Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-11-16
Cur Washington Letter.

and remain good
e This is a practical question, prompted,
: we admit. by practical observation of the
= working of certain peculiar influences and
= results. The outside world may be justi-
fed in some of its conclusions, when such
+ conclusions are based upon individual in
, stances. which unfortunately are too com
mon. 1t bebolds instances convicting
that it would be as useless, as it would be
base, for ns to attempt palliation. We see
honest constituencies send here their re-
preventative honest men. They enter
Congress with the confidence of the peo-
pie. They have ever been known to be
honest, hut never been suspected of being
wealthv, yet, after drawing a small SAL
airy few, very few years, sometimes they
are the happy possessors of princely for
tunes OF course the world cries chow
so" and straixhtway arises before the
public mind Alaeka, st. Thomas, the Nc
G trrphan claim, Bessimer steel, and thou
sands Of other steal jobs, in which it is
we'll known that filthy lucre has played
its part.
We see young people come here from
all parts of the land to fill official posi-
tiens, to enter business. or spend sea-
son at the national capital.
They may be of unquestionable char
scter, steady business habits, and often
tiucs memters of church, and yet, how
o ten do we see their shipwreck in life
date from their contact with certain evil
Influences here.
In Washington. as elsewhere, associa-
tions are everything-at once the guide
AID indicator of life. The opportunities
aud Influences for evil, and for good are
a sQressive and with every person coming
here il registered the victory or defeat OF
one of these powers. Here are churches,
schools, societies and associations of almost
endless efficiency. Here also are their
op ozitea, and, if anything, working more
as iduously for the came of evil. Dare
you for a moment approximately con-
template the dark side of the picture
Look then at few of the most prominent
features. Take Pennsylvania Avenue
f~om the Capitol to the Treasury-dis-
ia zee one mile. Here are perhaps fifty,
maybe a hundred, grog shops, little and
b'g. Liquor flows free as water, the only
difference being in price. These recruit
ing Offices. gaiIy lighted at night, present
the appearance of an active bee hive. In-
~
laid to be gambling dens, into which the
I'VE of instice or law rarely looks, and
whose devotees are always to be seen
night and day standing in groups upon
street corners. " Gentlemen % of Lusine,"
"Sporging men !"
Gorgeous Billiard saloon, where hun
dreds Of men may be seen every night IN
single ball where the clerk Of the cue
and the "Carom" whatever that may
me4ul rings out npon the might air, and
tho friendly clicking of glasses re~ounds
from the bar in the corner. this for5ooth il
''rp-pectable" ~ Further on an immense
wall with glariug colortd tights Is to be
seen, where nightly do cOngregate six
hundred men, or more, TO applaud the Oh
sceue dances of half nude females. Fur
Their on stands the National Theatre. Juat
acro,s the street large building Brilliant
! " iLhted, its entrance arched by Rltr-
ing rsjabow Of Qaslights, is walls Opera
House" From the balcony a full band |
SENDS forth melodious strains over the
noisy city, inviting all TO the evenings
entertair nent This il called good the
atre, ont hardly respectable in location
And, why2 In the rear and extending
for squares either way of this building
are the famous and infamous "HoOker's
D vision" aud Murder Bay" This spot,
as large az good sized Vermont village,
accursed of God and disewned by even
it, patrons, may be termed the wheel-pit,
the su b-cellar of all that is immoral, vile
and law in Washington. Whoever enters
there must leave all hope behind. And
vet. could those inannimate witnesses, the
walls and lamp posts, speak, methinks they
could picture the associations of this spot
IN al it's moral blaekness, with so called
high life and respectability, in way that
W ,uld make angels weep and devils blush.
Crime graduates here, taking its degrees
all too So dom in the penitentiary and on
thu pallows, after the normal course OF
training in the before named institutions
the fearful consumma tion of an erron-
eous course, but the danger lies not here
This is too repulsive to entice even vaccll-
ating responsibility, for humanity rarely
goes from the paths of rectitude to these
cess pools of iniq uity at single Kangaroo
bound. She gathers her votaries from every
land, CLINE, and condition, yet one may
venture that real respeotability was never
found knocking there for admission other
wise than through the time honorod
course of graduation. No! her victims
are gathered from those places, walks and
ways, which the law recognizes, society
INDUCES and even professed christians
often tolerate. To the young man or wo-
man coming to Washington the great
danger of going astray lies not in the
hideous unmarked ways of evil, but rath-
err in the common field, the neutral
round between absolute bad and positive
3 q. upon this ground is waged war
seet between the contending
Vi o0Df ID snd error, good and evil
armies of tru - Ivaah;u.o,,s
nave So asslitting the many
p'ol' A.'-' ~ But the pic
ture is painful to look at, and We =,
had time and space for the other sue.
has churches AS devoted, societies as o"'e'
and individuals as untiring in duty
any place on earth. One-and that one ,
inst now aoing more for reform than any
other-is the Young Mems Christian As (