Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-01-27

THE BAD YEAR.
The season is dreary one. War
times were hardly worse. Houses
everywhere empty; shops full of
cheap and attractive goods; but !
have seen q country store livelier
Improvements looking more like
ruins, as they stand unfinished and
underlying all, the knowledge OF
the deep suffering of thousands OF
poor out of work. People are not
ashamed to stay at home and econ.
omize. Now that the Centennial il
over, and they are learning without
any hesitation or bashfulness to
walk into stores and give them or
ders for cheap articles-"the cheap
est you have'-it is good not to
date '7G any longer, and to think
that the anniversary year is over,
and all the folly of expense which
the country undertook on its &C
count, for which it is paying the
penelty. When we think Of the
East side of our city-the great
working quarter-and the thous'
ands, not of men, but thousands of
families, depending on charity fol
every dole of bread and fire in the
deep mid.winter snow, one feels
twinges at buying a flower, or any
indulgence that might be dispensed
with, and the question grows, not
"what can Afford" but "what can
I do without"
There is no vitality, no life, in
anything. The merchants stand
listlessly in their stores, feeling that
rent and clerk hire are eating them
up. The clerks stand idle, living
on half wages, and dreading every
night to hear the words that will
cut even that off. The landlord is
worried, for he sees in the empty
store a sure premonition that it will
very shortly be vacant. The truck
man has nothing to haul, and the
mechanics are idle. There never
was an approach to the distress
that New York is experiencing now
and 1 hope there never will be
And, to add to the trouble, the
political situation keeps those who
have money and disposition to dc
something waiting, and before it is
settled the season will be over. II
is bad here-thank Heaven that the
West is prosperous.
FASHIONS.
Women return to the appropriate
custom of wearing light and deli
cate colOrs for occasions of high
dress. White hats, pale gloves and
light nantes are donned for theatre
and dress promenade, a rule which
should remain in force immutably
White felt hats of modest shape are
the choice, for the white plush that
displaces velvet looks unmistakabl y
course, and can only be within Of
the moment. Wide, rich folds oil
silk and full plumes are the usual
ornament, though a freak Of q French
milliner is to cover the flaring brim
entirely with rows of gilt galoon,
set so closely as to recall the halo OF
dead gold, which in old pictures
surrounds the head Of saints; but
the example is only quoted for its
hard, bad taste. Next to white,
the finest bonnets are of palest gray
velvet, the brims concealed with
deep crimson trimmings and flow.
ers in elegant contrast. In dress,
basques and overskirts are popular
ly seen, but nothing looks really ele.
giant save the princess dress which
is adopted as the standard costume
also by the dress reformers.
LIFE Insurance.
The investigation into the affairs
of the defunct "Security" Life In
surance Company -" Security"
think of it !-discloses a mass of
rottenness that is awfal. This com.
pany had not the excuse of several
that have failed honestly by depre.
citation in securities it was thiev-
ingly managed from the beginning,
or at least for many years, and was
rotten. The. annual reports were
doctored to show prosperity when
the company was insolvent, and to
these false reports the officers put
their names, and swore to their cor
rectness, without a blush. 1t might
have gone on for some time, and
made even a worse smash, but the
close times stopped off receipts, and
as there was no more money to
wiring out of the people, or rather
as the volume coming in was too
small to make the swindle profta-
BILE, it collapsed. The thieves swore
to balances they never had, to real
estate which they never owned, and
to policies which they never issued
and by fraud and perjury they kept
up an appearance of solidity which
deceived even the experts. There
are others in the same way, that