Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-04-15

Ohi AfN iNih iNNNfIs
NV YORK, April 8, 1874.
Ncssrs Editors After a muddy, rainy win
ter, the grass begins 10 have greonish tinge in
this vicinity, though grass may be considered
somewhat Of an exotic in this wilderness Of
brick and mortar On the outskirts Of the ely
il is decidedly green, and from hasty view Of
the adjacent farming region Of Long Island,
should Judge that agricultural operations have
commenced in good earnest in that favored To-
cality The surrounding saltw water Is the cause
of this forwardness Of the seasons. Back from
the coast little, spring is much later
Butitist things metropolitan with which pre-.
sumo your readers would be most interested, as
" what know about farming would probably
be Of little benefit in an agricultural region like
Vermont. The great event Of late has been the
great Council, whose decision will probably be
the subject Of much criticism among New Eng
land people. To have decided otherwise would
have simply been comHunistc in principle and
what communist principles mean, We have had
much light during the past few years. Perfect
independence is fine thing in the abstract, but,
like the infinite, unottainable in practice. Be
tween the extremes Of oligarchism and COM
muni-m there is but one MIDDLE line, and il is
on this middle line we have endeayored to bal.
qnce our government, national. state and local
and it is on this middle line that the Congre-
gatonal church now decide they must stand
To the independent religionist. it looks like a
step backward towards the dark ages-a revival
Of the errors Of the past--which led to 80 much
trial, toll and tribulation while the couserya-
tive religious man, Of any creed rejoices that
another powerful denomination has repudiated
the errors Of the last hundred years, and come
back 10 first principles
For some weeks past the New York World
has been filed with what il probably considered
good sensation in times 30 devoid Of active
events, ris 3 series Of articles, editorials and
communications, in favor Of burning dead bo-
dies in place Of buyipg them Cremation il
the new term for eyaporating your friends 10
smoke With all this effort to stir upa popular
flrors in relation TO this matter it has isiled to
excite any feeling Yoluminous statistics Of
the unhealthluness Of grave yards, and the
disgusting details Of such sensation, have been
placed ad ndNeam before the public, but hardly
a ripple Of public opinion on the matter has
yet been produced. This heathenish revival,
however, is only hint of the temper Of some
Of the scientists Of the day, and Of their teach
ings. More Of the same thing in diverse
shapes will, undoubtedly, be forthcoming A.
the destruction Of the bodies in the grave is ef-
fected by interior worms, minute forms Of
life which every one carries in his members
during life, and which seem especially provided
for the purpose Of reducing bodies to dust by
growing and feeding on them after death, burn
ing bodies would simply he interfering with
the course devised by Providence The worms
which tatten on the dead bodies are heir otpn.
and not exterior ones Mans body is 50 con-
triyed as to destroy itself after death. As far
as health is concerned, decaying vegetable mat
ter is thousand times more pernicious than
decaying animal matter If any special I'M
healthidlness surrounds graye-yards, it is
secondary thing from the decaying Of the rank
vegetation with which they are filed, and this
thing is simply neglect on the part Of sorrow
ing friends and relatives. A cemetery should
be free and open to the sun and air, and the
dense vegetable growth kept under But
enough Of the mysteries Of the tomb
Temperance is occasionally spoken Of here,
but the subject e1cies no popular interest.
The results Of the trial Of different laws on the
subject in this city, bias convinced all thinking
people that temperance is thing Of individual
interior growth, and not to be controlled, in
creased or modified by external applications.
The practical working of strict law on the
subject has never been really tested here, and
never can be as long as our judges are elected,
or there is such thing left as a trial by
jury. No jury can be obtained 10 convict a
liquor-seler, and few of our police ma gistrates
have any enthusiasm when such a case is
brought before them. 10 truth, the liquor sa-
loon is politically the primary assembly Of the
people, OF the body polite, at least tho great
majority of them. If person runs for local
office, the first business in hand is to bur all
the rumsellers of the district, for these gentle.
men are the autoerats, so to speak, Of the pri-
mary assemblies, and a mans chance for elec.
ton would be poor without their assistance.
Both political parties bow down before this
power, and both cuddle it and protect it, and
It will continue power just as long as men
think more of their stomaehs than they do of
their brains. A special miracle is the only
thing that would break up this state Of things
at the preset time.
Moving will undoubtedly be brisk this MAY,
MAY lst,) as the number of placards annouuc.
ing Houses to let, seems more numerous than
ordinary. Rents, however, hold their own, and
will continue to do 80 until some scheme of
steam transit through the length Of the city is
adopted. AT present the necessity of working
men and women being near the business centres.
keeps the rents Of houses beyond all reasonable
amounts. 10 Brooklyn, matters are no better.
IN TACT The present means Of transportation
are entirely inadequate, the population of both
cities having increased to that extent that fur.
Their extension is at present impossible, on &C.
count OF the time which il takes to get TO work
and to get home Hence the budding together
within this boundary. The geographical loca.
ton of the cities, and the necessity of business,
being somewhere within reasonable distance
OF the shipping wharyes, prevents the general
spreading of the business over the city. Trans
portation of goods long distances through the
streets OF city, is too expensive thing for
business to stand. The people look anxiously
Tor relief from this crowding by the general in.
PRODUCTION of elevated steam railways, and they
will undoubtedly come when the New York
legislature gets tired ofquarreling over which
IL the oest-a thing that they have been doing
Tor four or five years past. J.M.s.,m.
The fund left by George Peabody to the
poor OF London now amounts to So. 400 900,
and 81 100000 is already invested in comfort.
able tenements, which are rented to the labor
ing class at about forty-6ye cents week per
room There are now rented eighteen hundred
and seyenty-tye rooms containing eiobt him.