Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-02-26
CORRESPONDENCE.
fLetter from Dr.. Fred B. Robinson, Birmingham
Englandl

FRIEND FoNTAINE.-It may be presum-
ed that the same people are doing the
same things in Grand Rapids that they
did two years ago, vet as the old friend
is better than the new, pleasant recol-
lections crowd into memory as we recall
TIE seasons when we stood upon the
old wooden bridge at midday and
watched the golden sunlight kiss the
troubled waters as they sparkled below
the rapids. Tt is equally easy and none
the less pleasant to remember when we
stood on the old bridge at midnight as
the clock told the hour Of retiring. The
pale moon lost it's silvery, mellow, light
on the r1ppling Wisconsin like shat
tered mirror Fond recoliections
ALWAYS cluster round faithful white
"sColoneP' as we urged him in these
nightly hours to trot even across the old
bridge 1T is even pleasant to remem-
ber that we evaded the bridge prosecu-
ter for going faster than walk. Few
men forget the friends Of their youth.
The scenes and acquaintances of early
manhood cling tightly around memory
like the growing vine around its pole.
Friends are not made, but grow like
trees and add an anular ring to their
girth year by year. Friends made,
when the physical vigor of youth knows
no bounds and the enthusiasm of men
tai hope admits no limits, are like
Hamlet's ghost they will not down. And
beside man makes few good old"
friends after he is 30 years of age. But
changes come and go like shadows
fitting over stream. However much
we are changed by the unseen and
invisible forces around us we are GER
tainly impressed and influenced by the
physical changes that SO rapidly mark
our path. Everything changes, the
countrymen, customs, habits and affect
ions alike are subject to the moving
changes of time. Nothing has impress
ed me more than the rapid changes of
New England in the past seven years.
Agriculture as well as other branches of
industry is putting on new garb. The
farms Of northern New York and south
ern Canada are being widened and
cleared, and cultivated to an extent
hitherto unknown. The houses and
barns built on them are improved and
a little paint adds much to their appear
ance IT is conspicuous how these
farmers find 1t pays to have the latest
and best machinery to aid in the work.
There appears greater tendency now
then formerly to adapt the farms to
raising stock, cattle, sheep and hogs.
But the mast remarkable changes in the
past half dozen years is to be seen in
New York city. The apparent change
consists III the formation of new streets
and the raising of magnificent blocks OF
costly buildings composed of the finest
kind of stone. Miles and miles of new
streets have been added to New York
City in these few years, and it would be
impossible to find finer and more sub
stantial buildings in any country. New
York from its situation and size must
and will be The most important city III
the u. S. 1t is Il seaport town. 1t is
the mouthpiece of the Western Cont
nent and is central money market. Ii
is a great center for wholesale trade fol
exports and imports. 1t is a city o.
wealth and in it is gathered the brair
and talent that gold will bring. Its
reservoirs contain something of the
whole country. 1t is the bureau o
wealth of knowledge and commerce o
the U. s. 1T makes its power felt il
every state of the union. Its 400
mlllinev stores dictate fashion, it's poll
ticians dictate campaigns, and it
capitalists dictate the price of stock.
And what about its doctors and medi
cal schools? That brings your humbl
servant home to his own fireside wher
he can eat his own potato from bis owl
pewter platter and rest with exquisite
pleasure under the shawdow of his OWL
shamrock. To be short it has goo
doctors and excellent schools and tn
teaching is very practical. A maryelou
change has been wrought in medics
teaching in New York in the past te
wears. The method of conductin
medical instruction is so different froI
that of ten wears ago that an old phys
clan suddenly dropping into such scene
would hardly recognize it to be th
same art. But it is just the same branc
of knowledge simply covered wit
David's cloak os many colors to whic
has been added a patch of crazy quill
The medical instruction in New York
equal to any in the world. In what doe
this change in medical instruction i
New York consist that has made sue
progress over other years? The gre,
progress comes out of division of labo
The main advance in medicine is dU
to specialism. When every body W;
doing everything in medicine one ma
knew about as much as his neighbo
DR.. Smiths respects for DR.. Jone
knowledge above his own was nothin
But the moment DR.. Smith studied al
practiced on the eye alone Dir. Jones
once sent him patients with the rema
ssgo to DR.. Smith and let him see yo
eve he does nothing else and he oug
to understand it," From the specials
will nearly always come every new Id
and every improvement in medical woI
The specialist will be the one who W