Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1851-12-11
Oh, We copy the following articl

ably no place in the country where the
reform there recommended is more need
ed than in NewporI:
REFORM NEEDED.
i There is one feature in the municipal
government Of most vf our towns aud
villages, indicative OF SO low point OF
civilization, that il calls loudly lor re-
form. II would, perhaps, hardly be-
worth while to call attention 10 il trust
ing TO the progress of good government
and pr"priety 10 Lanisl il, did il not sp-
pear rather TO take the position OF "a
more established facr, year hy year.
| We refer 10 the custom OF allowing
animals that belong to the pasture field,
and barn-yard. 10 run al large in The
highways of the country, and streets OF
! tie cities.
/ We believe we are correct in saving,
that this aboniinaion prevails by iolera
ion all over the Union, with the excep-
ton Of one single state, Massachusetts
| which forms ii mos honorable exception.
/ The traveller may journey from one
| end oi Massachusetts 10 the other--he
| may WRIT her smallest hamlets- her
| lovely, elm-bowered villages her busy
manufacturing towns, or her thriving
and poPuous ciIles-nnd everywhere he
sres more order, cleanliness, and good
/ government than elsewhere. II II pans
US as ii New-Yorker TO be obliged to
confess their superIority-it gives us
/ pleasure as an American 10 be able 10
| point 10 one ol the states where public
education has been longest and most
i largely ditfused, rs "a standard in these
! respects to other states HAT yet lag be-
! hnd in these external marks of ciyillza-
! ton.
! We believe. indeed, that the same
! cipal laws governing the towns
! and villages Of Massachusetts, which
forbid the running at large OF animals
! in the streets, are Tor the most part III
! existence in other parts Gi the country.
| But in Massachusetts these laws are en-
iorced--in other states they dre dead
| letter.
| Tie most 1agrant violation Of these
| laws and the most unaccDuniaGle one. is
/ in the great commercial metropolis Of
the country, York. In The third
largest city of the christian world, where
he wealth, luxury. and refinement of
|, the oldest and most cultivated oriIons
| Of Europe prevail, the civilization is at
SO low in cbb in this respect that hogs
| and cows have free range Of The streets
| thar dru,cs OF Iat cattle and sheep are
| driven through the streets at midday
| and hardly month passes by that the
newspapers do not record accident. To
women and children-gored or tram
pied upon in the very park in front Of
the ciry-lal nsei!, All over the cOun-
try the condition Of things is little or 20
bet er. In Washington, dro,cs OF cows
and logs, by hundreds, rambIe AT will
over the open unmprUvcd grounds
about the cl yin almost every town
the traveller siunItlts over swine a. cv-
cry corner of The street; ia almost every
country ncIghhorhoud, the owners Of
gardens and orchards tIemble daily Tor
The sanrtty ol their premises, and guard
lcaIously the gates lest the domestic an
i,nals that are nObody's property in par
ucular, but live hy robhIng the commu-
niy in general. should make an on
s!a1ghi upon our hight wooden fences,
ard sweep garden and orchard before
them.
The extra cost Of fencing against
these cammOi ers. amounts To at leas.
hundreds oi millions Of dollars to the
country ut large--as any one who has
travelled through France, where no ami
mas run AT large and there are miles
without fences, Will understand. Every
man wh, owns a lew acres o. land
spends huudr .ds of dullars III shutting
out animals that are not his own, and
have 10 rlghI to be at large 10 lis All
nuyance and cost and thus the cuuu-
try is both disvraced and over-taxed by
a miserable shortsightrdnes upon the
part Of the more intelligent members OF
the community. who will moi boldly en-
force the law and protect their own in
terests.
We have called this feature n mark OF
"A low CONDITION ofcIv,IIZdtiOu and every
thuking person who will give II IA lew
moments, reheC ton, will, we think,
agree ltli us.
In ircla d the poor co'tagers think
il no drgredaliun to humanity to share
the best and ony room 0i lhelr cabins,
W tn their pigs In SwitzcrIand even
wealthy farmers lodge their cattle in the
huscm nj story OF their houses, and
neatly rounded mauurc.hcap iS one OF
the s'enlc features that meets the eye
from every front-d d,or.
w III any American attempt to argue
that This condition OF things IN ireland
and Switzerland. is not the index Of
lower state OF civilization than our ownl
But Will not any person. either from
Eng g'and. France, or even Masshchu-
sets, al,o feel equally shorked at The
GratM aspect OF the streets ~ most
paris of the United SIaies and put It
town as an aIm"st equally decided mark
oI low civilizations
| seems to Us that as there can be no
question on thIs subject, and as no right
thinking man can wish 10 live among
cattle or share the streets and avenues
with them, It Is time that something
should be done 10 arouse public ntlen
tnn 10 the barblrlsm We speak Of Ii
may he tluug',t It little matter by many
persons but 50 are personal cleanliness.
the health Oi cities, The introduction Of
pure water ~ towns aud even common
schouls--a "iItle maiirfs' II the uh-
lie sentiment and puhllr intelligence are
ai 80 low an ebb us not TO see and lcel
their value. But ia i,ct every thlpg
which tends ~ male manhiud resl tct
themselvrs, tends 10 talse them 10 tile
scale ol humanity. Certainly the more
We live like men the more we fulfil this
l.. A..