Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1893-11-12

local songs hike the .-swanss River
comparing our local songs with those u
the scotch. the Irish. Preach, Italian,
and 50 forth. When he says our scenery
Is ''stringy however. l gay that his own
Is very TART Here follows Artl0lds
piece:
These thoughts cons q ne. rsuaemhsrinx
soniething that happsnsd Ia . ionx Journey
xhich took last rear between Se~ York and
New oriesns. goirs round bs the south aud
following hai Il eaiied ~ enierpristBg rail-
Way advertisers there tie ''sanset uoats."
Trsin travelling ln ths sfafes IA uoaaarfally
we'll oman iket and fairly eonfortable fslE hong
trips. bat u csnnot b slid that the average
SCENERY II the great republic H. hsaatiful 90 in-
tersting There h an aspect about the general
American laEt-e@r~ y Inch can bs tsst defined
as ''stringy.~ Tie trees are npindly. the wtid
growth Of woods and wastes l. rheged and
even Ia some Of the pssitier combinations bid
eous collections u biAck aud half burnt stcInps
defsce the prospect and make the land sscm
ike n collects0n of cemeteriss Ia memory Of
ITS bygone forests
When once you get out u the large and web
built towns and cities. the country regions are
full Of mean and ugly wooden houses made u
weather board. aud as yoa 40 farther south
these Degenerate init ragged farmhouse
which paint upon tictr roofs the names Of pat
cut medicines In staring letters. or negro shan
ties scarcely more human In appearance than
pis->tics. South of W ashingfon there are eer-
taiaiy some charming resions under the Blus
ridge aud smons the woods OF Virginia. and
climate aud scenery both alter n little for tho
better when the train crosses into North Caro-
lima, and you run down b. Hendersham and
Raleigh. SIAartsnhurg. Columbia aud Augusta.
through South Carolina
The eye raddened by the absence OF furrei
~ IA
tricts OF the north. sees here with pleasure tho
bnzzard and the hawk lowering la the sky.
the wild fowl clustering upon the inlvts aud
swamfss and In the forests squirrels and chip
hunks playing about. with perhaps deer or
two. The Expresses and great white sycsmorcs
are a welcome change FROM the 1--we oak and
maple and fir. and the negro population. grow
ing denser. lends an interesting feature TO the
prolonged journey.
Farther south your train goes marching
through Georgia" and you bt gin 20 feel the in
fiucnces OF a sab'ropical latitude in the yeEc-
tation and character OF tAr common life.
Tyres OF the s1ufherner and his belongings en-
ter and leave the carriage and divert by the
novelty Of their IDEAS and language, while the
odd mixture Of American with Indian. French
and ciasssca. names for the towns entertains
you in passing from Columbia 20 Augusta, Au-
gustA TO Macon. Macon 90 Vienna and Able
VILE and SO by Val d'osta. Traders Iill. Jas
strangely eniitlesi spots. 10 Bristol.
But IL Is all somewhat tedious in its monot-
ony until. approaching Florida and the coast
OF the gulf Of Mexico. you come into more spe-
oial scenery. where the spanish moss swings
upOa the dark forest trees. and the palmetto
shoots up from the iagoons. and over the In
terIr.nnhlc sea raarshcs between AppGlac hce
bay and New Orleans lights Of long tailed
black silrikes aud gray crows oil the air. and
tho s'agrant water Swarms with catfish and
alligators. iikc Amtrica. and have good rea-
son 70 like her. bat look back upon the greater
part % that p-odigiQus Journey with the rec
election of fatigue and ennui such as few
railway trips ever left behind.
AS You get westward. between New Orleans
and the Pacific coast. passing through Lousi-
ana and the immense deserts Of southern
Texas. things ere different Vast is the
monotony there alsa. you cannot pass for the
first time across tlte Colorado river and through
the sand wastes OF the Apache mountains 20 II
Paso and the Rio Gransle without pleasure in
studying tho extraordinary Landscapes. IL is
another world frum that which you have
traversed when YOU rattle along through the
curious thiekets OF candelabra cactus on the
Llano Estacado of New Mexico. and thence TO
Arizona and the wonderful foothills OF lower
California
/ do not know where Hendersham
is, but imagine he means Henderson
vile. We are grateful for what he says
Of North Carolina ard the railroad, but
we dislike what he says of the "stringy"
scenery. That Is not tho fault of nature,
COR it is beautiful and prosperous TO look
at. The farmers who have sold their
very roofs TO purveyors Of mandrake
pills, who are such by special appoint
ment 10 his royal dullness the Prince
of Wales, will never come to good
end.
Still that Is pleasanter 10 me than the
scenery along the underground railway.
Did you ever get in a cheap car-down
cellar where tine sun has never dried the
mud that Julius Caesar brought with
him from Rome, and where the same
old air is still stagnating. filled with the
sulphur and sewer gas that Brutus
complained of in the comfy papers
!, 10e wears Il. c., over the signature of
Pro Bono Publico? IF not. you should do
SO then.
hate to pick a quarrel with poet
who is older and smarter in every way
than |. hut I'd rather ride among long
tailed shrikes and stringy trees that are
Jus: doing the best they can" than TO