New-York tribune., 1876-06-17
TO AND FRO.

This would have been hard Summer, II
she had lived here and now, for Dickenss old
lady, the sum Of whose philosophy was, :" Let
" ris have no meanderingn We are finding out
what railways can do if we only drive the
engines and make no stops. And after ALL IL
is not the rapid rushes and long reaches OF
excursion trains which are the most remark
able. The suburban every day. Sunday cx-
cepted, travels after breakfast ten, twenty,
thirty miles to his business, and the same dis
tance back again to his dinner and his accus-
toned bed Ten miles in and ten out upon
each of six days of the week will amount 10
an annual travel Of $3.50 miles. This Is ac-
complisbed, it will be observed, without in the
least interfering with daily pursuits, and with
scarcely more absence from home than every
man in active pursuits is obliged to submit to.
The invention of steam carriages and railways
has accomplished no greater wonder than this.
1t has not literally annihilated time and space,
but it has nearly done 80. Whether, unless
one is in prOdigious hurry, it is desirable to
be shot like bomb from New-fork to
Chicago, with little opportunity of seeing the
intervening country, is q point which every
one must settle for himself. There are those
who will think it great thing merely to have
got through with it, They speak of it as an
achievement Ii seems to associate them with
those celebrated characters who walk or try
to walk a. man never walked before.
Perhaps the railway companies are not carry
ing the anticipated number to and from the
Exhibition; but still it must be very large.
Many of the trains are uncomfortably full, and
sometimes there is a good deal of pushing and
cr0wding in taking up return passengers at
the grounds. Then it is that women cease
to be lovely and children angelic. Then 1t
is that the darker passions of our nature
are stimulated, and we burn to precipitate
from the platform the person whose elbows
are making free with our ribs. Those
who are obliged to stand, having paid their
money for a seat, look armories of daggers at
those who having paid no more are
permitted by Providence seat to oc-
cupy. There is no ease. There is no rep0se.
A sudden stop or start nearly pros
trates the growing occupants OF the alley.
The conductor thinks Of Jordan and wonders
If it was Il harder road to travel than his own.
Unless he has the temper of a lamb, and he
seldom has, he il sure to quarrel with some
passenger who does not understand the volumi
mons code of the company. Being himself put
out he too often assuages his irritation by
putting out somebody else. Then the passen-
gers take sides with the ejector or elected,
and the rest of the journey is lively with legal
discussions, lacking nothing except a little
knowledge of the law. There is, of course, no
decision except that which lands the recall
citrant passenger in the center of cedar
swamp, without his baggage and with no pro-
visions.
To and fro To and fro Are you going
TO the Centennial Have you been to the
Centennial 7 When do you go to the Cen
tennial How did you like the Centennial
And so on through all the moods and lenses
1t is like the interrogatiye pages of Ollendorf's
fascinating method of learning language. Did
you 20 by special train What did you pay
for your ticket Are you going again Such
are the staples of to-day's conversation. Nor
is the wondrous show the only attraction.
To and fro! To and fro! BY many q
lake and shore, upon many bluff and
plain, stands many white-walled and
much-windowed hotel full of bedrooms
which are full of beds, with the American
flag proudly floating from the cupola, and with
a promise of everything to cheer the soul and
stomach of its patrons. Only two things are
needed to enable us to enjoy all this taber-
nacular felicity-tme and money! Most of us,
with the thermometer rampant, feel that we
ought to take the first, if we have it not. 1t
is upon our supply of the second the date,
direction, and delight of the start must de-
pend.
pLDSnNIJ