The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-02-21


ing Of short beards.) As far as prices
are concerned, l have found everything
except typewriter ribbons and postage
stamps cheaper in Boston than New
York. This does not agree with the
judgment of my Boston friends, but
think that in some cases they are COM
pairing the Boston prices of to-day with
the New York prices of four or five
years ago. since which time several
things may have happened.
One of the great charms OF Boston, as
compared with New York and Chica-
go, is its naturalness and freedom from
ostentatiOn. There are many evidences
of wealth in the city and suburbs, but
there is no Haunting plutocracy. The
dierence is marked when one compares
the equipages in Franklin park with
those in the Central park of New York.
In Franklin park you get the impress
sion that people are out driving for the
sake of having pleasant afternoon; in
Central park that the main object is an
exhibition. This is not to say that the
Franklin park carriages are shabby. for
they are as fresh and trim as one could
wish; but comfort, not display, is the
motto.
The street cars. again. are run in
Boston on rational and common sense
principles. On the whlne. passengers
get there" just as soon as in New
York, but without anything like such
furry and racket. If you are boarding
a car you are not in danger of being
jeked off Immediately by its premature
starting, and if you are alighting at the
next block you are not expected to
lurch your way down the car before it
halts The steady motion Of the Boston
cars shows also that the system Of sud
den plunges adopted by most Of the
New York motormen is really quite I'M
necessary. Further the Boston gong Is
less ear-piercing and is used only when
required. One of the nuisances of the
New York streets is the practically con-
tinuous sounding of the car gong, which
is kept ringing not only at the cross
streets. and as warning to other We
hicles, but during almost the whole of
the journey. From the pedestrians
| point of view. as we'll as passengers,
! the Boston practice is g. great relief.
, sumo that he has the right of way. and
his considerateness to the weakness of
nervous people who are crossing the
| street deserves much thanks. In Bos-
| ton you rarely hear of such collisions
and other accidents as supply regular
items to the New York press morning
by morning.
The superiority Of the methods of the
street railways in these respects has
much to do with the comfort of Boston
as place of residence. Beacon Hill.
particularly. where even the street cars
contribute only distant and not I'M
| pleasant hum, is unique example of a
combination Of town and country. In
| deed, l wonder why any one who has
the opportunity of living on Beacon
Hill should be willing to live In any
other part of America. From that
point you are within few minutes
walk of the newspaper offices and the
busy section of the city in general, and
from the same place you can start on
country walk, for the Common, the
public garden and Commonwealth ave-
nue.. though technically urban. are
n stNSlNuIly 'IlSllp liOlLA
way station the cars will take you out
in quarter of an hour into the coun-
try proper whereas the escape from
Manhattan streets consumes consid-
cradle portion of the afternoon. The
| park system Is something to admire
straight away, but the full advantage
of 1t, I should think. can only be I'm
derstood by long residence as the ac-
cumulated benefit of it's relief to tired
brains and bodies begins to be felt by
those who draw many times upon it's
easy and simple refreshment. Boston
has convinced me that the principal
service rendered by the application of
electricity to traction is not urban, but
suburban. After all, If. one is doing
business within fairly compact city
the saving of time by this means does
not amount to much; indeed, with the
telephone TO rely upon, the amount of
necessary walking would not be very
trying If there were no cars of any
kind But on the provision of a system
of electric cars depends the very pos
sibility of the spreading of considera-
BILE population throughout the outlying
ulSlllClS, DIS wen dS tlIS ClidItCc lUf Ire
quent contact with the country for
those who live right in town. What
boon it would be to the inhabitants of
the big towns, and even the small
towns, of England, IT, for a few pence
and within the compass of single af-
aernoon, they could take such delight
full excursion as the trolley trip to Au-
bufndale and back! The device of
making the car line run through lawn
of its own, instead of encroaching upon
the highway, deserves special common
dation.
In one thing only does it seem that
the laying out Of Boston and the neigh
borhood might have been better, ar
ranged. What a chance for a Thames
embankment was missed when the
Charles river was left to run between
such unattractive banks!
visit of a few weeks does not enti-
tie one to speak with confidence on
weightier matters, but the multiplicity
Of libraries and other institutions of a
serious sort, confirmed as it is by the
popularity of lectures and the activity
of various wholesome organizations, in
dcates a real interest in things that
elsewhere are often considered of subor-
dinate Importance to the making of
money. There is a danger. no doubt,