St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-03-04
Our New York Letter.


OCEAN AND RAILROAD TRANsPoRTA
TIoN-REAL ESTATE on THE JUMP.
NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 1881.
To the Editor of the CdledOnidn.
A slump in stocks, finance growlings
about the Funding bill and telegraph
consolidation are among the incidents
of the day, while the approaching in
auguration ceremonies help to give the
people something to talk about. The
delegation from New York of regular
infantry and artillery, several militia
regiments and Independent companies,
and a multitude of politicians will be
something immense. 1t seems the ma
iOrity will have to be satisfied with
such accommodations as tents can af-
ford, and though when accustomed to 1t
and posted in the ways of making ones
self comfortable, life under canvass is
not unpleasant, it is rather n trying
change from the shelter of good sound
brick walls. There'll be a plentiful
crop of pneumonia after the festivities
at Washington.
The benevolent Seney has again been
emulating the benevolent Senex, Peter
Cooper, whose Goth birthday has just
been celebrated by himself, with addi
tional gifts aggregating over $l5O,OOO.
The banker has resolved to benefit
Brooklyn by the establishment of a
new hospital to be run chiefly under
Methodist auspices. but to be unsecta-
rian in its scope. He has bestowed for
the purpose the neat little sum of $780,
900 in hard cash, besides sixteen lots of
ground in choice location near Pros
pect Park, valued at over S4O,OOO, on
which the hygienic temple may be
built, or the property may be sold and
the proceeds added to the splendid
subscription. Smallpox is threatening
so say the doctors. 1t is to be hoped
the epidemic of benevolence will be
equally catching and get start of it.
RoweIl and sundry other famous pc
destrians have gathered together for
the approaching championship contests,
and suppose there'll be another out
break of the go-as-you-please fever
The latest phase of it was a 24-hour
match among Il parcel of boys. One
poor little shaver covered over 100
miles, egged on by his father, who nat
urally expected to make a good thing
out of the prizes he imagined the boy
was to win, and very pleasantly assist
ed the tottering footsteps of the weary
youth by taking an occasional spin by
his side along the course in the inter
walls of lounging, lunching and lushing.
Unfortunately for his human or inhu-
man calculations, the poor youth got
thoroughly used up, fell suddenly like
a log, and was taken from the track in
a diving condition. The father was ar
rested and the Society for the Proven
ton of Cruelty to Children have taken
the prosecution in hand, SO he is likely
to get some of his deserts at any rate.
This Professionalism is very coarse and
brutalizing. We claim to be superior
to the Spanish as to our popular amuse-
ments, but on my word, | fail to see
wherein lies the superior refinement of
gO-as-yOu-please public torture of
needy men over the bull-fghts and
cock fights so much admired by the
Latin races. A good square prize-fight
is actually, in my mind, less objection
For one thing, the agony is over much
more quickly, and as a spectacle it is
infinitely more exciting. The idea that
absurd. The first matches against
time of recent days, such as Weston's
attempted feats, might possibly be de-
Tended by such plea, but the results
of the careful watching the bold ex-
perimenter should certainly have af.
forded all necessary explanations of the
conduct of the human frame under
such exceptional circumstances.
The obelisk has gone through the
last ceremony likely to stir up its an
cient memories at last, and on Wash
ington's birthday was formally handed
over to the city in pleasant speech by
Secretary Evarts. One hundred exem-
} plary public school boys were paradeG
as a feature of the occasion and pre-
sented with white metal medals com
memorating the event together with g
brief inscription setting forth sort o
miniature history of the greaV mOnOlith
The Herald published cuts of the stOn,
with full, clear, and explicit criticism
of the whole concern by Brugsch Bey
the famous Psychologist, now in Egypt
whose views were cabled at grea
length by the industrious scribe wht
was sent to collect the facts and pu
9 them in readable shape.
Our great ferries have, in all The
years since flatboats propelled by GA
and sail, sufficient for all needful trans
f portation of passengers between New
York and the circumjacent towns
cities. villages and hamlets, enjoyed ;
singular immunity from accident. FO
5 some reason, at this date not thorough
| ly understood, there was quite a col
lsion, which might have turned on
disastrously, on Wednesday last, be
tween two of the largest vessels ply
e ing on the North River. There will
5 probably be plenty of collisions to re
, cord for a while, as such misfortune
never come alone, and the rivers whicl
environ Manhattan Island are dali,
D getting more and more thronged.
I Some statisticians have been quoting
figures to show that we spend here
for dirty streets and neglectful admins
tration generally, rather more, ever.
= year, than is spent in London and Pari
e put together, for that well-ordered con
ditiOn which all the world admires, an,
which we possess better facilities 70
securing, if we only put our shoulder
to the wheel. But, after all, talk
+. cheap, and though figures won't lie
h they are of themselves not gifted wit
-, the power of persuasion. Our peopl
u are a great deal too apathetic, appar
o emily, to rise in their might and sum
= marily put an eternal quietus to th
abuses which disgrace us and make ev
cry one disguised with officialdOm j
general and Gotham as it has left it, i