Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-09-05


n noble-looking house fronting my hotel,
standing on half an acre of ground, the oc-
cupants live entirely in the kitchen, see no
company. and yet their principal room is
fianked with n conservatory.
Talking of houses, 10 here is one being
dragged down the hard, slippery snow on
the road in front of my window by n score
of oxen. 1t is timber mansion, twenty
feet high or more, with two stories, and four
windows in front and behind, and having Il
door with porch. The boys of the town
are in ecstacy. and all the drivers Of the
oxen with shouts and eesticulations. In
dull, heavy, reckless fa- hion the poor beasts
| drag their burden on some one hundred
yards at a time and then stop to take breath.
| Ii Is certainly droll sight to watch this
moving fabric, inhabited but yesterday.
| Now it occupies the road, and Scares all the
teams of horses in the sleghs that approach
| il. 1t is nearing the lane where it is to
rest, it has safely turned the corner Of the
street. owing to the inyincible order Of the
drivers, and the usual tranquility reigns
When visited it subsequently, its change of
| site had not yisibly discomposed plank or
a timber. And being perched alongside an
other tenement of the same description. on
rising ground, it had a well-to-do, fresh.
cheerful look, such as it had never enioved
previously in one of the main streets. en-
closed with more striking and newer edifces
The contractor for the moving of this resi-
dence told me he frequently had similar Jobs,
and woald move any house in the town if he
.' he were well paid enough" And !
don't own horse. neither, and perhaps I'm
as well off as men that look down ON me |
Id,
er's dowrv is settled" Heaven bless the |
hopelulness of the man his mother was
eighty-ninc; he had her, and a sister, and |
the widow and two children Of a deceased |
brother to maintain, and his energy was
quite reyiying to encounter.
There is evidently no rule Of manners or |
habit, or tastes. Art Is utterly unknown, |
and they are Indifferent ITO it, Hospitality |
Is exercised. as it were. like an impulse. You |
dine at the house Of a friend. and an hour |
or 50 after Your meal, it is right that you
should retire. even if you repeat your visit |
in the evening. Perhaps they readily get |
tired of each other. The host rarely knows, |
or considers, or intends 10 consider. how to |
amusc his guest. Accomplishments are not |
much uractiscd even by the wife and daugh- |
tcrs. And the husband is thinking of his |
business or his speculation~. And if You
are outside of these, You will have to enter
tain him as well as yourself The inqui~i
tivenc~s save, them little. Questions are
infinitely asked about English manners and |
customs . and they are also often asked in
half disdainiul fashion, rs though the smart
ncss, and practical character, and -uueriori-
tv of the New Enelandcr must be always
evident in comparison with the characters
tics of the Old Highlander. Yet their gem
era~ity, which SD pleases them, Is very ~trik-
ing. \ fallen man is readily helped, unless
be is q notorious ilicr and ne'er-d0-weu-
There is town farm on which the destitute
are employed. and by which they are sup
ported The mendicant class j. extinct as
class Bnt the ahoring folk viii take mon
CIV IL it is offered them, though with hc~i-
tation that is more becoming than crecli-
neSs. They practice borrowing food, fruit.
and implements. vehicles and hor-cS. etc.
in the primitive fashion of early settlers
And they give. especially the women portion
of the household, to their poorer ncighhorS
whatever they may he possessed Of, and do
50 as au instinct
Payment Of money by the male agricultu-
ri-1. all over the world. is aS-uredly Sut-
iering. and in the Vlaiuest language. blood
letter Co him. But here his teacity Is
very Vrlycrh. lie hates 90 part with his
greenback>, as this greasy paper currency Is
always termed lie will inquire. and go
away. and return, and inquire, and hang
about and inquire again-t0uchinC any artl-
Gle bc has 10 purchase, again and again.
Then DE viii take crclit-a long credit. and
If by mere accident he can settle the bill
WIN goods nay corn 'a''er. 'Aee,e' ess-'
stock oF lHe liAe' Ne i'a7 a,,iie'e Gu '"y SUM
mt "i elrtA'y ieHeity' NeAeI"A[ ne''er
educdte4 tlan hiS compeeF III me Ola c3un-
ny be also seems To- nave advance! II
s1nsiutSs ana love OF hoardln- tAat i, al
most lndeScrluaole. terlAl~' M'er an IL j.,
a. love oI power WAi'h dictates "'ar,te' a
Sio'en in ii~ homestead anu It's yafd-' ana
Iari-' anu he-l~ Si5'eh I'D eIr'iii al-
leArance,-"earins clothes laiehe1' S'iied,
torn, ana stained "lth weather ana t'l oil
hah q century one OF these country laT-
mer-, reputed 20 he ol good means, >'-ii'
salhclent, ta7 q me frequently been sore
puzzle. thoroughly ready 10 swap or dIlEc
a bargain, II is amazing To see what ile pl--
ses-cs the inert. s.ouchinc. silent heap ot old
clothes, When he is engaged M % &c trade.
bat Is his delight solace, amusement.
recreation. " recuper a5lat rccQmpen>e,
amidst all his hard labor. exposure 20 heat
ami cold, and increasing sclt-icnial? The
greenhack-the Wcl.-thumbcd, halt-legibe.
crulnpled. smirched. and ragged creeulack
which he can stow away more easily than
gold. More than once have heard %! one
OF these secrctlye uid hoarucrS carrying i've
thousand dollars and more about h- person,
in a pockct-booS that French chiiionier
would PASS by on q dust-heap.
There Is not much appreciation Of ' art
in the family, though there Is pretty lar
sale FOR chrumU~ and Autographs OF familiar
subjects, poultry. cattle, flowers, and fruit
Not one in y thousand knows the difference
between a lithograph and an engraving
prints are termed cngnyin9s indi~crlmlnate-
ly. Two or three portfolios carried by the
peddicr~ OF prints from Boston. Albany. and
New York. contained very ordinary litho-
graph Of modern pictures, with here and
there portraits OF Napoleon. Bismarck, and
tie Emperor Of Germany. and female heads
as stndics the impressions are very coarse
and blurred, ,but the peddlcrs assured me they
should get them all of their hands with
a little patience and fattery. Native talent
in skctching and uol0ring founders about IN
50 dense a iog that it arrives usually at the
point ut which 1t set ont. Nor does the
stndy of music fare very much better
vooaiists are employed IN the church choirS,
bat the less that Is said of these the better,
Occasionally a sweet voice is to be met with,
bat It's owner is quite satisfied with what
little training has been achieved, and makes
but little further progress. OF course the
possession Of plano-lortc Is step in life,
though it may not he opened in the family
from one months end 10 another. As for
the esteem in which the artist Is held, when
he strays this way, that may be gathered
from q little honest narrative, just told me
by a credible authority. One Of the most
distinguished of the Gernan professors Of
music from Boston had been induced to give,