The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1915-08-19

good wire, mail and railroad facilities
: and good highways for mo ,r vehicles
' We have the basis in all these depart
ments and II is pretty certain that
growth IN patronage could be handled
without serious Inconvenience. Tho
telephone and telegraph reach every.
where, the rural delivery is omniprcs.
, ent, railroad service is generally
somewhat beyond what would seem to
be the normal needs. and we have
: m1de splendid progress in highways,
to point that is beginning to be
recognized In these important re-
speetS, therefore we may feel assured.
But even more important than easy
means of access to Vermont is the
ability to care for summer guests in
a becoming manner while they are
here. One will not come to Vermont
simply to feast on the scenery. There
must be three square meals and a
good bed each and every day. The
meals and the bed and all that goes
with ministering to the rather critical
needs of these visitors must compare
with what can be had at mountain and
shore resorts elsewhere. 1t is in this
respect that Vermont is lame, to
degree. 1t has numerous hotels, and
not few of them can be classed as
popular hostelries on account of the
fine service they give, but there are
not enough Of these latter to raise the
average where it should be if Vermont
is to bid for heavy summer business.
This fact may be established BY the
significant contributing fact that all
the real high-class hotels we have are
filled to overhowing, as a rule. We
doubt if there is single instance of
failure in the hotel business due to
building beyond fair expectations,
Practically all the failures come from
inferior service rendered in one res
spect or another. Nothing travels so
far and fast as the reputation Of a
public house, The question of quality
is always the first one asked. Bust
ness goes to the good hotel and shuns
the poor one in almost direct measure
to quality. A poor hotel will succeed
nowhere and we might almost say a
good one would succeed anywhere.
Much goes to make the good hotel
beyond the table cooking and the
chamber service, though these are the
prime requisites. II landlords and
landladies could only understand how
much plain simple cleanliness counts
they would exert themselves to attend
to it. Travelling people
have plenty Of time to see and OBJ
serve. They never fail to note dirt or
filth. To what they see Imagination
adds much that they do not see,
offending their appetite and their en-
ioyment. When help and vacuum
cleaners are as cheap as now, why
,annot our hotels be kept as neat as
'ur homes? Furniture too, must be
'etired as it wears out or goes out Of
tyle, just as in the home. The
Iingy hotel sleeping room with its
AIDED paper, smeared paint and rag
-ed carpet, its hard bed suspicious bed
lothing, shaky "commode" and bur
au mirror giving back splotched
feet through the grease and fly
pecks; with unwashed windows, dirt
lied curtains or dust-covered shades
nd general air Of slovenness--is in
eed a eheerless, homesick place for
ne on pleasure bent. Even a good
able-and they seldom go together
oes not counterbalance it. People
re demanding vastly more of the
1isine than formerly. They want
noice of food, as well as plenty Of
:. They expect good table service
18th all the little attentions implied.
'othing is wasted in these ways on
ne guest who has little to do but
"iticise or commend. 1t takes tact
nd talent Of high order to cater to
le travelling public nowadays.
OF course first Of all comes the main
Iestion-will it pay to run a first
ass hotel in Vermont? The most
'actical answer is, it Is paying wher-
'er it is being done. This is the
opposition as it appeals to the indi-
dual. But Vermont has an interest
whole in encouraging the extern
,n Of high-grade hotels more rapidly
an would come in the natural course
an interest that warrants making
ecial inducements, such as fixing
" rate Of taxation for hotel proper
S, or even complete exemption for
IN of years. This step ought not to
wholly dependent on the vote Of a
Vn in which these happen TO be To-
ed, for narrow prejudice or pure
fishness sometimes defeat worthy
.erprises Of this kind.
4 Vermont Is ever going to be more