The Republican journal., 1901-01-10
MAINE TO MADISON.
The State Capital of Wisconsin. Recollec.
tions of Boyhood Days in East Belfast.

did the wise men come from the East?''
Because they were wise men," This
is the conumdrum which the new conner
hears in the West. The answer reveals
the fact that the people here are well
| satisfied with the situation. One has
frequently to ask himself; ''am really
thousand miles from New England"
And when l 60 back East shall be
puzzled to tell what the difference is be-
tween Wisconsin and one of the New
England States. Unlike the belt of
States to the south, Wisconsin has a
broken and variegated surface. The eye
is pleased with rolling hills, broad val
leys and groves of oak. Riding from
Boston one is delighted with the seem
cry of the Berkshires, and the pleasant
farm lands of central New York; but
the features of the ride from Buffalo
to Chicago tire one. Hour after hour,
from 'marge to marge" of the horizon
the floor-like plains stretch away. Any
where apparently in Northern Ohio OF
Indiana game of base ball could be
played upon grounds in perfect condi-
ton as the newspapers say. As soon
as we get over into Wisconsin the coun-
try breaks up and reminds us strongly
of eastern Massachusetts,, though the
farm buildings are poorer here. The
common trees are the oak, of which
there are several varieties such as the
'black," burr and white oak; ash,
beech and birch. The maple is not
plentiful, and we miss its highly colored
foliage in the autumn. In the southern
part of the State the evergreen trees
are few, but in the central and upper
parts they are more plentiful. Yet
even there the trees are being cut very
fast. Vast tracts which were primeval
woodlands fifteen years ago are now
entirely cut over and the soil is being
broken up for farming. visited Clark
county, whose shire town is Neilsville-
and saw much to recall Aroostook.
Until recently everyone in that section
was engaged in numbering, or some en-
ployment connected with it. Now the
timber is cut and a transformation of
industry is taking place.
Wisconsin is like Maine in it's numer-
GUS lakes and rivers. Lying beneath
the great glacial ice sheet, the beds of
hundreds of lakes of all sizes were dug
An increasing volume Of summer travel
is caused by this fact.
Besides these physical and topograph-
zeal features there is another circum-
stance which makes it hard to realize
how far we are from the place of our
birth. A very great number of the
people are themselves from New Eng
land. So that the new conner sees the
Yankee features or hears the clown
east" accent on all sides. Visiting the
little town of G reenwood, Clark coun-
ty, | met a family by the name of
Thompson. care you western peo-
ple?" l inquired. ooh, no; we came
from Old Town, Me-" 1t seems that
Mr.. Thompson was lumberman there
until the timber grew scarce and they
moved to Clark county, Wisconsin.
Now timber is again becoming scarce
and he informed me that he should
move to Washington. One of the first
gentlemen l met in the State was Hon.
G. L. Slower, who came from Portland,
Me. Amos p Wilder, now editor of
the Madison State Journal, is Maine
man and left Augusta but a few years
since. Prof. harrington, head of the
Dairying Department Of the State Uni
versity, is from Maine and a graduate
of the College at Orono. Another
early acquaintance here was Yelling
ton J. Belts of Houlton, Me-, and Mrs.
Belts came from Calais. And so life
here is much the same as in New Eng
land. There is less difference, fewer
changes, than we expected to find. This
is probably more true in this city than
in any other part of the State. Here
is the Capitol building, the University
of Wisconsin and the State Historical
Library. Many New Englanders have
come here as lawyers, clergymen and
teachers. 1t is frequently remarked
that Madison is more like a New Eng
land city than any in the west. 1t is
also one Of the most beautiful for stu
alton. 1t is spread over a gently rising
swell of land between lakes Monona
and Mendoza, with the Capitol in the
center; while the buildings Of the Uni
versity cover noble elevation a mile
to the west. There are four broad
avenues, such as no eastern city can
boast, with ten miles of macadamized
driveway along the shores of the lakes,
with hundreds of comfortable homes
wherein there is little either of the
ostentation of riches or the destitu ton
of poverty. Madison is truly highly
favo red city. It was of this city that
Lon gfellow wrote the lines:
''Four limped lakes-four Niades,
Four lovely landmarks that uphold
Their shining mirrors, trimmed with gold,
To the fair city of the West"
Here many Wisconsin's most famous