New-York tribune., 1889-10-17
OLD NEW W-ENGLAND.
RURALITIES RAvAGED AND RUINED BY THE
CITYMARD TIDE.

|
Donald C. Mitchell IN sciibnfr's Magazine.
The present aspects Of the small farming towns Of
| interior New England not inviting; their wild, I'M
| k"mpt, overwd highways show a. much or more
IT savagcry than fifty years ago; their outlying school
houses bll-hcd and dWaricd by the OVcrgrOwth OF
bigger school, beyond their borders Only week. since
had occasion 10 visit such farming town OF interior
Connecticut: The old stage coach. which every other
| day used rumble along the highway with It's load
shambing carry all that oiled over The hills 70 the
| nearest railroad station; the turnpike ahaEdoncd
| rs thrce Itlc mills. on as many different streams
which ground the corn and turned Chestnut logs Ht9
| sheethug and shingles all dcarird md removed,
and the pckerrl pools above their brocu Inns turned
| INTO quaCmr's. OVorgrOWn win riSlnt caltal'N
no bread made in all the township except from stuuS
! brought over 1000 miles OF W9n way Ol us L"o
churches, abandoned, and gwen over TO onei
forty years aco-twOfod moT than eighty years since
and upon most pasture hills fresh io.cs! grown
-tmIS on Oh woodlands -,hoWLg IooI u"lN ~ Itu ,
road ties: but owing 10 bad toned ipals, an!
costs OF labor, such timber land was worth les. an
halt century ago. couht,a no ie.s lhtn SlNnnj n
cumhling chlmncys-m8Ss"~ uf ruin over which Wlld
Inhabited. mouse colored wood m,cS win tuer laDlI
ing heailolk and group, % clildlen-frdhE work
bettec houses we're rusty, but IN farh con III on-yet
In only three instances out of twelve whore inquiry
was made, were these occupied by sons or heirs oi
previous holders. Koads:des and d'oryardS We're
more neglected than Of old; little gain perhaps IN
the character Of the stock; traces of new blood
here and thcre in sheep and cattle implements better;
mowers cutvatOrs. and hay-tcddcrs working an
labor but cCOOrriing gam IN Wc!gh'
OF crops, or IN nicely OF tllagf' none III leceS, O.,-
buildings, a1orTmcns. Here and thcre there was
some stragcly outburSt Of new Hover, poSSiDise
toss over front fence OF the great plnmcS OF an
IIydrancea Paniculaa, or in shaved circle OF grass
weak group Of spotted japanese llc' grave yafIS,
public and private, unFcmQt brlaf-6lOWn, Whue suIe
were fallen into beastly keeping upon me whoe'
such sights gave sense Of wearncSs-cQt a i1le;;
odOrcss una:ractive region, whose day or bloom anu
largo fruagc had irrcparably gone: one ielt con
vicllon that the and daughters Of the few NONE
,tcals which still showed the cOnSccrding cares OF
good motherhood and Of q stalwart huSbandShp WOuI
wonder away tImeOusy.
There may seem reasonable cause for such seem;
ing decay in the fact that the village was stranded
far from railroad purcus but It chances that am
able 10 set beside It picture Of another lncr'r CoI
necticut township Of equal population ana larger
dignity. which, twenty five years ago, was uaiery'd
by the GORDON Of an iron road; there was m0r9 IN
Willingness of outlook here: smooth tllagc; no un
spotted with farm land>--showlng rural scenes which
Saving picturesque lines Hh c0untHrline, ot hcdg
Fnglaud Eut over all the vallcy-whch spread on
into quiet monotone of meadow. on which the VlIlaEe
lay-there hrooded a droWsy ar, utterl! uhIh| tuc
alert bustlng habit Of the townsfolk who lived ther
before tho middle of the century. Tllagc indeed had
Us Old rcachesno more, no loss the ShQrnahft an!
his shop gone-po mutled hammering at the lapStone
he cIaIier Of tbn cbalrmakcr whose stout were
hand made silcnccd; so, too, was thc NOISE o Ho
coorer, stepping and pounding round and round his
cask Even the village storc-Once one Of three-aGu
once beeamered by halfsore OF teams ~ conn ~
crsor rCr ae o tS od merchant of whom in my boydays
had bought tamarin1s for holiday treat was s'Mel'
. in flannel ann & & ed. Of the srs% town u Kod been
through by tbe rail- and garden where hal
gathered currants h years abundance was now
part OF the ont grounds Of dreaIy saIIom or Wa
twice day the train train 9t bcg TFe Connty Judy
who presided the garden was so long ae, aeau uui
his stately presence hah lfa%d il0 oD an had drtfied
away 10 make stamp Of their lncisiVe qudHtIes III |
bigger and far.away places too large for |
travel had been made over to private occupancg, S
stable precincts fenced about ard showing q1averlo
Z he
times been the homestead OF stalWaii ue Uli ,ftd
its lowceIled looms which One ehor d nraIsc were
now given over secular uses k.tor hat .to 80
had comr-In spell between the husnsS OF Du'lnsrd 'id
IN bavr look at the graves of his ancestor ni nuir
IN tbe cbrcbyari: h. was a fine bumptous, bouncing
tyno ~ Western asscrtlveuess and tcmpcsu0uS aIa-
fity. utterly at odd-as he told me with mlch uIno. %
ness of spcechTh the ;IeeRbs 81 saT his T BART he must be
or at odds toO-pleasanuy-"lln, r ho LoI kindly
man he had met his Eastern Nisl,, Nv t oIds Win
tho sagacous horse, which had put hLeo nuIs % Of his
drive; at odds with the ctrgt re"I5ents' Deacon
ri ana Deacon that: roping me In ana Sh1N,h Tp
ms ana pSaoVa Gd of tbr Old geneman's chat win
our upon the Isoo .nyc U ami pcut and commanding
me TO his cooqual and antquarian g%oc & contrast he
There could not have I rminant and passive
but well furnished in brains anu Iu a' rU;bine
New En- uglandcr gralicd OH M i.ir. trar on old
rrayo, and tben dash away to places that slu
with a sharper pointed life. and win mo'o "h'""'7
activities. la, eLirting rail |
roads not arrlculurally out at elbows-nder., ~ f.r
i,ccf toIJ of strong soil access was easy "N9 -
@ too cbar,nn,, I'm n, wavy urdulatons, gooG quo,'
Of venerable frees respectable roomy home. of
tered along the hills-yet TIE sharp lDlan' bern was
ife ,bero tftv wears ago utterly gone, urtc ~ |
nn pIomlsc OF young blood for Its renewal Ir @ 'T %
cvward is too strong Evcn the d0"oeriss a." Lo,,,c
t.rs who sim pcOpc some fine old country .uVV
redoIent of colonial memOlies-who SUI gua' ", Ec.n
matches OF fnc lilies and patch their iy saved
iLc oid vcstal lights worhily afame are o,iy r,eV
from rho fierce tides pouring cyward ann 'n, mo- by
tbenk trcir ctarS for II because not no1 Ssband
bonded tles 10 some lightweight hosam Oh H"''N