The Portland daily press., 1869-09-14
DAILY PRESS,
ND
Tuesday Morning, September IA 1869.
lFrom the Hartford Courant.l
Notes on the New England Fair.
PORTLAND, Sept. I, 1860.
CORTLAND :

Notes On the New England Fair.
PORTLAND, Sept. I, 1860.
PORTLAND AND ITS PEOPLE.
The city of Portland, and the people of
Maine, are, of course, a part of this show.
But yesterday we heard of this city in ashes
by sweeping fire. To-day scarcely vestige
of such a calamity remains. The visitor is
shown long lines OF fine new buildings, dwell
ings, stores and churches, and streets where
people are as ants on a hot firestick, standing
upon what was the "burnt district" 1t may
be fancy, but L think see in the people here,
bustling and energetic as they are, a friendli-
ness and cordiality toward one another. be-
gotten of the intimacy and helpfulness of
that time of distress, when a thousand fami-
lies saw their homes vanish in fame and
smoke. 1t is al fine sight to see trained horses
and oxen start mighty load at the word of
the driver, but it is capital one to see the
Poorin. Of city of one accord making the
pest OF disaster working shoulder to SHOULDER
in the rebuilding of gfesst atty The fire in
bringing mems hearts together, NAV have
been blessing. 1t is the same spirit blthely
and vigorously wipng up ''spilled milk, which
gives out an invitation to the farmers and
mechanics of New England to meet here
| with their choicest products, and sweeps clean
| the streets for their cordial welcome.
But there was leaven of thrift in this city
| of old. Twenty-Five years ago, when your
| correspondent was lad of the MULLEN stalk
pattern, and swept an editors Office in your
| city, he could pick copy of the old Portland
was it the Advertiser ply the look of the
| edges of it; out of stack of ordinary Eek
changes" as easily as he could Gull the mel
low "seek-no- furthers" from peck of Wild
ings. There were few newspapers in the
country at that day SO well ordered.-
Newspapers that live and thrive are of
the people. The best of them represent
the best, and the worst the worst sentiment.
There's no leadership to brag of, either way.
got hold last winter of lively little daily
| from the far northwest, so full of spunk, and
vim, and good humor withal, that I wanted
| to move out there directly, and take a fair
| start with such a people. 1t was clean
sheet too. No nasty jokes lurking in the
corners, or any tendency among the adver-
visements of turning penny from the pat
ronage OF "Sir Jane Clarke's remedies" 1t
is safe to invest for rise on the skirts of a
city that supports such newspapers-and such
city was Portland years ago.
HUMAN Culture.
But of the Fair Women hereabouts. and
| the men too, are of stouter build, have a
more generous supply of the phosphates in
their composition, with good round of mus
Gle to cover it. The youth of the lower Con
necticut valley country are getting something
short in the body, and long in the neck and
limb. We know this gives some speed, but
| no great bottom. Whether it is possible for a
| degenerate valley yOungster to come up here
| in Maine, in cool blood, and fall in love with
one of these northern damsels, upon correct
| physiological principles, is doubtful, but well
| worth the trial. The old people can well af.
| ford to slight business" little and attend to
| these incipient family matters. Matches are
left altogether too much to chance. If pigs
or calves were as uncertain things to rear as
| children we should have legislative commits
| sion appointed to ferret out the cause. am
glad the New England Fair is perambulatory
| and hope the stir will help to improve .that
noble animal" man. The blood of our peo-
ple-too exclusively English, and in the coun-
| try too much culled-wOuld be nightly fresh
ened by intermiXture with dash from this
| line OF northern sea-coast and productive
| back country. Clear away away "down
! east" and sprinkled through this State there
| is trace of French blood-and scholarly
French too-a capital cross to broaden the
| jaws and shoulders OF any weazen-face6 Yam
kee family L have seen hundred damsel
already, who seem in dim way, and with al
| maidenly modesty, to have the counterpart o
all this talk floating in their minds. The,
seem to be awaiting with patience the "com
ing man." &
In touching this branch of my subject
which l know interests everybody, 1 dom
wish to be understood to slight the names o
Connecticut girls. There are some-too sen
sible to marry ill-with features illuminated
by beauty of the the soul, with such wealtl
| OF love in their hearts as might endow an,
man with happiness. (Thackeray makes thu
| same statement somewhere, in better terms
| FOIms and facts come into the mind, too
| with the grace of the lilies of the field-in
TACT, they are sometimes as delicate as lilies
Likely boys are scarce, with us. Advertisers
| no longer prefer those "irom the cOuntrv.' y
The class that ride three upon a seat on the
| Sabbath are too common, and need no propa-
| CATION anywhere. Our best and thriftiest
| boys ought to be matched with fresh blood, to
| produce progeny that will live, and endure
polish and culture. 1t is a pity to see SO
many young people die when just fitted by
training for usefulness. l wish there were
more young men with pluck enough to go out
of the State for wives. The persistence OF
Jacob in pursuit of the choice of his soul,
seen by any light of these days, is simply in
credible. Still, we ought and can improve in
| this matter. The strands of life are but
sack-twisted in the Connecticut Valley, and
we need the invigoration to be got by mod
ern, decorous and christian "rape of the Sa
bines."
A WORD ABOUT AGRICULTURAL HORSE