The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-09-20
Y VIEWS OF
Y A WOMAN

- tney ike lu ana sometimes tney
don't. Sometimes they know 1t ant
sometimes they don't The ones who
know 1t and like II are as tiresome as Q
problem novel. Mr.. w. w. Scranton ISM
that kind. He is the sort of a martyr
who doesn't know 1t and who wouldn't
care IL he did. All the same he is q
martyr, although he doesn't go round
flourishng a gridiron or golf bag full
of arrows. 1t Is an inherent principle
among the resident of this city to scold
him and write letters to the papers
about him. We all do It,. We lie awake
nights worrying over what he may dc
next and are sure It's going to be some
thing dreadful. We shall be really dis
appointed If he doesn't. We saW "Oh
dear! supposing he should take no.
ton some morning to shut all the water
off just out of pure contrariness! What
on earth should we dot"
Then we happen to remember that he
could shut off our gas supply some
night If he felt ill-tempered, and we
have another fit about that and Won
der in a newspaper letter why the coun-
ellis don't do something. Then we
make faces at his automobile when 1t
goes by like red streak. 1t is the
fashion to disprove of about everything
that Mr.. w. w. Scranton does or does
not.
If he should build a monument in a
public square, we should all remark
indifferently: "Oh, it's fad of his to
make things out of stones"
If he should build church for poor
congregation we should again entirely
attribute it to his affection for stone
walls, or to some deep, gloomy motive
which would yet appear. BY no possi-
bility could we ever give him credit
for doing anything for the same reasons
that other men do things. Yet If any
other man in this town should give
four dollars and twenty-five cents to-
ward fund for hair-cutting among
the Beers or starting an expedition to
Mars. or putting another piece of brio
a-brac on the court house lawn, we
should herald it abroad as noble
and philanthrOpic deed.
Yet Mr.. Scranton has done more to
advance the interests of this region and
to advertise the progressiveness of the
city than has single other agency un-
less it may be the International Cor
respondence schools.
If any person except Mr.. Scranton
had built such magnificent roads as
those which lead out to Lake Scranton
and the mountain near by, we should
have petitioned a grateful legislature
for a medal for him or should have
ordered memorial window placed
somewhere. Being Mr.. Scranton, who
has made the roads, we wonder how
he happened to do it and satisfy our
minds by the oblique explanation that
he made 'em all for his own red auto
mobile and for the felicity of having
one more opportunity to lay stone
walls. But we ride over them in
about the lacI of originality
displayed in many points of interest
along the newer route. Why Mount
Anonymous?" Why not Mount Super
be- or "Beaulieu," or Montana Her.
mosa,' or CLARA Dia"-for is not the
day fair indeed from that lovely height?
Why "Nameless," when. far and wide
the glory of the landscape sweeps be-
lore the gaze. waving banners of
beautiful names? And then we grumble
some more-but we ride over the vel
vety surface of that paradisical road
where Is not even crumpled rose-leaf
and we drink in the marvellous splendor
OF the scene (and say swearing words,
when we meet the red automobile
and go back home to murmur about
the awful condition Of community
which lies in the grasp of one iron
hand. AS the old man said when people
worried about the long spell of rain,
1T always has stopped yit;" so Mr.
scranton always has stopped short of
cutting off the water supply or raising
[ TO abnormal rates, and still we worry
over the possibilities.
Every little while lot of prominent
men get together and make speeches
md have things to eat, and talk a lot
about good roads and that we ought to
nave them. Then they elect presi-
lent and treasurer, and disperse, and
hat is the last you ever hear about it.
Mr. Scranton never says word, but
le builds roads such as cannot be sur
passed in the world, and we ride over
mem for nothing and wonder why he
loesn't make 'em longer.
A>S'Si NiSiloF vi ueleSdtlOn or any
Importance comes to Scranton that it
s not taken over that wonderful road
Is the chief show place. Never a vis-
tor goes away without being more i'm
pressed with that drive up the noun
aims than with anything else expert
need on his trip. There is something
lbout good roads, free from dust and
aultless as to surface, that gives a
singular Importance and dignity to any
ocality. One of the chief points of
distinction which Pennsylvania appears
o enjoy is for the wretchedest roads
IN the face Of the civilized earth. One
If them lies close to the center of this
'lty and Is called Linden street. You
'ught to try to ride over those three
blocks above Clay avenue.
When comparison is drawn between
he roads of New Jersey and New York
md those of this state. we always say
'lacidly: "Oh. but we have such diff
erent conditions, you know. Such a
continuation of mountains and so many
ocks and washouts."
The road to Scranton Lake and
Iount Anonymous suffers no washouts
nd it lies along most difficult ascents
nd the toughest of surfaces Mr.
scranton said, Let there be good
oad!' and there was a good road. 1t
'ill be monument to him when there
5 little else left of Scranton itself. 1t |