The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-04-22
Letter from Boston.
Correspondence Of the journal.
Street Sishts-street CIeaners-News Boys
-Beggars-GOughs Lecture-NOrthrrn
Lishts-Fasastons. sc. &c.

sense of loneliness in a vast crowd, but | nev
er walk the streets of Il large city wi bout ex-
perencing this feeling We have 81! seen and
felt AID poets, painters and writers have poT-
trayed to US, the impressiveness. the grandeur,
the awful sublimity of towering mountains, Of
rugged precipiccs, Of foaming waterfalls, and
Of the flashiug, ptiless lightning. But more
than all these am | impressed with The vast
ness and myst seriousness Of Gods creation, and
of my own utter insjgniiicancc in the crowded
thoroughiares OF a city-in seeing so many
people hurryng past me, going hther and
thither, all absorbed and eagerly intent upon
their own business, and among them not one
familiar face. | shrink back into myself and
feel indeed and in truth ''alonc, alone"
How much there is to be seen ana head.
The street sights of Boston have never ceased
to be objects of interest to mo From the gal
" adorned and fashionable lady who rides in
her carriage, down to the humble shop-9irl
plo dding her way weariiy ho.aeward, after a
hard days labor. 1 often imagine this latter
class, the carriages Of the wealthy roll by
them, saying as did the Irishman,
''If was rich I'd rice in chases,
But now Pa poor, l-l-by jabez must walk"
Among these mlny objects Of curiosity, per
haps the most noticeable, because there are so
many, are HE street cleaners | don't mean
the womeI who wear long trailing skirts, Tor
those among the things that were and are
not, but the large number Of men which this
careful city government employs to keep the
pavements clean ard in good condition-thus
providing both for the health and comfort of
its citizens. First come the sprnklerS, dispens-
ing, with liberal hand, the watery element all
over the dusty ways, and after them follow an
army Of sWeepers with their long, heavy brush
brooms, which they swing quickly and dexter
ously across the street. And 10. the heaps of
dirt they collect. 1t is really wonderful. AT
ter these come vast number Of men equipped
with shovels or hoes as the case may be, and
then the city carts, into which all this refuse
matter is piled and then hauled away to some
region of the city where they are making new
land. Thus everything is turned to some ac
count. Just at present the streets are much
cut up by gangs Of workneu fixing drains, re-
pairing or laying water and gas pipes, laying
PAY ny cltHCS, uuN HCi tbl AIlili- Ct4Sl iii
work. At one Of these places, where the work
men had dug a ditch some five or six feet in
width across the street, had an opportunity
Of seeing how f'r i car would pass without its
motive power Driving as nearly possible
to the edge Of the ditch. the horses were sud-
denly detached and the car allowed to pass
over the excavation. The horses were then
.l.a Az -;I .,lD
went. So much for human ingenuity.
Aud now, having got the streets nicely
cleansed we have a chance to see The news
boys, who are crying the morning or evening
Post Herald, Journal and Advertiser, with the
latest accounts of the 'trc on summer ST."
or the ''robbery on Hanover" ''IIerad, sir
Have Il Herald: Buy paper, mann ?"-and
so on. And woe to the unfortunate wight who
dares to sauce them, for he is pretty likely to
get stunning retort. They are witty and
sharp, probably rendered 50 by lhelr calling,
and many are the sayings Of theirs which find
their way into the public print. | remember
now one OF their latest answers to the inquiry
"What is Il philosopher" "A man who rides
q velocipede." was the ready response. Aud
then there are the candy and trdit stands tend
cd by Old women bowed down by the weight Of
years. the organ grinders many Of these be-
ing wounded soldiers trying to obtain an hon
est living: the coal-men; the rag pickers the
heavily loaded teams the carriages The gay
shop windows; and SO many, many things-all
interesting, all noticeable, and worthy Of Cles
criptions, which, perhaps, | may attempt in
some future letter. And lastly, the little rag
ged, half clad, and possibly half starved,
children, selling small articles, picking up
stray bits in the streets, and sometimes beg
ging pennies from the passers-by. Coming
down fremont 81, Il few weeks ago, was ac-
costed by little lad with s.Please, lady, give
me Just one cent-my mothers very sick" 1t
was cold, and almost night. / could not stop
and passed along. Bat could not 50 east
ly get rid of that wee, childish voice and those
earnest blue oyeS-they seemed to be looking
reproachtully after me-ao retraccd my steps
and gave the little fellow some money He was
apparently about five years OF age, and il his
be deceptive face and lying tongue, may q cd
have pity upon poor fallen humanity. ...
| | had the pleasure last week, in common with
many others, of listening to tie inimt;tble
Cough, the great temperance lecturer. His
voice is not 50 good As in years agone but he
still retains the cloquence and earneS Sness
which have made him SO popular. His appeals
always touch the heart. Yet perhaps his
greatest power lies in his acting TO fully en-
JOY what he says you must see as well as hear
him, for as the Dutchman said ''he lectures
nit his coat TAIL
Boston was visited on Thursday evening last
by one of the finest displays Of the Aurora
Borcalis which has been witnessed here for
many years The whole heavens seemed to
be covered with the sparkling, Scintillating
flashes, assuming nearly every color of the
rainbow, and qnivering and darling across the
sky like living things. AS Abbott SAYS,
81 to see the Northern lights
With their rushing splendors fly
Like living things with flaming wings
Across the sunless sky''--
AS no letter is deemed quite complete with
out hint at the fashions, perhaps it will be
necessary to add that the capricious goddess
has decreed that the ladies Shall wear stripes
this season, and after this fashion The silks,
poplins, delaines and calicoes are now made
The favorite colors green and white, and
black and white The 1otnSt vi of IroS ipu