The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-10-10
scott's Letter.
England and Garfleld-A Defense Of Ven
nor Massachusetts, Politics = Boston
Amusements.
BOSTON. Oct. G. 1881.

tlt0 Tor news. ana Wnon 4 saw group OF
passengers gathered around one who held the
London paper and was reading aloud, 1 saun-
tered unintestedly toward them. But what
was my surprise and horror to hear him read
that the great, good and beloved President,
who was so full of health and vigor twelve
days before, was then languishing on bed
which gave every promise of being his death
bed. All the cheer, all the life OF that little
party of so passengers was gone. 1t was interest
ing to see so me one come up on deck with face
wreathed in smiles because we were so near
our journeys end, and utter some joyous ejac-
ulation, to be answered only with, president
Garfield has been shot" What a change
came over that face! Nor could you tell a
mans nationality by the countenance he were.
There were no sadder faces than those of the
veteran customs officers when they boarded us
bearing news of little hope. They knew the
whole story; they had read it all, for they
could tell us the minutest details. When we
landed in London we found the great calamity
in our homeland was the all-absorbing topic.
Americans themselves could not have man
ifssted, did not, in fact, manifest deeper ankle
ty. So, too, we found it in France And the
words of sympathy were not mere unmeaning
sounds. They were as sincere as any Of us ut
tered. L have said this much in preliminary
way to corroborate what has been said from
time to time concerning the feeling abroad,
The French, of course, have always been ex-
tremely friendly to the States. En-
gland has rather ignored us, looked
down on us, SO to speak, until within few
years Lately she has learned to fear and re-
spect US; now she loves US, Since / visited that
country three short years ago find a wonder
full change in this respect The people of Lon
don of every degree look upon us most kindly.
They sincerely unite with us in MORNING the
loss OF our President Their good Queen has
especial reason for sympathy. She is a widow
who has lost good, true, noble companion
To think that st. Paul's bell should toll for
an American; that Westminster Abbey, the
most historic spot on earth, the most hallowed
by association with great men dead, should
open its doors for a funeral service to an Amer
ican; that this scene of living and dead royalty
should witness funeral services for man who
once lived in a log hut and rode horses on
canal. Right Eere, however, let me correct a
wide spread error, made by pulpit, platform
and press in America. 1t was not the great
bell on ST. Pauls, the one which ''tolis only on
the death of king or queen,' which tolled
for Garfield. 1t was the smaller bell Think,
too, of English newspapers with mourning bor-
ders for an American. Even some OF our cold
blooded American papers did not show this
mark of respect. Finding that public opinion
condemned their taste as they effect to call
it, they make all manner of excuses 1t never
occurs to some of them in this vicinity that
some people know more about "the reason
than they think. But what excuse has the
great independent ~ daily to offer for not
showing a shred OF mourning emblemS from its
office? Is its 'stasteV and its Judgment supe-
rior to that of nine-tenths of the rest of the
community? 1t can hardly hide behind any
other barrier, and that is surely a tlimSy one,
and one which the world will never accept.
While ON this topic do wish to pay single
word of tribute to the Boston Globe. I don't
care what prompted it to display the signs OF
mourning so profusely, it did it, and its mo
tives may be as good as those which led some
other people not TO make any display. Its f.
nal memorial number was master stroke. L
say this much of a paper, whose general course
heretofore / have detested
To turn tqother topics. First, but really Of
little interest to any one, is our State election.
1t will be striking illustration of the useless
his assoc ates viii be elected without any oppo-
sition of aay account. Many oldlegislators
will also be returned. Some of them trust
will not, such for instance as the Essex county
Senator, who, solitary and alone, like the one
juryman against eleven, opposed a law which
relieved poor soldiers from pauper penalties
and who voted against relieving the State from
double taxation; voted against making insur-
ance companies pay the amount for which they
insured building. Such men as these need
o4t II brIso .to -
wisdom is superior to that of the other 36
Senators.
Really, there are no important questions for
the Legislature. If it did not meet for
whole year we should get along just as we'll,
yet presume the next Legislature viii sit four
most important business at the last
moment. Ben Butler has not given
up his aspirations for the govenorship
and I doubt If he does until death claims him.
He will com 10 the surface as soon as he sees
any chance. When Gov. Long ceases to be a
candidate, the Republicans will most likely
have little trouble. They will have whole
battalion of aspirants.
| read in the PRESS some time ago a severe
criticism of Vennor's weather prophesies based
on our August record which some gentleman
had kept. / don't know how care
fully the record had been kept but
| compared Vennors predictions with
the record kept by MIR. j. p. Andrews of
Salem, who has had no superior for years, and
L found that instead of Vennor being "ali
wrong he was right three times out of four
/ also compared his predictions for June with
the record of Mr.. Andrews and I found but
one error of any-note, while some very positive
changes took place on the exact day
named. see the PRESS also inti-
mates that Vennors prediction that
October would open, cold, rainy and fog
gy, is not fulfilled. / know nothing of Port
land weather, but do know we had just that
kind of weather. have followed Vennor pretty
closely for year or more and find that he
gives us exact predictions about one third of the
time; that in one third there is q variation of
day or two, or the weather varied somewhat
from what he predicts, as only dull weather
when he says rain or vice versa, and only cool
when he says very cold, etc. Certainly no
person can guess even that near.
| wonder what Cath means BY saving
that there has been little improvement in the
comforts of sea travel since the Cunarders first
began to run; nothing could be farther from
the truth. have had some little experience
in ocean travel myself and have seen most of
the steamers plying between Europe and Amer
lea during the last dozen years, and say un-
hesitatingly that nowhere have greater inn
provements been made in travel than in ocean
steamers. Compare the Cunarder of twelve
years ago with the Servia, the Partisan, the
Rome the Catalonia, the Cirassia and Fur
nissia-why, man must be out Of his senses
to say there have been no changes-The old
Parthia of the Cunard line is au old tub beside
any of these named, and she is not over ten
years of age. Mr.. Pullman will find little
room for improvement in this direction, far
less than he will if he undertakes to properly
ventilate his own sleeping cars. / know Of no
thingsin which there has been less improve
ment than in ventilation Of railway cars, and
especially Pullman sleepers
The great play of "Michael Strogof"
was brought out for the first time
in this country at the Boston Theatre
on Wednesday evening. II is received by the
press and public with all the favor the propre-
tors could ask. 1t is something like the famous
play of the Exiter which many of your readers
will remember. That was a play Of such won
derftl proportions that it needed to be seen
twice to be appreciated; it left deep impress
sions on the mind. So too, win Michael Stro-
gof. As you know, it is dramatised from the
story written by jules Verne. The leading ac-
tor is William Redmund who is known
throughout England as an actor OF highest
merit OF course need not dwell upon the
scenery which Mr.. Getz and his assistants
have prepared. 1t is perhaps the most artistic
of anything yet seen on the Boston stage.
A Blast Against Church Bells.