Morning journal and courier., 1883-06-11
COMMUNICATIONS.
What Another Town Born'' Thinks
About It.

What "AnOfher Town Rorn'' Thinks
About It.
To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER
1t is truly gratifying to read in your issue
of the 9th of June that one ''town born"
is of progressive turn of mind. I wish to
also add my opinion on some matters now
agitating the public as another town born"
First, remember the old Green with its
yellow fence enclosing the remains of the an
cestors of my day back of the Center
church the old monuments, where now
stands the old State House, covering all that
remains of the mortals of previous genera
tions. 1 am reminded as now pass by the
children on velocipedes of the skatings of my
youth, commencing at College street, wan
dering among the tombs, descending by gra-
dation to the old Jacob Odgen Coffee house,
which stood far back in Church street, on
grounds now occupied by the Ton
tine Hotel I remember well the
older State House with its whip
ping post adjunct; and also to have
seen it in effective use with other boys of my
day. Mr.. Hezekiah Howe of that day was
notable person, disposing of lottery prizes
| from the said older State House steps to the
fortunate ticket holders in the State author
| lied lotteries, some for educational, others
for religious purposes.
| The three churches now standing on the
square, having been erected about the years
1 1872 to 1916, were and are now an orna-
| ment. The next after the present genera
| ton will not much attend church in the
| center, consequently, as new Pharaoh who
1 did not know Joseph rose up in Egypt, SO
/ also will new dynasty come up who will
| not have as much regard for the ancients as
| they had for themselves.
| AS the old burying grounds have been (if
i you call it SOY desecrated, SO will all in the
| future be. Churches will not live, as we have
witnessed for three-score years past, longer
| than business requires the room; as other
| Improvements take place by popular voting
| Who makes the popular vote? Answer the
| multitudes coming forward. Workmen of
| to day will be the rulers of tomorrow; the
| imported vote of to-day sways the balance.
With no prophetic eye the future is visible.
| The parks, the green will live for many gen
| erations, but let us not in this our day erect
| anything upon either which will cause future
generations to grieve because of our m1sap-
plication. AS to the Soldiers monument,
| without hesitation 1 will second the motion
| that it be placed upon the highest pinnacle of
East Rock, a beacon for miles and miles
lup and down Long Island Sound.
| The Wadsworth tower upon Talcott noun
| tain near Hartford was pointed out to me
| when a lad as a sight of twentysmiles, which
| has always impressed itself upon my mind as
| worthy of being followed by tower on East
| Rock. The old mill in Newport, r. l., of
| which building history makes no account,
| has always made the same impression. Thus
| and there can be at the smallest expense
erected to the memory of the soldiers that
which will stand dozen monuments of gran
| ite behind the Center church or in the place
of the marbleized State House. AS to the
building ever being used for public library it
seems to the writer a preposterous PROPOSE
tion. Better would it be to illuminate both
the upper and lower green with nultitud-
inous electric lights; to bring to view the hid
den works of darkness transacted such as were
transacted in days of yore among the graves.
Population and wealth arepincreasing. We
have some among US who are not ''old fos-
sils" who are willing and anxious to help the
city in a public way, even if their own
purses are not the more filled. Would that
the names of such could be Immortal.
The low rate of interest at the present
time, even if million of dollars were ex-
| pended in beautifying and finishing up our
city, would soon be repaid by the improve
ments How? The money could be expend-
ed among us; the laborer would have his
hire the citizen, the merchant, the grocer,
wonld all have benefit. None of the money
would go out of the city to benefit other
cities because of competition in prices. The
writer thinks it always wrong to give other
cities trade that can be kept at home.
So much expended in that way
enriches another and impoverishes home.
The interest upon million would be forty
thousand dollars. With one half an eye be-
hold the increase of wealth by increase of
property and by the increasing of wealthy
people. That amount of interest would not
be felt. Another consideration is a city
never dies. individuals do sometimes die,
and when a man dies who has opposed pub
lie Improvement, however small, the results
of his opposition do not die, but are visible in
the streets which have been shut off by his
building or made crooked to accommodate
his special property. For one 1 would advo-
vate all the parks-the seaside, the Rock
Park, the old Fort Wooster, the Burwell
Hill. From either can be seen view such
as is hard to surpass.
ANOTHER Town Bonn.