The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-04-01
WEBSTER GROVES.
Something About n Beautiful Sub
urb Of ST. Louis.
COMMON CENTRIFUGAL TENDENCY
or oityRpoonlc Crsates Suburban
Towis-An Entertaining Doscrip.
ton 2of 81. Louis Environs-old
Wheeling People Who 1.-Two In ono
oftho Outlying Towns-Granrs Old
Homo. - x

|.IH.....a. ----- #.. "a 81
Special co,rtJpoadtae The Intelligence. y
WEnsrER GnovEs, No, March 97.-Our
old timo lNrELLl0cscEn irlcnd, Mr.. W,
l. IcNocly, writing to mo yomo time
ago In regard to number OF ox.Whoel.
ingites in $. Louis, asked mo for somc
Information in regard to this suburb Of
Webster Groves, which no said hc had
noticed on the date limo Of all my letters.
II have beon," said no. 10 tho future
great (meaning St. Louis) quito mum.
Dor Of times, but somehow have never
happened TO hear OF Webster Groves.
Can't you toll us something about i. in
your cortespondonco?' ~ -
With every disposition In tho world
to:gratity our old friend may say that
ltoar can not interest him very III uch In
regard to tho place OF my adjournment
Tor aomc timo past unless no frat col mos
here in person and makes tho acquains.
ance oil tho people who constitute tho
community known as "Wcbster." That
peculiar old philosopher known as Dr..
Sam johnson once remarked that "a
oladotof grass was simply q blade OF
grass in NIL countries, and therefore 1t
was people, not grass, about whom he
desired to DO informed" IIe did not
caro- for descriptions OF hills aud valleys,
rivers and rivulets, trees and hodges,
roads and bridges, mansions and cot
tages, fruits aud flowers. for, said he.
There 10 moro to be learned abou. poo.
plo IN London than in surveying the
,wilds OF tho Hobrides."
We'll, Webster is not London, nor vet
is it tho Hebrides, and there Is nothing
special to DO said Of its people beyond
the fact that there arc tho usual types
lof the human race among them, such "a
wa are wont to find in the suburbs OF all
great cities. It Is simply one OF the
many communities that are to be found
at short distances along all the roads
that radiate from st. Louis. | have told
you Of tho numerous railroads that
focus in the great Union station ut
Eighteenth street In that city, and OF
how they run out to all points OF the
compass on both aides Of the two groat
rivers that center here, tho Mississippi
and tho Missouri. All those roads have
their suburbs. stretching out for thirty
and forty miles from St, Louis, and
early in tho day there ia 4 constant sue.
cession OF "commuters" trains coming
into the great station from points noar
by and lar oil in Missouri and Illinois,
all bringing their loads OF people, malo
and female. who have daily employ.
mens in the city. From the Union sta.
ton radiate the street railroad syBtems
OF st. Louis, aud on these lines OF trans.
porsation this great tide OF morning and
evening travel is carried to and from its
multitarious objective points.
LIVE OUT or THE CITY.
The Missouri Pacific road is one OF tho
most important OF all tho, suburban
lines that enter St. Louis. Probably it
does Il larger Communication business
than any emo. road. 1t is the short
limo to Kansas City, running through
the capital OF the state, and for fifty
miles out Of St. Louis its course is
through 4 rapid succession OF towns,
villages and hamIets, moro or less OF
whose people really belong to tho city,
although they sleep every night ia their
country homes. In great London only
about $4,000 people. out OF its vast total
OF five millions, sleep in tho city proper
in that portion OF the municipality
wherein the lord mayor Is elected, and
wherein his official mansion house" ia
situated and wherein tho Bank OF Eng
land is located and all the greatest finan-
cial houses OF the world. And rs it is in
London, to such an intense and concern
trsted extent, so it ia to some degree,
and to IN increasing degree. in all great
centres OF trade. Even in little Wheel
ing, with its forty thousand people,
there is this centrifugal tendency on the
part OF its population. as witness the OK
odus OF late years out tho motor line
and down towards Mouudsyille. Major
Loring observed to me a, we rode
through Pleasant Valley last fall to-
gethor: "Cities were made to do bust
ness in and no. to sleep in, and that will
DO tho custom after while" and nH see
the tide OF travel that comes and goes
along the line OF the Missouri Pacific
here. and other St Louis lines, l often
recall this remark OF the majors.
Well, all this dissemination in regard
TO cities and suburbs has. Of course, it's
application to our friend McNcely's in,
terrQgatory in respect to webster
Groves" for it is suburb tno "rncan"
character, MS ST. Paul boosted Of Taraus.
For fear, however, that some reader OF
the INrELLlGEScEE, OF romantic turn
OF mind, may couplc with its name the
idea OF sylvan retreat OF a semi.
Druidical character-a "vast contiguity
OF shade" as it were-such as tho
groves wherein the "flrat temples OF
man" wero erected, will at onco OK.
plain tina. I am as yet still somewhat
puzzled to understand the exactoriginof
tho groves" part OF tho nn,n0, for var'.