Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-06-15
RAILROAD VILLAGES.
A WESTERN PICTURE.

Railroad Villages are comparative
ly recent feature in this village
building. They usually begin with
Depot, followed 10y a Pos, Office, a
blacksmith shop, aud the contents OF
a couple of pedlar's packs duly dis
tributed upon halt dozen shelves,
and there they are born, and christ
ened, and waiting TO grow.
The trains run to and fro, and the
passengers see The little group clusi-
cred round the track, and wonder
what they do there, and why they
do not go on with the train.
BY and by, houses get to be an
epidemic, and up they 60, here and
there, aud all about. Streets are
siaked, and lois are measured, and a
public square is reserved, and they
have a justice, and doctor, and a
young lawyer, and stated preach
ing once IN two weeks. That's a
pretty good beginning, but it is only
beginning. a Young sophomore,
out of funds, and looking for a place
to teach a winter shoot, gets of from
a Struggling train some day. Every
body knows he is there. lie reach
ed there at two O'Clock, aud at a
quarter past two every body knows
who he is, and what he is, and the
Squire sees him, and the Doctor
shows him round the town-waves
his hand towards the prairie, and dl-
lates upon lis resources towards the
town; and pronounced an eulogy up
on It's enterprise, aud the young man
is charmed, and over the store he
climbs at once, up one flight of stars
into High School
Things 20 bravely and public
spirited individual, who, as he says,
has more room Than he wants, gets
the pain,or-for meanwhile, such an
artizan has taken passage in the vii
lage en route to grealness-to EN-
blazon his name IN very black letters,
upon very broad board, and there
is general rejoicing at the new 'lio-
tel where the lawyer argues with
the store-keeper nightly, while the
doctor completes the triangle, upon
the destinles, of the world in gem
eral, and Depot-dom in particular
Wha. they lack now is a newspa-
sale in a neighboring town, and a
lramping jour has stranded upon
their beach, and the lawyer promises
TO write the leaders, the doctor will
contribute the obituaries, the school
master do the puzzles and the poetry,
while the blacksmith and the mer-
chant promise to be liberal patrons
in the way of adverlislng.-The pa
per appears like the village it is
small, but Nth the village it grows.
The trains used TO whistle and
ring, and barely slacken their speed.
Now they stop altogether, for there
are more 10 get off and more TO get
on.
The tavern-keeper takes stale
nap of a pedler, who happens to be
his guest over a rainy Sunday, and
discovers that Depol-dom is the geo
graphical centre Of the county,
There is an immediate agitaiion.-
The seat of Jusiice-Justice herself,
scales and all, must be removed thilh-
er.
They work at it, electioneef about
I, bid for it, and get it.
Now the huddle is village T; now
he village is town now the town
is shire-lown now the shire-town
$ city. The blacksmilh's shop has
grown into half dozen factories !;
The lawyer is multiplied by Ten, and
the doctor by six, aud the store
,eeper knocks down his prices ten
per cent. to compete with nineteen
new corners.