What I cannot, for the life of me, understand is why, in a train which has a dining car and a kitchen, a man cannot be served with a cup of tea, unless he pays the price of a dinner for it, and this notwithstanding the fact of his having paid five dollars extra to enjoy the extra luxury of this famous vestibule train. [Illustration: "WELL, WHAT DO YOU WANT?"] After all, this is one out of the many illustrations one could give to show that whatever Jonathan is, he is not the master in his own house. The Americans are the most docile people in the world. They are the slaves of their servants, whether these are high officials, or the "reduced duchesses" of domestic service. They are so submitted to their lot that they seem to find it quite natural. The Americans are lions governed by bull-dogs and asses. They have given themselves a hundred thousand masters, these folks who laugh at monarchies, for example, and scorn the rule of a king, as if it were better to be bullied by a crowd than by an individual. In America, the man who pays does not command the paid. I have already said it; I will maintain the truth of the statement that, in America, the paid servant rules. Tyranny from above is bad; tyranny from below is worse. Of my many first impressions that have deepened into convictions, this is one of the firmest. When you arrive at an English railway station, all the porters seem to say: "Here is a customer, let us treat him well." And it is who shall relieve you of your luggage, or answer any questions you may be pleased to ask. They are glad to see you. In America, you may have a dozen parcels, not a hand will move to help you with them. So Jonathan is obliged to forego the luxury of hand baggage, so convenient for long journeys. When you arrive at an American station, the officials are all frowning and seem to say: "Why the deuce don't you go to Chicago by some other line instead of coming here to bother us?" [Illustration: ENGLISH RAILWAY STATION.] This subject reminds me of an interesting fact, told me by Mr. Chauncey M. Depew on board the _Teutonic_. When tram-cars were first used in the States, it was a long time before the drivers and conductors would consent to wear any kind of uniform, so great is the horror of anything like a badge of paid servitude. Now that they do wear some kind of uniform, they spend their time in standing sentry at the door of their dignity, and in thinking that, if they were polite, you would take their affable manners for servility. [Illustration: THE RAILWAY PORTER.] * * * * * _Everett House, New York. (Midnight.)_ So many charming houses have opened their hospitable doors to me in New York that, when I am in this city, I have soon forgotten the little annoyances of a railway journey or the hardships of a lecture tour.