The Republican journal., 1876-05-04
Editorial Letter from New York.

journey auspiciously. People used to con-
suit the almanac and other accredited weather
prophets before setting out, and to be very
sure that the departure was not taken on Fri
day. But we of later and wiser generation
seek in the newspapers for the daily prognost-
cations Of Old Probability, and have learned to
put faith in him. So when on Wednesday eve
ming | read in the Lewiston Evening Journal
that a storm was threatening, and that caution
ary signals We're hoisted along the New Eng
land coast, it seemed prudent to give up the
intended trip in the good steamer Cambridge,
and TO put trust in the less poetcal but more
reliable agency Of the railroad. There were
! upon the train half dozen who had availed
themselves of the option now afforded to Bel
fasters, and preferred the rattle and roar of the
train to 4 realization OF Brain's boast that
| her march is DER the mountain wave''-a sort
| Of quickstep very obnoxious to people Of sensi-
tive stonachs.
| When Conductor Mace had taken mental note
Of his carful of moving humanity, and as 1t
| were sorted them out, as Conductors always
do, be found that of those moving Bostonward
! there were two bright and witty ladies, bound
| oti q NioltiHE tliu SiOjplHS lnE cACclcHl
| Elder Pratt and layman Calderwood, charged
| with representing the church in the Methodist
| General Conference at Baltimore and mod
| est and retiring delegate of Maine at the great
! Exposition in honor OF the deeds and memories
connected with the birth Of the nation one hun
dred years ago. So these local representatives
| OF beauty, piety and patriotism drew together
| in corner Of the car, and lightened the tedium
Of the journey by chat, story and witticism
! 1t is strange how such little gatherings will
| shorten the weary miles Of a days Journey
| and how much better by such means you may
| sometimes come to know your neghbor than
| YOU ever did at home. The associations. the
incidents and happenings Of travel seem to
| open at once the heart and mind, and to infuse
| into people more Of that sociability and kind
ness which make up the often unconsdered
gospel of daily life. Some people hold that the
disagreeable angles of life can be Worn off only
I by such attrition.
I From Boston to New York the traveller Is
| offered a choice Of four or live routes. He may
! go wholly by rail, either by day or night. or
take Il short trip by rail and then steamer for
q nights journey, landing at New York in the
morning. BY far the best of these, for comfort
and enjoyment, is that BY rail TO Fall River or
Newport, and thence by the magnificent steam
ers Bristol and Providence to New York. Two
hours railroading from Boston places the tray
eler alongside the steamer at Fail River. The
4 still waters of the Sound. and the great size of
| the boats, make the passage smooth and COM
| Portable. For magntcence of finish and per-
! fect0n of every detail for the enjoyment Of pas
| sengcrs, the steamers of this line exceed any
| thing Of the kind i'll the world They may be
| truthluy called floating palaces. The grand
saloons, rich With gliding, mirrors, paint
ings and rich carpetings, contain double ranges
of state-rooms on each side, that are also two
tiers in height, the upper reached by broad
| flights Of stars--the whole giving a magnificent
effect Of splendor and comfort. The meals,
served by 4 fixed card of rates for whatever is
ordered, are good as at any hotel in the
| country. In the summer an excellent band
plays every evening upon the upper deck, Civ
| ing first class instrumental concert in aldi-
| ton to all the rest. This must be conceded as
the very poetry of travel, when all its dreaded
difficulties are smoothed away, When
| And the cares that infest the day
Shall fold their tents like the Arabs,
| And silently steal away"
The men whose forethought and care can per-
feet such a line OF travel certainly deserve the
thanks and patronage Of the public-and they
| get them, too
| Passengers by this route should have resolu-
! ton enough to rise at ) O'Clock, and view the
| scenery OF the avenue to the great city, as the
| broad Sound narrows to the winding approach
past the forts and lovely Shores the islands
| city institutions. u9l Cate. and the eastern
water front Of the city. There are a great
many Jokes made about Hell Gate, ana the
| present labor for removing the difficulties OF
getting through it, for the benefit of New
| Workers. But the old Dutch settlers called it
hor-gatt, or whirlpool, and the name in cor
! ripted form has stuck, as old names are prone
| to do. | found that my fellow travellers toward
| the General Conference were among the earl V
rsers, and that Elder Pratt was surveying the
famous Hell Gate, as place that he had warn
| ed the unWary against, and parrying the jokes
of the moment. Ii is here that the government
has been for many years engaged III preparing
to render the channel deeper and safer. Shafts
| have been excavatcd in the underlying rock,
with chambers which will be filled with pow
crful explosives and fired sometime this sum-
mer. 1t will be a tremendous upheaval, and
residents along the shore are beginning to Won
| der whether the houses over their heads will
be exactly safe,
In the years since it has been my fortune to
visit this city, its increase has gone on with
| i,L
| improved, bcautiied and made more attractive
Its commercial growth, and the sagacity and
| enterprise with which it makes the most of its
commanding situation, are something wonder
| full. The whole world is made tributary, and
pours wealth into its lap. Still the contrasts
| between great wealth and pitiful poverty are
! probably nowhere so sharp as here. Bold and
| successful men, the possessors Of brains and
activity to amass great fortunes, lind congenial
places here. And one example of the kind, at
tracts tens Of thousands, who fret, toll, despair
and die in obscurity Here, too, drift the
| human wrecks from other places and distant
! clmesthe wretchcd, destitute and espairing
| to hide their misfortunes in the obscurity of
great city, OF beg YUM in its charities
| sinking at last to graves in the Potter's Field.
The sounds Of the Great Exposition at Phil
adelpha, of which we in Maine have SO long
| had far-of echoes, grow more pronounced and
| decided as we get within the nearer radius of
! lis attractions. New York has taken Il great
| and unsetsh interest in the occasion from its
inception, and the city newspapers have been
| full of interest and encouragement. There is
a feeling that the perfection OF the Exhibition
may be delayed until after tie opening day, by
the tardincss OF the American departments :;
| but that even With its imperfections it will be
a most magnificent affair. 1t is strange that
| exhibitors from across the Atlantic aud from
| the other side Of the world are about all ready
for the opening day on the 10th, while our own
people are still in the confusion of preparation.
| But Yankees are accustomed to do wonder
| full deal in brief time, and will work day and
night to be in readiness. The ceremonies of
| the opening day will draw an immense crowd, !,
when the President, Congress, the heads of De-