Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1875-10-01
The Rochester Cake.

The Rochester Cake,
Some years ago, when the writer was
much younger and less experienced in af-
fairs of the world than he is now, he found
himself traveller eastward on a crowed
train, at the city of Rochester. The train
was somewhat behind time, and could stop
but minute or two, and the traveller was
quite hungry. Standing on the platform
casting about as to where he might get some
thing to eat, he saw a lad coming along with
clean basket and crying out, "EIere you
are, SIR; nice fruit-pouud. ten cents ~
He threw glance a.down into the invt-
ing depths of the boys commissary and
those cakes looked exceedingly inviting
They looked as comfortable as bevy Of
New York aldermen around board groan-
ing with bewitching viands. They were
brown as bun, fulldoomed, and then the
fruit peeped out of the wel-rounded tops,
as if to coquette with the rising appetite
and as the raisins seemed to wink at us from
the light, wel-colored body of the cake, we
found the invitation too much for our phi
losophy-that it is much better to eschew all
sorts of cake than to chew them. So we
invested, and as the train began to move of.
began seeking satisfaction. ....|.4
We broke open the inviting looking COM
pound, expecting most cunning specimen
of culinary conglsmerate; but there was
precious little conglomerate, SO far as per-
tanned to the fruit yielding qualities. 1t
was really bit Of falsehood, aud piece Of
puffed-up conceit. Would you believe it?
There were all told, just Eve raisins, aud
every one Of these looked out at us from the
top Of their soft embedding. OF course the
inference was, that there were plenty more
Of the same sort below, aud yet the whole
body of the compound was as destitute of
fruit, as the baker was of honesty. 1t was,
to be sure, small affair so was Prankln's
whistle but it raised within us, at the first
flush, mingled emotions Of disgust and resent
ment and after the first emotions had sub
sided, and the keen edge had been taken off
from the appetite, there succeeded the calm
of little reflection and inward comment.
There was one Of our earlier lessons in
the ways of the world, and the operations Of
human nature. So, ever since, that Roches-
ter cake comes up to US, and has the mar
velous effect Of undertaking our expectation,
correcting our judgment and calming our
wounded feelings, after some keen disap-
pointment. 1t has its applications from the
market clear up to morals. We look at a
seemingly splendid barrel of apples or pota.
toes examine beneath the topmost layer,
and inwardy exclaim, Rochester cake y
and pass on. We fall in with faultlessly
dressed individual, who is very plausible
he is winning, he is positively irresistible
in fact be is too full Of kindness, by two
thirds, upon the first interview, and he would
certainly have succeeded in his designs, il
we had not, long ago, purchased, inspected
and eaten that Western York cake; so al
the very moment of being carried away, w
inwardly exclaim, Rochester cake 1" anC
pass on.
In fact, it would be exceedingly Difficult
to sum up all the good we have derived from
that Rochester cake" Had it really BEEF
what IL professed to be, we should hav
eaten it without reflection and forgotten
we had ever purchased such a cake but a
it is, it has proved permanent investment
1t has long ago been digested as 10 the body
, but it has only just begun to digest as to tn
mind and we think it will prove quite nour
ishing for the next fifty years, should W
+ live so long. Without being mIsanthropi
or sour tempered, we have about concludes
that the whole world is, for the most part,
, Chichester cake"
Mr. Doublepro6t comes to us with schem
, of splendid speculation. A most plausible
winning man is Mr. D.. He is so rio
4 ia information, so elegant and fascinating i
manner and elocuton that one feels as if h
ought to pay him for the display of it al
"Indeed, sir, the scheme is quite sure
will yield from sixty to one hundred pc
a cent within eighteen months ~ Aud jus
/, as We are about to yield, up pops that "Rooh
ester cake" as suddenly as the loaf in tn
fairy tale fell down the chimney our firm
ness rallies, and, thanking Mr. Doubleproft
we bid him good morning.
We see young people running after mer
excitement, mere fashion, more pleasure
mere indulgence we sec them putting o.
the mere outward polish and superficial accom-
Q plishments, and we cry out, Rochester cake
8 again. These things yield all the fruit, 1
much as they have, and sometimes II is onl
Q the five or six raisins at the beginning, an
Q we soon come to the end of all that, the
a afterwards that which is a great deal wors
/. and it is often great way to the bottom.
d We have seen, too, great deal of thi
f" sort Of thing in married life. Young peop
y come together in society and they put a
II the raisins on tho outside. II Is a lit
" music, little French, little Of the con
e mon currency of every day chat with
10 large amount Of mere sentiment and fame
with no thorough bottOming upon truth, priI
n ciple, habits Of obedience and patienc
n They marry and they soon discover thu
: married life, with nothing more for capt.
IS than what they have mutually brought in
II the partnership at best only "Rochest
t. cake and bad specimen at that A Ii
70 tie fruit 10 the honeymoon on the top, b
l all very soon picked out then, in the CO
tire all quite hollow and atthe bottom 1
1t quite heavy and quite sad. 0cg
r The fact Of it all is, We come TO the co
4. cluslOn we can no more got out Of life VIII