Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-16
FOND OF PITTSBURG.
Residents and Non-Residents Have
Always Liked Our City.
BETWEEN THE EAST AND WEST.
Frontier Hospitality Combined With the
Conservatism of Old Cities.
SKATING IN TIE PANHANDLE TUNNEL
WRITTEN FoR TIE pIsPATCH.l

burg?"
Sure enough why are they? 1 never
thought of the question until it was put to
me the other day, and found that to an
swer it by analysis was rather difficult
matter. There is mountain town in Cali
fornia concerning which the inhabitants say,
or used to say: eff you come once, you'll
come again; if you come again, you'll stay
| forever"
The saying could not be applied literally
to Pittsburg, but it could be made to fit
very well. Its people are very fond of it,
and their fondness keeps" through every
sort of weather. I have met old Smoky's
children in many far-away places-within
| sight of the Pacific Ocean, on the prairies of
! the Northwest, on the other side of Mason
and Di1on's line, in New York, in Phila-
delphia, where not?-and never one OF them
but had tender memories and loving words
| for the grimy parent left behind.
Some of them had gone aiar in pursuit of
the fugitive dollar we all pursue; and some
were in pursuit of the health which for
some of us is equally fugitive; but all had
the habit of looking toward the smoke-cloud
at the Ohio rivers starting place. Now
what is the charm?
For one thing, 'home is home, if it's a
hole in the ground" but that does not
| answer all the question. The spell has
taken strong possession of many people who
never lived in Pittsburg at ALL who have
only visited there from time to time, but
who have stayed long enough to be inocu-
lated with the subtle influence.
With these the taste has been acquired,
| like that for olives or tobacco. And it was
! very probably preceded by strong dislike.
For in the smoky days of old, Pittsburg was
not fascinating through first impressions. 1t
was rather discouraging than otherwise. The
darkness of it; the dinginess of it; the un-
comfortable sense of being constantly be-
grimed-all these served to make the final
triumph more wonderful; for they were very
dispiriting, and produced an impression
very hard to overcome.
And in wet weather, the mud Never,
anywhere else was there anything quite like
the old-time mud of Pittsburg. Not only
did it stick closer than any plaster ever in
vented, but when you finally got it off it
lett grease spots on the garments. The oil
of precipitated smoke combined with the
elements of street dirt to form a compound
which would have broken the heart of any
washer-woman not native to the place. Yet
in spite of all this strangers learned to like
Pittsburg.
OLD-TIME AFFECTION.
And it is curious fact that the warmest
manifestations of the affection spoken of
are for the city as it was when these condi-
tions preyailed-the time before natural gas
had done the work it was ordained to do.
1t was for the old city, not the new, that the
wandering citizens-yes, and many of the
citizens who have never wandered-speak
their words of love.
They all admire the new order of things
immensely; they are glad the new order has
come, and wax proud and boastful of their
city as it now is. But somehow thev say
the old feeling was different. 1t was more
intimate, more individual, more response
Bile, more afectionate. The people lived
closer together then. The individual was of
more account. The town was community,
and people knew each other and took in
terest in each others affairs.
Observe that the affection did not at all
depend upon tine smoke and the CRIME and
the mud. 1t existed in spite of them. No
body wants them back again. But they
were characteristic of the time when these
other and more subtle conditions prevailed;
and so will always be fondly associated
with the Pittsburg which won the affections
of the graybeards.
Well, there is this to consider in con-
nection with the graybeards the whole
world over. No swan OF to-day is so white
and graceful as was the gray waddlng
goose of their young time; no sunrise this
year will be half so radiant as the murkiest
sunrise was when they were 25 years
younger. They will not be quite comforted
because the present is not the past.
THE YOUTH OF TODAY.
But bless you! The youth of to-day will
talk about the Pittsburg of to-day in pre-
cisely the same manner quarter of a
century from now. So some allowance
must be made for this retrospective fond
ness. Also, little allowance must be
made for the inevitable penalty which
growing greatness has to pay - tine
penalty of being pushed and crowded
out Of the intimate relations which
belonged to its more modest and compact
period. And after all has been granted it
will be discovered that Pittsburgers still |
like Pittsburg pretty much in the old way.
And why not? The reasons for the liking
remain essentially the same. There are |
some new conditions to become used to, but |
they are outside and do not reach to the |
center of things.
At heart the old town is the same to-day |
that it was years ago. 1t can only change |
radically when the people change radically. |
They have not so changed as yet, and let US |
all hope they won't.
"Pittsburg is detestable, with its smoke |
and its dirt and its perpetual clatter of iron;
but the people here are delightful, and 1 |
like the placep' L heard an Eastern man |
say years ago, and have no doubt he would |
now leave "detestable" out of his verdict |
altogether.
He had answered the whole puzzling
oueston, The people gave flavor and |
quality to the place, Just as they do now,
and as they do always and everywhere. You
see Pittsburg has a rank and character
unique among American cities. 1t is the
beginning of the West for Eastern people,
and it is the beginning of the East for West
ern people. In reality it is the first West
ern city. The Allegheny Mountains set off
the East like a wall. Beyond them the
West begins.
PARTLY WESTERN AND PARTLY EASTERN
Of course human nature is the same at
heart everywhere; but it has different ways
Of manifesting itself. And the Eastern way
is not the Western way by very great
deal. Still there are things about the
Western way which Eastern people find
that they like when the chance is given
them. Now. don't suppose that Pitts
burgers ever suspect themselves of having
Western ways; but they have them never
theless In a very pleasant degree. That is
the great reason why they like each other so
much. The she'll on them is thin and of
small compass. not dense and all concealing.
They habitually reach out beyond it in all
directions, and very rarely encase them
selves in it armadillo fashion. The quail
ties of head and heart which they possess
they do not hesitate to show frankly. If