Buchanan County bulletin and guardian., 1868-01-31
sOMETnEsG FROM AMONG US.

|
ters written to the Middlesex Mass Jour
nal, by Mr. W. Palmer, Principal Of onr
Public Schools, as showing the impressions
made upon one direct from the Old Bay
State concerning the West and our own
city
lsDrrEsDENCE, Iowa, Dec. lG, 1867.
Mn. EDIroa 81 shall be hapry to send
you an occasional letter for publication from
this my new home in the West, if ! may he
able TO interest or instruct any OF your read
era concerning this part of the country. |
write the more readily from the fact that
your Journal was constantly read by NE du-
ring my three years stay in Winchester, and
that many Of your readers there are my per.
sonal friends, so that in writing line for
your columns nm enjoying the privilege Of
writing home. Your paper is doubly valu>
able to me now that l am SO far removed
from your vicinity. | can assure you that
the letters Of Excelsior do not escape unread.
Blu, must tell you something Of my jour,
ney. |. with my family, started from Der.
ry, N. H., on the 18th Of November for this
city, coming by the northern route, through
Vermont, northern New York aud Canada
Our trip, suppose was as pleasant and
agreeable as one has right TO expect, and
yet we met with and suffered the same ap.
noyances on the Grand Trunk X. r., as 9th
ers have before US. The examination Of
baggage that one must endure in crossing
from Canada into Michigan, is likely to test
the good nature Of the most thoroughly pa
tient, and more especially SO If his trunks
are.not in the best possible condition.
think the route by way of Albany and
Suspension Bridge is the bei.er.way. We
made q short stop in Detroit, Mich. This
city strikes the eye of the stranger very
pleasantly. A Bostonian must feel himself
lost in its streets, they are::so spacious and SO
unlike the streets in Boston. Detroit has
one Of the finest harbors in the world and
the business of the city is clearly seen by its
active, earnest life. At Detroit we took the
Michigan Central r. r. for Chicago. sup.
pose there is not better managed road in
the country than this; at any rate there isno
road where one finds Ahe conveniences for
travelling more nearly perfect than here.
The sleeping cars upoN this road remind one
of first class hotels in Boston and New York.
They are divided into separate rooms, su!>
fciently large TO accommodate family of
six. The sleeping Accommodations are am.
pie aud during the day you enjoy all the
pleasures of home in your own private par.
ior. Meals are served you in your room, if
wished understood that one may travel
the entire distance, from Chicago to Boston,
with bu, one change Of cars. You find on
this road not only the cara such as ! have
described but the conductors and every one
having anything 10 do with the train, care,
ful, and even anxious, - make your journey
a pleasant one, and cheerfully testify that
they succeed admirably On our way We of
course made a short stop in Chicago, not as
long. however, as we could have wished
still one cannot well help seeing something
Of the busy, ,hrobbing life Of this city in
short time, and when you remember that it
has scarcely seen forty years, you feel ithas
had a wonderful growth. Between Chicago
and Dunleith We passed through Gslena,
and should have caught glimpse Of the
residence OF General Grant had it not been
for thick fog. AS it WAS we clearly saw
that "plank sidewalk leading to his door,
or rather, by it, and this was some satistac
ton TO us, for we all delight to see even the
footprints of our illustrious men.
At Dunleith we crossed the Mississippi TO
Dubuque. This city is sixty>nine miles from
Independence, and though only shoy! dis
laaca, is . remarkably duh ride.
IsprrEsDryce, Iowa, Dec. 80, 1867.
Mr.. EDIron n:-Independence is situated
on the Wapsipinicon River, a stream Of con-
siderable size, taking its rise in Minnesota
aud emptying its waters into the Mississippi.
The river is known here BY the more practi-
cal name Of Wapsy The place has pop
ulation Of something more than three thou>
sand inhabitants, "a respectable numt er, at
least, when one remembers that IL or Is
years since there was not single dwelling
within the territory that now constitutes the
city limits. The city is largely made up Of
eastern nen, many OF them from New Eng
land, who, by their industrious habits, have
secured already for themselves all the COM
forts, if not the luxuries, you find in New
England homes. One is constantly surpris-
ed, and pleasantly SO, to find SO many here
in the West directly from his own State, and
not unfrequenily from his own county, and
even town. Almost the first person | met,
after my arrival, was young man from
Gambia, \. H., my native town. | knew
him when we we're boys, but had lost sight
Of him and knew not Of his whereabouts IN
til we accidentally met in this part of the
country, nearly fifteen hundred miles away
from our old home.
Nearly every department Of trade that is
carried on in cities of larger growth you fnd
here. Ladies can purchase as large a vari>
ETY. of style and quality of something to
wear in this city as in Boston. Every
branch of trade has its patronage from the
Ill, o-o,,,1 ,..,,l;p I:n1 .Nf
twenty five miles. There are here seven re.
ligions societies, each maintaining separate
worship A course Of lectures is enjoyed
here each winter, as in many Of tue larger
towns of the east.
A far more active social life, if may
Judge from what little ! have seen and learn
ed, pervades the West than one iuds in the
East. believe the West approaches more
nearly to democracy than does any other
section OF tine country. The rich aud the
poor are regarded very much alike, and nei
ther class is made conspicuous, only so far
as individual merit makes them such. Mon-
ey is entirely lett out Of the reckoning in ss-
timating character.
The public buildings Of the city are not
equal to those you have in nearly every vil>
lage and city around Boston. You would
not expectto find magnificent, regal builds
ings in new country, and SO young city
as this, and yet Independence can boast Of
as good school building, both in plan and
architecture, as you have in your own yicini-
ty. The house is beautifully located on
quite an eminence, overlooking the city, the
view taking in at the same time the exten>i
siye prairies on all sides. / thought, when
in Winchester, that tie High School builds
ing there, in which enjoyed myself SO much,
could not be surprised in its location; but
my present building has every possible adj
vantage over it, both in situation and extent
Of view. The house is Of sufficient size TO
accommodate nearly four hundred pupils.
We have two other buildings, which will
seat one hundred, so that in all we have ac>
commodatons for FIVE hundred scholars
All the schools are now in operation, and
we are happy to find them so readily and
good naturedly performing school labor. l
have never had more willing and efficient
work performed by pupils at the East than
is being done by my scholars here. Our