Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-12-03
Eastern Proyincialisms.

Californians have sometimes been puz.
Zled to account for the curious mental
contraction that strikes every observer of
life and thought OH the Atlantic coast.
There are cities there, any one of which
has more people, more factories, more
porkpackers and more money than all of
ours put together, and yet, in many re-
.spects, they are simply provincial towns,
of uncomfortable size.
Of course, place like New York must
have many metropolitan features. AS the
center of the American publishing trade,
it collects literature. 1t has daily news
papers-good in our estimation, great
in the opinion of their SUBJ
scribers, and superlatively grand in
that of their editors. Its comic journals,
like Puck and the Nation, are sometimes
exceedingly entertaining; its preachers
are often spicy, and its theatres attract
all the wandering stars. But all this is
not enough to make metropolis. In the
mental atmosphere of a place, in the re-
captivity and sympathetic breadth of the
people, is truer test of its growth out of
rural limitations. When a mans ideas
are bounded by the circle of his daily
rides, when he looks down upon the inf
nitely varied world beyond with the
supercilious contempt Of ignorance, that
man, whether he live in New York, or
London, or Paris, is provincial. The
Roman or Athenian could shut himself in
his city and call outsiders barbariars, but !
in these days the earth is too closely built
to he overawed or ignored by any group
of houses. Once the metropolitan spirit |
could be gained by living in great cap
ital (; now, in the mighty tide OF human
life, any single capital is as insignificant
as Pitcairn's Island, lost in the wastes of
the Pacific.
The honest dWeller in the valleys of
asks the tourist if the war
IS over yet in America, and if we have
here. On his mental map,
t he has progressed SO far as to form one,
Cumberland is the central mass. with
England as a narrow border around it
md the rest OF the world fraying out in
light fringe. That is the provincial spirit,
md it is prevalent in New York, as we'll
IS among the English peasantry. The
,eople OF the East have intimate rela-
ions with Europe, but the rest of the
World is to most Of them merely name.
has marched backward
round the earth, keeping its eyes fixed
N the region it has left. England looks l
the European continent and
,nores America, the Eastern States !
'ok at England and ignore the West.
It last the circle is completed, and Cali 1
ornla is the clasp that joins it. We can :
. no further without coming to the lands
here civilization began. We can look
the whole world, and see things in
lelr true perspective. Instead of con-
ming our thoughts to New York, London
ID Paris, we realize the existence of i
STA, Africa and Australia. San Fran
SEQ IS the chosen haunt of the globe
otter. The atmosphere reeks with his n
.sslp, from Yakoutsk and Cape Town.
e have comparatively few men
no were born here, and none
40 were brought up in ruts of pref
lice worn by the plodding of successive 4
neratlons. The intermingling of I
ople accustomed to other conditions
eserves US from the follies that beset -.
ose more narrowly trained. AS the q
nlster's son, finding that the devil is q
SO black as he is painted, adopts him =
his most intimate friend, so the bow II
'ustomed to the local prejudice of an 4
stern town, falls an easy victim tn =
glomania when the greatness of En-
nd begins to dawn upon him. That
ease has never ravaged this coast; the
giomaniac With us is rare and harm
8 curiosity. u
ms a, catholicity of view, enabling US to TIL
things In their true proportions, makes
francisco the most-humored, toler- TIL
town in the world Our streets are
wretched condition, but although we =,
mble, there is no bitterness of feeling. INT
hardly take such things seriously. III,
besides, we feel sense of proprie. A'
MP IN the streets of Paris and Berlin
re is every variety of opinion here on The
ry subject but the Chinese question
even ON so vital a matter as that
e would be no attempt to suppress an
opular sentiment, if it existed. Tn pl
d we may cite the fact that the Ouer- ing
Monthty has really discovered q Thu
VINO believes in Chinese immiora- ~
, and has printed an article from him nv
there Is the further fact that LAWYERS w
take tees to break down the Resfric-
act still practice with impunity. The NJ,
treatment that the Chinese them. Hi
Is s, nave received, and still receive. in oIo
FRANCISCO under provocation that
d cause a frightful massacre in anv
ern city, is sufficient proof that there ~
re none OF the warping influence of IA
wv training. But we are not selfish.
nave no desire to monopolize orr
qualities. AS the East first oava
eaton to us, we shall make if onr MON
on to give sweetness and liehtn to
'ast.-S. z. Post, Nor. 80. -