Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-04-25
AN OLD SOUTHERN
BOROUGH.

ne Wnole Town mas languld and
self-satis6ed appearance. There is lit
tie animation in man or beast. The
very dogs look lazy. 1t would require
twice the energy to put forth the same
effort that it would cost in New Eng
land. The streets are neglected, and in
places almost impossible; the paint is
worn from most of the houses the peo-
pie are slow in their movements. In
the afternoon, an hour before the mail
arrives, crowd begins to gather about
the post-office. They sit on chairs that
have been half whitfield away, on boxes,
and on the steps of the porch. If any
one approaches and desires to enter,
some fellow that is lazily seated in the
door will look up mildly and ask,
"Want to come in ?" Then, after a
minute of preparation, and good-natur-
ed word about disturbing fellow" (at
which the more energetic laugh just
littIe). he will slip aside far enough to
allow entrance. The conversation in
this company begins usually about the
dry weather, or about the wet weather,
and then some weather prophet will
enumerate his signs of raiu or of "its
clearing up" 1t was at such a meet
ing that an old countryman declared
that ''a wet drought was mighty nigh
as bad as dry drought" After
while the conversation turns on the po-
litical situation (for everybody is poll
tician). Then the chances of the fav-
orite candidate for the legislature are
talked over, and his opponent is unmer-
cifully 'run down. If a stranger has
come to the inn Qor inn is better
word in this connection than hotel), they
wonder, every man in turn, what his
business can be. and talk an hour about
him; for it is not every day that they
have such person to talk of. Visitors
except drummer" from the Northern
cities, are very few.
Every one of these men has what he
calls his business" Frequently two
of them are associated in a little gro
Gerry, the work of which Is not half
enough to keep one man employed.
While one of the firm is out, "gonc af-
ter the mail, that is, engaged for two
or three hours in a discussion at the
post-ofice-the other is seated in the
cool part of his stOre-room, smoking.
His quiet is disturbed only now and
then by a customer, who is in no hurry
to be waited on. So they, too, engage
in discussion, that may last ten min
utes or an hour. These men are also
fond of talking; but the range of their
subjects is very narrow. They could be
informed of what is going on in the
world, but they do not care for such in
formation. They talk almost entirely
about their private and local affairs.
Every one of them knows all about
every other one, both IN business and at
home. Around two subjects, chiefly,
their conversation centres,-the church
and politics. They are orthodox in
their creed, and good citizens (save in
the matter of sins of omission) in their
practice. They are moral in their
lives. and the most of them are active
supporters of one of the Protestant
churches. If there happens to be "a
man among them who denies in the
least the literal Interpretation of the
Scriptures after the manner of their
churches, he is considered dangerous
man in their society, however upright he
is. When the season of political dis
cussion is on the wane, two of the best
informed among them will begin fierce
discussion of some very abstruse theolo-
gical question; for example, the efica-
cy of the different modes of baptism.
1t will be taken up at the pOst-ofice,
and the whole town will take one side
or the other. Rarely does such con-
troversy end in less than week. But
no original arguments, or even phrases,
are brought forth ideas and words
alike bear the stamp of the politician
or of the preacher.-May atlantic.