Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-08-09
OUR NEW YORK LETTER.
Gotham and the Klondike Craze = Jay
Gou1d's Essay on Honesty-Traf-
fc on the Boulevard.
Especial Correspondence


There is probably not a civilized
hamlet on the face of the earth to which
the Klondike gold fever has not pene-
srated. Every body seems to be anxious
to get to the place, where, according to
the popular belief, fortune is to be
picked out Of the ground with very lit
tie expenditure of labor. It is generally
supposed that a particularly large city
is affected but little by news of this
sort, and under ordinary circumstances
this is doubtless true. The Klondike ex-
citement, however, is not an ordinary
case by any means, and the people here
talk about the find almost necessarily.
On the ferryboats, street cars and rail
way trains the words Yukon, KlOndike,
placer and Juneau are heard frequently,
thus demonstrating how closely the lib
eral accounts of the doings in the far
northwest printed in the newspapers
are read.
Many are the devices and in some
cases ruses which have been resorted to
for the purpose Of getting to the new
Ell Dorado. Most of them are futile, for
it is difficult for any scheme to be good
enough to supply substitute for cold
unique, while the element of swindling
has already been introduced into several,
which naturally speedily went by the
board. The latest is adapted from the
old watch drawing idea, which is
no longer permitted in most places, but
which yielded large returns to the pro-
jectors SO long as it continued.
The new Klondike version is for a
promoter to get 500 persons, each of
whom agrees to put in So week. At
the end of the first week drawing is
held, and the fortunate individual gets
the $1,000 with which he gets to the
Yukon-if he can. AS he is now out of
the pool one new member is secured to
take his place. Another drawing fol-
lows and another and another, and then
the other dupes are usually about ready
to quit. Of course the early winners
may have been legitimate, and again
they may have been fixed. In any event
the scheme is gambling pure and sim
pie, with the odds very much against
the investor by reason of the percentage
held out by the promoter, even if he be
an honest man.
Jay Gould's Early Essay.
A great many stories have been told
Of the late jay Gould, and most persons
in this city know that he was a pretty
versatile sort of q fellow, but doubtless
there are very few who know that one
of his earliest literary efforts was
composition on Honesty Is the Best
Policy. - This is true story, TOO, for
it developed in the evidence which has
been filed with the court here by the
referee in the suit Of Mrs. Angel for
dover right IL the estate of the multi
millionaire, who, she declares, married
her while he was mere boy.
But that is another story. Here is
the composition Or at least the greater
portion of it:
BY this proposition we mean that
to be honest-to think honest and to
have all our actions honestly performed
lis the best way and most accords
with the precepts of reason. Honesty is
OF self denyiGg nature. To become
honest it requires self denial It re-
quires that we should not acquaint our
selves too much with the world; that
we should not associate with those of
vulgar habits; also that we should obey
the warnings Of conscience.
If we are about to perform a dis
honest act, the warnings of conscience
exert their utmost influence to persuade
US that 1t is wrong, and we should not
do 1T, and after we have performed the
act this faithful agent upbraids us for
it.
Since no theory Of reasoning can be
sustained without illustration it will
mo hn 1IoOoC e.,
the many instances that have occurred
whose names stand high upon the scroll
of fame and whose deeds are recorded
on the pages Of history George Wash
ington, the man who never told a lie
in all his life. In youth he subdued his
idle passions, cherished truth. obeyed
the teachings Of conscience, and never
told lie.
Alexander Pope says, An honest
man is the noblest work of God, and
we find numerous passages in the Scrip
lures which have an immediate connec-
ton to this. Summing up the whole,
we cannot but say, Honesty is the best
policy. -
To Control Boulevard Traffic.
A problem which has confronted the
city officials for some time appears to
have been satisfactorily settled, and the
arrangement is one which may be
adopted to advantage by any town hav-
ing one street which is used by cyclists
and pleasure drivers because of its
marked superiority to the other thor
oughfares
There is al ordinance which requires
trucks and business vehicles to keep to
the right near the curb on the western
Boulevard and wheelmen and light
pleasure vehicles to keep to the center
Of the thoroughfare, leaving the ex-
treme inside for the car tracks.