The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-07-05
THE HUB OF The UNIVERSE.
A Letter From Col. Whitley How SOjOurnin
Among the Bean Eaters.

EDITOR NEWS:-The city or IL is
sometimes called, is distinguished
Boston, or the hub of the universe, as
for Its refinement and the patriotic
spirit of its citizens. 1t is built upon a
succession of elevations of command
ing prospect facing the ocean. 1t
stands with unsurpassed loneliness
and presents attractions of artistic
worth and natural scenery that can
scarcely be excelled by any other large
city of the world. 1t is also distin-
guished largely for its culture, its
wealth and it's philanthrOpic advance
ment in the modern institutions,
its leadership in patriotism |
and love of human equality. 1t was
here the first stand for American lib |
erty was m ade and the shot fired that |
was heard around the world. Numer-
GUS statues and a lofty shaft OF granite |
commemorate the deeds and mark the |
had it's birth and received its bloody |
baptism. The founders of this Athens
of America, it is safe to say, little |
dreamed of its future growth and
greatness. It was not laid out with
streets and alleys like other cities,
but bears the appearance and
justifies the assertion that has often
been made that it was built on cow
paths, and pretty crooked ones at that.
As time grew on apace and more build
ingS were demanded, new additions
were hitched on but with no attempt to
match the original streets. The final
result has been the production OF the
crookedest, wealthiest, most crowded
net work of mysterious streets and
allies in the known world. A stran-
ger, it is said, sallying out from his
hotel in the morning to go to particu-
lar place after having had the dlrec-
tion pointed out to him might travel
all day on his course apparently, pass
within fifty yards of the place he
sought and possibly fetch up at night
at the very hotel he started from in the
morning. He could scarcely realize
the fact that he had been travelling in
zig gag circular direction and per-
hapS doubled his place of destination
dozen times during the day. The
streets as we'll as the sidewalks of
greater part of the city are narrow, the
| former elegantly and substantially
paved, the latter winding along the
| fronts of the massive walls of buildings
built mostly of rock and iron that were
erected almost regardless of cost and
| to Withstand the destroying hand of
largest retail dry goods houses in the
| United States if not in the world,
where everything from hair-pins to the
costliest fabric of personal and house
| hold wear can be found. The contents
of the great store houses of Jordan q
Marsh and r. H. White 81 Co., could
| scarcely be scrutinized by one person
in life time. For imported and
manufactured goods of almost every
description Boston is without rival
with the exception of New York,
| which possibly eXcelS in imported ar
| ticleS of trade and commerce. On ac-
count of crooked and narrow streets,
| facilities for ingreSS and egreSS as well
as passage through the city is consid,,
hustle of the active life of Bostonians
a stranger becomes greatly impressed.
The matchless rapidity with which
pedestrians manage to pass each other
| at a Looping gait along the sidewalks,
across the streets and between the end
less thrOngs of wagons and carriages is
indeed surprising. Long lines of street
cars crowded with people are constant
ly meandering the streets in all direc-
tions. One is reminded of nothing else
to compare with sight of Boston in
the busy portion of the day unless he
could imagine million flies buZZing in
fruit jar. How people manage to
dodge each other without q collision
seems a mystery, to a plodding country
man it looks impossible. The street
cars form great feature of Boston
life. They furnish ready means of
conveyance along nearly every street
and avenue within radius of fifteen
miles, and afford facilities for the
transportation of not less than a mil
lion people who live within that cir
conference. There is about 5000 of
these cars in use, requiring for their
lOcomotiOn sc, 600 horses. and the en-
ployment of nearly 10000 men. The
roads have recently all been CONSOLE
dated and are now under the manage
ment of one company and it does not
seem to be very dangerous monopoly
either, as it is possible to ride a dis
tance of fifteen miles for a single
: nickel. 1t is cheaper to ride than to
walk at the price of sole leather,
What Boston lacks in some things
she can easily make up in others
her people like those of all large cities
In a measure lose their sentimental
! attachments for each other and be
come absorbed in the cares of business
/, and the never ceaSing pageant Of city
life as it is presented, fashionable follies
on the one hand and the rugged re-
! alities of beggar life on the other
E~The thief, the defaufter and the di-
/
each other on the crowded streets Meth.
) or knowing or caring for the other. A
piece Of Grape upon the door knob of a
. next door neighbor frequently indi-
Gates that only brick wall separates
the joyous and ight-hearted from
those who are bowed down with deer
sorrow. They liYe so near and yet SC
far away from each other that their
joys and miSfOrtuneS fail to enlist the
Il Of tn
neighbors. 1t is said there is slight
tendency towards British Snobbery IN
Boston life. But the greater portion
of the wealthy citizens wear plain
clothes and are devoid of affectatiOn
in their manners. Those that part
their hair In the middle, wear eye
glasses and travel with poodle dogs
/ are largely in the minority.
The old BoStonianS are many of them
of English origin and the city was for
years looked upon as an energetic
provincial town. Many of the old citi-
zens acquired fortunes before it be-
came cosmopolitan in its ways and
metropolitan in its numbers. In these
early years the city was under the rule
and guidance Of what is now known as
the biue-bloOded aristocratic portion Of
! the population, and at a time when the
Protestant religion in its sterneSt form
was administered with puTitanical
force. But religious and social reyo-
luton has since taken place. Immi-
grafton has produced a division Of
creeds. Catholicy has grown to be a
power and has become source of NO
little concern to the Protestant ele-
ment, and many whose fathers were
leaders in the affairs in the ancient
town sigh for the good old days gone
by before the Irish filed the municipal
offices and became the rulers OF the
city. But regrets are vain. These in
cOngruous elements can never be
melted into one. There is a sub-strata
of disaffection among PrOtestants that