The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-09-08
MEALS LASTED ALL DAY.
Not Much Temptation to Travel in
Those Good Old Times.

The people that are telling others
that they will escape from all bodily
ills if they will confine themselves to
two meals day think they have in
vented a new custom. They don't
know that 400 years ago two meals
day was a common program, at
least in some quarters.
| A writer in the Atlantic Monthly,
in describing sixtieth century inns,
says that among travellers in those
days eating resolved itself into two
meals a day, but that most of them
had no more than that at home.
However, as meal seemed to be a
continuous performance, lasting pref
ty much all day, the hardships OF
travel must not be exaggerated.
At Berne there was a law against
sitting at table more than five hours;
at Bale, from 10 q. m. 10 6 z. M. vas
the maximum permitted, but the
town council was unable to practice
Its own counsels of perfection, and
on great occasions finished in private.
In Saxony the inn keeper was for
bidden to serve more than four dishes
at one meal; and there public opin-
! ion was some check, inasmuch as 1t
was common to compare the Saxon
dishes, served as they were, one by
one, to the tyrants of Sicily, each OF
whom was a more fearful monster
than his predecessor.
Supervision over the inns was far
stricter than at present, especially IN
Italy. At Lucca and at Florence, all
| the inns were in single street; and
in many towns the new arrival was
taken before the authorities by the
guard at the gates before he was al-
lowed to choose his inn, to which he
would be conducted by soldier.
At Lucca, too. was department OF
the judiciary which was specially con-
cerned with strangers; and to this the
innkeepers had to send daily report
of each guest. Left to judge by the
tourists accounts, the supervision
might we'll have been carried further
and reports from the innkeepers in
from tho tnnrictc
Such a system of double reports
would have been a check on the muir
dering innkeepers, to whom there are
occasional references. A landlord at
Poitiers was detected in the middle
of the seventeenth century; and at
Stralesund, so runs another tale, 500
CD persons had disappeared at one
inn. They had reappeared, it is true
but picked.
Often before the inn came in sight
the traveller would see his Italian
host. Sometimes the host would have
touts as far away as seven or eight
leagues to buttonhole passengers, car
ry their luggage, promise anything
and behave with the utmost servillty
till the morning of departure. But
with all this to expect to provide
clean sheets was to expect too much
and it was desirable for the visitor
to carry his own bedding.
In many cases We find the tourist
sleeping on a table in his clothes to
avoid the dirty bed. Still in Italy, as
rule, you shared your bed with the
permanent occupants only. In Spain
you were sure to do so; one man, one
bed, was the custom there In Ger
many the custom was just the re-
verse, in fact, if the tourist did not
find a companion, for himself the host
chose for him, and his bedfellow
might be a gentleman or he might BIZ
carter; all that could be safcl?
promised about him was that when he
came to bed he would be drunk.
The bed would be one Of several in
room, the covering guilt warm
enough to be too warm for summer
and narrow enough to leave one side
Of each person exposed in winter.
7 hat is. supposing there were beds.