The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1900-04-13
OLD COUNTRY TOWN.
tTHAs GIVEN WAY WITH OTHER
oLD-FAsHIONED THINGS
To the Rapid March Of Progress and
the Old scenes of Rusucity No
Logger Etist - Even the church
Areoted. a

Like so many other oid-fashioned
things. the country town is going down
before the march OF progress. Nothing
Is like II used to be. The city man
who has been travelling by rail for a
generation or 30 Is in his mcanderings
In these present days Impressed by the
change. He notices the passing OF the
country town as he whirls across the
land. Invention. discovery and edu-
cation OF the people up to a taste In
better things and ambition for con-
veniencos are what have led to the
change. The traveller Of today sees
the village maiden arrayed ina shirt
waist that would come near taking
first place In a procession In the main
cities. The villagers trousers are
worn over russell shoes instead OF be-
Ing tucked In cowhde boots. The
abundantly II not artistIcally carved
boxes no longer stand In front OF
stores. ready lounging places for the
discussion Of the worlds events No
Sign extends across the main street
near the tracks cautloning the people
TO Beware OF the locomotive" Mod
ern gates are let down to prevent col
lisions between trains and teams. No
tln-started constable In overalls swells
about the station platform any longer
A uniformed marshal every bit as i'm
portant, struts there to meet all trains.
The old Inn, with Its slantlng porch
extending over the sidewalk. supported
by posts on which country horses have
long been dining, has given way to u
hotel with some hummlng name i'm
ported from some metropolis Lamp
posts adorn the corners and the mcr-
chants display their wares behind
plate-glass windows. All these the
traveller seos-signs OF progress a
great difference to the passing eye.
Twenty years. even ten years. ago
che village store was the spot where
ali the earth contorcd. In the winter
time the prominent citizens sat around
an abundantly provided stove. Mes
sengers boarded the passing trains.
pumped the passengers for news. man
aged 10 pick up any kind OF an old
paper and hurried back TO the store
20 tell the tidlngl- and to Join in their
discussion. Between arguments ID z
debaters nlpped at dried peaches and
other delicacles from the hospltable
barrel Of the storekeepcr. who made
up on the customer by manipulating
the scales the next purchase. A
stranger In the town was an oracle
revorenced and respected. lie had the
best seat near the stove and the towns
men nurscd their knees In their arms
as they drank In from him HIS re-
citalB OF affairs In the rest OF tins
world. Then there was the town hall
with It's spelling bees. It's occasional
lecture or Its debate.
In the summer the wise men tool
10 the boxes In front OF the store, OF
TO the hitching rail, on which they
poised. and talked and Whitfield.
They were out In their shlrtsleeves be
fore breakfast to learn what had hap
pened during the night Then they
strolled over to the old frame station
TO see the train go by, How different
now ls the matter Of acquiring In
formation. II is a poor town, indeed
that hasn't It's own paper to record
and brightly. too, the local happen
ings. And as the trains go by thel
drop of bundles OF papers. fresh viii
all the news OF the earth, all the lates
periodicals. Illustrated papers and tn
newest books. The village store Fl
no longer the loaiing place for IN,
gosslps. but an up-to-dato business Is
tabllshment. The town hall has de
veloped into n public library or theater
Ten years ago the country clothlnl
store. which was also the hardware
store and the dry goods store and III
grocery store and the millinery es
Establishment all In one-a bucollc trus
made specially OF readymade suits
that were so tightly packed away OF
tae shelves that you couldn't get tn
creases out OF them any more thai
you could get the wrinkles out Of
corrugated iron roof. And what won
derful patterns and styles. Now II
front OF the clothing store Chaunce
Depew and Mark Hanna and Gen
Miles and Admiral Schley and Goorg
Dewey, all In wax, stand In all IN
glory Of blue serge and corkscrew, wit
double-breasted and bewildering vest
and crease down their trousers legi
The shoe store Is In the next block
the milllner IS across the way with
fascinating display OF daily hints fror
Paris. the hardware man Is In bust
ness for himself over next TO the brew
cry, and the grocer occupies the mod
ern store-room under the ONCE OF tn
evening. Tell-Tale, the rattle O
whose linotypes makes a merry rae
with the clicking OF the keys manipu
lated by the enhancing and up-to-dat
product OF civilization, the blond
typewriter girl across the hallway !
Skinnum's law ONCE.
And over in the church the minis
ter no longer simply tells the goo
story OF the man who went down {
Jericho and fell among thieves. II
thunders against the trusts and talk
Browning or evolution. No cottng
organs sweet refrain leads the dor
ology and Old Hundred any more
huge organ, with blue and gilt pipe
big as stove pipes, is manipulated b