St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1892-06-09
WASHINGTON.
An Interesting Description of the Capt.
tai City, by a Ca1edOnian Correspon-
dent.
[Conciuded.l
MANNERS AND MORALS.

Washingtonians, coming from
everywhere, bring their manners and
morals with them. Hence it is a
good place to study human nature.
With all due respect for those who
name the capital city with reverence,
1 say it is as badly rum-soaked as the
average American city. 1t is not a
legal offense here to drink, provided
you do not disturb the public peace,
and many people take often ad-
vantage of this tacit permission.
Licensed saloons, with blazing sign
boards, stare you in the face on every
corner, and between corners. Beer
brewing is one of the most, if not the
most, important manufacturing in
dustries of the city, and is one of the
surest roads to wealth.
The patronage and profits of the
saloons are simply enormous. The
amount of poverty and disease there
by engendered is past calculation.
Hereby, the average temperance
sentiment of the people of the United
States may be inferred. They still
believe in the use of alcoholics. For,
of course, if the majority of the peo-
pies representatives had received in
structions from their constituents to
down the liquor traffic, the saloon
would have been banished from
Washington long ago. Thus the
city may serve as a weather-gauge
! for reforners.
Not that everybody drinks. There
is a fair sprinkling of temperance
sentiment, and there are very few
active temperance "cranks," So
called. The Jonadabs, the Good
Templars and the churches flourish
and fight the rum demon: but these
work only small fraction of the
time, while the saloon works six
long days in the week.
Kate Field, in her Washington, the
brightest literary product of the
town, cordially approves of wine
drinking and shoots her keenest
sarcasm at prohibition.
If it were not for rum, the criminal
calendar of the police courts would
be light Judge Bradley says that
hve-siXths' of the criminals brought
before him are drunk when their
crimes are committed. Except among
the colored people, overcrowding in
tenement houses is comparatively
rare. Consequently, crimes of brutal
ity and bestiality are rather in
frequent. Still, there are many
localities where, after dark, a burlv
policeman is welcome company.
The Washington Sunday papers oc-
casionally put in a few columns
about the horrors of ''Louse Alley"
and Jackson street; but l have in
spected these places and l should
say that either would be a heaven
for the jewellers in the bad part" OF
New York or New Orleans.
Negroes, getting into row." whip
out razors and Herewith cut and
slash each other, making horrible,
but seldom fatal, gashes. Last
session, congress passed a law i'm
posing a penalty of fifty dollars for
carving concealed weapons, includ-
ing razors.
On the other hand, speaking Of
churches they are numerous, lofty
spired and we'll cushioned. About
a column and a half in the Sunday
morning paper is devoted to advertis
ing the various services. Wherever
new street is laid out, some pious
hand sets up four bricks in the form
of a quadrangle, and calls it
church. This is expected to develop
into a stately edihce,-and in many
cases the expectation is realized.
Methodists from the rural district:
are usually startled when they
realize the hold which Roman
Catholicism has upon the capita
city The Catholics outnumber every
other creed. They have here tive
great universities, churches in abun
, dance, and numerous schools, home
and hospitals. They do not buil'
: their cathedrals of lath and plaster
out Oh SlOHS, pOIuClOu anu SOllO
? to last to the end of time. Hereb.
1 might Protestants learn lesson.
| Vulgar superstitions prevail niue
S more than in New England, blu
: much less than in the South. Man
times have l been astonished by refer
ing to the number l 8, lucky omen:
: ghosts and other similar absurditie:
t Haunted houses are common an
Y sell cheap. Voodooism is practice
e by the negroes, and spiritualism
if quite rampant. Over and owe
+ again the awe-inspiring miracles {
4 spiritualism have been exposed: til
n spirit hand, writing spirit message
# has been grabbed and show wed to
$ substantial bone and muscle; tt
= e-nc 1.rL,+ S,,ddan1,r t,,rrnad On I,