barroom has 1t for luxurious GUS
toners who demand 1t, and in that case
the fact is announced to an amazed popu-
lace by placard with the word lice" In
the front window. Some hotels have 1t,
too and guard 1t as a treasure, handing it
around in dishes of the size of sugar basins.
Nor Is the Englishman himself, when
properly educated, blind to It's usefulness.
The barmaid Is another Of the surprises
for the American. He knew that she ex-
listed, of course, yet it Is a shock to see her
for the first time. 1t Is shock, too, at
first to- see women customers standing or
sitting about in barrooms, even In CON-
paratively respectable ones. But this did
not set out to be an essay on barrooms or
drinking habits. 1t is hard to keep away
from the one or the other in England.
To make long jump, there is the mat
ter of candy, or "sweets," as they would
call themselves over there. Many English
women who make short visits to the
United States go home with pale faces and
faded constitutions because of the too sud-
den revelation to them of American can
dies. A girl who likes sweets-that Is to
say o girl-should accustom herself to
the American grades from childhood to
avoid the temptation to get drunk on them
at later period. But up to short time
ago-and probably IL Is so still-there was
only one shop In all London that could
supply candies of the quality to bo found
at 40 shops In New York. This shop was
making fortune In candy, and was also
doing a land office business in ice cream
soda, and yet such is the conservatism of
the Briton that 1t ran for years without an
imitator. Full credit was given to its
origin, and 10 was known as the American
candy shop.
Enelishmen seem much given to shaw
ing themselves, az 1t appears to the Amer
lean In search of barber shop. And he Is
stricken with new sense OF wonder when
he finds q BARRIERS shop called toilet
club. Sometimes American barber shops
are advertised, and then he can commit
his fate to one and take his chances.
The things that are advertised a. Amer
lean are sometimes diverting too. Ameri-
can dentists are expected to announce
themselves a. such all over the world, Of
course, ~ the title IL necessary as an as
surance that the operators know some part
of their business American sewing ma
chimes would be expected 10 bold higher
pls0e than the EnRlish and 70 b g a.