Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-08-28
CROSSING THE "POND."
Editorial COrrespondence)

unencumbered by fair attaches or
weighty baggage. is hikeing it through
Europe at the gait they generally go in
America. 1t fairly makes the heads of
these ancients swim, for everything
here is delightfully."- slow of speed Ii. e.,
to the America way of thinking). But
of that, and the individuality of each
nationality. we will give cursory snatches
later.
Three weeks since leaving New York,
and dropping the hasty pen lines of our
embarking, and still we have not had
time to even read the papers forwarded
US from home. much less to write any
more than to scribble off few SOU
venir postal card addresses.
In passing, we tender the unanimous
thanks of this pair to the fellow
who first conceived the postcard
idea. We believe ne first breatfied in
Germany, and most of the SOU
venir cards are yet manufactured
there. With us it is go all day, and
then try to catch few cat-naps be-
tween the hours of p. m. and q. m. i,
during which time his Sol-ship stays
below the northern horizon. Eighteen
hours of sunlight just at this season,
but the rest of the time old Sol is cavort-
ing around the horizon from the north
east southwark, setting in the northwest.
But we must not write too hastily. In
this letter it is best to take up where
we left off Gust outside Sandy Hook,
N. W and tell of our sea voyage.
After parting with the pilot boat that
bore our letters back, the lights of
America were shut out by fog that
lasted all night as we bore away E. by
N. varying some two points as we
proceededD, and the deep tone of the
fog whistle from our ocean giant made
sleep vacillating for some.
In luck, as usual, we got a fine state
room amidship and outside, adjoining the
baths and other conveniences, and here
we prepared to live for a week.
The routine of ship life among the
first cabin passengers is-bath, coffee
or other drinks in your room, breakfast;
a walk and smoke or chat, then bouillon
and crackers. served on deck where you
are supposed TO be busy doing nothing,
lounging in your private steamer chair
with your rug (your personal property
gathered around your limbs. Another
hour or so of walking yourself to death
Everybody does more or less pedestrian
stunts around the broad decks making
10 laps to the mile); then the bugle calls,
giving you half an hour to make ready
for lunch. After luncheon it is walk,
chat, smoke, play, sleep, or any decent
caper you may fancy. Another pass
around of tea or chocolate and cake and
crackers; an, hour or so in killing time
in the way you prefer, then comes the
melody of the cornet again and the
ladies rush off to get on their "glad
rags" as our boys say. Dinner at $50
is a dress parade affair, and if your
seat is assigned amid agreeable company
as ours was. at the captains table
you can pleasantly pass an hour or two
while sampling the many dishes and
courses that are served by Scotch Gull
nary artists. We were on a Scotch
ship. Differed and manned by 300 Scots.
and no better or more amiable race ever
followed the sea. Royalty could receive
no better attention than the first cabin
passengers on such ship. 1t is against
Scotch precedent to leave port with
even one of the crew short; so to a full
complement may be ascribed our sue
cessful voyage.
After dinner-which we two Virgin
ians, augmented by Mr.. Grinnan, of
Norfolk, Judge Moffett, Of Kentucky.
and two ladies, from Alabama! and
Texas, persisted in styling supper
the drawing rooms invite many, to read.
write, play or sing, while the deck
catches others. Only one day of the
week was too bad for deck appearance;
at other times ladies and men are re-
clining in their steamer chairs wrapped
in plaid rugs Qarge shawls), many OF
them motionless for hours, even to mid
night, looking for all the world like a
row of mummies in the British Museum.
Some are invalids and prefer immobility
while others are well but quiet folk and
stay glued to their seats. This is the
daily routine, interspersed with .'hop-
scotch. SWITCHBOARD, matching pennies
or something greater, or maybe a PLAY
of wits. Impromptu concerts and tete-
a-tetes fall in at convenient intervals.
This is the routine, and right busy at
carrying it out are one and all. The
man who thinks he will do lot of read
ing or writing while crossing is wrong
in his calculations, unless he be an in
valid or highly unsociable. We have
put our heads together since landing to
try to figure out what became of the
eight days between New York and
Glasgow. We found we were the
busiest set doing nothing to be imagined:
only. we must have been going at a
lively gait as indexed by our eating and
sleeping, to the most envious taste.
So much for novice's sketch of life
program aboard a transatlantic liner.
This is for the interest. of those who do
not know and aho may care to take the
time to read it. To those to whom it is
no new thing, or to any who care not
to waste time in following the pen, the
writer apologies for the space con-
sumed-now and hereafter.