The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-10-10
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
Alert" on his Travels in New ENGLAND
WAauTNGrnN SAINT QO<h 1874

Alert " on his Travels in New England
| WAsHINGToN, Sept. 3Oth, 1874.
DBAR CHIEF:
Our last letter from the seashore
was not intended for a parting lette,
at all and the reader could not pos.
sibly have been more surprised than
we we're at the abrupt termination o1
the entertainment, if entertainment
it may be called. We we're intending
to write many more things Of many
more places, but circumstances pre-.
vented. We should have visited
Newport, Narragansett Pier, the coal
mines, Block Island, &C., had We
been favored but as we were not,
we retreated in deep clam-beg par
don, we mean calm, but in Rhode
Island they are nearly the same thing.
Upon leaving we made our way to
Boston, Roxbury, Waltham, and
finally made more permanent lodg-
ment in Cambridge, to take q squint
at Harvard College folk and their sur
roundiugs. Your readers know that
Cambridge is lovely as well az liter
ary, and that Lowells and Longfellows
are as much objects Of study there as
logarithms. a4-
We had been in Cambridge not
more than five minutes, when there
came along one Of the Cambridge
celebrities in the person of Mr.. So
phocles the Greek, who has been so
long in the country that he is now
Greek with Yankee improvements.
Sophocles has taught more young
ideas how to shoot in Greek than any
other teacher in this country, and
still he is only and literally a one
horse professor. He lives alone, in
rooms in the college buildings, and
cooks his own food, darns his own
stockings, and enjoys himself in the
funny way that bachelors are COM
pelled to, which is very one sided
way We c0nfess. But it does not ap-
pear that his knowledge of cooking
is impaired to the students or to
others, for intelligence has not reach
ed such point ID that city yet as to
produce man that knows how to
keep hotel, and one visiting the
place if compelled to go among
frieu%ls or seek meals and lodging in
Boston. The Brattle House, which
was built for first-class hotel, was
long ago turned into printing office,
and rs public house has nothing left
but the memory of a very unsavory
college dinner.
Whilst waiting under the shade of
the old Washington elm to reflect on
the changes that have taken place
since the day when George so dram
stically drew his sword, which all now
venerate, and to wonder whether he |
on the whole fully comprehended |
what le was about, an elderly we'll
dressed gentleman came up aud
showed unmistakeable signs of an in
tentiol to have bit of a talk and en-
tertair us with some of his pleasant
yarns. He was a garrulous old chap,
aad ole who evidently spends much
line il this way, making it comfort
sble for such visitors as have plenty
If time on their hands. He told the
story If John Quincy Adams, who on
an appointment to a pro-
'essorslip in the university, made ap-
plicatim for board at somewhat
boarding house and was re-
used BY the land-lady, on the ground
hat sh' wanted none but gentlemen
# und,ubted respectability. Years
sfter wien this lady met Mr.. Adams
It the White House, neither party
made any allusion to the circum-
'tances but if Mr.. Adams eye twinkled
ust little it was nobody's business.
President Quincy was long a prom
nent fgure in Cambridge. He was
# fine presence, powerful will, solid
'ttainnents, aristocratic breeding,
ind steling character. Besides, he
vas holest minded, and when he put
lis footdown it was generally con-
;eded tat he was there. He was an
,arly a1tislavery man, a gentleman,
nd livd up to his creed and to his
profession. One day coming ont
rom Bston in the omnibus-this was
/