The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1875-12-17
EDITORIAL OORRBsPONDENOE.

DEAR READERS OF THE NEW NORTHWEST:
We have vivid and very pleasing
recollection of scribbling our last edito-
rial letter before the cozy fire of good
Mrs. Chaplain, in La Grande; and now,
as we resume the jOttings of our regular
journeyings, behold US at the well-or-
dered Slime House at Walla Walla,
seated in an easy chair in little re-
tired parlor, where, as we sent no pre-
vious notice of our coming, we are, for
once, at leisure for rest and retrospection
and letter writing.
Going back to La Grande, which we
had not finished up at the time our let
ter of last week was posted, let us look
a little longer about the city, and see if
we can find the raveled edges of our
leaving-oft place to pick up the stitches
and proceed.
Tuesday evening was devoted to a
lecture upon ''The Rights of Boys and
Girls" which drew fine audience, the
majority being young people, who ia
vOred US with some excellent singing, a
young lady presiding at the organ, and
Elder Hines accompanying the soprano
with well-modulated bass. The evening
was very enjoyable one, and we left
La Grande, the sworn friend and ally of
all the young people.
The next day Mr.. Chaplain favored us
with ride to the new University,
which, under the mastery supervision
of Elder Hines, has assumed massive
proportions, and will justly be the pride
of the enterprising denizens of Eastern
Oregon and Washington, when finished
and full of students. The building is of
brick, with a stone basement, and is
three stories high, the third story being
a grand chapel, or auditorium, where
we expect to meet the friends in a
lecture course the next time we visit
Grand Ronde Valley. The site of the
University is high, sloping plain, over
looking both vale and mountains, the
scenery itself being grand enough to in
spire sweet Euterpe, or enthuse wild
Terpsichore.
After "Uucle Dann had driven US
around the grounds and building, we
continued the journey to Oro Dell, two
miles distant, another little town cud-
died under the lee of the mountains,
where Hon. w. J. Snodgrass has a
flouring-mill and store, and where a
dozen dwellings, some of them quite
primitive in architecture and finish, dot
the Grand Ronde River bank, or nestle
in the adjoining fields like dove cotes.
The mud of both La Grande and Orc
Dell is black alluvial loan that 'stick-
eth closer than burr or brother" and
woe be unto the luckless traveller who
has to dismount in it to open bars and
gates for passing teams.
"Uncle Dan" talks "railroad" with
an enthusiasm that foretells speedy re-
suits, and certainly we wish him success
in his endeavors to coax the iron horse
over the Blue Mountains.
Stopped over night at the hotel, and
at o'clock A. NJ. mounted the drivers
seat in the great coach, and, turning our
back upon La Grande, we, for the second
time in a quarter of a century, departed
from the valley in whose border it
nestles, and turned our longing aspira-
tions homeward.
The road to Meacham's, through the
mountains, was remarkably good. The
snow had disappeared in most places,
aud the air was like April. Took din
ner at Fosters (the old Meacham hotel)
and then went humping over bridges of
corduroy for several miles, that were so
rough they made US wish we hadn't
praised the read before Reaching the bad
places.
Every few miles we met freight
trains, the mules and horses looking
like the fag ends of equine-imity-there,
reader, beat that if you feel like 1.-THE
wagons were great prairie-schooners
loaded with tons on tons of merchandise,
and the drivers, clad in butternut over
alls, were continually eursing the jaded
teams, or coaxing them uphill with
keen "persuaders" at the ends of hick-
ory or hazel sticks. The way freight
teams are abused on these roads is
simply horrible. The horses break
down as rapidly as do some of the pro-
tected women we wot of, who delve on
rich mems farms.
At four o'clock we reached Cayuse
Station, and took the stage for Weston
in the teeth of a Zephyr" quite equal
to Mark Twain's Washoe one. But the
temperature of the air was pleasant
whatever may be said of its velocity
and the ride of fifteen miles was not dis
agreeable. Our road lay through one OF
the best and prettiest farming regions in
Eastern Oregon. Immense farms
spread their well-plowed acres in all di'
rections, climbing high upon the foot.
hills sometimes, and again sloping ava J
into the basin-like valleys that border
the willow-lined streams that abound al
intervals all over these alluvial lands.
Slept at Weston, in hoiel that rocked
in the "zephyrs" like swinging cradle
and when daylight came, took a view o
the town, and found it, like Pendleton