The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-05-10
eurtcsncadenre .
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From the West.


81 From the West.
For the REGIsrrR
Again | rush Into print-unwillingly
of course--but cannot hear my foster
parent abused without putting in au ap.
pearance. As | looked over the RrcIsTEr
this morning saw Karp" had reached
Chicago am glad to see him west
don't know who he is, very likely is d
good fellow-perhaps an acquaintance
and he evidently knows considerable abou,
Vermont, and likes every thing in Yer.
mont so do L; but judging from his let.
tel this morning, he doesn't know much
about Chicago, though he is somewhat ac.
quainted with it." He says it is essen.
TALLY dirty city-that the cellars arc
receptacles for filthy water, that it is ter.
ribly muddy in wet weather, and terribly
dusty in dry, that the air is filled with
smoke and smut, that it is like an over.
grown child, unclean and unattractive.
This reminds me of story which was
told me, about the time | went to that
city, which presume evey boy nearly
has heard. 1t was something as follows
One of the residents of Chicago some.
how wandered out of the city land to any
one who ever lived in Chicago it will be
wonder that he knew when the city
stopped and the /" out of the city" com.
mcnced,) and as he came in contact with
fresh air he tainted, and all the known
restoratives were Intellectually applied
until some one asked where the unfortu.
nate man was FROM and being told that
he was from Chicago, he prescribed that
a dead fish be held at the nose Of the pa
tient, which was tried, and the man soor
astonishcd all present by exclaiming
that's good that's home " and was
restored.
supposed that story to be true, and
that my only safety would be in keeping
within the city limits, and | presume
Karp thought the same thing, and must
write letter consistent with that idea
But when he gets time and feels inclined
to visit other parts of the city than Wells
street, and those streets bordering on the
river, he will find the portions of Chicago
where people lire as good as even Yer
mont man could desire. OF course Chi
cago has its frog ponds, and sinks, and il
haven't forgotten, even Middlebury used
to have its " Dublin" and New York it,
Five Points" Minneapolis its First
Street All great places, as all great
men, have their defective spots. But il
ought to the custom to dwell upon the
good rather than the bad. Chicago is
beyond question, the best abused city in
the country. The reason is, no one there
has time to reply to the abuses piled up.
on her, they have other business to at.
tend to,-the result is, every homesick
traveller who chances to turn up in that
city gives vent TO his misery by pouring
out his objections upon his patient vic.
finland Chicago suffers. Statistics show
Chicago to be the most healthy city in the
United States, and no one would doubt il
who has lived there. Not a day in the
year hut there is lively breeze from the
lake, and no smoke, or smut, or stencil
could settle there any more than it could
upon the roof of Battell's Bread Loat
Inn, on Ripton mountain, and it is one
of the best paved cities in the country
Last year it put down about 6OO,OOC
square yards of wooden block pavement
and this year will put down over 100000
Her streets and avenues extend, some o.
them five miles, straight, wide, and as
smooth as house floor Its business
blocks many of them would be an orna
ment TO any city; and two years ago 6
small tract of land on the corner of State
street and Washington street sold fol
three hundred and cighty.seven thousand
dollars 1887 ,000) it was ninety feet by
one hundred. Whether it would pay tC
h~;ld q " ooii~- 40. ai.ly -~~.-. s..Oi
a piece of land and build over it a seconC
rate building, | leave the intelligent peo
pie of Vermont to judge.
Buildings put up before the streets
were raised, are left below" says karp
think he couldn't have been in Chicago
when the whole of State street, from the
river to Union depot, was on stilts,-nol
when the fremont House, covering ;
quarter of block, was gradually bu
steadily, without breaking glass or dis
turbing brick, was raised to grade
and if his statement be true, very few in
deed of these buildings built before tn
streets were raised are standing now, tol
you will hardly find respectable build
ing in Chicago below grade. 1t would b'
very bad policy to leave building o
any value below grade, and when you fine
property owners who don't know how t.
make their property pay them to the hes
advantage, you must 60 outside OF Chica
go. To an eastern man who has been il
the habit of seeing nothing new, it is no
to be wondered at that the newness ant
vigor of Chicago should astonish him ant
remind him of some overgrown chill,
whom he had seen in Vermont, who hat
outgrown his pants, but the fault wa
in the pants and not the boy, fac
which is often lost sight ot-forgettin!
that a boy who could wear the SAM
pants and not outgrow them would neve
be man; so of a city that has " finished
written upon every thing in or about it
1t might truthfully be said, " 1t is fin
ished," for its days are already numbered
and its growth and progress stopped.
hope Karp will continue his trip to thi
city, and we will show him another of hi
overgrown children. A.. s.
Minneapolis, Mimi, April 80, 1870.
Life Iusurauca