The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-08-01
A WEEK IN NEW YORK.
BY A LoNDoNER.

worthy American to me, as we sat tog eth
 CT on the deck ot a great Atlantic steam CT. Well, sir" Ireplied, "I am going to your great country with firm convic- tisn that shall see in it much to like and to admire"
 It was with such feelings that landed only few weeks ago in this great com mercial metropolis. Eight days trans ported me from the din and hustle of the Strand in London to the rumble and clat. ter of Broadway in New York. My first impression upon landing was that this great people is very much gwen to swear ing. By this do not mean that as community the New Workers live in per petual violation of the third command men., but that the utility of an oath is still believed in. The pertinency of this remark will be the more evident when it remem bered that the importance of an oath in MT .Bradlaugh's case has occu. pied several nights of parliamentary dis cussion in our English house of com mons But how did swear m the cus- tom house of this great city land how heavily suffered when l would not swear! Twenty per cent. ad valorem on a bran new coat, because could not swear that had ever worn it or intended to wear itl Sixty per cent. on piece of silk, because could not swear for whom ] intended it. Twenty per cent. on nice library of new books, because l coul not swear that they had been in my posses sion for a year! We were large com pany at the custom house on that day, and from all parts of the great hall the word {" swear !" seemed to rise in sepul- chral tones as if from the ghost of Ham, let's father. "Hic ct ubique." Still the voice came-not ftom ethereal beings be. heath the stage, but from lusty custom house officers intent upon their lawful ex- actions. Having paid my bill (without swearipg) got into a cab-a large black lumberng conveyance, just like our mourning coaches in England-a and drove of to my hotel. My second impression of your great city, as "they rattled my bones over the stones," was the rough ness of your streets. Citizens of New York, it is not malaria you suffer from :; it is disordered liver and the turbulent upheavings of the streets of your great city are the cause o it. Thousands of bottles of kaskine will not cure you Nothing but asphalt or wooden blocks will.
 was fortunate as to the time of arrival, for the day following was Decoration day l witnessed the military procession from my hotel window. It was truly grand sight. The whole history of the great struggle was revived, and remembered with degree of shame that in those days the sympathies of England seemed strangely misplaced. But let it all be forgotten now. have an eye to a sol. dier, having lived for twenty years in a large military station, and can truly say have never seen 6ner-indeed, as fine "a regiment as your seventh, which marched down on the morning of Deco ration day. Their military bearing was all the more evident as it contrasted with the unsteady step of the veterans of the grand army, who had served their coun- try at the call of duty amidst the horrors of war, when soldering was stern ne- cessily rather than fashionable recrea- tion. Fired with enthusl slasm for the stars and stripes, went in the evening to the Academy of Music, and felt every inch an American citizen. was surprised 10 hnd the building was not so crowded Gall of the papers sad it was) The mayor of New York presided and President Cleve- land was present. was there under the impression that it was great national demonstration, but have since been told that 1t hardly partook of that character. l am glad of it, for there were peculiari- ties in the programme which seemed to make 1t unworthy of the solemn occasion of memorial day as well as of great nation of intelligence and culture. The proceedings were opened with prayer, and after an introductory address by General McMahon and another by Mayor Grace, an oration was delivered by the Hon. William Nj Evarts. The last pub ilc speech heard in the old country was Gladstone great speech on the Russian question. The first public orstion I heard in the new country was one by Mir Evarts. believe the striking point of similarity between these two great orators Is Hot imaginary on my part. Judging from Mir. Evarts' speech on this occa- sion, should say he may we'll claim a place in the front rank of orators in the English language. His style of delivery, ms choice of language the length of his perlods and the pathos of his utterances, are very similar indeed to those of Mir Gladstone was surprised to find that no New York paper took the trouble to give a verbatim report of his speech. Hadit been deiivers d in London, It would have been fully reported in SIX morning papers. MT Evarts' remarks on the duty Of a nation to extend Its rewards and pe.- saons to its v Arnors with no niggard hand deserve permanent record. But now comes a strange anachronism in the events of that evening, which cannot Tor the very life of me understand. Alter the stirring strains of |" B4yade1e," after the solemn prayer by Dr. P4xion, and the eloquent and chas,e oration of Mir. EvArss, we-the president of the United States, the gallant generals of the Grand Army, the learned divines, the mayor ot New York, the stranger from London, and the very dlstins ulshed audience were entertained by re-itauons yell sone admlt) oy a pretty actress, and
 naughty little girl" Such a combina-