New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-06

up to old Phillips Academy every Monday
morning. Perhaps they tramped home Of
Saturday.
There is through lire Of trolley cars from
Boston to Andover now. spur Of this line runs
into my old village, almost to the door Of the
homestead. The stagecoach is no more for
YOU can make the FIVE miles TO the town where
il started in twenty minutes by trolley. and 90
every half hour. In thirty minutes you can
be in Andover. The town to the south is the
cheap noisy centre Of seven trolley lines; An
dover is the centre of three-stately, elm
crowned Andover where they made intellectual
history for a century, OF course, the result Of
this is not only the influx daily of a cheap.
trashy class of people, on cheap trolley excur-
sions' but it is also a change in the character
OF the village itself. The young people go off
to neighboring towns nightly. to so-called band
concerts that are in reality Of the most
coarsening institutions in suburban New-Eng-
land consisting in the parade about the town
common OF young men and women, intent on
the game Of chance acquaintance The name Of
the town is on the cars. and gradually, the
older inhabitants die off, their places Will be
taken by q poor class Of people, who can come
out into such decayed village and get house
cheap going to work by trolley. Already the
village forums are no more, and a pathetic
sophistication Is the dominant village note.
pathetic because the trolley at best can connect
the inhabitants only with the backyard of ur-
banity. Vulgarity is slowly but surely spread
ing alike over the landscape, the village archi-
tecture lin the shape Of Gifted houses. and
the people"
AN OLD HOME WEEK PICNIC.
Joshua Abbott paused to fill and light pipe.
We had a grand village picnic on the chief
day Of Old Home Week" he said. presently.
Il went. though / knew how hard trial it
would be. for there is nothing harder in social
intercourse than meeting years after the men
you used to play with when boys. You shake
hands. you ask What are you doing now? and
then you both stand in awkward silence, keenly
conscious that you have nothing more to say,
aware Of the great chasm the years have put
between your lives. 1t is a little easer with the
girls. But l went, and greeted my innumerable
distant relatives and watched the village Ieop.e
who had stayed al home talk with those who
had gone out into the world and come back
FOR this old Home Week. There were of the
former. Of course. many o,dtime-, with the
Yankee beard and the Yankee Wit and the
Yankee twang Of speech. and, above all. the
grand old Yankee simplicity Of greeting, sim
plicity born Of its possessors utter faith in his
way Of life. his own Individuality But among
the younger stay-at-home. the younger the more
dress Of the towns. the faint Of sophisication,
the attempt 10 be something other than they
were. A Philadelphia band OF capitalists Is
richer by some score thousands OF nickeis for
that result.
AT least I told myself I may 80 down to
the old swimming hole and dive into the black
pool under the bank and call up memories vi
the cool shock So l went of by myself, my
body twitching 10 be out Of clothes. with peas
ant expectations"
Weir said his roommate.
Well the swimming pool was no more. re-
s7Irned the other. There was poo. there, hat
choked UP with fallen willow. but the trolley
line. too heavy to cross the Old bridge upstream,
went directly over one end Of the pool on huge
piles. No swimming there, for man or boy.
looked at the dear old bOyhood spot long
time. made a sour jest at my sentimentality. and
returned with dry hair to the picnic. Old Dea-
con Campbell was wandering about the out
skirts OF the grove.
Deacon said l. where's the swimming hoe
nowr
I don't reckon there be any said he. The
col durn trolley spilled the pool. ana the milpoad
amt no good since the mill tore down and
the dam bust up. The little feilers may get
their feet wet in the bend By Slas Fiint's. be-
hind the bushes. but We old fe,lers have TO wash
in the kitchen same as in winter
sc. But where do the bows SWIM l asked.
I presume likely they 60 to Lynn Beach
said the deacon. I see EN- ridin' off in the cars