The Portland daily press., 1876-02-26

Baltimore was an active little city with 5000
people. Philadelphia had 20 900, and we
shall all hear this year how great city she
was. New York had about $4,000, Boston
had less than 10000 but felt just as big as
she does now. She had Faueuil Hall, the
Old State House. and the Old South, but no
big organ. Portland was a little town OF 230
dwellings, and less than two thousand inhabi-
tants. There were about dozen wharves,
all below Plum street, and the water came
up to Fore street all along the line, save at
the foot of India street. Congress street,
was the hack street, and all below it fields
and orchards, while Centre street was Cup
town." not in the fashionable sense, for the
wealthy residents clustered about India street.
How many people now know where Thames
street is, or remember how long. the old
families clung to their homesteads there.
until fairly elbowed out by sailor boarding
houses. Thames street was pleasant place
tor young gentlemen to call in those days,
and some of the young women who lived
there were SO beautiful that the fame of their
ioVellness has come down to US. There
were not many fine young gentlemen here at
that time to make fashionable calls, and they
do not seem to have had Bachelors Balls"
Inc young men were mostly sturdy set of
fellows of very decided manners, as appeared
when Gen. Preble and Colonel Tying, the
Tory High Sheriff. had a quarrel, for the
patriotic boys gathered about the General
and asked if he was satisfied with Colonel
Tyng's apology, if he was not he should have
all the further satisfaction he desired. Doubt
less the boys of hundred years ago might
have been seen any day going with a bag of
corn on their shoulders to the windmill
which stood on the corner of Pearl and Con-
gress streets, and bringing back the meal in
time to have hasty-pudding for supper; and
can we not imagine the staid citizens and
sturdy mariners gathering of a sunshiny
morning on the little hill where the Custom
House now stands to watch the sails lifting
up over the Cape shore and sagely pronounce
the name of the vessel coming in? A CEN
tury does not seem very long way to look
back, but it is astonishing to see how it wipes
out city; how completely it is changed Or
rebuilt. Can we expect that our successors
will be proud of any of our buildings ii they
survive in 1875, or will they be thought ugly,
inconvenient and obsolete? How proud the
citizens must have been of their City Hall in
Market square, fifty years ago, but it is 'nei-
ther handsome nor convenient now. The
wooden imitation of a Grecan front spoiled
it.
Speaking of Italian houses, Hawthorne
says: CAN towns should be made capable of
publication by fire, or by decay within each
half-century. We may build almost immortal
habitations, it is true, but we cannot keep
them from growing old, musty, unwholesome
and dreary.'' --.-'---- d '-.s.' IA ~
The plain old square houses are the only
ones witch seem to hold their own, and they
get changed so that the ghosts of their build
ers would not recognize them. The old
Deane (Chadwick) house is ITO years old;
but it started with French roof and dor
mer windows, and has been changed beyond
recognition; moreover its doom is spoken
now. What would Commodore Preble think
OF his elegant mansion if he should come
back and find it changed into hotel? and
how quaint and queer and rural will the pic
lures of it look in the old guide-books in the
year of grace 1875. When the centennial
children find an ancient engraving of the
observatory which was the pride of our
youthful days, the object which we used to
boast of and parade to the imaginations of
children of other towns whose eyes had new
er been so blessed as to behold it, will they
say ''What funny old tower2, ,7
'Truly, Master Cleeves," quoth I, "you
depend on me to join your next centennial
party" 80.
Then it flashed across me that the North
School-house might still survive in 1875, and
be sprung upon me with the added uginess
of century's decay; and with shudder, I
finished my beverage. Wherein could have
failed? Perhaps the water had boiled! but
that would only account for nice shades of
flavor like the difference between the fourth
and fifth triturations, or between sprink!ing
and immersion, but not for such withering
inferiority. I went to bed pondering on it.
The First Parish clock struck two and I
started from slumber, walked by a ghostly
whisper; there was no presence in the room,
but shall never be persuaded that did not
distinctly hear voice say, "You forgot to
heat the rum"