The Washington herald., 1907-01-15

Fully 50.000 Of cur people so to Paris
every year. The keepers of the great
shops and resorts Of the French metropo-
lis would think duh times had struck them
If the easy money of the Yankee spenders
should stop falling on their counters.
Uncle Sans tourists are so generous in
their expenditures that in most parts of
the world the natives ask them just as
much again as they do travellers from
other countries. Bead sellers and curio
vendors in the West Indies know that
Yankee viii readily pay a half dollar for
an article that a Britisher viii hesitate TO
purchase for a shilling.
And Americans squander untold mil
lions on travel in their own country Los
Angeles has over 60,000 rooms for rent.
and they hIl up every season. It is esti-
mated that the tourists spend 50. 600. 900 in
Southern California every winter. The
number Of people who visit Niagara
Falls during an ordinary year is between
10000 and S0o,000 and during years when
excursions are run from distances. the
number of visitors 60 the scene of this
great natural wonder runs over a million.
The amount of money spent here by the
tourists is incalculabie. They spend all
the way from g to S2,000 apiece. The last
estimate may seem high but when peo-
pie come with their retinue Of servants
and take suites. or several suites Of
rooms in the big hotels and make large
purchases of bric-a-brac, furs, and cUriOs
at the bazaars, $1,000 don't last long
The Yellowstone National Park. with
its natural wonders and beauties Of na-
tuTe. attracts upward of 10000 visitors a
year, the majority Of whom come from
east of the Alleghenies. Railroad fare
10 and from this park 10 such sightseers
means almost as much expense as a trip
TO Europe. The Yosemite Valley. mac
cessible as it is, is visited by 1900 sight
seers yearly, nearly all Of whom come
from great distances.
The volume Of travel to Colorado has
increased SO rapidly during the last few
years that although carpenters have
been kept busy during the entire winter
building new hotels, each summer the
capacity Of the State is taxed to the ut
most. During the last year some sixty
conventions were held in Denver. Thou
sands Of travellers go down the St. Law
renee every summer, and thousands more
flock to Florida in the winter Although
AsheviIe. n c., is not looked upon as
one Of the great national show places. il
is now attracting 10000 visitors every
year.
Our people are great enthusiasts for ex-
AT the St Louis Exposition one morning
a group Of newspaper men and officials
were talking about the money that has
been squandered in this country on ex-
positions An inquiring young scribe
asked an exposition official il II would be
possible TO estimate the sum and com
pare 1t with something. This was the
reply: Just say that if all the money
that has been thrown away on exposi-
tiOns in the United States was gathered
together and put in a heap. il would
make a pile so high that you couldn't
fly a balloon over it." There were IS. 70O. .-
600 paid admissions at St Louis. and It is
estimated that the visitors 10 the fair
spent over S50.0000 600 in the city while the
big show was in progress.
a good Illustration OF the American
fOndness for going somewhere" was af-
forded when the annual reunion OF the
United Confederate Veterans was held at
Dallas. Tex. At this time the census
credited Dallas with a population Of 46. 900
people. and the railroads sold $4,000
tickets TO the reunion. Therefore the
hospitality OF Dallas was taxed with the
remarkable responsibility of entertaining
nearly three times as many people as it
had population. But Southern hospitality
was equal TO the emergency. and before
the week was over every visitor was
ready to throw up his hat for Dallas.
The Homecoming Week is a new de-
parture in celebrations. and there is a
coed story in connection with its origin.
Miss Louise Lee Hardin. a former Ken
tucky girl living in Denver. listened to a
band play MY Old Kentucky Home" one
night and got the blues She wre.e q
letter next morning suggesting that Ken
tucky's wandering sons and daughters be
invited TO return for q homecoming week.
The suggestion was adopted. and it cost
5000 ex-K Kentucldans not less than $500 900
hAo"'-~- GlUegrass girl In far
got homesick. But every
fought ii was well worth the