Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1868-02-01
OUR HOUSTON LETTER.

most people Who have hitherto come 10 Tex
as have not come TO stay, aud that they only
DO stay with yiew 90 making enough ~
live somewhere else on, And my reason
for the idea is found In the very shabby i'm
proyemenis which pro Iail 50 generally all
over the state, Il does not stand n reason
that man who lives in a mui-daubel log
orbin surrounded by rail fence, aud NJ
eerly devoid OF all comforts such as reason
able men crave, expects 10 make that cabin
bis home any length Of time aud yet, how
many liys, thrive and die in just such
houses liOw easy Il would be 10 do bet.
ter, II only people would settle down To
making a homestead for life OF their places
instead Of q pen In which 10 camp for the
| time being Aud even II II would not be
so easy, OF what use, let me ask, Is the mo
ney man makes aud saves In such quar-,
tiers, IL he will not make any good use OF u ?
! What is money good for any way, except 10
make people comfortable
have seen people live meanly anl IN,
comfortably all their lives, to hoard a few
thousands with which to start their chill.
dren In life, Aud such a start as they
mostly give them How much better TO
have spent the money 10 making hone for
the CHI llren In their youth In adornlng u
with works Of taste aud art, IL surround
ing Il with flowers and cultivated grounds,
In effect in applying refining and elevaiiny
influences 10 their children, rather than by
british surroundings, fostered british
tastes, and secured british habits, and too
often british ends TO their children.
Il is my opinion the first ten thousand
dollars man makes, he should spend as
fast MS he makes II upon his home. lie
should make the home pleasant and attrac'
tive. lie should supply himself with fine
library, and with appliances Of music and
enjoy mont. lie may, by doing so, lose the
chance Of making u large fortune early in
life, but he will have made what is far bet
ter, not only comfort for his passing years,
but have proved by his appreciation Of a
decent mansion here below, that at least he
will know how to behave himself should lie
ever get into the Heavenly mansions above.
II is sad TO think, that il Swedenborg's doc.
trines are true, the vast majority Of the
people of Texas stand q very poor chance
of getting into any Of the fne residences in
the New Jerusalem, They will all have to
pack themselves off outside the walls, and
wait till they learn what houses n nd man
sions, etc, are made for, before they will
be permitted to enjoy any.
Such novels Us | have seen gentlemen
live in | should be ashamed to fasten n
pig into such pens. Lei me beg the people
to change their manners in this respect
with the changing times.
And then, too, surround the homes with
shrubbery. Tsxas is alive with native
flowers of the most beautiful description
II 4 :. 1, a.,
den indigenous as it were, and enables the
gardener TO have continuous succession
of choice gems of the floral kingdom. l
live in hopes to see vast improvements in
this respect. 1t is wonderful what progress
is making, year by year, in flowers. Not
less than hundred new varieties Of flow
ers are produced every year. What twenty
years ago were the commonest single flow
ers, hardly worth notice, have now, by ju-
dicious care, grown to be magnificent mass
es Of bloom. The Znnia is one of these
Formerly single neglected flower, hardly
equal to the primrose, it now rolls out row
after row Of petals, until it rivals tho dahl
liz in shape and the rose in brilliancy.-
A list of flower seeds before me- from Ro-
chester, New York, embraces near two thou
sand sorts. A list of roses from Washing
ton, runs up to four hundred sorts. Dab.
lias, gladolas, tuberoses, lilies, etc., ETC.,
are innumerable in variety. Cameias,
Azelias, hydrangr }, gardenias, elc., ETC.
make wonderful profusion of beauty.
The work on the Central Road appears to
be progressing, and good deal of talk is
heard about the next towns. Hope to hear
of new station being made the present
year.
Our streets are all just now being dug up
from end to end, to lay down gas pipes, |
which will soon form an iron net work all |
over the city. We expect in sixty or nine
ty days, to have the gas let on, and then |
farewell to kerosene with all its dangers
Speaking Of kerosene. n merchant in |
Montgomery few days ago was amusing
himself pouring kerosene from jug in n
fire in his store. As n matter Of course the
stuff got on fire in the jug and burst it all
to pieces throwing fire over every thing
The result was his store was entirely con-
sumed, and he learned, by costly expert
ence, what any newspaper he might have
year, that that sort of thing won't do. 1t
is to be supposed that no was too poor to
iassS the papers. II is some satisfaction,
however,, to know, that another man has
found out that kerosene is dangerous. And
yet, the beautiful ightkerosene gives makes
it a necessity where gas cannot be had
What an improvement on the old oil lamp,
not to say upon the older dip candles i
How many of the present generation of if-
ty year Odds owe their slavery to spectacles
to the use of dip cardles in their early
youth.
1t looks rs though Texas is to witness
hard times for year or two TO come, and
here is great deal Of gloom TO b Q observ-
ed among all classes of people. This gloom
Is inducing idle dispo ndency which will
secure the fulfllment Of its own evil re-
suits. l wish it were possible for me to cry
oud enough TO be heard by every man in
he State; | would try TO call men back to
heir senses, aud to the necessity Of exer-
lion. Suppose, Swndells, every man in
Texas who is capable Of writing good let ,
er, should write once week to some news
paper in the other parts of the country,
,howing what an asylum this State is from
he terrible evils that threaten them or TO
he newspapers of the North and West, /
moving how superior Texas is as a grain /
growing and wool producing State to any I
,ther in the Union2 Let this be kept up
or six months, and there would DO such q
lood of white emigration to Texas rs would
Iery speedily wipe out the greatest of our
threatened evils, by giving us large white
scendancy in aur voting population, as
veil as 60 far TO moving another evil by 7
citing afoat large amounts Of money now I
ocked up in unproductivs lands. reckon /
am within reason in supposing that fifty I
'ersons capable of welding such an infu-
nee by writing letters, win read this sug- {
,estion. II they will accept and act on it, {
verify believe they will induce FIVE hun {
red families TO come 10 Texas this year. {
Ind IL every man In the State who can {
rould do 90, we should have such a torrent {
{ emigrants as would make an era Of new {
ifs for US. Give us Q population Of two {
Millions, and oil public Improvements, such
8 railroads, ship channels, etc. become Of I
UGH overpowering necessity that they will I
uild themselves. whh population Of |
wo millions the present gloom and des- [
ondency would be speedily laughed out
. existence, and the wealth which this 7
tate shows such urbounded capacity TO !
roduce, would make US q great power in :
he land instead Of a provincial tail 10 he