Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-07-28

and such it might have remained to
this day had not Wolfe, one dark .night
in September, 1859, scaled the heights
OF Quebec, and on the plains of Abra-
ham changed the fate of North Ameri-
ca: The surrender of Detroit soon
followed the conquest of Quebec; and
then 1t became an English town, and
the western headquarters of the British
power in America. It so remained
the extreme outpost of Western civili-
zatlon-untl July II, 1896, when. in
pursuance of the peace of 1888, it was
quietly transferred to the United States.
Thus we see that Detroit has had a
a unique history. Three times has it
changed its nationality, and with each
change assumed totally different char
teristics. At first itawas French, then
English, and last of all American, and
in the present town may be seen a
curious blending of the traits of these
various people.
The old French habitant and the
courtly English resident have long
slumbered in their graves, but the close
observer will detect that their spirits
still walk abroad, and perambulate its
streets arm in arm with the irrepress-
ible Yankee, who in his seven-leaguc
boots is nov striding across the CONT
nent. Brother Jonathan has every
where the ASTONISHING energy which, in
wellnigh a single day, raised Chica 90
from its ashes; but here he has been
held in check by those old worthless,
who have now and then whispered in
his ear the fable of the hare and the
tortoise. This accounts for the fact
that Detroit is to-day a curious COM
pound of modern progress and old
time conservatism-ac city of vast enter
prises, but enterprises based on a
broad, substanstial, and enduring
basis.
In the summer of 1925 cannon plant
ed at intervals along the line of the
Erie Canal, all the way from Albany
to Buffalo, announced that Clinton's
great work was completed. and the
West married to the East by a bond
that is indissoluble. Its gates were no
sooner opened than a tide, of emigra-
ton set through them westward.
Soon all over New England and cas-
:ern New York whole families, and in
some instances whole hamlets, were
on the move, and such an exodus fol-
lowed as never was seen except when
the 1sraelites came up out of Egypt,
and the Kalmucks fled across the
steppes of Asia. At one time it seemed
that rural New England would be de-
populated. Its best and youngest
blood joined in the exodus; and to this
fact may be traced the high character
and wonderful enterprise of the West
OF to-day. The first wave rested for a
while in western New York, and then
the gathering tide swept gradually
westward along the lakes and the Ohio.
and finally, in 1880, it touched the
shores of Michigan, Then for the first
time Detroit became in reality an Am
erican town.
It the beginning of 1880 Detroit
numbered 1922 people; that is, it stood
precisely where it was in 1905; and
this during a quarter of a century
when tho population of the country
generally had increased IN ratio
altogether unparalleled in history.
But now the old town began to feel
the general impetus. 1t increased
fonrfold in the next ten years and
thus it has gone on ever since, doub-
ling almost every decade, till now it
numbers, with its suburbs, fully 2OO,-
0C0 souls.
The slow-paced conservatism of its
old-time residents is still seen ir the
modern city ; but it is now 50 welded
to Yankee enterprise that we meet
here an almost ideal community, gafc
but progressive, not cngrossed in mere
moncy-gettjng, but cultivating ~ well
the social amenities of life, and cx-
tracing from existence, as it passes,
healthful and rational enjoyment,
In proportion to it's size, Detroit has
smaller foreign population than any
city in the Union, and as the bulk OF its
people are of Eastern birth or extrac-
ton, it is to-day more truly New Eng
land in har.l ter than the good towr
of Boston itself. In no sense is it a
Western town. In 1880 the numerical
center of the Union was found to be
ffty-@ight mi cs west of Cincinnati.
With the speed at which population is
now trave ing w. stward, Detroit will
soon be tn cntral city of the tountry.
-EDMUsD K1RKE, in, Harper's Mug
aziue for august.
Bird Notes.
The latest curiosities in natural his
tory captured by California hunters
are white beaver, white deer, and
a white mud hen.
On Chestnut Ridge, Mt. Pleasant,
Pa, a pheasant was shot whose
feathers were of the purcst white. cx-
cepting a few brown feathers in the
wings and tail.
The London Field tells of raven