New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-08-07
KEARNEY AT BOSTON.
A CLUSTERING scHooLrBoY.

- DhoOhLlNE, MASS, Aug. b.-CuT1oS1ty, ana a de-
sire to see for myself what manner of man Mr.. Dem
mis- Kearney may be, drew me into Boston
last night, where he was to address a meet
ing of workingmen at Faneuil Hall. Little Of
the usual apparatus for calling together mass
meeting was employed on this occasion. There
were no Ramngposters nor street bills of any kind,
at least had seen none in walking about the city
during the day ; nor did the newspapers announce
the meeting with any circumstance although they
have given mp no small amount of space TO comment
upon Mr.. Kearney and his doings and sayings. But
an item in one of the newspapers told that there
was to be meeting at Faneuil Hall Monday night,
and and my host made up our minds it was best to
60 to it. We reached the hall at half-past seven.
walking across the city from the Providence
Depot Until we reached the square itself on which
the hall fronts, there not single sign of any
public interest in the affair Just before sliding
into the railroad station, passed desolate-look-
ing tract of new-made land where something seemed
to DO going on, and my companion called my attee-
ton to the singular look Of the fences which lined
either side of future street. These fences set
as thick as they would hold with men and boys, a
thousand at least, looking like crows contemplating
q cOrn-field. What did it meant Nothing more
rious than that every evening after o'clock. this
street was given up by the authorities to horse
trottng, and these clerks and workngmen and
errand-boys were assembled there to look on.
This first pOrtentous sign of indifference on the part
of the downtrOdden masses TO the vindication of
their wrongs was lamentably repeated atevery step
of our progress The streets were filed with saun-
teTers whispering eonfabs arm in arm, at lamp
post corners, showed that worungmen and women,
even in the hour when their destinies were sup
posed to be at stake could find selfish interest in
being happy too strong to allow of their being
II s,.Go Of xubfn
we were soon to make part. The beautiful Com
mon had not bench to spare the usual crowd was
wedgng its way into the Boston Museum Theatre;
a few idle toothpicks were taking their pleasure
sadly after dinner on the steps of the fremont
House; nor until we reached the very door of
Faneuil Hall did we see any signs
that Boston was being stirred up. Even
there the crowd was nothing TO a New-Yorker.
Many and many time have seen more people
about the door of theatre or lecture-room before
the hour of opening. There were no signs OF any
inpatience or feeling.
PAINFUL HALL PACKED WITH PEOPLE.
Faneuil Hall is, as some of your readers may not
know, large rectangular building, standing iso-
lated in the middle of goodsized square There are
entrances at either end and the one we first reached
gave access to the platform. Finding there was APP
parently no getting in at that door. went to the
and we were told that the doors had been long
time shut. The crowd was noisy, but well behaved
and good.natured, and the police had no trouble
in keeping order. Returning to the platform
door, we found Mir. Chamberlain, the we'll
known LabOr-Reform agitatOr, clvilly explaining
to the people that there was no room in tho hall,
and no use therefore, ia their asking to be let in
Knowing the hostility of Mr.. Kearney, and Of Mr..
Chamberlain too, to the newspapers, hesitated to
plead for admission on the score Of my unofficial
connection with THE TRIBUNE. But needed not
to have felt any anxiety the mere mention OF the
fact that had come from New-York and that
was TRIBUNE man, opened the doors at once, and
in two minutes l stood upon the platform,
facing what, without any metaphor at all, may be
called "a sea of upturned faces" for think hat
SHE'D at random from where ! stood would have
lighted on human face and been tossed like
cork from side TO side without the possibility OF
sinking Ii seems the doors had been opened at
o'clock, the room had filled up at once, and
the people had been patiently stewing for two
mortal hours. Floor and galleries were packed
alike The galleries had been reserved for gentle
men with ladies' and admission TO them was 10y
ticket. There were but few women, and they
seemed to be the wives of wOTkDgmen. ] was glad
TO see them and wished there had been morej men
might 6e taken in by the stuff that was poured
forth last night but you couldn't feed plain, hard
working healthy women so. They've too
much sense. The front seats of the gallery
facing the platform were filled with row
of men in their shirt sleeves but the majority Of the
the men present kept on their coats. and could not
help thinking that these men where put there for
effect like the mothers with her babes IN tie great
election contest at Eatanswill between the Blues
and the Bluffs.
No doubt the meeting was a meeting Of working
men. but il was not particularly marked-why
should it have been i-irom any crowd at political
meeting in midsummer. was mixed up with 1t,
had time TO take good look at it, and it was just
crowd of wOrkingmen, we'll fed, comfortably
clothed OF comfortably unclotbed, in high spirits,
without tangible grievance, with the whole night
before them and bound TO have good time. am
DO chicken, and in my day have seen crowds OF
angry men, anti-slaYery mobs, meetings broken up
OF tried to be broken up by Isaiah Rynders and his
gang. John Brown meetings. and the Irish nOts
In New-York and l have hungry, silent,
desperate Paris mobs and swams Of London and
Iiverpoo Door and if Boston hasn't any more
misery and down-trodden poor and laboring people
N show than she packed into Faneuil Hall and
the souare about it last night Mr.. Dennis Kearney
and Mr. Chamberlain will have their labor for their
Mains found goOd-nature and civility everywhere
except in one snarling old negro outside, who,
when touched him on the shoulder and asked him
TO let me pass, snapped out, Don't you keep
teobin' me-" and to another man who elbowed him,
g Don't you keep haulin' me :" but always vel
come any sign of want Of seryility in negro. and
So smiling put the question by, and broke the living
heap of humanity at a more complying point.
AwAST OF EARNRsTEEss IN THE CROWD.
Inside what struck me in the crowd 'Tas the entire
want of earnestness. When / remembered other
crowds had seen in thatsame hall-ospecialy when
I remembered the worn, earnest, sad faces OF the
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