Couriers Back Numbers

Up to times witlrin the mernory of living ruen alruost no one of means travelyd through Europe without a courier. Before railroads were built and before good guidebooks were printed he was almost indispensable. His tribe survives, but in greatly dirninished numbers. To the seif reliant traveler he is of no use whatever. Indeed he is frequently a positiva incumbrance, and worse. To ray rnind one of the great pleasures of travel is in learning to travel by myself. There are satisfaction, pleasure and eduoation in planning routes, deciphering time tables, making bargains, learning by observation the lay of the land. The time may have been when a courier could save a traveler more than his cost. Most certainly that is not the case now. Ou the contrary, as he gets a percentage on every purchase his party makes, which, of course, comes out of the purchaser in iucreased price, and as it is often for his interest to advise the more costly route, the more costly hotel or the moro costly excursión, he eats up much more than his wages, while saving positively nothing. Bean declares that in a two weeks' trip in southern Spain, which he rnada side by side with a couple having a courier, he invariably reached the hotel first, got better rooms andsawall the sights to as good advantage, yet the courier was, of his kind, an expert. The fact is that travel has become so general, tourist companies, railroads and landlords have so well studied its needs, books are so plentiful, that you couldn't very well get off the track or have a rnishap if