Evening star., 1934-06-03

last month 125 of them landed here-not to
open delicatessen shops or marry heiresses. out
simply to see the sights You can't blame
them; at the present rate Of exchange their
funny looking money will go almost twice as
far here as at home
This is a development which the proponents
of the 59-cent dollar did not anticipate. FOR
generations the trend of travel has been In the
other direction We got our quota OF occurring
celebrities from abroad, but the mass OF the
population in Europe sat tight and let us come
to them-which we did, at great expense. But
now it's their turn to break home ties and cash
travellers checks. Forty thousand of them are
expected before the Summer is over.
The unexpected influx Of foreign visitors may
prove a trfe embarrassing We aren't really
prepared for the tourist trade yet Our hotels
advertise fixed rates our stores operate on the
one-price system and some cabs have meters In
plain sight. Except in Washington there are
few official guides, and our sightseeing expeol-
tions are limited to a few bus tours. Nearly
every American tourist comes home with de-
lghtful story about questioning Paris gen.
darme in laborious French and receiving reply
in perfect English. But can you imagine Om-
Ger F. X Finnegan of the traffic squad parley-
vooing to a Gallo guest?
THE fact is we are bit short on what the
! guide books call "Old World charm" Our
picturesque highways and byways are thorough
ly carbon -monoxized our shopkeepers prefer
quick turnover to leisurely haggling and our
ruins are financial rather than architectural.
Also we haven't acquired very many imme-
mortal traditions yet. Our calendar is sadly
lacking in the festivals which make life In the
old country so richly variegated.
We have our "weeks"-Be-Kind- to- Animals
week, Eat-More-Prunes week, Kin-Fewer Pc
destrians week-but they never really cele-
brated in the old hey-nonny- -nonny sense OF the
word, and most of them had their origin In the
promotion department.
In England for example, life is just one con-
tinuous round of jolly anniversaries. In addi-
ton of the regular bank holidays there are
numerous quaint customs and rites which are
performed annually on particular days reserved
for the purpose. On January an ancient
game called haxey hood is always played In
Lincolnshire. Pancake day is celebrated with
foot ball matches in the streets of Alnwick, and
Easter Monday with peace egging all over the
north of England. On the 9Th Of May there Is
a furry dance at Heston, Cornwall, followed by
eight weeks at oxford and Queen MaryS BIRTH
day anniversary. Swan-upping envens the
Thames during the third week in July, and
military tattoos ring the welkin at T1dwortn,
Hants.
But where are our haxey hoods and furry
dances? Who among us has ever upped
swan? We simply haven't the background for
such institutions Yet should, in the in
terests of international good will, inaugurate
few festivals during the Summer months to
make our foreign visitors feel at home. call
endar of events like the following could be ar
ranged quite easily:
Citronela- tide celebration on the jersey
coast During the first fortnight in June the
simple Jerseyites drape festoons of netting over
their front porches and anoint themselves with
a pungent perfume known as "citronella." Ac-
cording to local superstition, this wards oil
mosquitoes gnats and week end guests
Pitchers parade at Ebbets Field. feature
peculiar to base ball in Brooklyn. Following an
ancient CUSTOM each pitcher marches from the
bull pen to the box, fills the bases and marches
back to the showers. Coincident with this is
the Gowanus raspberry festival, in which the
weird cries of the F1atbush fans may be heard
In concert. For exact dates consult National
League schedule.
Commuter- -slcing at Times Square. This
barbarous. but colorful sport, may be witnessed
any afternoon except Sunday, from to s. The
natives all crowd into subway car and the
last man In is 'it." He must then assume
grotesque attitudes and comfort his body in such
a manner as to permit the door to slide shut
without leaving an ear, nose or other extremity
outside.
The ashcan carlton. No tourist should miss
the resounding reveille furnished by the de-
partment of sanitation at dawn. Though it
lacks the dignity of Big Ben or the great bell
in the Kremlin, it has great carrying power.
The major chords of the full cans striking the
truck blend harmoniously with the minor obbl-
cato of the empties as they bounce back on the
sidewalk. while through it all weaves the hoarse
shouting of the heavedores like chorus.
IN LESS sophisticated parts of the world
] most of the quaint festivals are related In
some way to the crops or the weather. If the
mangel-wurzels don't sprout on time the natives
all put on ancestral millinery and dance around