The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-05
THE HUB.

Originality Boston streets Fancuu
Hall-The Imprinted History Of bunker Iiii
Dull Timcs-A Boston Reason Tor tue
Apathy.
Pro7n Our Osvn Correspondent
Boston, JAN l, 1870.
Great is Boston-great is the "Hub!' Great
are the men-great are the women; great is
everything that belongs to either. Quick,
close, and calculating are all you meet. Men
humble additions and divisions while they
pass you on the street. If you ask one of
them question, he appears to consider well
the profits likely to arise from the brief ac-
quaintanceship before he answers. If the in
dications for trade or profit are good, he
answers you, perhaps, fully and satisfactorily,
or by asking you question in return; If the
indications are poor, your answer is equally
so, and the brief Eyes" or ''no" is given as
though the breath expended in giving express
sion to the sound was worth 80 much in
ready cash. The women, too, are full of
business of one kind or another, and as you
ride in the street cars they do their figuring,
using their cabas for the desk. Few of
them are handsome, but they are smart, or at
least am 20 informed, and they certainly
have no hesitation about asserting their
''rights" whenever occasion requires or OPP
portunity offers. And they have such
odd fashions, too. Boston always did claim
originality of a superlative order, and just
now no one would certainly dare to question
the claim-in fashions at least. With the
weather mild and pleasant, you meet the
ladies done up with enormous 'comforters"
or scarfs or red or white worsted, stretched
over the head and ears, and then wound twice
or thrice about the neck, while the most un-
graceful and unsightly tassels hang stream
ing down the back. The fact that it is
January gives us to understand that it should
be cold, and the Boston ladies insist on i'm
pressing us with the idea that it is cold,
although the thermometer is far above the
freezing point. And their hair Why, most of
them appear to have eschewed the ''switch'
and ''braid" entirely, and do up their tresses
somewhat after the style of their grand
mothers. Combs of magnificent proportions,
and growing larger each day, are coming into
play, and after one has been accustomed to
seeing the hanging masses which cling to the
heads of our Philadelphia bellies, the combs
look odd enough. But that's Boston, and
they wouldn't be without these little idiosyn-
cracies-no, not for the world. It's species
of 'smartness, and gives independence to
the looks of things, if nothing more. But /
must do them the justice to say that they are
industrious and frugal. Go where you will
among the dwelling houses of the city, and at
every window will be seen the hand engaged
in the everlasting stitch, stitch, stitch.
The Hub, if justly celebrated for one
thing more than another, that one thing is
cho
crooked streets. The new portions of the
city are well, nay, beautifully laid out, and
strong efforts have been made to straighten
some of the crooked avenues of the older
part of the city; but, oh misery the stranger
who undertakes to find his way about, alone
and unaided, must needs be supplied with
ample quantities of that most excellent COM
modify called patience, mixed with no small
portion of perseverance,. But they go ahead
with the Strengthening process, however, and if
the world stands long enough I haven't the
slightest doubt but that the streets of Boston
will some day assume respectable proportions
and be as near straight as the peculiar char
acteristics of the people will permit. When
this day does come, believe me that there
will be people here who will mourn over the
passing away of the 'mazy labyrinths" with
the same grief that they would part with the
cradle of liberty. Why, verify believe that
majority of the people are proud of their
crooked streets simply because they are
crooked and therefore can be claimed as
something original. Speaking of the ''cradle
of liberty" reminds me of the fact that
Faneuil Hall is no longer Faneuil Hall, but
"Fun1 Hail." That's purely original, with
out doubt.
Boston, up to this time, has had but three
or four days of sleighing, which is an item
worth noticing, and one which can seldom be
mentioned so late in the season. OF course
Brighton is neglected, and horsehesh is spared
accordingly. The same rain storms that
have visited the South and West have also
been here, and the roads used for showing
off the metal of the stock are perfect muck.
Yesterday we took stroll Up south on the
Neck, and around the regions heretofore
called the Back Bay. These localities are
most beautifully laid out, and some of the
finest buildings in the country are in course
of erection or receiving the finishing touches
As we have always been led to believe that
the Bunker Hill Monument marked the spo
upon which the battle of that name had beer
fought, was considerably astonished, not tc
say panied, on learning from those who are
native and to the manor born, and who ought
to know all about it, that the battle wasn'