The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-03-18
'om our Special Correspondent.
METROPOLITAN ECHOES.
New YORK, March 13, 1869.

NEW YORK, March 13, 1869.
You would scarcely believe it, but to.
day we actually found blooming along
one of the more sheltered walks Of Cen
trail Park some few of those small but ad-
venturous flowers which, in this strange
climate, thrust their bold heads up through
the frosted ground and proclaim the ad-
vent of spring. And spring is indeed at
hand. We stand just on the threshold of
that fresh, bright season which is ever
most charming in the city. And from
now until the heats of July shall drive US
seaward and mountainward, the great me-
tropolis will flash and glitter, and attract
and fascinate, as at no other time, and
just as if no anguished human souls or
breaking hearts were hid beneath its tin
sci cloak.
Speaking of the Park, which we New
Workers regard as a sort of earthly para
disc, recalls the practical and far from com
plimentary estimate placed upon it by an
old Western farmer whom we encounter
ed in one OF its grander avenues the other
day. All very well-all very WE'LL" said
he, in dubious admiration; "but it's a
thunderin' pity to waste so much nice
ground just for lot o. folks to knock
around in, when il 'ud make such bully
farm"
There is a growl in our ears to-day, from
which the city appears now never to be
wholly free, respecting the dullness of
trade; but only to us tireless "news-
mongers," who dive beneath the outward
seemings of metropolitan life, is the cause
apparent. New York has, like Paris, the
happy faculty of presenting always
fair exterior; and, whatever may
be its hidden financial sufferings, the
idler and pleasure-seeker within its
walls catches no echoing wall thereof.
To the superficial observer, the great
city's career is one long holiday The
brilliant colors of recently displayed
spring fashions lend peculiar descriptive
charm in this hour of commercial distress,
for who stops to think of prosy, dull, un-
pleasant things when Broadway rolls be-
fore us with its drifting tides of gaiety and
beauty, and the grand old thoroughfare
seems transformed into long and lovely
greenhouse, filled with animated boquets? ?
You would hardly think 1T Lent" and
this city which counts its pretended OBJ
servers thereof by tens of thousands!
Certain mysterious movements on the
part of our metropolitan "Sorosis are
reported, the exact purport of which can
not yet be definitely divulged. We shall
direct sharp look out after them, how
ever, in the interest of our readers, and
keep the public posted.
Trains remarkable "open" letter to
Vanderbilt is much discussed in social
circles about town, but it does not appear
that the severely severe" epistlc has ami
hilated our thorough old Commodore, for
we saw him on Broadway yesterday, look
ing quite as stubbornly alive as ever. One
of his many fast teams had race with q
velocipede on Harlem lane few days
since, which, though gquite an impromptu
affair, attracted much attention from
loungers at Luf7s, the Club House, and
other points along the way. One Wander
bilt steed became unmanageably fright
ened, and as the other was scarcely less
alarmed at the novel and peculiar cOmpeti
tor brought against them, something very
like a runaway resulted and V. Locipede
Esq, was easily distanced. Still, the
novelty-loving world of this metropolis
persists in believing in Velocipedes, and
SO the mania continues to rage in spite ol
frightened horses, to say nothing of bruis
ed humans in scores, who have been its
willing victims. Central Park is occasion
ally overrun with these odd, two wheeled
machines, and accidents of serious nature
have become so frequent that some officia
measures must soon be taken to regulate
both tine speed of the "go-devil las it j.
sometimes called) and the localities where
it may be used. There is great fascina
ton in velocipede exercise, no doubt bu
poor pedestrians should have some securi
ty against destruction by enthusiastic
riders in the Park, and they will soon de
mand it.
The feeling of intense indignation which
was generated here in consequence of tn,
desperate and fool-hardy Ocean race be
tween an Inman and a Cunard steamer
the "City of Paris" and the Russia ~
has about subsided. We do not have
chance to linger long over any one excite
ment in this Gotham of endless sensations
but 1t is pity public opinion would no
In some way reach and chastise such heart
less triflers with human life But how d,
we do it? Why, the steamers of thes,
two lines are better patronized than ever
and probably the two identical Captains
who each declared that he would "6edt o
go to the bottom" will hereafter be the ia
vorites with European voyagers.
New York is to have tunnel under tn
East river. At what point Is not yet de
termined, nor do we know exactly nhen
but, though We are not quite so precipi
lately fast in the matter OF public improve
ments as some Of your Western cities, W.
do not allow ourselves to suffer long owe
a want which money can supply, and
tunnel is certainly most important nee,
to the crowded island of Manhattan. Nov
that Chicago has demonstrated "how no
to do it," Gotham will be warned and pre-
coed with caution and discretion; an
when you hear, one of these days, of on
tunnel IS an established fact, you will no