Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-08-03

Our New York Letter.
| hoRfALlIi-STMMER PLACES - TEMPT HANCE-
LIFE INSURANCE -BUsINEss-slNRMIN
MORTALITY.
| To tho Editor of the Free Press and Time.
NEw YORK, July 81, 1871.
The excessive mortality among the children
in the city is occasioning alarm. The deaths
last week were over 500 in excess of the cor
responding week for years, the mortality be-
ing mostly confined to children. 1t is not,
as usual, confined to the tenement houses,
but the children Of the better classes have suf-
fcrcd terribly The weather has been un-
usually severe, and the streets and alleys
were never so filthy. The accumulations of
last winter were left on the ground till late
IN the Spring. and then were not wholly re-
moved. Under the hot July sun the cutters
and back yards of the densely populated
streets in the lower part of the city emitted
a concentration OF stenches that s!ngly were
enough to kill healthy adult, to say nothing
OF weak and insufieiently nurtured child.
The germ of disease once set aflOat was car
ried into the better regions, and the child of
many wealthy man died as an atOnement
Tor his neglect of the Door, "whom we have
always with u.s. The board oe health,
always weeks too late, have taken hold of
the matter, and their. efforts have, in some
measure, checked the disease.
THE SUMNER PLACES.
The blazing sun must be endured by the
poor of New York during the week, for they
must work to earn their bread. But on
Sundays, every one of them who can raise
the means takes his wife and family to where
a mOuthful Of fresh air is attainable The
poorest 90 to Central Park, for five cents
will take them there. Last Sunday over lO0,-
900 people visited the park poor mothers
with their sckly children staying all day,
having taken with them the lunch and sup
per, that the little ones might get as much
OF life as possible to fOrtify themselves for
the intolcrable heat ofa close tenement house
for the next six days. There were 80, 900
people at Coney Island the same day, and
every land and water route leading out of
the city to cool, fresh air was crowded
Fortunately there are many such places
about New York, and they are of cheap and
easy access.
TIE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT
is progressing fayorably. All the noted or
ators in the country are brought to New
\ ork by turns, so that the feeling is not al
lowed TO die or lessen. Mother Stewart,
who started the crusade movement in the
West, is here, and is speaking every day
and night, with great effect. Murphy will
open his peculiar work next week :; and
Gen. Gibson. Of Ohio, and other noted ora
tors, are held in reserve. The legal part of
the work is better organized than it has ever
been. The rum-shop that is caught without
license, or that in any way transgresses
the law, is held to all the penalties prescrib-
ed ; and, as good lawyers with plenty of
money are employed, they worry the sellers
terribly. 1t is no Joke to them TO be arrest
ed, for the old tricks of indefinite postpone
ments and straw bail are not allowed to
work. They have worried nearly two hun
dred bucket-shops out of existence. The ex-
else law which restricts the sale OF liquors to
inns, is being rigidly enforced and conse-
quently all the dirty little gin mills are put
ting up the requisite three cots in their lit
tie, dirty back-rooms. The Temperance peo-
pie are working for a decision to block this
game, and they will doubtless get it.
LIEE INSURANCE AGAIN.
The Universal Life Insurance Of this city
is now in hot water, the State superinten-
dent having made it the subject of a special
report, in which he charges mismangement
on the officers and recommends that
the company be placed in the hands
Of a raaeirar Tho uill roSi-t sueh |
a step, and insists that Its affairs are in a
solvent condition. But suspicion in res
pect to other companies has so often been
confirmed, that the public is quite prepared
to believe the worst, and the company is
already dead in public estimation. Mr..
Furber, the ice-president, is also the
financial manager of the Charter Oak. Of
Hartford, which is pretty generally under
stood to be in sad way; although, as in
the case of the Universal, its soveney is in |
sisted upon by its officers and by some out
side experts besides But clean reputa-
tion is so vital to Institutions whose breath |
OF life is the popular confidence, that to be |
suspected of weakness or fraud is almost the |
same as to be guilty, in disastrous effects |
and only those companies can hope to pros
per, who stand, like Caesars wife, above |
suspicion.
begins to revive with the confidence the new
crop inspires. Orders for goods are coming |
in already from the country that has har-
vested its wehat. There will be good Fall |
trade. ALTON.
The NORWEGIAN RECRUITS FOR MoEMoN-
DoN.-Tbe emigrantS were mostly pest mid
die age or else quite Young, there being Il
very few middle-aged married people. 1t |
appeared on inquiry that almost without
exception there were the remnant Of families
whose flower had already been cullcd for
| tab. The older children of the aged |
couples around the room had been from two
to eight years in Utah. and now their pa
rents and younger brother and sisters had
been sent for. Sisters especially seemed TO
have been sent for, as there were many |
rugged. highly-colored, tlaxen haired girls,
from l5 to 25 years OF age, in the party. |
The younger men were almost all mechanics.
I'm regard to the doctrines of McrmOni~m
they seemed about equally Ignorant and in
different. and when some of the girls were
questioned, it very soon became evident that
they know really nothing of the doctrine OF
polygamv. Some of them were quite pret-
ty, and the missionaries kept sharp watch
upon the more attractive members ui their
individual hOcks, and interrupted more than
one conversation the reporter had with
them through the Bible agent as
Interpreter. \ protracted argument
IN the scriptural authority for
polygamy finally sprung up between
4 l.. tl.al l.tff ItttN-
ny up with the assertion There are So
no more women than men in Denmark
llone, and believe the Lord meant tham to
,ear children in lawful wedlock. The
lgent, however, gave tn each one OF the
migrants Il copy Of the New Testament in
lis native tongue. a little way apart from
he rest of the NorwesianS sat an aged man
md his wife. accompanied iy the only really
pretty girl in the Mormon rumpany. His
lair and beard were white, and his form,
which was bowed upon stick, had once
Ieen that of tall and powerful man. His
wife was still erect in figure but was gaunt
With age. The girl WIS apparently about
i years old, with perfect, oval face, clear
,ray eyes, Il small mouth, sweet expression
md waving brown hair. Her clothes,
hough rough and unc1uth, were worn with
grace The old man answered
he questions that were put to him almost
mechanically, and seemed to feel his exile
,eenly. lie had been, 50 he said, a pros
,erouS farmer in Norway all his life, and
lad never known misfortune until some
hight years ago, when four of his eight chil ;
Ir,n had become converted To MurmOnlsm, :
nd cmigratod To tah One OF them, Il
widow, had left with him the girl, his grand
hid, vino sat at his side, and who seems To I
ave become the idol of his lite. A1 wears I
oiled on his longing for his children became {
% strong to be longer dcnieG, and he de- ,
ided to come to America and join the chill 1
rcn who had deserted him. At - years :
his was TO small undertaking but he L
irdcd up his lions, divided his farm and all Il
hat he had among his remaining children,
adc them farewell, aud set sail with his $
life and grandchild. The separation from c
ne scenes of lifetime, and the though: ol c
L. 4 -. l.