The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1894-02-16
PaovINcIALIsM OF NEW Workers.
A Visitor 90 Manhattan Island who Thinks
Its Inhabitants unaccountabiy narrow.

Especial Correspondence
KANSAS CITY. Feb 6-"I have just TO
turned from my first visit 10 the big city at
the mouth Of the Hudson river" said
western born business man 90 the writer TO
day, "and want 10 tell you what IL was
that impressed me most strongly during
my New York visit.
ut was not Broadway, or Central park,
or the Battery, or the Bowery, or any Of the
things admirers OF the eastern metropolis
love TO talk so much about. IL was tho
provincialism OF New Workers. The pro-
Vincialism Of the man or the woman Ia the
middle walks Of life who has always lived
In New York Is past belief. They do not
seem 20 understand that there Is ANYTHING
worth knowing west OF the North river.
east of the East river or north Of Harlem.
My friends there are relations in retail
trade, well TO do and iourishing. / felt a
little difldent about going 20 call upon
them during my visit, which was primarily
made for business purposes.
II thought that would perhaps be lack
ing In some way. These folks who had al
ways lived In the big city would be 80 much
better posted than / that il would not be
easy for me TO keep up a conversation with
them. But, bless you, IL do say IL, the
shoe was on the other foot. could talk on
a dozen subjects that they couldn't. Their
interests were altogether local. They were
not concerned In national topics OF any sort
They knew little or nothing Of any other
city of the United States than New York
they were even densely ignorant Of Brook
Ign. In 10 years. the head Of the family
said, they had made no journeys Of greater
extent than to one or two nearby seaside re-
sorts, and they hated TO be away from home
even for week or two each year in the sum
mer.
"Their lack of knowledge Of the west
wasn't quite 30 pr0~~"nced as that Of the
proverbial Englshnian " no fancied there
might be wild Indians and buffalo in Chi
cago, but IL approached it so closely that IL
made me ashamed. Aud more noticeable
still was the lack Of what we in the west
call public spirit This doesn't mean lack
Of pride in their city-bless you, they are
all pulled up with that-but "A peculiar
state Of mind / never have met with before,
a feeling that the town Is already perfec-
ton.
Il know half dozen farmers in half a
dozen states, no one of whom has 1.-THE as
much money as my New York relatives
who know more about our common country
in a minute than the average stay at home
middle class New Yorker does In a year
One friend Of mine lives in Ohio on hun
dred acre farm. He has one son here in
Kansas City, another in Chicago and an
other in Boston. Now, every winter, when
things are slow on the farm, my Ohio friend
and his wife go to see one of their boys. II
isn't very costly, and the old couple are good
travellers. The result is that they can sit
down and talk Of the interesting scenery,
the different cities and the types Of people
10 be found in different places with the Ger
tainty that comes Of knowledge And be-
ing somewhat familiar with different states
and cities they take much more intelligent
interest in the news of the day than do my
friends who have always lived on Manhat-
tan Island" HUGH MCKITrRIDGE.