St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1901-09-14
TOURISTS WHO DON'T TOUR.
4 Paris Concern Helps Fit Gut Gl.as
Trotting Humbugs.

4 Paris Concern Helps Fit Gut Gltat
Trotting Humbugs.
We were told the other day Of
very successful book Of travel in the
far east which was writer hy q
man who had never been nearer Asia
than the eastern boundary Of the city
Of Vienna, and after much difficulty
we were able to discover how this won
derful feat was performed, says Lon
don Answers.
A year or two ago an agency was
established to assist these Travelled"
humbugs. Itoriginally had a branch
in London, but now the whole thing
is worked from the Office IN Paris,
from which carefully worded circulars
are sent to likely clients in all parts
of Europe and the United States.
The London Office was not given up.
because il did not PAY, but because
is was thought greater secrecy could
be obtained BY having only one office,
and that IN Paris.
This agency is nominally one Tor
during the usual touring business, but
actually exists for providing anyone
who can pay the necessary fees with
complete evidence of their travels
posting them up il all the details Of
their Journey" and giving them 9
perfect description Of all the sights
they saw in fact, generally turn-
ing them over to their friends, travel
stained and full Of adventure. And
the pseudo-tourist can choose almost
any tour in the world, if he is pre-
paredto pay well forit.
He can go tewn into some cheap
farmhouse, SEMI fee to the agency,
| and later he can turn up among his
friends with some wonderful knoWl-
edge Of, for instance, the Alps, q file
lof reeeipted hotel bills, his portman-
teaus smothered in foreign labels, and
with an armful Of small tri1es bought
in the little hamlsts he didn't stay at
or pass through Swiss clocks, mod
| els Of Swiss villages, even bits OF
rocks he schipped OFF, the higher
noun tain -peaksand be will be able
to tell you all about the good and the
bad hotels at which he stopped along
the route. In short, he could thor
oughly convince you that he has ac-
tually taken the tour.
TO talk Of having done the Alps
lis the ambition Of thousands Of peo-
pie who have not the nerve for noun
taineering, or who cannot afford the
expense. cheap as the tour IS nova
days. It is common enough to find
people posing as travellers on the
strength Of this little tour alone, and
it is probable that fair number Of
these gentlefolk have never set eyes
upon the famous mountains. The
| Ialpenstock, guide-ropes, and yieWs
they show their friends as evidence
of their trips, can be procured at very
moderate prices; and the agency for
bogus travellers has Well-Written ittle
books, from which their clients can
learn quite as much as they could
by actually taking the tour.
Also, for a small additional fee,
clients are provided with notebooks,
and the copy from which they can
write in the notebooks short, daily
accounts Of their doing during tn~
tour. And all this glory for abons.
d fourth or fifth of what the tour
would actually cost themi
BY no means is the Alps tour the
only thing demanded BY the clients
|of this unique agency, Tours Of all
sorts Of outlandish places are con-
stantly being arranged for richer
classes Of bogus globe trotters.
You can Ego through Siberia by
the courtesy Of the agency for about
80 guineas, without the slightest per-
sonal inconvenience or any loss Of
time; and for further fee you can
be supplied with an MS. concerning
your travels, for publication IN the
form Of a short article, perhaps not
too original, but sufficient to give you
) certain dignity as 4 traveller in the
event Of its being published.
The book Of travel before men
toned was written ii Paris By an
employe Of the agency, to the order
Of an American gentleman, who han
kered after fame as 8 traveller in the
east; and it was exceedingly well
done.
But it cost the pseudo-author very
considerably more than be is ever
likely to make By the sale Of bis book.
Indeed, the cleaning Of the necessary
information certainly cost great
deal Of money, as some one well used
to travelling in the east must have
travelled specially for the purpose of
tt, book, which, therefore, is not the