The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-07-19
A MISSOURI GIRL ANGRY.
Visiting Teacher Not Pleased with
Social Manners of Boston.
Boston Advertiser.

Boston Advertiser.
What do the visiting teachers think of the
social side of Boston, OF course they are all
polite enough 10 say they are being very hos
pitably entertained etc But if you win the
confidence of some of them-especially the
Southerners-you hear different story.
sa1d Missouri glrl: ;d men dr,lnp St
and the people l am staying w1th In TACT,
everybody / met the first day or two, were
invariably so kind and cordial and polite
that / made up my mind that BoSton's
chillineSs had been exaggerated, and, per-
haps, was a fable.
But l have discovered by this time that
there are at least two sorts or people IN
Boston. / came in contact first with the
teachers, and people closely in touch with
educational matters.
subsequently, 1 met quite another set
society people. went TO a reception; l
didn't care much about going, because what
time L have left, after convention sessions,
L had rather see the ocean, or historic Bos-
ton, but some of my friends said we would
have chance to meet some very delightful
people. old families, true ariStocracy, blue
blood OF Boston, and all that, so l went;
We'll, never felt so insulted in my life.
Those people actually had policemen, in uni
form. and inspectors in citizens clothes
there to watch US all the timei
They had sent out just 300 invitations,
and 1 was assured they had been very care
fully distributed. But out Of the 300 less than
100 attended. They had tea on the lawn and
hardly any time was spent in the house.
Now, what I'd like TO know is: What
did those people fear? Did they fear an in
cursion of Goths and Vandals? Were they
afraid Of teachers. Observation-Disclosures OF
whom, at this convention. President Eliot
says, are women? Did they think we would
/ steal or destroy property?
THE police were most of them kept out
| of doors, so ii seems TO me most likely that
they thought we would tear up the trees and
| shrubbery.
| the sort we had been meeting They were
| not hearty or natural. Some spoke in an
affected sort of way, and some regarded us
| as If we were freaks, and most OF them pa
| troniZed US.
There was at least one man who was a
| regular snob. When we went out on the
lawn one Of the hostesses suggested that II
we wanted to be truly rural we might sit
| on some of the haycocks.
| "She said she never regarded an al fresco
/ affair as truly realistic without haycocks,
| so we followed her suggestion.
| "A little party of us went beyond the 9TH
| ers, who were in chairs, and sat on the hay
| cocks, thinking we were extra polite in hu-
moring her.. though we were in terror OF
| spiders and bugs.
| We'll we brought one cold tea along in
| our hands, but nobody followed US with any
frappe, and as it was hot 1t rather made
| our mouths water to see the others having
| 1t; so finally one young man in our party
! we were fortunate in having one of the few
| species who went to the reception-volun-
| teered to go after some
He went over to the table and said TO one
| of the hosts, politely: There is party of
us over here on the haycOckS. Can l take
over some Sherbet to them?
why, If they belong to the party yes,
| said the man in the most superciliouS man
ner.
well, our friend was about the maddest
! man you ever saw. He wanted TO ask how
| the man thought any interlopers could get
| In by the police guard, and to say that we
| didn't care anything about their old sher-
| bet or frappe, anyway, but for the sake OF
| the ladies he controlled himself, and said:
| why, Of course, they belong TO the party.
| They were told to go and sit on the hay
cocks, because. suppose. 1T was thought
| there were not chairs enough.
| We'll, there are chairs enough said the
| man, rudely, and without another word TO
our friend he went over to us and told us to
come over where the rest were. So we meek
| ly marched over, like naughty children
caught in mischief.
81 have had all want of Boston society,
concluded the Missourian; lust come out
to Missouri and We'll show you what true
hospitality is We won't post police in uni
form, nor police spies, nor call out the mill
tia around our houses.
1--WE won't regard you with suspicion. We
won't patronize you, nor look on you as of a
new and strange order of beings, but we
will take you for what you appear TO be-
and we'll soon find out what you aref'
"Well," said a Maine girl in the party, Il
don't blame you for having such feelings
after such an experience, but my own feel
ings have been wounded in a different way
by well-dressed people on the streets star
ing, pointing and making remarks at our
badges, and laughing. / am afraid Boston :
reputation for dignity and politeneSs isn't
| quite the real thing.