Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-09-17
FAR ACROSS THE SEA.
RICHMOND GIRL DESCRIBES
HER TRAVELS IN EUROPE.
IN WAYE- WASHED OLD VENICE.
The Understandable Inspiration of the
scene--GIimpse ut England, France,
Germany, and Itnly-Hard Work
of Tourists FeeIingIy Described.


dear friend, when a little girl the height
OF my ambition was to so to London TO
see the Queen. AS time went on the
whole of Europe became incorporated in
this desire so in June l left home, de-
teImined at least to receive a passing in
PRODUCTION to the best that an older eivili-
cation can show.
our party of six gathered on the eve
Of sailing. -Four of ITS members were
strangers to me- and no one but another
girl can understand the suffering l UNI
derwent before 1t was delicately conveyed
TO me that the mental appraisement OF
| myself and belongings was over. and that
l had passed muster. Our characteristics
are varied, but we might be told off
thusly: First covers our patient, pains
taking representative, eager to see every
thing; second. our enthusiast who adores
everything; third, the individual with a
camera, who photographs everything;
fourth, the young person who cannot so
into cCstacies each time she is appealed
TO by the enthusiast. because the stock
on hand Will not stand such draughts
fifth, the fun-loying girl, who frankly de-
clarc8 herself worn out with cathedrals
as daily diet. and. sixth, our respected
conductor ana chaperon, who enhrhtens
our ignorance. smiles at our fOllies. and
patiently points out what is best worth
seeing.
1T WAS AN OFF NIGHT.
We had a delightful passage across. al
ways excepting one night, in the account
Of which the ships log and l are widely
at variance, with the error chargeable to
the log. it is needless TO say. l depict in
dark colors the flashing Of tho waves, the
rolling Of the good snip. and the bowling
of the wind in the rigging like some lost
soul in torment, while that unreliable
aforesaid log chronicles 'some wind and
q slight fog-weather fair.'
We found some charming people among
our fellow-travelers, most OF whom, like
ourselves, were leaving home for "a
much-needed rest" Right here let me
enter a protest Whoever takes this jour
ney with an earnest educational purpose
will find recreation. but will work harder
than ever before From the moment we
landed in England we were too much in
terested TO realize how much we were
taxing our bodies. At last our minds re-
belled by positively refusing to receive
even one more impression. My first feel
ing was one of pride i'm my great-grand-
mother. for the country through which
we passed 10 Warwick was q veritable
garden spot. How / long 10 see our own
beautiful South cultivated as England is.
Each tiny thatched-rOof cottage has every
window filed with boxes of blooming flow
ers. and is surrounded by wheat. corn,
glowing red peoples, and such trees and
turf that we wonder hew they do it until
the incident is recalled of the American,
who inquired How in the world DO you
get such grass?' why. we plough the
soil, fertilize fl. sow the seed, and-then
wait five hundred years" was the an
swer. Indeed. / did not see a distress
ingly new-looking building in England.
Most of them look as if they had stood
tho test Of centuries, and will stand as
many more.
LONDON'S STABILITY AND DIGNITY.
The stability and dignity of London
strikes one at once. Even at the great
Paddington Station there is little of the
noise and clatter which has always SEEM
ed inseparable TO arrivals and departures
in our "ain countrie." This criticism, TO
YOU is from one member of family TO
another. for, Of course, / stoutly main
tain that all of our customs are superior
10 any IN vogue mere. i even deleNQ the
sky-scraping buildings of New York and
Chicago! In point of fact. we are only
kept from envying the English their great
and glorious past by a feeling Of part
ownership in it all
Westminster Abbey would arouse emo
ton in the most thoughtless. without
and within il is q tangible expression Of
the thought of a powerful people. Our
feeling of kinship was accentuated by the
beautiful tributes there TO the genius Of
our own L0ngfellow and Lowell. Oppo-
site the abbey stands the Parliament
buildings. and just here we paused to
take our first lesson in architecture, while
We We're being initiated into the mysteries
Of flying buttresses, trefoil quatrefon,
Norman and Gothic arches Our-Girl-on-
Amusement-Bent slipped off to the inter-
national athletic sports at Kensington
Club between Harvard, Yale, and oxford,
Cambridge. There she had the honor OF
touching elbows with royalty in the per-
sons OF the Prince and Princess Of Wales
the Duke and Duchess Of York. etc
She stOutly maintains the contest TO
have been so close that defeat was hon
Orable. and pities the rest of US because
We were not there TO applaud and en-
courage our side. She further asserts
that one high munk-i-wump of the Eng
disappearing race showed a disposition