The Republican journal., 1884-08-14

From the bottom of my heart pity these
Plymouth people. They live on the pilgrims.
1t Is pilgrim three times day. and pilgrim
lunch between meals Every one who CONES
here. comes for the express purpose of boring
the Inhabitants for information and when
native sees stranger approaching, his face at
once assumes a sad expression, for he knows
that he will be pumped dry on This pilgrim
business before he is let alone. | had this
matter brought TO my notice in this way
Like Il gond newspaper man | was interviews
ing citizen. | asked him the size of Ply
mouth; about her manufactures and railroads,
and about business generally. | enquired
about politics and how the State was going III
November. We even exchanged a story or
two. When | began to talk with him he look
td Ike hlred mourn"r at i funeral. but after
we had conVersed awhile he seemed 0 brighten
up, and before we parted he was actually hiIari-
Gus. l never shall forget our parting. lie
asked my name and residence and noted it
down, and spelled it over to me, to see that he
had il all right. He was greatly surprised that
| had never been here betore-in fact. could
hardly believe me. said he, - Look here, YOU
say you never We're in Plymouth before. Now
we have been talking about an hour and III
be hanged If you said pilgrim or aytloWer'
once. I've lived here sixty Years, and YOU are
the first stranger who ever talked to me about
anything but relies and pilgrims, and May
flower, and rocks and Miles Standish.' and
all that kind OF stun. You can never know
how have enjoyed this hour. 1t is am oasis
in my sad life. | know YOU are from Maine
and I'm almost afraid to ask if you will
What. YOU will: Wen, lets 60 in here. |
guess we can make a raise and linking his
arm i'll mine we stepped in, and never to nv
dying day shall forget now much that man
appeared to enjoy our chat.
Plymouth is a prohibition town | believe
and as is usually the case in such places. the
bar is down in the basement, in small ro0m
1t seems like home to IA Maine man to Get into
little bar-room not large enough to allow YOU
to swing cat around by the tail.
Another Of the Sights about here is DuX-
bury. the place where the Atlantic cable lands
This. believe, WAS the first cable that could
speak French. You can also see Clark's Island.
the place where the pilgrims spent Sunday. be-
fore they landed Monday. After being cooped
up in the Maytlower with l20 pilgrims during
the voyage across the Atlantic. it mast have
been il real treat to 90 on shore in Dtcember
and sit in a snow bank and listen to one of
those old-fashioned, red-hot sermons, such rs
only those old preachers knew how to deliver.
The historic and ancient part of Plymouth
Is very interesting to those who love antiquity
and old things, but for myself, prefer fresh
doughnut to one fried last week. Consequent
ly, to me, the most interesting feature here is
the Plymouth monument. II is placed on the
top of high hill, overlooking the bay. The
society have obtained nine acres of land, which
they Will make into park, though at present
1t is in rough state. The monument is built
of granite. aud is Maine structure. as the
base was contracted for by the Bodwell Go of
Rockland. and the Statuary by the Hallowell
Co. The picture of the monument is familiar
to most everybody. One of my earliest recol-
lections Is of an agent calling on my mother.
soliciting dollar to put into that monument in
exchange for a picture of it. But at that time
think she was using her extra dollar to get
pies to put into me. Our family never did take
kindly to monuments. OUR GEORGE