Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1896-09-16
A Letter FROM THE
CITY BY THE SEA.
The mysteries and Meta-
phors Of Thunder Shouers.
oDsIRUCIIAG THE GROSS TOWN TROLLEY ROAD


EXPENSIVE FARMING AT THE COUNTY AIMS
HoUsE-THE SHERIFF FIGHT WAXING HOT
SOME FACTS ABOUT ADVERTISING AND
THOSE WHO USE THE "PREss."
Did you ever notice the mysteries
OF Summer thunder shower? Did you
ever observe how the lightning will
strike in the most unexpected places
how it will steer clear OF all the gin
mills and run down the church spires
and rip chem all to pieces? And further
more, cid you ever stop to think how
few people get hit in proportion to the
awful electric cannonading that roars
and reverberates tzirougn the skies?
Still again, Gid you ever notice how
some stray, lingering bolt will come
out OF clear sky with a terrific crash
and kill somebody after everybody thinks
the shower is all over and the sun is
shining bright 2 Well, that is Just the
way the municipal lightning occasion
ally plays its unlocked for pranks in
this sandy plantation by the sea. About
everything goes while the summer
travel is on, but when the first or mid
ole OF September arrives then look out
for q thunderDolt TO descend upon some
real naughty place tnat is, perhaps,
hall as bad as host OF others that
the lightning does not strike. Great
as are the mysteries OF the Summer show
er with its irresistible force and its un-
measured possibilities, they ere not to
be compared with the city 5 police thun-
Gerbolts that fall in unexpected places
after the rain is all over, and knock over
people who forget That the edge OF the
shower is the most dangerous part OF
it. The moral application OF these little
meta phors is simply that the lightning
does not always fall at the right time and
in the right place, and that the safest
locslity is at the centre OF the disturb
ance and where the thunder peals are
the loudest and longest. This may seem
strange, and the situation is quite apt
to suggest to our finite minds that things
are not IS they ought to be: but if we
could see beyond The confines OF our
own limited vision, we should doubtless
be rewarded by seeing a great and COM
prehensive plan of which little light
ming sent forth now and then on the
municipal circuit is merely an incidental
spark so carefully grounded" as not
to explode any dangerous magazines.
Since my last letter concerning the
'cross-town trolley road 1 notice that
handful OF property owners have sent
in very lengthy petitions to the City
Councils, and employed legal talent with
q view OF wholly obstructing or st least
delaying Immaculate work upon the pro-
posed ENTERPRISE. I have wa6ed through
these Greary documents to ascertain,
if possible, ii there was any real solid
groundwork in the objections offered
by tne> >objectors. l cannot, for the life
Of me, finG anything that should be Gigni-
fled by the name OF argument. The OBJ
iections are all personal. Not one OF
the directors takes into consideration
the rights of Others, or that higher con-
sideration the public convenience. None
OF them look to the future of much
greater Atlantic City, wherein millions
OF passengers may be safely and rapidly
transported in elegant cars instead OF
an unnumbered array Of old "ramshack-
le' vehicles drawn by poor old broken
down horses that are disgrace to the
City and standing reproac ch to the human
ity OF man. 1t is possible that a short
sighted policy may prevail, and shut
out our beautiful city from much needed
~ oh 40 q
ideas, but do not look for such result.
1t seems to me that when all our people
put on their thinking-caps and take
a good long rational think, they will
demand that the obstructionists be set
aside, and that great projects for the
development OF the City shall not be
hindered
Last week I wrote you, Mr.. Editor,
that there was trouble brewing for some
body about the County Almshouse and
Asylum. 1t was only rumor and
gave it as such; but it is now common
talk, and it is openly asserted that the
County farm is badly mismanaged.
am told that it costs $2500 this year
over and above all the iarm yields to
TuL III. L UO HUI oSSClo oiio1 90 q ieieo
OF my own personal knowledge, but
somebody ought to be able to state
officially whether my information is
or is not correct. The last annual report
OF the County Board of Freeholders is
dated May 13, 1856, and in looking
over the items / find come evidence OF
Improbable farming. For instance
l find that there was paid out for seeds
and fertilizers, $48s.29. For farm labor
S35I .79. For grain and feed $389.62.
Those three unavoidable items OF farm
expenditures foot up $I229.70. On the
creditor side OF the farm the only item
find that roperly comes under that
head is Derived from sales OF produce,
$251 1t" There you have deficiency
of S97S.2Q. In other words the County
puts up a dollar and gets back not quite
twenty and one-hslf cents as the result
of its experiment with the soil, manure,
labor and horse feed. Whether any part
of the farm products were used for the
maintainance OF the inmates does not
appear. Presumably they were-but
there is nothing to show it in the Free
holders report which, altogether, Is
a document somewhat remarkable for
what it does not contain. find, in run
ming over siie ilenlized accounts, bills
amounting TO S905.39 for groceries,
meat and flour, and the total cost Of
maintainance is placed by the Almshouse
Committee at S2047. 05 for the wear