Our Fellow Travelers.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 664, 23 September 1876, Page 5 (Supplement)

Our Fellow Travelers.

Some day we shall probably have a book on the philosophy of traveling, iv which wo shall be told from experience how to avoid disagreeable impressions, and to turn all mishaps to account. Those who are well up in the business of seeing the world have exalted traveling to an art. They let no mischances put them out of humor. A wretched tavern, & broken stage coach, a railway train delayed by broken rails, overreaching landords — none of these things appear to trouble the genuine traveler. Ho has learned that these are the small discounts on the real pleasure of getting a broadside view of the world. If one is to be made miserable for a week because he has stopped at a dirty inn. or has had a sight of a frowsy or fluffy landlady, has been charged four prices by the hackman, has had extras put into his bill which he never ordered, or has disagroeable fellow travelers, who bully and badger everybody— then it is certain that he has not exalted travel to a high art. With what grace and composure does the regular campaigner wrap his blankets about him and lie down under the canopy of stars ! What complete resignation to bard-tack and spring water ! But this pioneer traveler has so taken nature into his confidence, that all her resources are at his command. He could travel to far Cathay without a box ot paper collars or an extra pair of patent leather boots. Indeed, the real traveler is known by his utter contempt for baggage. If he takes kindly to a bulging trunk he is only an amateur, and has hardly taken so much as his first lesson. We do occasionally see one of this sort who has started out on his journey round the world with a haver lack, a rattan cane and an eyeglass, and has condescended to take a look at this ' blarsted country 1 on his way. But we fancy that even he will grow riper and much more agreeable as he proceeds and gets a larger view of the world outside of the ' tight httle island.' Bat most of us only travel when forced to it bjr 4 disagroeable necessity. Suburban/citizens do indeed travel a distance every year equal to the diameter of the glooe, and every three years they have gorie over as many miles as would equal the circumference of the globe. But your suburban citizen usually travels with a newspaper before his face. He is intent on extracting in fifteen minutes the history of the world for one day. He lose no time, because when other news fails he has still the market reports, the stock list, and the closiag price of exchange on the previous day. The- suburban citizen and traveler comes after awhilo to do many things in an automatic way. He will take the same car in a long train, tho sarao scat if he can get it, will read the same newspaper, beginning on a certain page and ending on another, year after year. There are citizens who cross the bay by the ferry-boat, who never vary six inches in the choice of a seat for years, unless crowded out by some one who has no respect for time-honored usages> and for the rights of our fellow-traveler. Then John Chinaman has, during recent years, assumed gmit prominence as a fellow-traveler. He has learned to choose the best seats in stage coaches, railway and horse cars. He no longer yields his seat to ladies, but plumps himself down, fat, greasy, and dirty, and as well satisfied as most people. Indeed, if perfect indifference is any part of the philosophy of travel, John Chinaman is well advanced. Ho has small concern as to what people think of him. He is the fellow-traveler who is bound to get the most for his money. One other notable fellow-traveler is the woman who goes a.shopping twice a weak, and piles up her bundles ou the seats ot the ferry boat and railway, car, to the exclusion of weary citizens. Heaven be thanked that she does not trade every 4ay> and that there is an actual limits to 1 the bulk of floods which can be boughs j on any one day and taken home on * passenger tra^ < The days of crinoline for one woifiknH

spread over three or four seats, while business men profanely suffered martyrdom. But now out gentle feminine traveler stacks up her dry goods in paper boxes and bundles on the seats, and is happy. They are her trophies of sharp bargains and surburban prosperity. As lonrr as there is any chivalry left, let no one question these mild usurpations. Is there a more harmless monopolist in the world than our fellow-traveler, who has filled four seats with bundles of dry goods, and only remembers that standing men are a convenience when she wants her bundles transferred from one conveyance to another ?