Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1876-08-26
OLYMPIA, SATURDAY MORNING. aug. 26, 1876.
ETIQUETTE FOR TRAVELLERS.

ETIQUETTE FOR TRAVELLERS
Candor is good thing, but there are
times when its exercise is not conmcnda-
bic, just as there are seasons when even
the truth should not be told. 1t is not of
course, affirmed that falsehood is excusable
under any circumstances; but that ii is the
duty or privilege Of an individual to assert
his opinions on all subjects, irrespective
of the feelings of others, is a mistaken
idea, and serves to make him an object Of
particular aversion among sensitive people.
The premise of this article is suggested
by the uncharitable and sometimes cr-
roneous criticisms by strangers, Of our
people, their alleged want Of enterprise,
or the town and its quiet, unobtrusivc
manner of doing business, or the county
and its sterile and barren condition, or the
weather and its sudden changes. These
individuals may or may not be sincere in
all they affirm, but the u;terance Of senti-
mcnts at variance with the feelings of the
community, is in quite as bad taste, as for
rucst to crit:cise his hosts furniture, or
his manner of living, from mere cursory
view of circumstances and conditions.
The citizens of Olympia and the sur
rounding country, are most Of them here
from choice, they have done their best to
make the place what it is, and believe
they are entitled to credit for what they
have accomplished, in spite Of adverse
and discouraging circumstances. But the
worst feature of all is, they do not receive
credit, under the superficial view enter
tained by strangers, for what they have
done, or the amount of business that is
transacted, or the enterprise that really
exists among our people, awaiting but a
proper incentive for development. We
venture to affirm, that there is not town
of its size on the coast, whose citizens do
business on a safer plan, whose credit is
higher abroad 10 commercial circles, where
there are fewer failures, or where there is a
less proportion of INDECENT population, de-
pending upon aims or contributions from
friends for support. There are fewer
mortgages on property, less number Of
people out Of employment, fewer crimes
and less distress here, than in scores of
towns of twice the population and thrice
our pretensions. We do not make this as
scrtion in spirit Of Boosting, buS to indi-
cate how widely some visitors miss the
mark when they measure us by the same rod
used in other and differently situated CON-
munities.
Our people are not devoid Of enterprise
as is shown by the many public improve
ments made of late years; our business is
not small, evea if it is not transacted with.
all the buster and bravado of a veritable
Cheap John; our country is not sterile,
if the traveller does pass over line of
gravelly prairies to reach this point, and
the climate is preferable to that of any
latitude or longitude east of the Rocky
mountains, if we do occasionally have
little rain out of season. We never have the
severe winters of New England, and
deaths from cold aud starvation, or the
orasshoppers and crickets to destroy our
crous and throw US upon the charity Of
our more prosperous neighbors, or floods,
or drouths, or storms, reducing our inhab-
i,ants dependent upon the products of the
soil to the conditions of paupers, even if
we do have our a." Oregon mist" six months
in the year aud eternal sunshine the re.
mainder.
There is large scope of rich agricultu-
raj country to sustain Olympia in its future
career of usefulness and prosperity, and
there are plenty Of industrious people,
backed by an adequate amount of capital,
To work out our own salvation. We may
at times be afflicted with the blues and
dependent, but We don't want our town
"run down" by outsiders any more than
mother wants her pug, nosed darling de-
nominated an insignificant brat. Stran-
gers visiting our town will find that our
hospitality knows no bounds with fair
treatment, but we will not submit patient
ly to any more ticks below the belt.
JULIUS DICKENS, B. Barlow. Lewis Leven