The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-25

LEARN TO TALK AND EAT As you
GO.

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Every year scores OF tnousends OF
Americans travel In Europe without podng
able TO speak a word OF any save
their own. They have no large amount
OF trouble and they enjoy their tours
thoroughly. There Ia not the slightest
doubt OF this. Hence they return TO this
country and reiterate the off repeated
assertion that IL 10 not essential 20 know
foreign languages In order 90 travel In
Europe. Their statements are in~disputably
correct. IL Ia not necessary. But IT 10
mighty convenient and II saves much
money
Travellers. sven old ones. who should
know better. will say 20 you: Wherever
you go in Europe you are certain TO find
some one who can speak English This 10
an exaggeration. or rather a misleading
distortion OF the truth. In all the hotels
fre1uensed by TOURISTS. and most OF the
large ones are 30 frcquented, you will
sssuredly find porters and sometimes
even hall boys who can speak English.
The head waiter and often several OF tho
under walters speak It. Perhaps the sle-
vator boy and the chambermaid speak 10,
and you speedily settle down into the com-
Portable belief that you will find English
speakers everywhere.
But once you leave your hotel and sally
forth INTO the wide. Wild world OF tho
streets you ind that things are vastly
different. Do you need to ask a POLICEMAN
the wayT He does not speak English.
Must you give your cab driver a directtonf
He does not speak English. viii you step
into the post ONCE and buy stamps or send
q telegram h officials do not speak
English. Will you 60 to the railway station
and buy a tcketf The ticket agent does
not speak English. Will you get a porter
and tell him what TO do with YOU luggagef
The porter does not speak English. Will
you go into a and order a meaIr
Unless It is the restaurant OF ono OF the
tourist haunted hotels the walters do not
speak English
What is the inevitable resultf Either
you hire a local guide at 90 much a day and
everything extra or you depend entirely
on the porter OF your hotel to give all in
structions. In the latter case you get into q
cab and have the porter tell the cabman
that one thing you must drive BACK TO your
hotel and make a fresh start
You are in great luck II You do not find
yourself carried miles out OF your way on
the railroad simply because you do not
understand when the conductor tells you
to "Umsteigen' or Gambia treno.- IL
ia highly useful at times TO be able to say
TO a customs inspector, NIoh habe NIGHTS
1nllnnlChfl1Qa or tn nndor4fand him when
he asks you -Haben Sic spielkartenf'
Many Americans get phrase books and
learn a few sentences In the languages OF
the countries which they are about TO visit.
This ia good as far as it goes. but they do not
always learn the most important things
and they almost invariably find that when
the foreigner answers them they cannot
understand a word Of what he says.
This is particularly the case in the matter
Of nulnbers. It ID very easy indeed tolearn
how - say "Combien' or "Quanto costa
hut tho conversation does not end there.
When the Italian glibfy replies @Diciotto
lire" you are In trouble. IL you ask the
railway man in your book phrase at what
time you will arrive at vcntimiglia and he
answers in Italian that you will reach that
interesting station at twenty-seven minutes
dllcT IOuTt CCh WYNN yoo hAN ~ y
sea OF linguistic troubles.
One OF the first things the intend ing
traveller should master, then, is numbers.
He will and that he has to use them oftener
than almost any other part OF a language
Next to numbers perhaps the most service
able thing to know is the names OF dishes
10 be found on foreign bills Of fare. Without
knowledge Of these two things the traveller
cannot freely go about the European cities
and eat wherever he chances to be.
He must always go to a tourists hotel
where English is spoken. Now at the hotel
the dinner is always table d'hote. You
can eat a Ia carte. 70 be sure. at iuncheon
or at supper. but the dinner hour s a sacred
institution. not to be treated with nc
The traveller will soon learn thai IN the
matter OF table d'hote dinners baedeker
II not an unfahing sude' Inc reason rs
that the typical European hotel landlord
is not s~crupuiously accurate IN ms dealings
with the editor oil the little req DOCKS quite
often you viii consult your vade mecum