The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-04-14
NEW YORK, April II, 1876.


poem for the Centennial opening. The
compliment of being requested to write
it has been passed around among the
elder poets of the country, and declined
by each with thanks in turn. Mr.. Bry-
ant considered that his years ought to
exempt him from the task. Mr.. Whittier
never writes odes for occasions, and it
would be contrary to the habit of his
life to do such thing. Mr.. Longfellow
hates writing to order. Mr.. Lowell de-
clined, and the laureate's duty has at
last been assumed by the man who of
American writers is most capable OF
turning out the highest work, as one
may say, under compulsfon-Mr. Bayard
Taylor. There is one poet who would
have written up to the style of the occa-
sion-not Bayard Taylor, but b. F.
Taylor-who has the finest flow of florid
English in verse, adapted to the general
contour of the performance, who would
have burned red lights and blue in num-
bers that would have scared and swelied
and streamed like holiday banner. i
dare say that all the other poets would
have been glad to relinquish the task to
him, and he would not lave done the
time and audience discredit.
RENTS AND HOUSES.
The real estate agents are playing
hopeless game before the first of May,
trying to get as near the old rent as pos
sible, but the tenants have the best of it.
and something like this course of pro-
ceeding goes on. The tenant asks for
lower rent; agent of course declines and
posts bill on the house "to rent" Say
the holder has been paying 50, 200 for
the past three years; he now wants to
pay only 81, 700. For the first two weeks
| he don't do much toward looking for
new place for himself, and agent sticks
out pretty well, till tenant actually goes
| to Whitestone, Newark, or some other
| place of cheap rents, to hire house.
The day after he gets home the agent
calls round early to say civilly that it
don't seem worth while to make a
change, as they have been on good terms
so long, the tenant may have the house
at his own offer for a year, but he must
expect raise next May. He keeps his
house, hugs himself at getting his own
price, and calculates that he will get
new parlor carpet, risking the very hazy
idea of having to move in earnest next
year. Agents may talk about next year
for a generation to come; nobody is
afraid of them just now. Why should
they be, whep stores that rented for
S14, 900 within three years and last year
for $500, tumble this year to 5,00O9
The building occupied by a we'll known
dry goods firm year before last rented
for S2S, 600. They offered SIS, COO for it
last year, which was Indignantly refused,
and they moved out. The building
stood empty all last season, and the
owners would be very glad to let it for
S12, 900 to-day Things don't fall in
such way to get up again in any one
year.
THE CENTENNIAL.
New York will be more of a point of
attraction this year than Philadelphia.
Everybody will, of course, go to Phila-
delphia and see the Exposition-then
they will come to New York and see the
metropolis. 1 want to notify visitors
that they may come to New York and
stay here long enough to see the city,
thoroughly, at a not very large expense.
Avoid the large hotels, avoid the small
ones, and, above all, avoid the European
hotels. In brief, dodge the hotels alto
gether. Go to boarding houses, where
you can live for from S. toS6 a week, and
be tolerably well taken care of. AT least
you will get all you can eat and good,
clean, comfortable beds. These houses
can be found anywhere below Four
teenth street, either east or west of
Broadway, and the visitor, whose ability
to pay is limited, can be accommodated
at any price desirable. Those who have
money will. of course, go to the first
class hotels and be bled for the style of
the thing, but it is unnecessary. Stylish
boarding houses can hr fonr1 NJ from
SO to S12 ptr wee /, III II'e vicinity OF
Lafayette Place ard Tenth street: or,
for the matter Of that. orl aIi tlie streets
in that vicinity. ALI lcI lie say right
here, that when you come to New York
next summer come prepared 10 stay long
enough to see what great city really is.
Walking down Broadway and going up
to Central Park is not seeing New York
You want 10 get down in among the
poor; you want to see the shipping;
Wall street ought TO take up two days;
and then you ought TO penetrate the in
terror of the great business warehouses
in the lower part Of the city, and see
som etbirg of the magnitude of their
operations. By all means set into the
inside of such an establishment as Har-
pers', and go over the Staten Island and
up the East River, that you may enjoy
the finest wafer-yiew in the world and
the finest suburban residences. 1t
wouldn't hurt you any to spend a day
or two at Long Branch to see the frivol-
ity of a summer watering-place. All
this can be done for a very little money,
if you only know how. Your wives and
daughters will, of course, want to see
Stewards and the great jewelry stores;
and if you have any taste for art, the
picture galleries are open all the time.
To do this cheaply, go to boarding
houses to live, use the street cars and
stages. and by no means allow yourself
TO be seduced into a carriage or cab.
Street cars run everywhere in this city |
indeed, on some Of the lines you may I
ride seven miles for five cents And on |
Sunday of course you will want to hear
Beecher, Tying, rockingham and doz-
eli more of the great lights with which |
the city abounds, and ia all their /
churches You. will find plenty of good,
Christian courtesy and consideration.
In all the metropolitan churches especial i
pains are takenfo make strangers entire
ly welcome and at their ease. By the
way, don't fail to attend services once,
at least, in old Trinity. where you will
hear the best church music in the city.
Come by all means and bava a GOOD