The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-19
SEEN BY A SAVANNAHIAN.
Who Is summering in Pretty
Illinois Town.


Illinois Town.
Wilmette. ILL.,, Aug. 16.-I am sum-
mering 1t at Wilmette with my son
keeping house. The thermometer at
this writing is 81 degrees here. Have
had too much rain. 1 sleep under a
blanket every night, and have sat by
the fire in June, and on the 18th of
July.
Wilmette has population of about
$500, a most quiet place, well laid out,
and we'll paved. am about three quar-
tiers of a mile from Lake Michigan, a
beautiful sheet of water 800 miles long
and 70 or so broad. Wilmette has no
grogshops and no gambling, no tempta-
lions of any kind. I take the people to
be pious, for there are a number of
churches. There are no loafers here for
everybody seems to have something to
do. No arrests here and no stealing.
If the devil visited the place, he is not
much in evidence from my observa-
lions.
The German element seems to pre-
dominate, and a first-class people
they are. There is a sprinkling of
the manner born may be in a major
ity. The land is as level as in Sa-
vannah, and rich enough. From 40
to so bushels of corn to the acre is
the average. / am now eating vege-
tables raised around here, but when
came in June all l ate came from the
South. Texas makes showing here
In that respect, also Florida.
No shooting is allowed about here,
and the squirrels are in the yards at
all times. l have fed them with pea
nuts from my hand. The birds are
tame. The boys never think of throw
ing anything at the squirrels or birds.
There is an air of comfort and pros
perity in all I see. 1 am fifteen miles
from Chicago, and two-thirds of the
people do business in Chicago. The
cars, railroad and trolley, begin to
run at about o'clock in the morning
and cease at about 1880 at night, so
to go to Chicago is no more trouble
than to go to Isle of Hope. Can buy
a ticket calling for twenty-five rides
for $3.50.
The great drawback to this place,
and other places about here, are the
mosquitoes. There Is no pleasure in
sitting out in the evening. The house
l am in has wire screens to every
window, and the piazza. is inclosed in
gauze, so there can be comfort when
out there. The mosquito is an auto
chon here sure, and springs from the
soil in some way.
The people are social, pleasant,
agreeable and intelligent. wish every
place in Georgia could boast of so nice
and moral town with a population of
from $500 to 5000 people. No loafing,
no drinking, no gambling, no stealing,
and no foundations to lead to immor-
atty. Perhaps there may be a dozen
negroes in the place. and that may be
suggestive of thing or two, why there
are no police about.
Every body UP here knows how to
work and are doing it. Wilmette is
on the direct road to Milwaukee, Wis,
and / am told no less than $50 trains
pass the place daily. Some go through
without stop at the rate of forty
to fifty miles an hour, and then the
accommodation trains every half hour
AS to Chicago, 1t is stirring place
with about from 100000 to 1000, 900
people. The stores are immense.
was told by a floor walker at Fields
& Co., that they employed near 1000
statesmen and helpers in every depart
ment of the business. Get anything
you may want, and your meals also.
Buildings from six to twenty stories
high, many of them. Fields building
is about ten stories high, and covers a
block. One hundred years hence Sa-
vannah will be as large as Chicago,
for she has all the necessary resources.
r M O.