The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-06-07
AT GETTYSBURG.


Letter in Boston Transcript.
The town of Gettysburg is given over to
the battlefield. That is almost the only BUSH
ness, and furnishes substantially the only
occupation Of the greater part of it's people.
The $500 inhabitants Of the little shire town
are mostly hotel keepers. photographers,
guides and carriage drivers. The founders
of the town could hardly have realized what
sort of an industry would eventually engross
the attention of its people. They are very
good-natured about it. and evidently live
from one years end to the other saturated
in the atmosphere of the battle. The guides,
in their spirit of fraternal helpfulness, sur
pass anything on the continent. When you
ride about the field of Gettysburg, suddenly
you come to a little house. where the car
riage stops. your driver and guide, hired for
the day, lays down his baton and says:
This house was Meade's headquarters, and
there is a man here that can show you the
place much better than / cam" The being
shown consists in the pointing out of a
few bullet holes, an old pump and three
rooms: but before the last of these import
ant chambers is visited, your attention is
called to a well-selected assortment of canes,
paper weights and souvenirs of the field.
The system of subcontracting among the
Gettysburg guides is wonderfully developed.
Before going to Gettysburg I had heard a
great deal about the horrible dissertation
which the overhead trolley railroad was
making with its disfiguring poles and wires.
1t seemed too bad to let such a commercial
device as the trolley thus invade the sacred
shrines Of patriotism, but as / looked down
over the field from Little Round Top OBJ
servatory. / could not well sympathize with
the remonstrants against the electric road.
As far as changing the aspect OF the field
Is concerned, 1t is the least offender. The
great, wide. gravel avenues, laid out for the
purpose of making different battle points ac-
cessible, change the scene from its original
appearance a t~housand-fold more than the
little electric railroad between whose iron
rails the grass grows closely, and whose
slender wire in the great panorama looks
like a thread. The positive advantages of
the electric road are enormous. 1t winds its
way around so skillfully as to give the two
hour tourist pretty nearly the whole thing.
and it win certainly attract to take a Sec
ond view OF the field many who, having
seen IL once, would not a second time care
to go through the slow process of riding
about IN a carriage. The tourist on his first
guide. and a whole day 20 see the field of
Gettysburg, but on his second trip a guide
book and map, for refreshment Of fact, an
open trolley car, and two hours is the thing.
The artistic merits of the collection OF
monuments on the field of Gettysburg is
matter OF much controversy. Sometimes
Gettysburg has been referred TO as our ma
tional museum OF monstrosities. or hambe
of horrors The idea Of putting cemetery
monuments all over a town. for a space Of
six miles lon by two miles broad, Is, TO
many. not a tasteful idea Others declare
that this city of memorials IS wonderfully
impressive, and could not. In its line, be ex-
celled. To ~criticise the monuments them
selves would be a large task. since there
are no two designs alike. The equestrian
| statues Of Hancock. Meade and Reynolds
are quite as beautiful and artistic as any
| thing Of the kind In Washington. while some
| OF the smaller monuments, like a few that
| might be found in Mount Auburn or Forest
Hills, are a little short OF being artistic. I
was much amused by the comments OF a
party Of Ohio nen. returning from q drug
| gists' convention somewhere, who were rid
ing over the field When they reached one
monument at the base of which rests g
bronze dog. representing . faithful animal
that followed the regiment throughout the
struggle, Tie guide tod the hscry q The