The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-01-28
PECULIAR CUSTOMS.
ODD THINGS THAT MAY be sEEN IN
FOREIGN LANDS.

American Newsrapers Sold b.
Weight In AustraIia-Tho Horrors
of . Naples Barber shop-Rars
beef Rare In south Africa.
| In Ecuador they sweeten coffee with
crushed beetles, in Japan they give you
gooseberry pie with roast duck, in Ceylon
the richest people beg and in London q
man who refuses to tip waiter runs q
fair chance of getting arrested.
These are some of the funny things that
make the American smile when he goes
abroad. BNt they are not all. There are
more funny things going on in this big
world than ever It's people dreamed of.
But somehow they never get into books
The vast array of travelling authors and
literary men who have traversed this mum
dane sphere have overlooked some of ito
funniest customs and oldest notions.
Now, for instance, in Australia, a coun-
try that follows American customs very
closely, the people have great desire for
American newspapers. Every steamer that
arrives from this. country brings its full
quota Of American journals, which are
Immediately put on sale. One day was
| In Adelaide, South Australia, and went
into store to buy the Sunday edition Of
| New York paper. The dealer took one,
placed 1t on a scales, which he scanned
very carefully, and then said Eighteen
penccr' (S6 cents)
"That costs about one.eighth as much In
New York." said
"Cawn't 'elp that" answered the deal
or. "These ere papers is massive. They
contain lots Of good paper and we got to
sell EN- by weight"
"Haye you any cheaper" asked.
eyes" he said again. "I've got some
cheaper. This one is only 10 pence. 1t
weighs much less; it has no pictures you
Sec" And he picked upa Chicago journal
of midweek date
But want New York Sunday news
paper, persisted.
"Wcll, those will cost you from IS to
20 pence (36 to 40 cents) each, according to
weight, but can sell you a Kansas City
Sunday paper for sixpence az cents) If you
must have a cheap Sunday edition.
Then found that the dealer would sell
separate sections of a Sunday edition If
the customer didn't want tho whole, and
while was in his store three men came
in and bought different parts Of q journal,
paying as much as cents section.
When you visit Naples, you want to go
to Neapolitan barber to enjoy one of tho
fast fading customs of the primeyal ages.
If Neapolitan barber came to the United
States, he might find work chopping
wood. If he followed his own vocation,
he would DO continually bothered with
>, fo fCv co,,1t md hotfo To ,Le
his customer to sit in an ordinary chair
and then, with the deft strokes of man
painting q fence by contract, fathers the
customer with u glutinous substance the
odor Of which does not resemble that Of
tho modest violet. He uses no brush, but
rag. He puts no towels OIL you coat,
but lets the lather drip down to your shoe.
You cannot lean back in the ordinary
way, but must sit upright while the razor
is being applied. The effect is CHASTITY.
Tho chin strokes are accomplished in tho
same manner that wharf laborer scrapes
bnrnacles from underneath dock. They
never use any bay rum or water, and turn
you out into the highways an object Of
pity. Any ono who goes to Naples can get
just such shave in the best hotels or in
tho worst quarters.
In Paraguay 1t is considered "the real
thing" to dine with the rich natives. All
European and American tourists who
reach that faraway South American coun-
try find q great fascination in being in
vited to natives house. They never eat
meal without drinking pint of water
beforehand to prevent indigestion, nor
will they serve visitor who does not do
likewise 1t is needless to add that Para
quay ia full of indigestion, and the custom
is continually kept up.
II Johannesburg, South Africa, ever
goes out of tho diamond and mining bust
ness 1t may become an important center
for the manufacture of rubber out of meat.
No one who has staid away from johann
nesburg these many years knows what
troubles taken to cook meat until it loses
all semblance of Its original condition and
becomes nothing more than hard, dark
colored rubber. To the American who
likes his daily steak rare this city is not
worthy of its place in the geography. 1t is
absolutely impossible to get beef cooked so
that it can be eaten. Once commercial
traveller went into the best hotel there and
said to the girl who attended his table, II
would like to have beefsteak, please, but
tell the cook that want it underdone,
cooked blood red, very rare and not to for
get" The girl went away with the order,
but came back in great haste and told the
travelling man that the cook said 1t
wasn't healthy for him to eat meat cooked
that way. The visitor offered to advance
proof that he had been eating underdone
meat for 48 years and had never suffered
with anything beyond a longing to get
back to the United States, but it would
not go" Persistent appeals finally
brought forth the cook in person, who said
that underdone steaks were against tho
rules Of the hotel
II ever it becomes necessary for q man
iourneying through Scotland to purchase
o pair of shoes (they call them boots"
there) he will find that he has a days
work before him which could not be com.
pensatcd by the wages of bank president
Not only does lie have to pay for the shoes,
but hc has to try them on, lace or button
them up, take them off, try on another pair
and go through all the work himself, |
while the clerk English, "clark" stands
by and looks on. On real good hot Scotch
day the purchasing of II pair of shoes In
such city as Glasgow would almost drive
one mad. The customer has to sit in an
ordinary chair with high, stiff back.
There is no rest for the foot, nothing in
the shape of accommodation whatsoever
except ready hand for the purchase mon
ey, One day was tortured to the extent
of purchasing pair of shoes in Glasgow.
As was leaving the store said to the
clark: did you ever hear of the way
we buy shoes in American Well, there Ia
N roc n1ann1 tha In 30 tbo |
customer and on this rest the customer
places his foot. Just back of this rest Is a
scat OH which the clerk sits and fits the
customer.
He leaned over and whispered in my
ear: "That may do very well for Ameri-
co, but here our employers do not like to
see us sitting down when We work" Who
said that Scotchman has no humorp-
New York Times.