The Portland daily press., 1892-09-24
A VIEW OF NEW YORK.
A Town With One Street and a Few
Alleys,
That Is Western Travellers Idea-Wal-
ter weIlman Describes the Character
istics of the Metropolis and Hits OF
the Foibles of Its Inhabitants.<

ter We1lman Describes the Character
istics of the Metropolis and Hits or
the Foibles of It's Inhabitants,
Especial Correspondence
New YORK, Sept. 22.-It was a west
ern man who came to this city and said
New York was a town with one street
and few alleys running into it, He
was pretty nearly right. To the average
visitor and to thousands of residents
New York has; only one thoroughfare-4
that is Broadway 'Ef
If you are a Stranger you will accent
the first syllable, but if observing and
initiative you will, after a weeks So
journ, say Broadway, with considerable
emphasis on the 'sway." This is very
small matter Of course, but you may
want to know how to avoid being taken
for stranger. Any man who says
broadway" is at once spotted as pro-
vincial,, and proyincials are at a dis
4 count In this town.
You have all heard how the average
New Yorker feels and shows his SUI
periority to every one who is SO unfor-
tunate as to hail from the west-and to
the New Yorker everything beyond
Philadelphia or Albany is the west.
had heard this, too, and didn't believe
it. I thought it one of those accusations
of narrowness of spirit which have their
! origin in the narrowness of the critic.
But I am compelled to admit that it is
true charge.
From the New York view point there
are two horizons. The sun rises in
Paris and London, and sets in Jersey
City. OF the west the New Yorker has
heard, but to him it is terra incognita.
He knows nothing aboutit, and is proud
lof his Ignorance. Chicago is the only
flwestern city he admits having any
| knowledge of or curiosity about, and l
/ need not tell you the average New
Yorker hates and despises and reviles
Chicago.
He is amazed when he thinks how
Chicago has come up as rival of New
| York in trade, in finance, in everything.
/ for, with his ideas of western life and
western people, it is incredible that ever
an imitation of New York, much less
| real rival, should be produced in that
region.
There are thousands upon thousands.
of western and southern men in this
city, many of them leaders in law, trade
and journalism But sostrong are local.
4 influences that nearly all of these trans
planted westerners take ON the New
| York air, sooner or later-the dominant
New York air being an intense localism.
| l do not mean to say that New York
ers never travel or migrate. They do
They find it necessary. The develop
ment of the west, the opportunities
afforded by a rising and unfolding region
have drawn many New Workers away
4 from their native moorings, though the
| number of Gothamites to be found in
| theiwest is much smaller than the num-
bersof Bostonese. While the blood of
New England flows in streams good,
red, vigorous, conquering blood :
throughout the west, New York is rep
resented only here and there.
And the New Yorker in the west is
discontinued, restless. The country is
not good enough for him; when he gets
back to New York he heaves sigh Of
relief, gives grunt of satisfaction and
resolves never to go west any more.
A little comedy illustrative of the To-
| calism of New Yorls-the localism which
affects New Workers and immigrants
| from the west alike-came under my
notice d few days ago in the smoking
room of Pullman car. Two young
men had struck up a travelling acquaint-
ance and, as l gathered from their con-
..versation, had come all the way from
Chicago together. ,v. q
| : s"Though l live in Duluth now" said
one of them. II am a New Yorker born
and bred. Lived in New York all my
life till two OF three years ago. Let me
tell you, there is only one New York
only one New York, sir.
Like it in the west? Only so so. I've
done we'll out there-good place to make
money, no place to live. Having been
reared in New York, never could take
kindly to the people out in the west.
They're so different from us New York
| ers. Once in while l meet a New
| York man out there, and it does me
good. Do you know can tell a New
| Yorker as soon as see him? Yes, sir;
| | never fail There's only one New
| York, and the New York man has
something about him-his clothes, his
talk, his style-I don't know just what
| it is that marks him."
"That's So" said the other young man:
you can tell 'em wherever you see 'em,
and there's only one New York. It does
me good to get back home"
.'Do you know" resumed the first
young man, II knew you were a New
Yorker the minute l saw you? Queer,
isn't it? But sized you up the first
glance. That's the reason l took to you,
1 guess. We New Workers appear to
have someAsort of Freemasonry, don't
/ WEI" sf.A ,e4. 4> ~.
"Y7yes," replied the other, with the
| shadow of cloud on his face, "b-but ]
wasn't born in New York. -
"Oh, well. you've been there SO long
that you're, a real New Yorker, don't
you know. BY the way. how many
years have you been in New York;
The second traveller hesitated. 4#Evi-
lor4lxr l, - ...<.,-... u, ,,,,od to oonfncc tho