Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-06-02
Our Boston Letter.

and wet spring, in which the wind came
for weeks in succ avsion, from the north
east, we have fairly come to warm and
genial weather; of this we are assured,
for the northeast wind now ceases to
come cold and laden with rain. Our
Common, Garden and Parks, are looking
finely. The grass is now yielding to the
scythe, the foliage of the shade trees il
fairly out of bud into leaves which are
well on the way to maturity in size, hav.
ing already assumed somewhat of the
darker shade of later season.
The suburbs of the city are looking the
freshest, cleanest and most inviting of the
season, past or coming. ALI those who
have the leisure, and can afford the ex.
pense, are making the most of this, the
finest portion of spring. But the vast
majority of the people in this city can get
no other view of nature than the common
and public garden affords, but these are
beautiful places, and are not a bad sub.
stitute for the country folds and views.
Our Common is field of fifty acres
presents quite a variety in its generally
undulating surface, with here hill and
there fiat parade ground, with fountains
and plenty of water. Being half cen.
fury old, its shade trees are noticeably
large and overarching. Our Public Gar
den, place of recent origin, square
field of twenty acres, lying west of the
Common, with a travelled street between,
is what its name implies, something of a
garden,-no military or other society
marching to martial music, nor boys at
their sports, being allowed therein. The
finest erased lawns, skirted or dotted
with patches of earth, with a great varie-
ty of flowers and towering shrubs, with
here and there shade tree, regardless
of order in their situations, other than
that of irregularity, with fine pond of
fresh water, spanned by stone bridge,
with fine walks passing in every direction,
and here and there statue, the whole
place is all that art with reasonable
outlay of money can afford. This place
is frequented by many thousands in a
day, and out of respect and love for the
beauties of the whole scene, scarcely a
flower is picked or the grass stepped upon.
OF the statues in our Public Garden
there being none in the Common,-the
last one added being that of an equestrian
statue of Washington, placed on high
granite pedestal, and facing westward.
This statue in its design and general
position is very satisfactory, and excites
the admiration of all spectators, as its out
lines are clearly seen against the sky !;
situated in the midst of an expanse of
glass, and Immediately bounded by
flowers and shrubs, its clean surface is
thereby unsoiled by dust or by handling.
This is in marked contrast with similar
one of Washington in New York, which
it was thought proper to place in the pub
lie street in Union Square, which is al
ways covered with dust, and appears as if
left to its fate, and forgotten, although
hundred thousand persons pass it daily.
The same can be said of the Worth monu-
ment of stone, rising out of the sidewalk
in Madison Square. 1t is now question
if the public points, in the busy parts of q
city or town are the most appropriate
places for monuments, when and where
every one, occupied by his own busy af-
fairs, is unable to attend to the associa-
tions and memories these things stand for,
until they become familiar to them as
lamp posts, and as meaningless. In that
city there is an inclination at present to
place works of art of this character in
Central Park.
Two events take place here this week,
which occur annually as regularly as the
seasons-the usual May training, which,
before the war, had dwindled almost out
of sight, now assumes great proportions,
several regiments and batteries in the
field; the other event being the customa-
nv anniversaries, in which there will no
doubt be the usual variety and number of
meetings.
The Legislature has not yet adjourned /;
the great matter before them now being
the Boston, Hartford and Erie Railroad
appropriation. No matter of public finan-
cial Importance has for years made SO great
sensation among commercial circles and
interests as this one, and we are still in
total darkness of the final result. The
Legislature has just concluded to exempt
lager beer from prohibited liquors, the last
years prohibitory law remaining substan-
TALLY the same. But the whole matter
seems to be no clearer to the public than
formerly. Drunkenness prevails here to
an alarming extent. No prohibitory law
is enforced in this city, liquor is free and
the liquor dealers are conscious that they
are having their own way. But is it al
ways to be SO? Three thousand liquor
shops and at least four thousand men to
tend them, in this city az the present time.