Evening journal., 1899-02-25
LIFE IN A SMALL TOWN.
The Old Song of the Big Toad In the
Little Puddle Tested by
New Yorker.

again"
The man who opened the talk had
been asked by several men much young
er than he what he would do if he had
an offer that had been made to them.
81 don't know who said it," he con-
tinued, "but it was by some one who
had been there, you can gamble, and
this is what he said: There are critical
times in every mans career when a de-
cision decides a destiny.
"The critical moment in my life was
when q Yankee from a New England
town played the siren to my hopes. ]
am sure 1 am not the first man who
listened, but l believe l am one of the
first to tell the result. He demon.
strated to me that a young man could
live cheaper in a small town-on one
half the money he could earn in New
York and get more out of the existence
He applied the theory to me personally.
He had the place and half the money to
offer.
"Some of the allurements of this
gold-brick dealer were, as l viewed
them, enumerated in the following or
der: No competition, unlimited credit,
social position at the jump and no
questions asked, immediate member
ship in the club, the acquaintance Of
the leading men. To these were added
the possibilities, namely, chance to get
in on the ground floor of the business
and matrimony in a rich family.
"To a man who had been sleeping in
a hall room, third floor, back, and eat
ing an occasional meal under the same
roof, in the house of Hungarian over
on the east side, this picture of the New
England man looked like the sweet
fields beyond the swelling flood.
Il reached the New England town, or
city as yon call it, Sunday morning. If
any of you are going to a New England
town on trial don't go in on Sunday.
If the forecaster can locate a tornado
in the place select that date. In that
case you might find things lively or
course all depends upon what you are
going for. l lived in the house Of one
of the descendants. l could not have
stopped at the tavern on the salary
had accepted. This was the first awalS-
ening. My venerable landlord and his
good wife were frugal indeed. They
had family prayer and retired early.
had been drilled in BOTH ! might have
changed my quarters, but inquiry
brought information about other
places which made them no more desir-
able. Whenever left the 3use IN the
evening was requested toI early.
so as not to be a nuisance. They didn't
call it that, but that was what they
meant; and on the following morning
/ was interrogated much closer than
had ever been at my home.
'rhe man who had led me into this
beautiful dream life said to me one day
that as soon as the season opened he
hoped to introduce me into society. lie
said society would be home in about
two months. l asked him if there were
no people in town on whom could re.
hearse, as il were, until the elect re
turned. But l learned that there were
no rehearsals. There were but two
classes in the place, the aristocrais and
the commoners. Any association Will
the latter cut off approach to the circles
of the former.
"Finally 1 was posted for member
ship in the club and was blcckhalled
But that turned out to be a mistake
The man who did it apologized H'
thought / was another man of the same
name l was afterward accepted, bu
l think there were some who neve
. quite understood it. Whenever a gam'
became interesting to me the other fel
lows had engagements and went TO ful
) fill them.
81 had some friends to dinner at III
> club one Sunday. 1t was a dry affair il
spite of my attempt at bribery. 70
I which was lectured by the officers o
o the club. When the season opened
J found some invitations and accepted
them. The same rule applies to accept
! ances in a New England town that al
o plies in other towns. To accept create
. an obligation. The obligation is can
, celed only by reciprocity. ! like tn
, recprocial dea. But the obligation
, were created more rapidly than l de
q sired, or, TO be honest, than could al
y ford TO reciprocate. You will pardo
7 the coinage Of my speech, but before
knew il l was up to my neck in the sc
p cial swim Of this New England towr
= You know you can swim out in NeN
I York. You can't do il in a small city
. And you can't stop once you are in j.
n And in New York you can lose yoursel
!, when they begin to crowd you. But /
- the New England town you have a be-
Z on your neck, and wherever you go
. rings. In New York you don't have {
n drop anything on the plate If you don
want TO. You can't drop penny in
: gum slot in a New England town bu
!, everybody knows the brand you chew
/. 81 did not remain in the New Englan
community % which had been entice
long enough to test the possibilities c
which the siren whispered. But whe
c l did leave, in fact before ] left, di,
covered thar while / could secure tn
e necessities of life in New Englan
town at reduced rates as compare
: with home living in New York, the hal
It salary paid in the New England con
munity does not even start the recipien
o in the social race which he must max
q | IL he eXDects anv sort of recOpnifior