Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1889-05-07
NUMBER 10.
EAST AND WEST COMPARED.

IA. ". roarFec. In Chicago Inter ocean.
With that curious defiance of proha-
hillties which seems to fall Go the loi Of
no one else 40 frequently NJ to the public
lecturer. the by-tander has lately been
compelled to take one of those sudden
leap. across the country which better
than ANYTHING el.e show not merely H.
extent. hut the Varie,l character of L.
people. Aftei a month In the North
west. b. was suddenly transplanied 60
New England Mlnnes0ta Ia Yer
mont. FROM the brown-ribl,c'l amphiihea-
trr Ia which Duluth I. seated to the clns-
tering hills that Oyerlie the quarries ~
l.uiland. Climaiically the change Wa
not very grrat. Ile Slipped out q ih"
superior region just ~ the cold wave
wa. comlng In, aud reached the rrrcn
Mountain. ju.i ~ u va. going oui. Hut
the change In the surrounding. Wa
handy L.. Noticeable than the contrast
IN the peoples. They arr of the same
stock. shaped hy the same inhusncr-, In
.pir,sl hy The same Ideas. many of thsm
rrarsl In tle same New England home
-tead- bat somehow The gr'at West las
gotten hold ~ the one life. and The
bright. busy. psiulant. fault-hnding last
has held u. grip on the oiher. That J.
al therr l. ~ u. Perhaps the most
phlo.ophic analysi. would iail a. define
the difference. yet the Cgllsst bain can
not fail a. note u.
which 3. the l.stterf II would D. hard
to tell. The life of the Wet J. undouht-
cdly stronger and bol,ler than that from
which IL sprung. One begins 10 UNDER
Ns.afrE
thsui. some uf tllr reasons las the Nr.t
d. coming more and mor io dominate
not merely our national policy, bat oar
Intellectual life. Few men achieve dls-
tinguished succcs. Ia any line ~ thought
except perhaps the mere detail ~ scien-
title elaboration. Who have not felt ".
touch and gathered Inspiration from IT,
impulses. IN t. business enterprises u
l. impatient of restraint th. East u
hesitant a. to change. Socially aud po-
liiically II Z. apt to cut the knots u fnds
In its way rather than wait a. undo
them. II welcomes the stranger, paying
little heed to hi. birth place or origin;
carrlc.. whether be- !. friend or Zoe;
giving every one chance and Judging
him by future results, rather than past
delinquencies.
The East. ON the other hand, J. cool,
keen. shrvWd. .elf-complacent, and sus-
piciou.. anXiou. about little thing
careful ~ appearances o.. easily shock
ed by an M word as by an evil deed
eanest and sincere when one has broken
through the crust: counting the West
rough because u :. big aud careless of
display. given Ia gossip aud disparag,-
ment II other- bat un.hrinking in u At
tachment a. What II once accepts a. the
truth. Dcar self-ahsorhel and .clf-cum-
placrnt New England. how little Il aI'-
prcrhte. The great West which has
sprung frum II. loin.' How .taunch anil
how true IL TO the principles " ac-
cents How blind 90 u. own faults and
how ,li,e to those of othsr-' How Kind
90 H. enemies and how splteful to
M. friends, How provincial 90 e.tccm
the great hnwny- y-limbcd giant ~ The ac-
ridsnt Who trnmples ruthle.sly through
IL. boX-cdgrd. intellectual garden plai..
while Il draws about itself more and
more closely the mantle ~ insulariiy.
Perlap. nothing mark. thi. distinction
more clearly than the gO.sipy character
~ the New England pr'... Not only are
chronicled with the minutest care, but
the rra,ler !. treated to circumsianinl
account of what the ncighhors think ~
h. Indeed. its news ]. quite a. often the
gossip of the neighborhood-what y w.
and 4 may have aid about an cyeni-a-
~. chronicling of the event it.elf. " b.
thi. fact ~iich givc- such a curiou.
nrlghhorhood feeling tp most ot the
New England pres. lherr ]. n0 failure
to rscori the world. doing no one can
accuse them ~ a lack of enterpri.e-hut
somehow one feel. a. II they werr eater
Ing 10 readers affected with q .ort ~ in-
trlle,tual myopia-p"uplr % whom
thing. near at hand stand out With great
~ PROMINENCE than 40 The Nes' aud
their ncighb0r'. opinion in regard tn an
event q. of about as much Importance n-
the event lt.clf.
Thls difference l. not unftly repre-
.ente,l by The legislation of the two
regions. The we.t l. fond of doing h..
work hy Wholesale. n strike. right AMI
left at What u conceiyes 60 h. public
wrongs. Sometimes it hit them and
sometime. II misses. Very often when
u has secured Wise and Wholesome legis
latiOn II l. too careless or tOo busy 90
enforce Il. II patroniIe- private detect
iyc.. shuIg. L. shoulder. at White
Cap yiolencr. aud offer lodgment 90
anarchists. The East I. more careful in
little things. II legi.late- f"r each town
and .chool district; looks after u. own
tnmps and H.. own pauper., aud put
morr reliance on keeping the old ma
chincry we'll oiled than 0n new patterns
and radical improvements. All th"
grrat changes in our Law of recent
year. have come from the West. The
principle evolved la the elevator cases,
which undcrlie. all state or national
control of railway. aud other insiitu-
ton. affected by publicuse, Nas The
outcome of that fearless strength which
cut. through form and de.pl-e. tradition
to accomplish H.. purpose.