New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-04-17
THE CONCORD CENTENNIAL

fhEf ANA llONS fOn luE
ANXIETY IN BOSTON CONCERNING THE WEATHER.
HOLIDAY INDICATIONS AT THE COMMON AND ON
THE STATE HOUSE DoME-FRIENDLY RIVALRY
BETWEEN CONCORD AND LExINGToN-THE LIT
ERARY PROGRAMME.
lvROM sTAFY CORRESPONDENT OF THE rgfBUSE.l
BosroN, April 18.-There have been grave doubts
as whether the clerk Of the weather is mp to the
level OF his responsibilities in the task that has bee
assigned him, Of preparing proper background for
the celebration Of the Lexington and Concord Cen
tennial. Unfortunately, he has slipped up so often
Of late TO make his prophecies little relied so,
no matter what he promises, he finds few people
crednlOus enough to believe him. The hopeful
people, on the side, cheer up their
hearts with the probable superstition that the stock
Of bad weather must be running low, after the tre-
mendous drain the Winter just has made upon
it, But the other side reminds us, it is MT well TO
holer before you're out Of the woods, and points to
what Is left Of snow-bank or succession
Of drifts, five feet deep, on the edge
of the Public Garden, the Boston trans
latiOn of an April shower" that fell here two days
ago. We had piece Of it, you know, in New-York.
In truth, it is trhe silly to think such Winter as
we have gone through is likely TO leave US all at
once. 1t is painfully possible may SEQ some
hoary headed old Frosts that ought to know better
sitting in the fresh laps Of the crimson Roses -
when they come, for 1t has been o
disreputable Winter, and his offspring are
like to be no better than their papa. The
main stay Of Boston people this occasion IL, how
ever, nj the patriotism of the clerk Of the weather.
They admit he has male corner in snow, and last
night he had his ill-got gains stored up In bank
that stretched its grim, grante-cOlOred front along
the whole horizon and looked solid as most banks
do just before they ready to burst. But the
sages declare the stock is heavily watered, and
point to the snOw-stOrm of two days ago
in proof of it, for the snow that looked deep and
threatening yielded to the first sun, and ran of in
few hours. And to-day, in spite of lowering morn
ing the sun is in the majority and is making lavish
promises that the crusty, uncertain gentleman at
Washington shall behave himself like a good Ameri-
can for the next three days. And in truth
it is enough to put heart into the crustiest OF men,
even if he be a clerk OF the weather, to walk about in
Boston to-day, and see how busy and jolly the
people are over the good time that's coming. What
should l see this morning in the Central Park-I
mean the C0mmOn-bnt real Punch and judy"
alive and kicking oh, very much kicking !-klcklng
and mailing his lovely bride yot up regardless OF
eheapness in a robe antique than fashiOnablel
as if no were another Sir Marmaduke. And a
crowd of people hal nothing better to do
than to stand about Punchs house, and grin
and bear il ~ best they could. What change has
come since the dear old Puritan days, when
the profane wretch who had dared to set up Punch
and Judy on Boston Common would have been
burned at the stake and his puppets along with him.
There's 10 more burning at the stake nowadays,
though there is still too much burning Of the steak,
am sorry to say, especially wien the cook comes
well recommended.
But. though Punch and Judy on the Common is q
cheerful sign Of the times, the gliding of the State
House dome is more solid evidence that low spirits
are getting to be ut discount. really find it hard
to undersia and how people ever made up their
minds 10 invest so much money in mere ornament as
they must have spent on this dome. l am told that
the two parties into which Boston society is divided
the artistic party and the scientific party-were
long OF loggerheads about the matter: the
Artistic, or Hunt" party, wanting the dome
gilded, and the Scientific party wanting the money
TO put into alcohol for the Agassz Museum. 1t was
the old question Of the alabaster box Of precious
ointment, in a new form. The Artistic party carried
the day, however, and finally brought the Scientific
men over to their side By making them believe the
dome, if it were gilded, would play the part Of a
moon to Boston, rejecting and storing up much of
the suns light to pay the interest on the cost Of
the work, in the saving on the gas
bills As most of the scientific men live on
beside. it seemed eminently proper that Beacon-st
and the quarter adjacent should have satellite Of
it's own and so be Independent of the rest of the
world. BE that it may, the dome is gilded. and
not AZ the Worcester and Spria ged people fond
of sneering with Dutch metal but with pure gold;
and if you will allow a serious correspondent like
myself the diversion of o bad pun anG a
conundrum combined, will ask how it is that the
State House dome, which looked so invalid before,
now that it is reprinted and gilded, looks more
Invalides than But certain it is the gliding of
the dome has added great deal Of cheerfuness to
the Common, and imparts truly Centennial air to
the whole city. IL looks much like huge cannon
ball that il might be supposed to have been gilded
express for the occasion, symbol of
THE shot heard round the world"
The members of the City Government are pOpu-
larry supposed to spend the greater part of their
time at their meetings in wrangling over the bills
for tie job but the cheerful influence of the JOB
itself is said to be known in the character of the
wrange, which CONSISTS entirely of very bad Jokes
made about the dome by the opposing parties. Those
who think it has cost too much money say the day
when the bills are presented to the voters and tax
payers will be day of dome to the politicians who
voted for the job.
Then the plebs W i'll have il that the dome is an
emblem CT the patricians Of Beacon Hill and the
Back Bay, and looks like fair round belly with
good capon lined Others say it looks like an
apo.heosized tsl-ba and there is report that an
Old Boston mercbant-who never was heard to speak
80 free and whose most intimate friend never knew
him before to make trivial remark-was so tickled
when he saw the dome for the fist time out Of his
window as he was shaving, that hs turned to his
wife and observed, "Gold, see, is gone up" But
give this, as the French newspapers say, with all