New-York tribune., 1901-06-30
GCIDEBOOKS.
CURIOUS THINGS TO BE FOUND IN THE
EARLIEST ATTEMPTS
From The Pail Mall Gazette.

me news that Mr.. Murrays famous Red
iiahdbooks are to be taken over bloc by Mr..
Stanford Is interesting to other people besides
MI stanford and Mr. MURRAY 1t even justifes
ole III writing about Suidebooks in loose and
general way, endeavoring to prove that ones
knowledge OF the subject is extensive and pc
cuIar. one may show, for instance how guide
n' 5oohS Alustrate the great revolutionary truth,
discovered by Herbert Spencer, that everything
was something else before il became what it is
for suldebooks, before they became guidebooks
tWhlch means before Mr. Murray took them in
hahd), were at least three different things. They
First-Rela: 'ons of JOURNEYS
SeCond-lpk -onarieS of tieugraphy
Good Society
To make guidebook these ingredients and
some others had to be mixed together. and the
first man who learned how to mix them in the
correct proportions was John Murray. His niche
IN the Temple of Fame should be beside the
niche Of the man who discovered how to make
I!um pudding instead of the plum porridge
/ Of oar fUrefatheTS
1t would be interesting to paw ones RESPECTS to
:ll me Sudebooks of the plum pOrridge period:
but there were too many of them. The rliest
"f them are little more than gazetteers gener-
Index Memora bilium Helveti3e" 1GSi) for in
stance begins with a treatise fcrty pages long.
ana thtn deals with places, arranged alpha bet
l"ally from Aisle TO Iurzach. Then We come to
the Deiicts' series-"Delices de la Suisse"
| "Dtlices des Pays Bas,'' etc.-which consist of
elaborate ESSAYS the political conditions Of
/ the countries. supplemented hy topOgra phical
descriptions arranged in an order cf which we
can only say. the wit said Of the mode of
clectlng the Hebdcmadal Council. that 1T seems
to depend upon rules which are uniformly
broken This was about 11l4 y little later
~ l''1f' we ma mere practical predecessor OF
/ the guide b ok n ID rectiCns for Travelling
Through Holland ard Germany to which
* added an Account Cf the Going Out and Ar
rival Of the Posts: and what every Person must
pay fer hls Passage, whe ther 10y Land or Water,
i-ke"lse the exact TIM Cf Departure If AL
Boats, Wagons. or ether Carriages. the Whole
helnS exceedingly useful for all PEI sons Travel
Ing to any of he above Places" To a certain
he hos
different fuidehooks &malcamated in TIE guide
h'o ks hat held the field when John Murray en-
tered II hoy"e's belgian Traveller 1SlI).
Ebets 'TraVeller's Guiae Through Switzerland
OSlS) and Mrs. Stakes Travels on the Cont
nent, written for the use and particular informa-
ron "f travellers GS.'p. This last named work
was. as II happened, published by MI Murray.
lie mas described II as Il work of real utility.
necaLSc. amidst q singular medley Of classical
lore. borrowed from L"mpriere's Dictionary in
terwoNen with details regulating the charges in
washing hills at Sorrento and Naples, and an
elabc,ate theory On the origin of Devonshire
cream, which she proves was brought by Php-
nician co.onists from Asia Minor into the West
/ of England. II contained much practical infor-
ma;.cn gathered IN the spot No doubt to a
certain extent, t?is work inspired the hand
books; hut the haTdbooks much better
that John Murray canEct fairly he call upon
10 divide his cicry with any one. His first hand
book. published 1886. was in form and struct-
ure. identical with the guides OF the present
day
'fhe uses OF the new editions Of the cuidebooks
are Obvious enough; the uses Of the early edi-
uons are not less interesting They show
how points cf view have changed since the days
when our GranGfathers We're young men. anu
they hatter our vanity accordingly. Now. for
instance. the note * CUSmCpOlitanlSiu. then the
note was patriotism of very nsular descrip-
/ tiCa. Read Royce about the English colony at
BRUSSELS. The author. he says. will not in
sst the saiubrity of the air the beauty of tine
scenery. the plea aSantneSs Of the society and tn.
oheapHcsS Of tho provisions. because he is too
much Of IA Englishman not to feel that except
IN the last particular 10 country can Vie with his
native lard He aments the mania 70.
i emigration. which now seeTrs to rage and he is
thoroughly convinced that if an Englishman is
Of Britain. he Will III vain seek for happiness III
any other region
This in the year Of Waterloo. Three years
later appeared the first English edition Of Ebe.
and this. too contains advice that we have o.t-
grown. The recorme LdatiCns as to dress read
rather quantity:
BE provided with a Jacket OF strong
I stuff. such as ticking. and pair of panta looms
/ Neither should the tourist omit taking with him
n good greatcoat ard air Of Kerseymere small
clothes. which may occasionally be worn over
the pantaoons a nrecaution of this kind VIII
prove very serviCeable to protect him against
/ the cold winds
This picture Of the complete tourist pulling
smalclothes over his pantaIoons when n
strikes the breeze on the top of the Gemm does
certainly provoke a smile. But one would also
I smile it one met a walking tour IN .
frcck and straw hat: and that is the
costume which the 1888 edition Of Murray"
+ rocornrlC nGS most appropriate for the pun
I pose.
Another matter in which the cd Guidehooks
/ illustrate the roint of view that is not oars is
/ the matter Of mountaineering MGrray's guides.
Of course. have moved with the times; AMI Mr.
! q -,,fl,, .,l, Shnl an1r IteC