New-York tribune., 1881-11-20
THE CHlRus or BOS1ON.

4 Non Resilient AI-sricnu in The Con''nporDy RScfp.
The most English city IN the United Nillts u Dos
ION and New England people of the old English
stock prefer il to all other cities Washington was
formerly the least attractive of our elites but since
thc war there hayh been great changes there. No
city ig the world has more beautiful Government
otnrcs and great efforts have been made to I'M
prove the streets and adorn the city The hotels
Still swarm with oihcc-h0ldcr, and office seekers;
hut they seem 10 me bc generally OF better class
than when first visited the clty. lhci" i Ger
taiuiy much less dTuukrunc-, and balhdriain 10 Zoe
seen in the public room, and about the capitol
put aside from this uoWldiC horde there Is now Iu
established resident society IN Washington. which
is becoming every year more agrrrauir ann more
numerous There are many who already rcgnr,rit
s the most attractive city IN the country II Is al
least, unlike all other clilr- nuiuhrT oI movers
have apprarcd within q few years protesting 10
piye faithful pictures of life IN Na~husion; but
they are unworthy Of attention. They are low;
yulgar and sCaulalOus, without htcrar, merit, ana
prc,rutIng view Of society too absurd - hr even
founded on fact. There &. vicr ana corruption
cunuri i'm Washington and 10 j., easy for man TO
find II who seeks for it, but there D. no moro oil % M
WasLiDptou than ~ Ncv-Nork. These book, would
not deserve mention if they had not b,rn widely
If were 10 select place of residence for myself.
il would be Boston rather than Washington or
New-lork. Philadelphia Is too narrow aud pro-
vincal 60 be thought oi. There i something OF
reserve and hlutcur about Boston society which Is
not altogether agreeable 10 strangers and N crill-
ciscd and ridIculcd by Americans nom other parts
OF the country: but /, i, only on The surface and o.,
hardly noticed at all 10y prr-ouS Who hr'r lived ~
LII
easy manners OF :hc West whore the stranger of to-
day become, an old resident tomorrow hur there is
a dignity about n which IS very attractive. To
borrow "a slang Western phrase. Boston man does
not shop over" Boston boast %; her culture. and
Ncw-i urt deli hts To sucrr 10 the word, hul there
Is a reality IN It. There i culture IN New-l ork
but its influence is limited 10 a narrow circle. In
Boston it rules the CITY and gives tone 10 spccty
There is no other ClIy which has any right 10 call
itself the Athens Of America. There is some reason
for giving this name 10 Boston. New-NUrK j, more
ike COrinth IN the days of her greatest prosperity
Even the IRISH are somewhat suhducd IN the atmOs-
phcre pf Boston, and make much less trouble than
they do IN Nrw-lork II ! were to choose pcrma-
nrnt residence in America u would. ~ have sad
certainly bc in Boston. It's climate is not all that
could be desired Its east winds aro uniavorable to
weak lungs and in winter dIsagrccablr 20 all but
New-l ork is not much better. and Boston has the
advantage of having clean streets. The suburban
towns are ali brautful. aud there is an endless
variety of charming drives in all directions Cam
bridge is close ut hand, with the literary al van
tagrs Of University town, and the city itself is
provided with everything necessary for study or
amusement. But Boston ls attractive 10 me because
there is something rcstiul in life there Ii is more
like n European city. There is not the mad rush
and whrl which disiTacts me in New York and il
still worse ~ Chicago. Men do business on n grand
scale and Boston capital found in all the great
cities and all the great enterprises of the Vest but
men seem To take life more calmly than in New
York. They are not IN such desperate hurry. So
in sOclet,, there is much less extravaganza and
display, much less dissipation, much more quiet and
sensible puiOVucut