St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-01-05
Our New York Letter.

CHANGING CENTURIEs-A MOCK BATTLE
SNOW MATTER THE S. F. P. o. C. T.
Am ICE sTORY-A COMPLAINT FROM
CAPITAL RoGUEs' GALLERY-DEATH
OF AMY FAwsITT-A BALLET ROMANCE.
To the Editor of the CaIedonian
NEW YORK, Dec. 80, 1876.
One more day of the long anticipated
and eventful Centennial, and it, too,
will have been swept into history, leav-
ing us on the threshold of a new year
and new century. If the latter adj
vances the Republic as far beyond its
present status as our condition is be-
yond that of the days of Valley Forge,
Uncle Sam will have a country which
it would make our patriotic ghosts
proud to revisit. This may be too
much to expect, but hope atleast that
in 1876 the voice of the "bulldozer''
will be no longer heard in the land, and
that our great-great-grand children
will find it easier to decide between the
Hayes and Tilden of that day than a
hundred years. experience in federal
elections has made it for their degen-
crate sires.
The last patriotic celebration of the
memorial year was the sham fight that
came off at Trenton on Tuesday. No
we'll regulated American family is with
out its engraving of "Washington
Crossing the Delaware" in which the
Father of his Country, looking proudly
conscious that he is having his picture
taken, stands erect in a cranky little
boat supposed to be knocked hither
and thither by the floating ice-an at
titude which had the Great American
Parent been rash enough to attempt
under the circumstances, would infalli-
bly, have subjected his august person
to very cold and still more undigni-
fed ducking. Well, that picture is
supposed to represent a scene which
occurred on Christmas night, 1776, when
the American army took advantage of
a wretchedly stormy night to get over
to Trenton and punch the bullet heads
of some hireling Hessians who were
there carousing in fancied security. To
commemorate this strategic victory,
which was the real turning point of the
revolution-that is, so j am informed
wasn't there myself-the valiant Jer-
sey militia, always painting for gore and
glory, arranged a sham fight, which
transpired as aforesaid. Some 900
Continentals were pitted against about
700 Hessians, and after an immense
amount of running, shouting and per-
spring on both sides, and a reckless
consumption of blank cartridges, wal
loped the ruthless invaders and made
them all willing prisoners. This little
outburst of patriotism cost only $4,000,
and serves to usher out the memorable
year in blaze of glory.
It's no use telling New Yorker who
complains of the snow and slush that
have turned Broadway into one long
slough of despond that "it'sno(w) mat
ter. He regards his slippery swim
down town in the morning as too seri-
GUS subject for joking, and has, by
his representatives in the Street Clean
ing Department voted to cart away the
semi-liquid nuisance, and relieve traf-
tic. 1t will be an expensive job but
one that will pay its cost ten times
over, travel now being, seriously i'm
peded.
With the winter street troubles comes
Mr.. Bergh to the front in great force
His men are everywhere at once, ar
resting brutal drivers, releasing sick
and abused animals from the traces
forcing trucks, stages, and street cars
to double up their horses and going fol-
offenders against the regulations of the
Society for the Prevention of cruelty to
Animals generally. Mr.. Bergh's atten-
tien is being especially turned just now
to the practice of sailing the car tracks
to melt the ice and snow. The salt
and the intense cold of the mixture rots
the hoofs of horses and the act has been
forbidden by law. Several convictions
have already been had, the punish
ment being heavy fines and imprison-
ment.
The ice in both the East and Hudson
Rivers is running in large blocks, form
ing a serious obstruction to the passage
of ferry boats. 1t is an i'll wind that
blows nobody good, however, and so
the gay young clerks who live Oh the