The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-02
CITY AND COUNTRY.
Some Timely Reflections Concerning the
Former and the Simmer Boarder.
ISnrinefield Republican,

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The case at Beichertown of Mr.. A of
the city who climed over the wall by the
roadside and plucked berries from the
bush of Mr.. B of the country involves a
question or two of seasonable import. 1t
will be remembered that Mr.. A of the
city, "a new New York millionaire"
(the city boarder always passes for that,
at least in. the eyes of the good people
among whom he spends his vacation)
driving by the premises of Mr.. B was
tempted to invade them, and, being
ordered off by the latter, some words
passed, which ended in Mr.. AS arrest
and appearance before Hampshire
county justice, who finally discharged
him. Apparently the damage inflicted
on Mr. B was not considerable. Mr.. A
merely stringing few berries upon
spears of grass, one for each person in
the carriage las he had done no doubt
when boy on the old farm, from the
raspberry bushes growing out of the
stone wall, as he wandered along to the
district school; and who has not?)
And granting all that Mr.. A claims as
above, it must be said that his action
was indefensible. He would never have
thought of taking such liberties in the
city and he would never have suffered
another, probably, to come in like man
ner upon his possession or garden,
should he there chance to have one. City
people passing the summer weeks in the
country are quite apt to overlook the
rights or comfort of those they dwell
among They seem to feel sense of
freedom on emerging from the crowded
places of the city which prompts to the
jumping of fences and bounding all over
the wide expanse of field and wood, ap-
propiating all-and too often in spirit
as of contempt for the owners and their
rights, acquired, it would sometimes
seem, from the caricaturists of the comic
papers who are SO fond of depicting the
adventures in the city of largely imag-
mary individual known as MI. Hayseed.
But, on the other hand, we should not,
had we been in the place of Mr.. b, have
made very loud protest. He might
well afford to spare a few berries from
his garden, or apples from his trees, or
fish from his brook, or game from his
woodland, if in this way he could make
the place attractive to summer residents
from the city. After all had been said,
they give quite as much as they take.
They bring the people of the farm into
contract with new ways of living, new
ideas, new aspirations, and their in
fuence on the life of the village, direct
and indirect, is usually immensely quick
ening and helpful. And this is all aside
from direct money gain to the neigh
borhood. Few, indeed, are the places
where the city boarder is accustomed to
go that do not look forward all the year
thereafter to his coming again the next
season in larger numbers. We undertake
to say that nothing more helpful, more
stimulating to the life of the back places
of New England has come to them in
this generation that this spread of a
practice on the part of residents of the
cities who were born ON these hills, or
who have the means to crafty desire
for change of scene, to resort hither
during the summer months. 1t would
be foolish, indeed, for any community to
place needless obstacles in the way of
this helpful drift. We cannot always, of