River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1892-11-10
INDIVIDUALITY IN THE EAST.
Peculiar characteristics of the New En-
gland village.


Every genuine New England village |
is like an apple orchard. The trees are
all apple-trees, and yet there is not one
of them that does not insist upon its
own individuality, and assert success
fully its right TO special character of
its own. If its neighbor leans to the
north, then it will go to the east or the
south. At any rate, It will be scme-
thing in and for itself. So, as the
crowding file comes toward MS through
the narrow passage, we catch for every
face its own peculiar traits That RAN
looks not unlike the city type. He is
rich man, and is always ready to lend
money to the poor farmer. taking his
farm, his cattle and his furniture for
security. The next one, with the bright
blue eyes so full of kindness. the
face bronzed and full of lines. everyone
betraying fun and good humor. is the
old stage-driver. There is not man,
woman or child within radius of ten
miles whom he does not know, and
scarcely a stone on the ten-mile mail
route that he does not recognize as an
| old friend as he drives past twice day
in all weathers. He it is who can man.
age the most obstinate horse, and make
il do his will by dint of native shrewd-
ness and tact. Following him comes a
tall slender. somewhat STOPPING farmer
with the kindly farmers face. He lives
in the delightful old brick house by the
side of the stage road, known and re-
spected of ALL and the men who
hire out to him for the sum.
mer think themselves fortunate. for
he is "iust and kind" Here comes
a mechanics wheelwright. carpenter,
farmer. The sharp watchful mechan-
| les eye looks clear ahead, and has no
need to lower itself before any man
| There are lines of sorrow and lines OF
care, but when he smiles they all APP
| pear in glow of sunshine like those
/ that swept over the landscape in which
| he has always lived, smoothing out the
ridges in their CLEAN. He is the grave
| digger too, and knows all the resting
| places under the grass of the pretty
| little cemetery, which he cares for as II
| ii were his own garden. The young
man behind him in shirt sleeves
"boiled shirt" sleeves-caught up with
elastic, is the democratic candidate. He
| has run over from the grocery store TO
east his vote. presumably for the rcpub-
lican candidate, as they are very good
| friends and as soon as he has got
rid of it, runs back again to his bust
ness. The next one, tall and dark the
honest man" who was once sent as
representative, has driven four or five
miles with 1.-THE incest colt you ever
saw" and has just come down from the
| platform. where he has been helping to
count the vote. Following him, a very
old man leaning on a stick. We seldom
see him except at night, when he comes
after the cows. There is something
| touching in the fact that il is always
the very old men OF the very little boys
| that go after the cows at night. 1t
makes one think of g'hat some phrenol-
4 ogist has said. that when a baby is
born. God sends il into the world with
bare head, SO that everyone
can see just what material.
what powers, it has to work with.
| Then He covers it up with hair.
and says: See what you can do with
that And the child goes on working
| till, after his life is almost done, God
uneovers the head again, that all may
see what has been accomplished 10y the
man. So the old man who goes after
| the cows must often remember how he
used to run behind them long years
ago, before he had almost ''got
through" as the people here touchingly
say when man dies. And so they
pass, farmer after farmer. though al
most every man of them is something
/ more than n nero farmer There is
nothing which strikes city-bred per-
son with more astonishment in the
New England villages than the number
of things every man can do.-Anna c.
Bracket, in Harper's Magazine.