The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-10-09
FIVE WEEKS ABROAD.
XII.

At the Hotel Holland, in Mainz. Ger
many. one of the Cook coupons gave US
two comfortable connecting rooms, the
maid creating a favorable impression
by bringing in a large bouquet of fresh
flowers. This alone was worth the tin
she received the next morning.
The longer we Travelled the less exact
ing seemed the practice of giving tips,
/ learning that this is often the one
source of revenue for servants. 1t is
the prevailing custom at the hotels to
pay few of their employees wages. It
must also be remembered that the
price of room is generally made ex-
elusive of service. lights and attend
ance- The holder of the Cook tickets
received lights and service, without ad-
ditional charge, although it is the prac-
tice of all travellers to fee hotel en-
ployes in small amounts
Our train leaving quite early, $780, we
were served breakfast in the room with
out extra charge. At the railway sta
| ton we found new wrinkle" The
porter, that is, the one who carried our
gr:ps and not the one who runs the
hotel, showed us to the train, which
was not easy for a stranger to find.
MANY tracks. but to reach ours we
crossed none but went into a subway
More care is taken by European rail-
ways to protect the lives and limbs of
| travellers. AS the United States grows
older it will doubtless more and more
fully use these methods of safety
Before the porter was permitted to go
| through to the train we We're obliged to
get ticket for him. This was secured
by putting ten pfennig piece into
nickel-in-t he-slot machine. I was run
ming very close on small German
change and had not figured on this ex-
pense. While it was only two and one
half cents in our money, it is a large
sum when you count upon giving a tip
of twenty pfennigs and only have ten.
The nearer we got to our particular
carriage in the train, the more uneasy
felt. 1 had all kinds of small change
in my pocket, that of five nations, ex-
cept German coins. With show of
carelessness, but really with much ill
concealed concern, 1 handed the man
several English pennies and some
Dutch cents, but he shook his head, re-
fusing to take them. Fearing that he
might call a policeman and have me
arrested, CHANGED a French half franc
piece, which he carried away with
thanks, and our troubles.
We were travelling second class and
our accommodations We're as pleasant
as desired. The third class in Germany
no tourist would take, the seats are
wooden benches, the floor bare.
We were following the Rhine up
through a country similar to Kansas.
There was a wide variety of field Gull
ture The apple crop was abundant.
There were patches of corn, the first
seen since leaving America, but small
and few in number. Fields familiar to
Kansans were those of alfalfa Ger
many gave us this plant, now so i'm
portant to this state. AS noted from
the train, our success with alfalfa
seems to be even greater than that of
the Germans.
The railway tracks everywhere are
double While the crossings were on
grade, there was always a fiagman at
every road and as the cars whizzed by
he stood at his post like a soldier pre-
senting arms.
| Off from our compartment was wash
room, but no towel and soap. 1 had
noticed a contrivance. which looked like
which supplies chewing gum. The in
scription was in foreign tongue ana,
without observing closely, I presumed it
was simply one of the American Innc-
yations Later I figured it out that the
! towel and soap. must be concealed in
this machine. A ten pfennig piece drop
ned into the hole brought out a small
paclage which contained a thin cake on
soap; wrapped about it the towel,
piece of cheese-cloth about eighteen
/ inches square.
There were two unexpected incidents
on this trip We found that we were
going through towns not on our route.
Whether the porter at Mainz had made
a mistake or not. I do not know, but
our tickets seemed to be equally
good for the west side of the Rhine, as
we'll as the east.
We passed through Strassburg, but
did not hear the famous bells or that
city We went by the town of Worms,
where the Diet given Luther, four hum
bred years ago, had no effect upon him
/ but to give utterance to his famous re-
ply to the king. Here Stand, 1 Can
not DO Otherwise. God Help Me-
The other incident: We reached IN
terlaken four hours ahead of our time
table; had beaten Cooks London sched-
ule to that extent.
Noon brought us to Basic, on the Ger
man frontier just over into Switzerland,
at a big bend in the Rhine Baggage
was inspected here with little form and
no delay. After luncheon we took the
Swiss train, that is. it took us The
railways here are managed by the gov
eminent and whatever the theory may
be for or against this manner of trans
partation. in Switzerland it certainly
works well for the comfort and a0vant-
age of the traveller