Impressions of a Stranger in the Laconia, of Boston and New York; Historic Lexington By W, Laws Utne aly Nee the end of tong teave, Mr. W. Lewisohn, Pel assumed yy his anent nee weeks in travel throught fae Oatch mis of the Republic Ser ug Of which wilt appear fu an. ther wa sertes of arties, BYON are not going to write another book about America, 1 hope," said a very charm ing American lady at whose table sitting during the crossing of the Atlantic, when she heard that I was visiting the States for the first time and intended to spend three weeks there, The word "another" did not, of course, geter (0 any previous book of min ie on the subject, but to the large volume of literature by persons who have paid short visits to the United States.
is not, T gather, that the Americans are more touchy than the zest of us, but they are surprised and hurt to find foreigners admiring them for things to which they themselves attach no particular importance and criticizing others of which they happen to be proud.
The same desire for literary re~ more nor less than a retired rural' licence on my part was expressed by delivery postman of New Jersey. two other persons whose chance ac-Excellent Food quiniance T made during my travels.
The food on this Cunarder was. Twas only too glad to be able to reassure them by promising faithfully very good, much better, I imagine, that 1 would not write any. such than most of us ordinarily got in our own homes. This doubtless account-tool, and T hope that the following fed for the fact that so many of the rough sketches of my first and entirely personal impressions of Ameri-passengers used to go. religiously will not be held to be any breach ight through the whole bill of fare, such promise. The more so, as I that is to say except on the days, when the sea was rough. There was have no intention of discussing any skilful blending of American and tthe political, social or economic English customs: at each meal grape-questions that are worrying America fruit, tomato juice and similar Ameri-much these days. can favourites were provided, while 1 must, however, mention, without proper English tea was served entering into details, two topics that every afternoon rare discussed by every American T tilled to, The one was President Apart from deck sports, as they are somewhat over-ratedly " called, Rooievelt, Prosperous-looking, stout the amusements provided were of a lish yentiomen, in tailor-made suits, simple kind. Horse-racing, a giant obviously businessmen, and aged, form of minaroo, provided an ocmuch-bejewelled spinsters spoke of fessional flutter in the evening, as President as if he were Satan also a game called keno or bingo, himself; while porters, taxi-drivers, which in my childhood days T used brakeman and clerks in stores seem-to know as lotto, and in the Army, to think him a pretty good fellow who wag trying to do something for The approach to Boston is unimposthe underdog. After a very short ing, and the Passport and Customs lime T became quite expert in Judg~ examination there a lengthy, though inst my informant's social status. and otherwise innocuous, business. The come from his or her estimate of latter struck me as both a waste of President, which seemed to vary. time and energy.
Instead of having im direct ratio to the size of that your luggage deposited in front of waiting Customs officers, as is done The other topic was, the British-Im England and on the Continent, we French betrayal of Czechoslovakia. passengers had to queue up with' our Some thought we had made a mis-Jbaggage certificates and each of us take, as the U.S.A, would have been in turn was then allotted a special pound to have come to our assistance 'amicer who marched with us eross in the end, others that they could the shed to inspect the luggage. have kept out, but all were*unani-T was somewhat disappointed with. mous in their condemnation of us for Boston, but this may be attributed to, having let down. the Czechs, And the weather, for it rained hard all is all Tam going to say about the time I was there. Lexington and. Concord, on the other hand, I found, 'Tourist Class Popular very pleasing, a3 they have un air of crossed the Atlantic from Liver= antiquity and historical interest such. pot to Boston on the Cunarder fag T never came across in the States Lacnnia, an old, slow, but very steady' again. On Lexington Green stands a. host. Teame tourist class. For now-Targe rock inscribed with the words lays, of course, we have done with spoken by Captain Parker just before snobbery, and there are no such un= the first shots were fired that started pleasant distinctions az between first the American Revolution and were one second-class: they have been re-to alter the course of history: "Stand hamed cabin and tourist; and we your ground. Don't fire unless fired thw latter felt very proud, all the, upon, but if they mean to have a more og the proletariat still travel war let it begin here." third, Reading those words (On Septem There were, however, stern notices. ber 20, 1998) and remembering what} up everywhere warning the lower was happening in Europe at that orders against trespassing on the! moment, one could not help wonder territory. of their richer and better {ng, whether it was fortunate or unfellow-passengers, Some of the tat-fortunate for the world, that those ter used of an evening to come and American farmers did not hold "peace st in our cosy smoking-room, beany. price" views and thought cause, as T was given to understand, their Iiberty worth fighting for. they found the select and rarefied As we loft the Wayside Inn, famous} mosphere of their own somewhat. for its associations with Longfellow, tiresome, Nor were we honoured '2 tremendous storm of wind and rain with the presence of any of the got up. The papers afterwards called ship's officers who confined their at-Ita hurricane and said it had a mentions to the superior class, Velocity of 90 mph. Well, It certain-{was very comfortable and cosy had not that, and T have been in the tourist class. I shared a large much worse typhoons in South China. four-berth cabin with one other man, But the drive' back in our car was 4 pleasant, serious-minded old gensumclently dimeutt, with trees fallen tleman, an Irish-American who had.
Tepes" the road and. ye electee been back to visit his home for the Wires everywhere. When we reach-first time after 30 years. He was ed Boston late in the evening, the devout Catholic who on rising and Streets were still covered with glass s0ing to bed used to kneel at the from windows that had been blown side of his berth and say his prayfr, and whose table was, With small images of the saints. We trains were, running. to New York. ro my annoyance, I found that no
did not see very much of one another, hor was there any Hkelihood of their a he was usually asleep when I Going so for several days. So after came down to bed and got up long'
Spending another day in Boston before T was awake. decided to go round on a coastal From the little conversation Steamship that had berths for about had together, he struck me as a most 300 nnd. carried 400 passengers, 50 Femarkable person, for he was one of That more than. half of us had to sit the few people I have ever met with all night, Nor would the railway the course of my life who had company refund me my rail fare be-been completely happy in his pro-{ween Boston and New York, which fession and would have chosen it [seemed to, me unreasonable. lain if he had had to live his life Individuality of Skyscrapers second time. Many readers, I ex-ect, "will be wondering what he fess that I took a strong dis-could "have been. Well, he was tsien work. Te hes, no dou, obviously "not a millionaire nor. very fine skyline, and its skyserapmovie star, "He was, in fact, nothing Sus are very impressive. But these
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.