&8 



gLi:aniKgs i:n bee cuLtuRE. 



J*EB. 



The whole house evidently takes pride in 

 showing the great traveling public how well 

 they can do. After you have indicated what 

 you would like, on the bill of fare, the waiter 

 often suggests, " We have some very choice 

 beef-steak this morning ; sha'n't I bring you 

 a nice pie(!e V '' or, " Wouldn't you like some 

 of these eggs ? " and he shows you a new 

 dish in this line, cooked with rare skill. The 

 buckwheat cakes and maple molasses were 

 both nice enough to call forth exclamations 

 of surprise. The beef-steak was about the 

 finest I ever tasted, and all these dishes are 

 garnished with pretty sprigs of lettuce, 

 parsley, celery, or something of that sort. 

 This gives work for the market-gardener. 

 Notwithstanding all these things are done 

 so nicely, I didn't see anybody in sight who 

 was looking after things, or bossing things. 

 There seemed to be no need of any one to 

 give orders, or to reprove slackness. Here 

 is another indication of good generalship. 

 The master-spirit was nowhere vhible. 



Another thing that pleased me in regard 

 to this hotel : The customs and conditions 

 of the house were made known to every- 

 body by printed cards neatly framed. In 

 different parts of the hotel one of them an- 

 nounced, 



THIS IS A FOUK - DOLLAR-A - DAY - HOUSE. 



Breakfast Costs One Dollar. 



DiNNKK Costs One Dollar. | Supper Costs One Dollar. 



Lodging Costs One Dollar. 



This was evidently to prevent mistakes or 

 blunders ; for some, unaccustomed to these 

 prices, might go into the hotel and get meals 

 and lodging where it would be very incon- 

 venient to pay the above prices, or where 

 they might he in great distress on account 

 of the misapprehension. Other cards direct 

 you to the postoffice-box, telegraph-oflice, 

 railway ticket-office, and all the various 

 places about such an establishment that any 

 one might need. During the convention, at 

 one time I felt sorely the need of my half- 

 hour nap before meals. I found a pleasant 

 parlor, with plenty of lounges ; but one of 

 these placards very kindly announced that 

 visitors were requested not to recline on the 

 lounges, but to go to their rooms. Now, al- 

 though T sought my room at an unusual 

 time of day, every thing was in perfect or- 

 der. A little open grate had a cosy little 

 fire of hard coal, so unique it called forth 

 exclamations of surprise. Not a particle of 

 dust or disorder was visible anywhere ; and 

 I found this dainty little coal fire in the 

 grate during every hour I visited the room 

 during my sojourn of three days. I do not 

 know who took care of the room, for no 



waiter was ever visible. The whole estab- 

 lishment was still and quiet, for guests 

 seemed to feel they were to be ladies and 

 gentlemen in the truest sense of the term. 

 Yes, they behaved themselves like Chris- 

 tians, for aught I could see, and that is the 

 way the establishment succeeds in getting 

 custom at these great piices. They made 

 money by being Christianlike. 



Who.soever will be chief among you, let him be 

 your servant. 



I tell you, friends, it pays in dollars and 

 cents to carry the spirit of Christ with you. 

 Where did this great hotel get such a corps 

 of helpers? I presume they pay big prices 

 for them, because each one in his line is an 

 extra-good man or woman. Very likely a 

 system of thinning out had been rigidly 

 practiced in order to have none but civil, 

 courteous, and obliging helpers. At no time 

 during my stay did I hear any thing like an 

 impatient word. More than that, pleasant 

 looks and pleasant words meet the guests at 

 every turn. You know I am always up ear- 

 ly mornings, so I had a good opportunity of 

 observing the machinery of this establish- 

 ment start up. In the same way I have 

 seen the machinery of large hotels start 

 up many times before, but I never before 

 saw a place where there Avere no impatient 

 words nor cross looks early in the morning. 

 The clerk at the desk complimented me on 

 being an early riser, and gave me a pleasant 

 good morning, calling me by name. I was 

 the first at breakfast, except those who 

 breakfasted early in order to take the trains. 

 The waiters made some pleasant apology 

 about not having a /ti/? bill of fare ready, 

 but gave me a very nice breakfast; and 

 these same waiters were sufticiently intelli- 

 gent to inquire about the convention and 

 the bee-keeping industry at large. On one 

 occasion I opened the wrong door and al- 

 most ran against the boy wlio was blacking 

 boots. He pleasantly took in the state of 

 affairs, told me it was all right, and left his 

 work to take me tliiough his room to where 

 I wanted to go. 



The water-closet arrangements of this es- 

 tablishment were the most perfect I have 

 ever seen anywhere ; but they operated, as 

 usual, by water. No smell, not even a faint 

 trace, could at any time be perceived any- 

 where al)out the premises. Not only does 

 the water wash away every thing immediate- 

 ly, but a ventilating-shaft with proper ap- 

 pliances draws a current of air through the 

 room in such a way as to carry all vapors 

 down and out of the way instantly. 



