Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1858-03-31
From q Regular Correspondent.
Chicago, March oath, 1858.

your paper, promising, by the way, that
but little Of interest is transpiring, and
therefore we beg your readers indul-
gence, on the ground that the lack of
interest is in measure attributed to a
lack of material.
The most important topic of CONVEX
satlon, of these, and probably of any
other times, and certainly the most uni
versal of all times, is that of the wealth
er. Did you ever meet an acquain-
lance, or did you ever know individu-
ais to meet, without one or the other
acting as barometer to give the state
Of the weather, or perhaps as a Their
mometer, and give the superlative de-
grees Of heat or cold, mot generally
marked upon thermometers but ex-
pressed as "d-d warm" or I'D
cold" The first epithet above will
convey very decent idea Of the wealth
er for the past few days; and with the
addition Of the superlative degree doub-
led in respect to the dampness of the
atmosphere, you may conclude that it
has been both very warm and very wet
in this vicinity.
We have the usual quantum of mud
in this city, indigenous to this season of
the year, rendering the streets almost
impossible to fancy vehicles, whilst
loaded teams, trucks and drays, find
this Jordan mighty hard road to tray
ell. Even pedestrians occasionally stick
fast, and, until rescued by Mayor
Haines' efficient police force, or other
good Samaritans, are in imminent dan
ger of total disappearance. But yes
terday, although mud-besmeared and
drenched to the skin, we were inclined
to smile, upon beholding one Of our eld-
est-though not oldest-citizens in the
lnclpient stage of such a predicament.
He had sunk to his arm-pits in the soft,
oozy mud, but fortunately found bot
tom; there, with his head rocking like
that of a Chinese Mandarin, he shout
ed, " Chicago, Chicago! with all thy
mud, I'll stick to thee" And doubt
less the unfortunate individual, tight in
a double sense, sticks there yet.
no 11ft
ago, and preparations for the navigable
season are rapidly being made. We
have an occasional arrival from the
lumber ports, and 50 far as Lake Mich
igan is concerned, navigation may be
considered as open. In q few days the
Straits will be clear, and then our at
present stagnated business will start
with an impetus that will astonish old
fogy cities of the east.
The financial crisis, now drawing to
a close, will rebound greatly to the adj
vantage of the West. There are hosts
of crippled eastern merchants, with re-
quisite business tact, and sufficient re-
serced cash capital to renew their for
tunes, who are ready and anxiously
waiting to pitch in, SO soon as business
starts. They are to be found scattered
all through our western cities and vii
lagos. Chicago has large proportion
Of them, and fortunately we have abid-
ing places for them. We have some
200 first class stores, mostly erected or
finished off this winter, awaiting ten
ancy, and hundreds of others in con-
temptation and course of erection.
Rents are down to notch lower than
for years before, but with an upward
tendency now. The person who con-
templates doing business in Chicago,
has at present rare opportunity to
rent for term of years, and thus save
money.
Revivals are the order of the day
They seem to be not only epidemical,
but noxious. We have not been so
sorely afflicted before since the last
Cholera season, and it's victims number
scores, daily. The u,,dertakers, of
course, are flourishing; whilst the pros
pective ''phat," to be gained by pew
rents, contributions, and donations,
cause them to work as industriously as
bees in a tar-barrel.
Be it known to you, that following in
the wake of New York, Boston, ETC.,
Chicago has gotten up series of Bust
ness Mems Daily Prayer Meetings.
We've attended, and could not hel p re-
marking that the new converts, and
those who pray the loudest, are dilapi-
dated, failing and Responding mer-
chants. This sudden piety, we fear, is
fated to short duration, for it is writ
ten
'When the devil is sick, the devil monk would
be,
But when the devil is well, the devil monk is
hei"