Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-07-19
Letter from Boston.

Trourosnondonoo of tho Alorondr;, (;ozatto i
lCu.l.9p s'.. -s,s.'
bosIoN' July II" anu ol RESPECT iof an-
cient things is not it seems, confined toAlcxan-
dria alone, for we find here the old State House
t,,rnod ;nto sbon md .Jobn Hancock's
'"' p' I..,
lllanSlon 'o''i u""n ~ HIM way Iva :. "''""
stone front; though the old elm. on The com,
mon is guarded by an iron railing and Fancull
Hall is kept in the best preservation. People
worship present greatness, | thlnk, lnorc than
with uS, tor the leaf OF the register on which
ALBERT Edward. and his suite signed their
names during VISIT 10 BUNKER I'M monument:
has been cut out ana elaboratcly framed, TO-
gether with hanuSomcM executed account
IN fancy pcnniInsinlp, ol Ill inc common pa:c
conversation whici occurred during Ills VISIT
and hung up III the monument room. beside inc
which Is not eqlllled even III " Ishlngton, and
am sure from what have sccnot the boston
people. that most OF them must he ASHAMED
Of it.
That what l. sauce Tor the goose Is ~"
sauce Tor the gandcr. Is proved by an lnScnp-
ten | notice Oh the odd South Church. This
church, il | remember rightly. was often used
for political meetings and was the very one
from whence issued forth the famous boston
Tea Party: yet because the BRITISH troops
turned 1t, Tor 4 ie" months iltoa riaing Scnool:
i mural inscription recorus that IL was DcSc,
Grated by British troops, i.2- D.. nat "on!d
be sad II the authpEtlrs OF tiic second lFe>n!-
terrain Church. in AIcxandrla, IN which ,poltI-
cal meetings never were held: but winch was
devoted, during our ate war, TO the vllcSt uses:
should inscribe upon It, ''Desecratcd by North
crn troops lSGl-'3: Don you think that the
entire North would ring with indignant conf
mcnts? Yet our case Is the stronger one.
| soon found out here that 1t would not be
polite to tell BoStonlan that any city III the
world had anything III 1t superior to boston
heard two old men on the street saying to each
other that Boston was the first commercial city
in America, and gentleman to whom was
introduced evidently doubted my assertion that
Philadelphia eXcellcd 1t in manufactures; while
another gravely told me that Il distinguished
Bostonian who had seen all the parks IN tho
merely Il space of some eighty or hundred
acres covered with fine trees and grass. anil
rallied in from the street. and having a pond in
the centre. with Il fountain or 50. cXcclcd
them all tor its size. There are, however, some
gentlemen who have travelled abroad. " ho don
belong to the mutual admiration society. inr
one Of them whom | met casually. but whose
name revealed to NE L citizen ofhigh standing,
was very pointed in his remarks about the in
ferority. in many respects. of the arrangements
here to those Of London and Paris.
While making these comments upontlle I'eo-
pie Of the hub, however. it Is but Justice to
admit that they have great reason 10 be proud
of their city, and that there are few people
anywhere who might not Ia kc profitable lessons
from the excellent manner in which their mum
clpal affairs are conducted: wish, in rartir''-
lar, that our, CITY CounfI e, conid see Quincy
Market, and the City Hall, before deciding:
finally, upon the plan for our new market.
Several gentlemen OF our city: who had seen