Morning journal and courier., 1891-12-25
WE HAVE "r.E BUTTONS
The Answer To an old Question is |
 Connecticut.

The Answer To an old Question is Connecticut. From the Christian Union The familiar question, "Button, button, who has the buttonF' can be answered at last. The spectator is in position to af- firm that the state of Connecticut has the button: has. in fact, 100, 900 buttons-no two alike he believes-and thinks so much of them that she places them on public erhi- bition in specially designed cases just be- heath the dome of her beautiful capitol While wandering through the splendid halls of this ediice the other day, peering here and there in his spectatoresque way, admiring the architectural and decorative charms of the place, aud gazing with ven eration on the scores of battle flags which find here their honorable resting place, the spectator was surprised to find cheek by jowl with these prized relics four large cases filled with enormous strings of but constitutions quote the touching poem attached to one of the strings-
 Buttons Buttons of rubber and buttons of glass, Buttons Of lead and iron and brass, and, in fact, buttons of every conceivable kind. A spectator without curiosity would be an anomaly, and an instant resolve to unriddle the reason of this extraordinary exhibit was taken. The spectator discov- cred, first, that there were 32 strings of but tons, each from 30 to 36 feet long, and each containing from 2, 500 to 5000 buttons no two alike on any string Asking "Whence come they7"he was informed that certain benevolent but eccentric gentle man of town not far from Hartford took advantage of the temporary tmemory but ton" craze of 1883 to offer prizes (how large the spectator did not learn) to de- serving young ladies who should bring him the largest and best collections of but tons on strings. The competition was tre- mendous, with the result now before us This same gentleman certainly had pecu- liar ideas of the best disposition of charity if, as was added, it was also his custom to buy barrels of oranges and large quantities of candy and have them emptied on the sidewalk for newsboys to scramble for This button mania has at least perpetuaied his name and instructed posterity as to its pronunciation, for attached to one of the largest strings is really clever little dedi- catory ode, beginning:
 These the buttons new and old,
 some Of them bright as yellow gold,
 Motion. grAven. hammered and rolled.
 Hard to get and heavy to hold.
 Which We bring you.
 Three thousand and more.
 When the great work was done and the buttons firmly tied together, the next ques- tions were "0f what good are theyr" and "What shall be done with themF' The first question will probably remain unanswered for all time; to reply to the second, the but ton collector in eItenso sought out some harmless society on which to .'unloadf' It is not known why he hit upon the Agricul- tural society of the state of Connecticut: possibly it was the only society which cared to have this honor thrown upon 1t, or it may have been that better crop of but tons could be expected If these were left in the hands of the promoters of the soil:but, at any rate, the office of this society in the state capitol was the place where they were first deposited and whence they were after wards moved to their present position on the third floor. It is said that the buttons, with the cases which contain them. repre- sent an expenditures of about 50, 900.
 One or two more questions may be asked and then the heavy and glittering may be left to undisturbed -
 the -shadow of the
 Connecticut
 is tho