Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-11-02
BY COL. j W. FORNEY.

Steam is your real revolutioni-t. Il
has altered the physical geography CT the
civilized world. 1t has bridged the seas.
partially annibilated space and time.
opened new highways into and redeemed
the wilderness, neighhored far distant
States, converted old cities into new ones,
changed deserted villages into thriving
towns, levelled the fore s., crossed chasms
and connected mountains and elevated
killed labor into a science. ImmaQins-
tion is beffed by its present and vainly
attempts TO anticipate it's future trIumphs
But in nothing has steam 40 transformed
the face of the country and the hairs OF
The people as in the substitution of rail-
roads for turnI likes. While l was pre-
pairing my last sketch, in which recalled
he genial Il 4nos B 4rnum of Baltimore, to
the thousands who knew him in bygoue
DAYS, the famous hotel and nnkeepers of
he past rose before me, with the stage
coach, the Conestoga wagon, aud the
ancient system of land transportation.
Where are they now =? In my young
manhood their decay had begun, but it
requires no strong effort to revive the
iong train of canvass covered wagons
passing through my native town on their
way to and from Pittsburg and Philadel-
pbis, carrying the produce of the West
exchange for the merchandise of the
Fast, with their hale rough drivers and
heir long leather whips, the coronal of
BELLS on their horse 8, and their stOppage
It the old taverns for food and water
they were to the more ostentious stage
"oach what the baggage train is to the
lightning express of the present day.
And when these coaches dashed into
T,sncaster, and rushed down the streets.
I be driver winding q merry air on his
horn, accompanied by the crack of his
ong whip, women, children and dogs
; ushed out to meet the rhetoric chariot,
$ it drew up with its foaning s'eeds at
}laymgker's old hotel, on K King
,treet and began to throw eff the mail,
While the passengers alighted, thirsty,
and covered with dust. 1t was
. he event Of the day. Repeated at every
uther station and at every other town,
1T was one of a Thousand similar pictures
in other STATE $ aud countries Old Eng
lands great highways were made jocund
18th post coiches, fast horsee., dariog dri.
vers, uniformed guards, and jolly passeu-
gers. II was favorite smusemt mt for
the nobility to mount the box and hold
the reius with four or six in hand, and to
course along the level roads, excelling in
feats of daring driversbip. They were as
ambitious TO lead in this sort of exercise
as their descendants are in boat and foot
races, in pugilistio encounters and general
OF these scenes the central
figure was always the innkeeper who did
not held it beneath his dignity to stand in
his doorway, engirthed in his white apron
to welcome the coming AID speed the part.
ing guests. That class is nearly extinct,
though happily not forgotten. The old
fashioned publican sspired to be a gentle
man, and was generally the associate of
gentlemen connoisseur of wines, a
Judge of horsefesh, critical caterer, and
in politics SO unexoeptionally neutral,
that, when the probable votes of a town
we're estimated, it was generally $50 many
Wings, SO many Democrats and so many
tavern keepers.
These Sir Roger De Coverleys-for they
were men of substance and hospitable to
the extreme-have given way to genera
tion as different as the Conestoga wagon
differs from the locomotive, the old stage
driver from the car-conductor, the rail-
road director from the stakeholder of the
turnpike company. They are the diet
sanf Of the hotels, and like the Pontif's