St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-27
GOSSIP OF The CITY.
Matters Which Are Discussed
on the Street Corners and
in the Hotels.
Dne Field for Reform Work
Not Yet Worked in the
Northwest.
Some Stories Told in the Ro-
tundas of the Leading
Hotels.
Incidents of Minneapolis Life
Noticed by Visitors to the
Flour City.

There is one field of reform which Is
not being worked very extensively by
the godly people of Minneapolis, and it
is one which demands more attention
than it has yet received. 1t is no other
than that branch of reform which in
cludes the keeping of watch over the
sort of literature which is sold on rail-
road trains. There are trains running
out of Minneapolis on which one can, if
SO disposed, purchase books which are a
disgrace to the very paper upon which
they are printed. Many of these books
have been suppressed by legal meas
ureS, but they are, nevertheless, still
published and sold on railroad trains. If
nowhere else. 1t seems that when one
leaves home for journey by rail all
sense of decency and religious feelings
left behind, Judging from the sort OF
literature dispensed on the trains.
A group of travelling men were gath
cred in the lobby of the Nicollet house
the other evening talking over the
towns which they had visited through
the Northwest, and commenting upon
some of the prominent characteristics
of the different places. Finally one
quiet little fellow, who had heretofore
said but few words, spoke up thus:
You fellows may all talk about the
towns of the Northwest, but the one
which stands alOne-Or, rather, leans
is Duluth. There's the town. But it
has one drawback. Those hills will
ever be an incubus upon the growth
and prosperity of the city. There is,
however, one way to Obviate that diff
Guilty, and intend that it shall make
me some money"
"How are you going to make money
out of it? You talk like child. Those
hills have always been there; they al.
ways will be, and you can't get around
it," broke in the little mans auditors.
YOU'RE wrong. I'm small, but Pve got a
big scheme here. This is what Ill do:
I'll build tenement blocks in Duluth
that will eclipse anything you ever
heard of. I'll have them fronting on
the lake, as high as the surrounding
hills, and built right up against the hill
all the way back. Then, you see, even
though family lives in the top story,
it will still be on the ground floor, for
the members of 1t step out of the back
door onto the ground without even
descending a step. You see that will
do away with the objection to living on
the top floor. Oh! it's great scheme,
and l've secured the mon" but his
hearers had fed.
=
They were standing about in the ro-
tunda of the West discussing political
speeches, and the funny breaks which
they had heard made by speakers when
politics were under consideration. AT
length quiet gentleman from North
DakOta-if such an anamoly as quiet
gentleman from North Dakota can be
imagined-begged leave to relate an in
cident.
at was up in my county," said he
awe were electing delegates to the
Grand Forks convention. The body
had decided that no delegates should be
sent to Grand Forks who would not
pledge themselves to support prohibi-
zion, and to oppose the lottery. Several
speeches were, of course, made, butOne
was "a lulu This would-be delegate
i will not give his name-arose and
said: Gentlemen, my position in this
matter is we'll known. | am recognized
in this community as a man who will
Iavor no sort Of unjust measure, and l
give my solemn word of honor as gen.
tleman that if you send me to that con-
VentiOn | will always oppose not only
ne liquor traffic and the lottery, but
all other kinds of Immortality He re-
ceived ali of the applause"
i
THAT reminds me-" said another Da-
kOta man, "of a convention held up at
Glendale, when nomination was be-
ing made for commissioner. One in
dividual, who held his head very high
and who posed as one of the solid men
of the town, felt called upon to say a
IL anih In &c Anll
You. gentlemen. that you want man
of brains for this position. You want d
scholar for commissioner. You want a
man of learning and of intellect. You
want a man who thoroughly under
stands figures and bookkeeping. You
want man for commissioner who can
20 over the accounts of this county and
discern at a glance if any errors or in
accuracles have crept into them. For 1
tell you, gentlemen, as sure as you
elect a man combines not these quail
fcation, you will one day have in this
county gigantic embuZZlement.'
Minneapolis has had one week of
grand opera and the theater has been
packed at every performance. The pub
lie has crowded past the doors of the
Grand until on one or two occasions the
hauled out Of the lumber room and dis
PLAYED III the entrance. The success
with which the Hess company has met
in this city is most fiatterng. But to
what is the success of the company due?
In the words of well-knOWn local mu-
Sician who would be accused of lack of
patriotism were his name given: The
big houses which the Grand has en-
joyed has not been wholly because the
Minneapolis people are lovers of grand
music. They have crowded to the
Grand during the past week out of curl
OSity, in great measure. They have
been told that the Hess compe Wy is COM
posed of great Artists, as course
because it is the thing Summer
opera is a good deal of fad. l venture
to say that not one-half the people who
have been at the Grand during the
week have really enjoyed the operas as
they would have you believe, were you
to talk with them. They go up there,
sit through the SHOW as they call it,
applaud vociferously and go away salts.
fed. The prices are conveniently low,
and it doesn't cost them much to pose as
music-lovers, therefore they do it. !
say this, in the first place, because
think | understand the musical public
of Minneapolis pretty well-those who
really understand good music-and, III
the second place, because grand opera
has never been a success i'll THIS c0un
try. even in the largest and most cult
ured Clues, nor would it be in Minneap
oils, were prices charged anything like
what should be charged" Whatever
may be the truth Of this gentlemau's re