Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-06-20

ure? Looking at the bored faces
IL of party Of American tourists
doing" the Louvre yesterday.
l decided the latter conclusion to be the
wiser one Quite seriously, though, one
cannot help thinking that Ito have been
and not a real desire for travel is what
inspires so many people to spend their
holidays in the exhausting pursuit of an
ar, they cannot understand and of seem
cry they are too tired to appreciate. One
has only to watch their weary and de-
termined faces in the galleries and ca
thedrals. 10 listen to their impatient
abuse of the long suffering hotel waiter,
TO know that they have not left their
Comfortable homes for mere enjoyment
Whatever their object. be it duty to
their neighbor or duty to their own in
felligence. they set out on their travels
with resignation and come home with
thankfulness like the Scotchman who
returning to his native town remarked
that Paris was all very well for polish
but for reel pleasure give me PEBBLES"
Al the same time nothing is more OBJ
vious than the fact that no amount OF
establishment abroad will keep people
at home. The reason for this is found
in the inherent hcpelufness OF human
nature. hopefulness that expert
ence is powerless to extinguish. How
ever disappointed we have been on pre-
vious occasions. some writer has only TO
stir our imaginations and once more we
sally forth to feast our eyes on some
scene which, when he have reached 1t.
we find to be no more imposing than
many another scene With which we have
been familiar since childhood. So much
of course, depends the mood of the
spectator or the writer and one would
like to know the psychological moment in
wsich these glowing descriptions of the
worlds fairest spots have been written.
As the conscientious tourists gradu-
ally work off the sights their spirits
grow lighter. and by the time they get
back home they are convinced that they
have had a delightful time. and they
quite forget how their feet ached and
Sheir brains whirled and how often.
as candid friend of mine once said.
they wished all the masterpieces of the
world up the spout" II seems to me
that most people when travelling abroad
never take the trouble before they start
to ask themselves What their object is
in going, for If they would only con-
slider the matter the incongruity of their
itinerary would strike even the most un-
imaginative of those who yawn their
way over the continent.
Could anything as a matter OF fact.
be more absurd than for people who
care nothings for art spend their time
looking at pictures that must remain
meaningless 10 them? Yet meandering
all over Europe at this season of the year
are thousands of individuals laborng
under the delusion that a steamboat or
railroad ticket includes a passport TO
knowledge and that the mere fact OF
having coffee instead of tea for break
fast has broadening effect on the mind.
Unfortunately the mind does not expand
in proportion 10 the extent of ground
covered. and IL is possible to have visited
every country on the globe and remain
hopelessly provincial 1t is all question
of packing. and the majority of people
come home with the same limitations
as well as the same clotheS-with which
they started. The only difference is that
before starting they usually provide
themselves with a suitable outfit for the
adornment of their bodies. but il only
occurs 10 few 10 furnish their minds
with particle of that knowledge and
Judgment without which there can be no
appreciation either of nature or art at
home or abroad.
A Curious Swindle.
Apropos of the globe trotters some
friends of mine, recently returned from
an automobile trip through France.
showed RE some of the wonderful things
they had picked up for a song. as the
saving is / listened to pathetic story
Of how in Normandy village they pur-