Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1885-07-03

cigars week. The men are und6rsized,
weak and effeminate, and given to gam.
bling, cock fighting and fiibustering.
The women are passably good-looking,
given to obesity, high heels, lace shawls
and face powder. Men and women
smoke necessarily and chatter continu
ally. They crowd together and subsist
on oil, coffee, pork and bananas.
"The Conks are big, hardy and phe-
nomenally ignorant. They have the
cockney sticking out all over them,
drop the "h" where needed and clap il
on where it is not needed, talk OF
"yeeds," "vimmen" and "winegar,
and live on fish and hominy. The
Conks are spongers, fishers and wreck
ers.
The colored folks driye the dravs and
hacks, act as porters and stevedores and
do the bulk Of the heavy sitting around.
Every takes turn at tho latter
work, however, and the whole commu-
nifty offers to the historian the most
striking example Of people born tired.
1t is an edifying spectacle to Northern
eyes to see native Of Key West going
on an errand or doing piece of work.
Usually he moves like a snail. If you
are not particular, you can live for IS
cents week. A stick of sugar cane
costs only cents, bananas and oranges
can be hooked from the auctioneers,
hominy is cheap. and a string of fish
can be caught from any wharf. For
shelter there is little need, save to keep
off the rain, and it needs not a house to
do that. What country for tramp!
What climate for the poor.
In keeping with the prevailing lack
of enterprise, the accommodations for
visitors are meager. Two private board
ing houses and one hotel is the sum to-
tai. Pick up any travellers guide, tour
lists hand book or railroad advertisement
and search for Key West, and you will
search in vain. With q larger popula-
ton than any city in Florida, and great
er capabilities for being made pleas
ure resort and sanitarium than any
city in the Union, it remains an I'M
known land. There are signs, however,
of an awakening. Within two months
the city will be lighted with gas and Il
street railroad will be in operation.
There is even talk of new and large
hotel, to be built this summer, and of
increased mail facilities. At present
there is q semi-weekly mail service
by steamar, connecting at Tampa
with tho Florida Southern Railway.
The service is of the most exasp Grating
description. Supposed to arrive on
Wednesday and Saturday of each week
at 5 p. M, the mails are frequently ten
hours and sometimes an entire day be-
hind hand, Even then the bag ofnews-
papers or the registered pouch may
have been forgotten. Such state OF
| affairs in any other city Of $4,000 in
habitants--even in Dakota village OF
| l, 400-would result in mutiny or a
petition to Congress, but here it is
taken with lazy indifference. With the
advent Of Northern capital and enter
prise this key might be converted into
a famous resort. The people here will
never bestir themselves. They must
be boosted into fame. The place needs
several first class hotels, road around
the island, sidewalks and plenty OF
| trees.
In the way of amusements, the city
| is probably the dullest on the continent.
An average Of two theatrical troupes
per year, one Masonic hop, one Odd Eel
lows ditto and a Cuban dance every
month, all SHINY patronized, are the at
fractions In religion and all things re-
ligious q most absorbing enterest is
taken by high and low, and for the ma
| jority it is at once occupation and recre-
| alton. The colored folks have their re-
vivals, and they are most astonishing
| exhibitions. The shouting singing, tear
| ing OF hair and rolling On the floor is
q spectacle for Northern eyes. The
| process of getting religion sometimes
consumes three days, during which the
| would~be convert literally sprawls on
the floor, fasting and praying. When
the religion comes, 1t is proclaimed by
shouts Of "Glory Glory!" and phenom-
email leaps in the air, while the congre-
cation sing aud shout hymns. Each
hymn has from fifty to q hundred ver-
SEES. The usual society topics relate to
who was converted. who left the Bap-
fists to Join the Methodists, or vice ver-
sa. There is great shutting around
among the churches and much discord
and gossip. The ministers preach to
enormous and enthusiastic congrega.
tions at stipends, varying from $40 te
! $50 month and house rent
Wrecks and the weather are the re-.
naming topics. No newspapers OF
books are read. Nothing is known Of
what is going on in the outer
world, and nobody cares. Except gam
bling, crime is almost unknown. The
people are quiet, peaceful, lazy, relig-
J ious, ignorant and blissfuily content.