The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1898-12-08
WESTERN TOPICS.
Interesting Letter Frum Mrs. w.
T. Simpson, of Kansas City,
Missouri.

'eem to convey the meaning ] would
ike them to, for this is a beautiful
and l am well content with its
general facilities for ones enjoyment,
As far as have noted them.
4The climate is so much like the eli
mate Of Tennessee, that I do not no.
lice any difference, as yet, but not hay
ing passed through "a winter here, l
may not be able to judge with any ac-
curacy, so will leave this subject for
future comment until a letter next
May.
This city is a very thrifty, enterpris-
ing one, and from the number of build
ings going up here now, its advance
ment in prosperity and population has
never had a parallel even in it's palmiest
"boom" days. 1t is being predicted
that in only o short time its popula-
ton will be three hundred thousand.
The magnitude aud immensely of the
Armour Packing House establishment,
and several other business concerns
deserve a whole letter themselves, so /
will leave them for some other time.
The architects do not. build many
frame buildings, most Of the houses are
at least veneered, and a great many are
build entirely of stone. The grey stone
predominates, though the brown stone
often gives tone to a neighborhood, al
the novelists would scarcely deign t.
use any other than the latter in theil
descriptions of any of the grand man
sions on any of the fine residence
streets. The city is as hilly as Knox
vile, has its elevated street railways al
has Chicago, with an incline street-ca,
track ~rivaling Chattanooga, and parks
galore. Some of them only a shor
ride from the business center of tn,
city, SO that during the hot months tn,
weary wage earners may rush away fo
a little time at least, for a breath O
fresh air, and a comfortable glimpse 0
INDECENT ease and pleasure, Of the for
tunate ones who daily frequent thes
inviting places.
There are some mammoth mercantil
establishments that number their EN-
ployees by the hundreds. One of tbes
the Emery, Thayer, Bird & Co., has
thousand employees daring the bus
seasons. 1t is like going into a fair t
enter one of these large stores, and Sc
the multitude of clerks, (most of ther
good looking young ladies' who sur
ply the wants of the hundreds of pee
pie who throng the store all day long
One has to just go with the crowd o
ten, whether they wish to or not, bt
cause the people surge in and out {
these places. In some of these store
they have ladies' reception parloi
fitted up and refreshments so that pee
pie often meet and entertain friend
during intervals of their shopping, s
that this novel mode of entertainer
is very popular, more so than going I
the hotels, as they are very converter
for an all day shopping, with ladie
who have the time and money to spen
in this way.
A great complaint is made againl
those of the opposite sex by the mel
that they are responsible for the r,
duction in wages, but when these WI
men are interviewed upon the subje,
they complain bitterly at the injustiC
of the accusation, saying often, TIL,
they are the sole support of a depend
ent relative or relatives al the case ma
be, and that they are forced by ster
necessity to work for just such wage
as they cal get, and their employer
are the ones at fault.
There does not seem to be the di
tinction Of classes here for which IL
South is famous. The West is MOI
liberal in its views and bases its iuds
ment of Il OF their existing virtue
or merits, rather than upon their pr,
existing merits or their distinction
family pedigree, SO that the marriag,
between employer and employee ofte
occurs. Perhaps it is because Of tb
freedom from conservatism to lineal d,
scent from some famous family TIRE
that caises the people of the East
look upon the people Of the West wit
a degree Of contempt, that the Wester
people resent with q deal Of bitterness
for its injustice.
In the various ayocations will
found sUme of the daughters of IL
representative families, so that IL
genuine butterflies of society are eve
scarcer than in some of the sma
towns of my native State. I find
great many people who date their al
cestry, with great pride, back to ii
place of their nativity, either in Tel
~nessee, Virginia, OF Kentucky.
seems that these three states vie wit
each other in point of popularity Of I'll
whole South.
[ wa very much surprised one CIV,
ming while attending a hand concert
one Of the Parks last summer, whe
some Of the new competitions Of ma,
ti:l musir ~elative e. +ho recent Amer
cal-Spa Il ~ehgase-oenf gendcre
t 1t the "alause s.ould ls,o Been +,
eAeeeuea @nea thvs baget pisyiu
Like. --.re ~ t~e.iinn ~. M t.