Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1899-01-18
A GREAT CITY ON AN ISLAND,
Dr. Porter Describes the City of Calves
ton and Other Points of Interest in
His Trip Across the Great Lone Star
State - Poor CookingiiOne OF Their
Strongest characteristics.


His Trip Across tho Great Lone sta
State = Poor cookingiione of Thei
Strongest characteristics.
EDITOR CENSOR: On December 9th
with nine car loads of delegates to tn,
National Farmers congress, left For
Worth for six days ride over Texas
1t was fine ride of more than Loo
miles. Thepeopleof Fort Worth, Hous
ton, and other places, chartered the trair
and paid for it. Delegates went free
associate delegates and others paid 81
for the trip. We rode in the day tim,
and stopped at night in cities who's,
hotel men had contributed toward oul
free ride. Eight inches of snow covered
the region about Fort Worth when We
left. The morning of that day hun.
dreds of people had risen from theiI
beds with their teeth chattering. They
went to bed with clothing enough over
them, but blizzard came while they
slept. The wet snow fell and the damp
atmosphere entered nearly every house
We ali took cold about this time. The
temperature was only zoe above zero,
but / suffered more from cold that day
than did last week, when our weather
bureau thermomete4 went 200 below.
We arrived in Houston, 2SS miles
from Ft. Worth, at midnight. Next day
was cool; ice in cutters, no snow. The
city of Houston is 4 finely built placa
with we'll paved streets, magnificent old
mansions with large we'll kept grounds
around them, and fine churches. It is
only about so feat above sea level, which
is so miles away. We were met coming
down by Houston delegation, COM
posed of portly gentlemen, who pinned
badges and huge pins on our coats
which admitted us to the fruit, flower
and vegetable festival at the auditorium
The exhibit was fine one and much
enjoyed by those of us from the frozen
north. Houston has large public
market building, with spacious grounds
on all sides of it. There were tables set
out of doors, and negro and Mexican
women sold chilli chill and hot tomales.
l was importuned to buy some of the
dirty looking stuff from the dirty man
facturers, but did not. The chlli-chili
is black looking mixture, of beans and
pepper, / was told. The tamales, as
nearly as could learn, were little rolls
of chicken meat cooked and rolled up in
corn husks. Over each table hung o
placard, 'For Negroes" or "For Whites. {"
The cars are so placarde1 in Texas, and
even the closets in public buildings
There was flower parade in Houston
while we were there. Toward evening
We left for Galveston, fifty. three miles
away and on an island two miles from
shore. 1t is finely built city, and is a
watering place, as we'll rs place of ex-
port for the products of this great state
Corn and oats in Texas are worth the
same es in Viroqus, owing to the export
demand. Many great ocean steamers
were loading at the wharves and all
were foreign vessels. There was thin
ice in the bitches on the morning of the
day we were at Galveston, but the great
palm trees, the live oak and magnolia
with their green foliage reminded us OF
warm weather. The salt, cedar, per-
simmon and orange trees grow abund-
antly here.
At the beach met W. w. Patch who
told me he lived in Prairie du CHEN in
1916, and worked on the first frame
house built in st. Paul His relations
live nt Pofob Groove VV;coooc;o Mopr
houses are built on brick piers; round
tanks are used to catch rain water. An
artesian we'll 5000 feet deep supplies
the city. Rosenfeld, a rich man whose
monument stands in fine square, has
erected many fine fountains where men,
horses and dogs can drink.
They are poor cooks down here. Men
do the cooking and act as walters. For
rs cents got breakfast at a good
hotel, of two stale eggs, piece of ran
cid side pork, tough sinewy beefsteak,
dry bread, pepper in plenty, miserable
muddy coffee, "oleo" for butter, corn
bread made of musty meal and water.
Milk is 20 cents quart here and is
twice watered. If there is any place in
Gods world where cooking school is
needed it is in Texas There is plenty
to eat; the hospitality of the Texan Is
but the cook who knows
how to prepare the simplest article of
food well, is @ rare fellow. The sweet
potato was invariably cooked so it was
water logged and there was a wrong
taste about many things. The fried
oysters tasted of pine wood and the
bread once of phosphorus.
On our way across the city we passed
several large, we'll kept houses sur
rounded with picket gates and fences,
six feet high. On inquiry I was told
those fences were to prevent the girls
within from escaping from those dens of
SHAME. I thought OF the inscription
Dante says is written over the gates of
hell, and how appropriate to be inscribed
over the gateway of those places,
Abandon all hope, We who enter here"
Leaving this beautiful island city at
evening we returned to Houston, and |
attended services in the Crittenton Mis-
sion. A reformed druukard led the SER
vices and his daughter played the organ.
A young man played the cornet. When
it was time to drag the net the audience
rose, the musicisne played a quick,
stirring tune and Immediately the
sinners went to the front. Whether
they were trained to go forward imme-
diately, or whether it was in answer to
the quick earnest song SO full of life
and emotion, I could not learn. These
mission workers are doing great good
and have the support OF all good people
They have rescue homes in all large
cities and aid in lifting up many men
and women.
I had hoped to finish my trip in this
article, but would like to tell your read
ers of the great badger and dog fight
that was gotten upf for us at San Antonio.
O. Y. PORTER.
k,,rt chat