Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-11-19
LETTER FROM NEW YORK.:
Not Much Fun for the on-looker at a
Fire in the City.
Post-ofacs Business-Trying to Buy the
Divine Fire Max o'Rell's Ideas of Amer
can Women-Fake Advertising.
Special correspondence of The Chronicle.
NEW Y ORK, November Il. Is

| newcomer to the city the first time nt
sees the tire-engine rushing through tht
streets to fire. His first feeling is one
of surprise that he did not hear the fire
bells ring. He has been accustomed tt
hear every bell in his native town clangol
| long before the engines are on the way
He does not know that the only fire-bel
that sounds at all is the gong in the en-
gine house, which is sounding from the
alarm box nearest the fire. Next he sees
that few people follow the tlre-engine
At home everybody who was not IA hope
less cripple ran to the fire as fast as his
heels could carry him. He cannot resist
the temptation here, so he follows the
engine as fast as he can, wondering that
people stare at him.
After long chase he nears the scene,
and recalls former exciting experiences
at fires, where he entered burning houses
and dragged out the furniture in fine
disregard of how badly he smashed it, so
long as he got it out. Excited youths at
country fires have been known to break
off piano legs with fence rails, sooner
than wait minute to unjoint them;
they have been known to carry at great
pains and trouble feather beds and hair
mattresses down from the third story,
and throw mirrors from the windows;
men have been known to brave death to
rescue dog or pet bird, while the ser
want girl lay smothering in her room. So
the rustic dashes on, full of glowing an
ticipations and the best intentions. Sud
denly he is brought up by big, burly and
surly policeman, who pushes him back,
and orders him to keep outside the fire
line. Then he discovers that there is lit
tie fun at city fire. The police prompt
ly draw Gordon around the burning
building, and nobody can get near it
without fire badge. He cannot in nine
cases out of ten be sure even of which
building is on fire.
Xxx
The tremendous volume of business
done in New York is shown by the post
Office work The vast amount of election
literature that it had to handle has al
most swamped the post-oflice force. They
now have piled up tons of mail matter,
and Postmaster Van COtt has taken on
200 more men to aid in disposing of it.
During the election excitement, the Office
handled daily 6S5,0O0 letters originating
in New York City, and 105 900 received
in the mails. 1t sent away daily over
$4,000 pounds of matter. There were
delivered by carrier $4,000 letters and
by lock box over 100000. Figure up for
yourself the interminable work of hand
ling this stuff, and the income that must
pour into the great Office on Broadway.
%**
The profession of literature has many
freaks and cuIiosities as those know who
have read DisraeH's interesting book,
but it is doubtful if Disraeh ever heard
of the rich author who attempts to pur-
chase the fire of genius. f. W. Box re-
lates the story of a woman who lately
wrote wretched novel that nopublisher
would take. She took it to skilled writer
who for $3.50 revised the whole story, but
yet it failed of acceptance. She then had
an eminent illustrator put in six clever
drawings at SIS each. The illustrations
she had engraved for $50 each. The rep
utable publisher still refused the book
She then agreed to pay for the publish
ing, and an edition of 1000 copies is to
cost her $500, making the entire cost to
her 81 300. The boook is to sell for one
dollar, the publisher gets 30 per cent, the
trade 40 per cent. off, so that should the
entire edition sell, the woman will get
only $500.
woman. She can easily afford it. But
the poor and meritorious author, whose
work is deposed for such stuff as this,
is the one who suffers. There ought to
be a literary censorship, with severe pen
alties against the adulteration of literary
work
Max O'Rell, the famous Irish Partisan !
is again with us. He is slightly bald, |
wears e-glasses, and has a sparse,
brown chin-beard He is suave of man
ner, talks with unique accent, and is |
typical Frenchman, despite the fact that
he lives in London, and that his grand
mother was an Irishwoman. His real
name is Paul Blernet, and he is capital
lecturer, saying many good things with
out perceptible effort, He is also writer
Of charming candor He keeps a note
book, in which he religiously enters any
thing he hears that is worth hearing
He is fond of criticising men and man.
lers, but says he will never write book
about Ireland, because he only likes to
write about the faults of a nation, and
hat he has never been able to find any
N the Irishman. He thinks that in
France the position of women is more
sensible than anywhere else. AS illustrat-
ng his meaning, he says: "Go to a hotel
md watch the arrival of couples in the
In France you will see them
lrrive together, walk abreast toward the
ieat assigned them, very often arm-i -in-arm.
In England you will see John Bull lead
ng the way, followed by his meek wife,
With her her eyes cast down. In Ameri-
"a, behold the dignilied, nay majestic en-
ry of Mrs. Jonathan, queen going to-
ward her throne, and Jonathan behind
If had to be born again, and / might
,hoose my sex and birthplace, l would
shout at the top of my voice: OH make
ne an American womanr"
Last week | saw sonnet hing in the ad-
Vertising way in that great, struggling
bedroom for New York, across the big
bridge, Two men were driving a quiet