Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1901-10-17
A LITTER FROM BOSTON.
staart A. Allen Writes Interestingly
Of the New England states--A
Son Of Capt. c. 7. allen.

The following letter was received by
Capt. G. I. Allen a few days ago from
his son, Stuart A. Allen, who has
been summering for several weeks
along the New England coast:
BosToN, MASS, Oct. s.-My Dear
Father | have just reached this
historic city from Cape Ann, where |
have been solournlng for several
days with some friends. Cape Ann is
the bleakest, yet the most picturesque
of all the New England coast resorts:
| heartily wish you could see this
New England country. To me it is
exceedingly attractive, especially for
a summer residence. The entire coast
from this city to Portland, Maine, is
dotted thickly with lovely cottages,
beautiful Villas commodious summer
hotels, ETC., etc. The whole country
around Boston is covered with the
increasingly convenient trolley cars
emphatically the carriage of the poor
man. You can ride in handsome open
cars from this city to various points
Of great historic interest, some of
them 30 miles distant, for ten cents.
They are always crowded.
One cannot help being impressed
with the vast difference between the
neat and well-kept New England
towns, villages and hamlets and those
Of the South and West; and | feel a
sense Of shame in saying that the
comparison is much to our discredit
These people seem TO be faf ahead Of
us in schools, homes, streets, public
buildings, free libraries, and, partic-
ularly, In the ''well-keptness" Of
them all, and can't refrain from
wondering why such differences
do exist.
When | contrast the average man
and woman OF this section with the
average man and woman OF our sec
tion, then these people suffer from
the contrast. have never in all my
life seen 50 many homely, downright
ugly, ordinary looking men and women
as / have seen during the last few
days. The great majority certainly
is lacking In that quality, whatever
it may be, that produces polished men
and graceful women, straight and
well-moulded young men and the
wiry, winsome forms Of young ladies.
They seem to be lacking in thesmooth
and easy manners which characterize
Southern people. Still, they are a
good and clever people, possessing fine,
practical business sense. | suppose
they inherited this business sense, for
with them, as with their ancestors, as
history tells, ''trafilc" dominates
everything; and this Inheritance, as
see things political, IS the father OF
protection and the embodiment Of
New England character
The commercial spirit rules this
section OF the country, and it is
slowly cutting its way into the very
yitals Of the Republic. New Eng
and has studied money-making until
she Is to-day at the head Of all things
appertaining to things financial and
commercial, and is perfectly willing
to let the South and West glory in
her gentlemen and ladies and rain
bow-chasing statesmen.
These people possess many fine
traits which the South and West may
well emulate-thrlft, frugality, pub
lie spirit, industry and public cleanli-
ness-to marked degree. Nothing
SO much attracted my attention as the
perfect beauty and complete cleanli-
ness Of the streets, sidewalks, fences,
homes, stables, yards, etc.; and in all
the towns and villages flowers, rich
and gorgeous in their coloring, given
by the salt air, were everywhere.
visited Gloucester, the cod fish,
mackerel and halibut town of New
England, where was much interested
in looking at thousands of fish drying
and curing in the sun for packing in
barrels in salt. The docks were filled
with schooners and brigantines,
loaded with salted fish, which were
being pitchforked out Of their holds
for the packing process. One vessel
had 100000 barrels of salted fish, one
seasons catch of eight fishermen. AS
l looked at these millions Of fish and
these men who ran the fish machine"
of New England, thought Of what |
heard you say years ago in a political
speech, that Massachusetts, was the
most rabid free trade state in the
Union when it came to salt, which is
a necessity in their fish business. The
whole Of Gloucester smells like a
rancid herring. have bathed and
shaken my clothes half-dozen times,
but the ''scentn of the cod fish clings
to me still.
visited all the historic witcheraft
spots around Salem, and with great
interest viewed the place where 27
old women Of that far-famed old city
were hanged by the neck as witches,
the chief prosecutor and witness being
the Rev. Samuel Paris, Puritan
Plymouth-ROck preacher. The clerk
Of the court at Salem, Mr.. Wood
bury, showed me the original records
OF the trials, written by the hand Of
the Rev. Paris himself; also the
original pins stuck in the flesh OF peo-
pie by these so-called witches; also the
original order Of the judge for their
execution and his portrait. The clerk
somewhat softened my execration Of
the Judge when he told me that for
sixteen years after he had done these
innocent women this awful wrong he
publicly acknowledged his sin and
prayed aloud for forgiveness. 1t is not
recorded that Rev. Paris, upon whose
testimony the poor women we're put
TO death, ever felt the least remorse.
lie is now, no doubt, suffering from
the knawings Of that worm that never
dies.
New England has given the nation
some strong statesmen, great orators,
learned scholars, brilliant leaders in
polltice-Adams, Webster, Choate,
Sumner, Everett, Blaine and others
but when It needed greater men 10
steer the ship OF state 1t has pleased
cd =. ,iaco At the front ct,ch mar, ac