Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1882-09-13
AUSTIN TO cHAUTAUQUA.
One OF Our Teachers Abroad.
DEAR TRANSCRIPTS:


DEAR TRANSCRIPT:
According to promise send you few
jottings by the way. I turned my back
upon the dear inmates and surroundings
OF my parental home Friday, July 81, and
hailed with delight the brakeman's an
of our arrival at Sparta, Wis,
at $50 Saturday morning. enjoyed
delightful reunion with an old classmate
from whom had been separated six years.
Three days is a short time in which to
knit up the dropped stitches of six years,
but we lost no time. and the ties renewed
will stand the test Of many times six years
if necessary. Sparta is a charming place,
about the size of Austin, probably we'll
known to many Minnesotians. The
Mineral Springs, Hollow Bluff and Castle
Rock are points of interest to the visitor,
the latter of which from it's picturesque
ness, would cause our Austin bred girls
and boys to open their eyes with surprise.
One Of my pleasantest experiences while
in Sparta, was the recognition of an old
Austin face, that of Mr.. Julius johnson
so well known and respected as the faith
full clerk of w. w. Noble. A call from
him enabled us to talk about Austin with
the utmost fervor and enthusiasm. His
being the first Austin face I have seen
since leaving there, it filed me with JOY
fn1 amOtiOnc and cot IN y;hro%;or ,,,opv
tender cords of past associations.
l would like so much to tell my girls
and boys" about the many interesting and
beautiful sights to be seen between Sparta
and Chicago, particularly the tunnels,
and Devils Lake and its surroundings;
but to do so would probably be wearisome
to your older readers, to whom the route
and its attractions are probably familiar
1t being my first journey over the road I
took it all in with youthful enthusiasm,
and regretted so much that the car was
not filled with those whose faces and
names I was taking with me and with
whom, in imagination, I shared the pleas
ure.
am net travelled individual" but
some of you who are will have no diff
Guilty in understanding my bewilderment
and perplexity on finding myself stepping
from the cars at the Chicago and North
Western depot, Chicago. Shades of our
pilgrim fathers, what a din! what bustle
where to go! what to do! Forever under
obligation must such as be to that valu-
able class of men of whom it may be said
as of our lamented Garfield, The was
everybody's big brother" Such an one
kindly led me through all the confusion
and accompanied me to the Briggs House
much to my gratitude and safety. On
emerging from the depot, and finding my
self face to face with the multitude, l felt
beneath the weight of anxiety and home
sickness sort Of bubble of good humor
rising up, and presently it overcame all
my gloomy feelings and broke out into a
genuine smile all over my face as l re-
cognized how closely my own impressions
accorded with those of Josiah Aliens wife
when she made her first visit to New York
village; and like her felt like respect
fully waiting till the funeral procession
passed by. I think I have reason to thank
her for that little experience, for some
how the recollection of it drove away
much of my anxiety and went on with
a light heart.
Nearlyevery body has been to Chicago
suppose, and so they know all about that
immense city with its population of over
500, 600; but to the few that have not been
there would like so much to give some
idea of the glimpses had of the city.
Through the kindness of DIR. Hanson, of
the Star and Covenant, I was enabled to see
considerable in the short time I was there.
The first thing that fills the rural visitor
with wonder is the throngs and throngs
of people. One of our lively Fourth of
July or circus days in a western city is
but faint approach to the multitudes that
are constantly going and coming along
the walks, while the street between is no
less packed with every variety of vehicle.
The height of the buildings is another
surprising feature. My eyes were con-
stantly looking for the tops of things.
Six, seven, eight, nine stories. Only i'm
agine the streets lined as far as the eye
can reach with blocks of dark solid walls
more than twice as high as your school
house! 1t made me tired just thinking
of ever getting to the top; but having &C.
casion to 60 up several stories in one of
them found the ascent not at all tiresome
being accomplished by means of an eleva-
tor, the use of which is universal in those
high buildings The shop and store win
dows are also striking and attractive, the
decorations and arrangement of goods
being the work of artists whose business
it is to do such work, the whole effect
being that of picture gallery where the
pictures are done, not in water, oil, or
crayon, but in merchandise. One cannot
help lingering often before these free ex-
hibitions of beauty and art. Besides the
enormous indoor mercantile enterprise,
there is also a vast world of outdoor
traffic. Almost every variety of notions,
fruits, flowers, and confectionery is for
sale in the open air. Vendors of every
thing imaginable are met in every nook
and corner Justify crying their wares and
asking share of your patronage. News
boys, boot blacks, hand organs and scis-
sors grinders help to swell the chorus,
which, with the ratings of vehicles over
the pavement, make a sort of music sim
ply distracting to the lover of pastoral
scenes Ilinqered with feelin On of tender