The Indianapolis times., 1923-07-24

" LASGOW, Scotland: This Glas-
gov hotel is wonderful If
1t were in an American city
1t would be put in the historical so
ciety's back yard, or in one of the
parks. and exhibited as an antique.
A Glasgow acquaintance visiting in
the United States recommended it
when I asked him to name a hotel in
which there would be few tourists, in
which | would meet Scotch, of moder-
ate means. where there would be
commercial travellers and small bust
ness men from nearby small towns.
1t is owned by a woman who has a
small chain of hotels in Scotland. all
temperance houses"
You enter small vestibule from
the street and next a lobby about
twenty feet long and eight feet wide.
At the inner end Of the lobby is tiny
Office, near the size of a Ford coupe
Two girls. the clerks, sit there, fill
ing it. Why two Clerks, I can't learn.
The clerks don't know. They say
there have always been two clerks,
so why shouldn't there be?
AS you stand at the office window.
the dining room is to the left To
the right is door. marked For Com
mercial Men Only" Back of the
office is the kitchen, its front open.
with a counter upon which the cook
places the cooked food so that the
walters may take It to the dining
room.
Near the door marked For Com
mercial Men Only" is the lift, British
for elevator. Three passengers and
the operator pack the lift.
You get your key from the clerk
that is, maybe you get it. My room
is one Of several the keys to which
have been lost. Neither clerk could
tell me when it was lost. But I think
1t was about 1910. No doubt they'll
have a new one made when they get
around to it, but they've hardly had
time.
Walking from the elevator to the
room, the boards creak loudly. The
room has a carpet. 1t is easy to see
1t not only was a good carpet thirty
years ago, but it's still a good one.
The bed is of oak and modern. Not
a minute over twenty-five years old.
There is a walnut bureau of 1870.
United States style. and in the corner
is a sofa that would bring $3.50 in an
American antique shop.
Oh. You Washstand
Up against one of the sidewalks is
a washstand on which there are two
pitchers and bowls Of china, the
bowls almost as wide across the top
as an old-fashioned American laundry
tub.
All, the windows have inner blinds
They are stats of wood two foot long
three inches wide and a quarter of
an inch thick. A cord runs through
the end Of the Stats. and If you pull
the cord steadily for something like
five minutes the Stats rise to the top
of the window, where they form a
fine, compact lumber pile.
But there is one thing I notice
about this rare old relic of the days
OF Robert the Bruce: 1t is absolutely
clean There isn't n speck Of dirt
to be seen. And run my hand over
TIE woodwork in out-of-the-way places.
Not a particle Of dirt. It's clean, alb
solutely clean. Just like old Aunt
Mary's house, back home.
The room for commercial men
only" contains several writing desks
a large table seating ten or twelve,
at which breakfast is served, and an
assortment of furniture frightful to
behold-to the American eye, of
course.
Lounge and smoke rooms proved
to be something like Americas old
fashioned country hotel parlors Of
the eighties, with big. comfortable
chairs and davenports, age anywhere
from fifty to seventy-five, and writing
desks.
Tiny Fireplace I'm Each Room
Each room contained a fireplace
holding not a great deal more than
peck of coal The weather in Scot
land. say Glasgow folks, is the worst
in years. Six days out of seven it
rains every fifteen minutes, there is
mist the rest of the time, and the
air is cold. raw, damp.
But the Scotchmen sit around the
toy CRATE and smoke and talk in COM
fort with all windows open, and
when tired. yawn and say: I've
toasted my toes long enough. I'm
off for bed"
NEXT: What the Scotch think
aobut our prohibition experiment, and
how Scotch whisky is faring on it's
native heath.