Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-11
Our Boston Letter.
.[FRoM OUR REGULAR CORRESPONDENT.
BOsToN, Jan. 8, 1871.

BosToN, Jan. 8, 1871.
| Saturday was an interesting day for a stran-
ger to be at the state house, and to study in part
| the formalities of our republican government.
The governor and lieutenant governor took the
Oaths of office, and the message was read in
presence of the senator's, representatives and
other notabilities of the state. The session was
| opened as usual with prayer, and the reading
of the journal of the preceding day. This read
ing is always peculiar, and nearly unmteligibe
to one unaccustomed to it. There seems to be a
! dialect and tone peculiar to the clerks of all
| legislative assemblies which are not affected by
| age, temperament or climate, but are every
| where the same, and must belong in some mys-
FERROUS way to the office. The tone is indiffer-
| ent, monotOnOus and not unpleasant the read
! ing very rapid and easy, and the language is
like no other known tongue, but now and then
a familiar name of person or place strikes one
| like the passing glimpse of friend in crowd
of strangers. After this come the messages to
| and from the various bodies who are 10 meet in
the representatives hall, and then the senate is
| formally announced, and the senators file in
and take their seats. Now little confusion
ensues, preparation for more guests, men
whisper and run about and bring chairs then
the doors are thrown open and the chief
justice and associate justices of he supreme
judicial court of the commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts are solemnly announced, and the SER
geant-at-arms leads the way, followed by the
chief justice, and behind him the magnificent
figure of Judge Gray darkens the doorway for
a second, and the other associates are lost in his
shadow More running about, more bringing
Of chairs, CLEAN of gold in the entry, and the
sergeant-at-arms receives a slender white wand
from an attendant and with it evokes the gov
ernor, and his staff; and here we have the first
bit Of color and picturesqueness in the whole
performance. All else has been formality with
out pageantry; but now the bright buttons and
glttering epaulets are welcome relief to the
dead blackness Of the assembly. Republican
simplicity is fine thing, without doubt, but
one could not help thinking how the sheen of
velvet, the sweep Of ermined nantes, and the
gorgeousness Of court dress would have en-
iiched these ormalities, covering their baroness,
hiding their awkwardness, and really adding to
their impressiyeness. The central figure, the
nothing could improve his black suit, white
neck-tie, and lilac gloves; but leaving him to
represent the genius Of republcanism it seems
possible 10 adon a ceremony like this with
some pomp and magniicence, without
serious danger to the purity of the
state. When women are co-workers at the
state house, the picturesque and artistic ele-
ments will probably be introduced; but it is
doubtful if a hundred women would ever obey
the tap of the speakers gavel with the mechan-
ical precision that men do. One tap, and every
man is on his feet Immediately; second and
every man drops suddenly into his chair with
no delay from the necessary arrangement of
double skirts. The receptions over and the
guests seated at last, the oaths of office were adj
ministered by the president OF the senate to the
governor and the lieutenant governor; the mes
sage was read giving great satisfaction to the
woman suffrage party, and the legislature safe
ly launched on its new political year.
The hurry Of the holidays being over, we no
longer dip hurriedly into books, buying them
merely for their general atractyeness, but read
and enjoy them at leisure; and among those TO
be enjoyed in this way is Philip G. Hamerton's
"Unknown River" Mr. Hamerton has pub
lished halfdozen books, mostly on art, but
only two have been republished here, | think,
"a Painters Camp" and this Unknown River
| both of which we owe to Roberts Brothers, and
| gratefully acknowledge the obligation. The
| river is the ArrouX, branch of the Loire, on
which one bright autumn afternoon Mr.. Ham
| ertOn launched his canoe. He started where
| the stream was so narrow that a
! dog could clear it at bound; aud
fol cwed its winding unequal course for days,
was whirled through its rapids, picked his way
amongst its rocks, padded or drifted through
its long reaches of quiet water, ided in its pools,
made perilouS passages under the low hanging
branches and fallen trunks of its wooded shores
went 10 wreck once, but finally was carried on
its swift current and by rapid curves into the
broad expanse of the Loire. What he found on
the banks Of this unknown stream reads like a
fairy tale; to the infinite variety of natural
beauty were added, at one spot, the ruins of a
strong old feudal caste and at another the
Roman wall of the noble old city of August
odunum; and the Roman gate with its lofty
arches and grey pilasters. The soil is still full
of fragments of precious marbles from the lux.
urious Roman dwellings. On the ruins oil
the old city Autuu was built-Autuu, the
story of whose grandeur and mlsfortunes is
like marvellous poem, and whose sieges should
have Homer to sing them. And still later 9
thread Of historic interest attaches to Autun
for on its college books are entered the names
of Neapoleonne de Bounaparte $50 spelled
and two Of his brothers Beyond Autun is the
ruin Of the tiny lowered castle of Chaseux
} where Roger dc Rabutn spent some year,
, of his exile, when his indecencies caused
even Louis 14th to Danish him
Here his cousin, Madame de Seyigne, visited him
t And here in the village church hangs the por