The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-09-15
FIRST-BLUSH IMPRESSIONS.
Traveller.
BY Frank T. Bullen,


Author of 1.-The Cruise OF the Cacha-
lot" "A Sack of Shakings," etc.
Copyright. 1901, by Frank T. Bullen
A great many cheap sneers have
been leveled at the newspaper reporters
of America for their eagerness to do
their best for their journal, usually
taking at first the shape Of a palpable
absurdity in representing the newspa-
per man as asking the just arrived
guest, while yet on board of the steam
er that has brought him over, well.
Mr.. Blank, and how do you like Amer
ica?" Personally do not believe that
any reporter ever asked such a cues
ton at such time. After the visitor
has been in town twenty-four hours.
yes, perhaps; and in that l see moth
ing at all to wonder at. The Ameri-
can reporter being usually man
whose mind has the sensitiveness of a
Photographic plate, is accustomed to
gather his impressions with lightning
like rapidity, and it is the most nat
ural thing in the world that he should
credit other people with proportion
of the same quality. Journalists know
we'll that first impressions of place,
If recorded promptly, are most valua-
BILE, because they are liable to be much
nearer the truth than when few days
later the mind has become something
of a palimpsest, which 1t may take
months of, quiet to interpret.
AS far as l am concerned, have not
been asked what is considered the
stereotyped question at all, and l am
rather glad, because now, being in
vited to say something on this subject,
what / desire to say is not likely to
be anything but what / really feel.
not refracted through the prism of
another mans mind.
The first impression l have received
is that of lavishness in every directions;
the next is that of a heightened cour-
tesy shining through abruptness or
speech and crudities of manner, as If
upon a rough British stock had been
grated the punctillo of the Spanish
grandee, bereft of it's insincerity. Next
/ would place strenuousness of life In
all departments. l have been told sew
eral times that Boston is quiet COM
nared to New York, and quietness COM
pared with Chicago. That may in some
measure be false modesty, but am IN
clined to think that there must be
considerable ground for 1t. If 1t Is So
all | can say is that to me, VINO know
most of our British cities extremely
W the philosophic calm of Boston
LOOKS very much like fury of exist
ence. and that even in this weather
But I cheerfully admit, wonderingly,
too. that the folks who are engaged In
this to me, life and death struggle
have. in the midst of their apparently
desperate haste. nothing of Hurry
about them. They give me the impress
sion that it would be no easy thing TO
get them ratified" And that is a
great thing. To keep ones head per
fectly clear in the midst of such a
complex mass of urgently pressing ac-
tivities; to catch the fleeting moment
for doing this. that or the other with
graceful ease and calm brow, as II the
worker did not know that to miss Il
would mean disaster, this must surely
indicate the possession of great quail
ties: qualities which / believe exist no
where in such universally as they CO
in the United States of America
In spite of this feeling l also
have a dim and inchoate idea that for
this intensity of life and this ma
iestic serenity of demeanor, reminding
one of the outside of high-pressure
cylinder in a quadruple-e Expansion en-
CINE. a price must be paid. And l feel
7 meet a man who is certainly in the
Immediate vicinity of three score and
fem. but whose eye is undimmed, who
bears himself as alertly and holds him
self as erect as any youngster OF them
ALL And feel strangely moved at this
wonderful spectacle-that of a man
who for more than half a century has
held his honorable place in the Amer
lean race for the supremacy OF the
world in all it's details of life, and now
at eventide is still to be found in the
foremost files keeping rhythmic step
with the youngest. The thought can
not be repressed that when such an
one receives the inevitable summons to
fresh activities in another sphere he
will feel glad that he has not retired
othe rear, and in cosy, slippered ease
from some snug retreat has watched
the great forward march. 1t is often
said, and with truth, that this Is the
day of young men. Without any con-
troversial intent l would point to your
old men, and ask where in the history
of the world can there be found such
an array of old men bearing them
selves so CALAMITY as they do in the
sight of all to-day among you.
Now in view of this astounding thing
(to mel the price to be paid is apt to
dwindle. Still there must be in such a
race as this a great residuum of fail
ures. At so early a date 1 can not
speak of the statistics of suicide or of
lunacy, but l can not help feeling that
there must be a very large number of
such cases. However, this being an i'm
pressionist sketch, do not propose 60
ing into details, especially of so somber
a character.
One thought more in this connection
must be noted before I proceed. 1t is
that If this people upon whom I gaze
with unstinted admiration as they pur-
sue their high pressure avocations in
so calm and gracious a fashion ever
do become excited what will their ex-
citation mean? If they do what they
do being quiet and unmoved, what
would they do in hurry? And think
ing thus look back at home and con-
trast the foul speech and frantic anger
of my own people when hindered or
thwarted in any way during their de-
liberate performance of certain duties,
with the fact that as yet throughout
all the truly amazing activity l have
witnesses these last few days, I have
not yet heard one angry word or the
use Of an oath on the street. ilut per-
haps the hereditary influence has some