Smyrna times., 1882-02-01
For the Smyrna Times
Letter from the West.


The old proverb that "When the davs
begin to lengthen the cold begins TO
strengthen" has proved true this winter in
the Northwest, as | have found it to INV
hearts content. | will admit am some
thing Of a novice in the high latitude. but
great deal less intense cold than | have
seen for the last week will satisfy me for
winter. This morning it was 20o below
zero, which caused me frequently to press
my gloVcd hands on my face to mitigate the
sharp biting influence of the frOst-laden
air, and one said Oh that is only mod
crate, there is another 2Oo that goes along
with it belew zero, then you may say it is
cold" :" Well, you may have it, and all
this matter OF getting used to it is very
thin with nae. | think that human flesh
can never be trained to bear it without
pain. TO substantiate that, notice every
where that this people want sitting room
just as warm to be comfortable as | do.
including the Norwegians If there was
anything in educating ourselves to lower
degree OF cold comfort, why could they
not have been down by this time to 80 or
6O degrees as comfortable for sitting apart-
ments. | am not aware that have met
any number of POlanders, but have seen
in Emigrant Railroad Depots groups of
Danish emigrants fresh from the "Fader
Land, wrapped in their once seen never
to-bc-forgotten habiliments, sitting bv a
hot stove enjoying a dosy pcrspiraticn
where | felt oppressed There is a little
evidence of the unity of the race in this
thing.
| have never beon Off of the North
American Continent, but your readers
know | have been in wide range of lati-
tude at all seasons of the year and have
observed that when felt cold other people
wanted fire, and when ! felt too warm
others complained of oppression.
There Is great deal in ones mind being
made up To accept the situation, and it is
not heroic to live in climate shrinking
from Its rgOrs. So if one settler in Min
nesota up On the North Pacific Railroad
where ! have just been, when he comes to
NIL his ice house he must take ice a inches
thick or get none.
There is some advantage i'll the univer-
sal bridging the frest-king has built over
every stream. Men and teams 90 every
where, taking IL short cut, carry any kind
OF load however heavy, take no precau-
ton about herding too many teams OF too
many saW-logs in one spot to break in.
l observed this movement first on the
upper Mississippi river at La Crosse, Wis,
and afterwards at all the well-hnown
towns including the twin cities Of St
Paul and Minneapolis up to Brainard,
Mimi, covering u distance Of $50 miles.
Pleasure too was mixed with business
there being but light snow fall this
winter. say 3 or 4 inches, it soon wore out
in towns so the runners" are turned out
with the "spankin fat" span and their
speed tried on the ice, ailording fine sport
The skaters fare the worst, being hindered
by the snow, but the giddy crowd of bciies
dHd bedu.c were never born to bear defeat of
fun, cleared long avenues where hand in
hand they glided by, with temperature at
l. above and exercising free their cheeks
were red as roses, and for naught we
know as sweet.
But the seasons march their solemn
rounds; the sawlogs are converted into
lumber, the lumber INTO buildings and the
western cities continue to grow apace
The dwellers in those old cities down bv
the sea, say with Il great deal of cOmpla-
cQnoy, putting their thumbs into their
vest sleeve, that the western towns have a
characteristic way of counting populations
that we do not understand and the bubble
will burst pretty soon, and lot of money
lost. Meantime it is found that substan-
tial wealth is here, the prosperity is on
the ground and further addition is antia-
ipatcd as usual in the near future
The printer says that this city built
seven miles of houses, and spent for tho
same five millions Of dollars in 1881. That
she consumed millions of bushels of wheat,
converting it into -four worth eighteen
millions of dollars That her saw mills
cut millions of feet of the finest lumber
for consumption and oAportation Her
twlH sister claims TO be improving about
as fast and quite as substantial. Are these
things so} Well, if | can believe nay own
sense ] must say they are, or appear to
be. The city is a gem, and her streets
are filled with busy throng. Buildings
recently put up arc very costly, and in
the business centre replacing nearly all
old ones. Population $4,000. The epen-
ing for 1882 is regarded the finest they
ever had RAMBLER.
MINNEAPoLls, MINI, Jam. ODD, 1889.