Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1876-06-10
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.

Race.
OPINIONS ON THE CENTENNIAL,
AS Decoration Day was appoint
ed for the opening of the Bankers
Building, at the Exhibition in Phil
adelphia, the directors of most o
the large banks gave their clerks
holiday for forty,eight hours, ant
paid their expenses to the Centen
NAL. This was a treat to men who
are tied down to the desk the yeai
round, and about 200 of the gayesl
men rode off in the bright morning
with THEFT wives and sweatheorts
to do the exhibition. Brown Bros
one OF the largest banking firms IN
the city, gave each of their married
employees $50, and the single ones
$25, so that all might have taste
Of the pleasure. Another firm pro
vided II drawing room car for theil
employees. Such liberal dealings
characterize firms of standing, who
keep their trusted clerks for years
till their customers know the very
peculiarires of their hand. writing
aud fold of the letters, and would
hardly recognize correspondence
coming in any other way.
But the Centennial did not seem
to Impress all it's visitors in an eX'
tremely favorable way. One Of the
young men who went in this excur'
sion expressed himself without re-
serve on his return as to the value
of the Exhibition, and his remarks
are given for what they are worth
"See it all !" he broke out in all
swer to Il question, III saw it all in
six hours. Went through all the
buildings, took two lunches, and
was back in New York the next
morning. In my opinion, the Cen.
tennial is the biggest Fr-o.d ever
perpetrated on an unsuspecting PEG
pie. There is hardly a thing to be
seen that one can't find in the
Broadway shOp-windows. There is
an enormous display Of fine dry.
goods and furniture, nothing better
than we see every day. There isn't
$4,000 worth of jewelry in the
whole exhibition, and not more than
1000 pictures. The machinery *
wonderful, and the buildings are
large and SNOWY. The Women's
Pavilion is nearly as large as any OF
them, and was full of bric-a-brac,
which my lady friend with me said
was rather cheaply DONE" And he
expressed in other language that be
didn't want any more centennial in
his. This is only an opinion, and,
as Josh Billings says, opinions ale
like other vegetables, worth only
what they will fetch, but it may
console the few who are prevented
from going to the Centennial, to
know that they have not lost all
there is in the world by not going.
But, Notwithstanding the adverse
opinion of these bank clerks, l say
the Centennial is a big thing; and
one which everybody ought to see.
There are art pictures in plenty, and
the best in the world; there is stat.
uary; there is machinery there are
goods from every country in the
world, and there is everything that
can delight and instruct. 1t is pre-
cisely what was intended-an exhi-
bition of the worlds progress; and
whoever does not see it, misses an
exceedingly good thing. But don't
let it cost you too much. There are
not enough people in Philadelphia
to stock the boarding-houses, by Il
long way ;and there are rooms for an
hundred thousand more than there
are now, or will be there at any one
time. Pay no high prices. Stop
by the day till you get what you
want at the price you want, and
then settle down quietly to see what
is to be seen. The hotels and board
ing houses are more anxious to have
you than you are to have them.
There has not been that rush that
was expected, nor will there be. Six
months is long time and it will
spread out the exhibition tOlerably
thin, so far as people in attendance
is concerned. There is no necessi-
ty for paying exorbitantprices. One
can live in Philadelphia this sum
mer as cbeaply as in any other city,
if one knows how. The secret is !:
Wait. Go till you find what you
want; and don't be frightened by
any reports of crowds. There is no
such thing. There are more rooms
than people, and there will be to
the end of the exhibition, But go,
by all means. 1t is worth the 60
ing ten thousand miles to see.
METROPOLITAN EXTRAvAGANcE.
There is money in the country
ewhere, or people could not at.
ford such indulgences as are offer
ed by our metropolitan shops of
luxury. At a fashionable furnish
ing house, where the designs are al.
WAYS in the best of taste, l was
shown some of the new fashions for
decorating houses. The heavy hand
wOve Japanese brocades. in rich,
subdued colors, made of raw silk,
mixed with gold. were certainly very
for chair coverings, and
looked as if they might be a JOY
forever, like all truly beautiful
things. They were of ordinary
width, but when the attendant NELL
toned the price-only fifteen dol
ars Il yard-awe took possession Of
my soul. "HOw much would the
quantity sufficient for uphOlstring a
set of furniture cost 2" l ventured
10 inquire. "From one thousand to
fifteen hundred dollars" was the
And didn't ask any more
questions. But the dealer went Oh
20 show satin, figured with gold
embroidery, at $15 yard. with
which he was to cover the walls of