The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-03
A VACATION IN A CITY.
To Enjoy One Does Not Necessarily
Mean Possession Of "A Long Purse.


Correspondence The EpitOmist.
I remember the days when 1 was fairly
gasping for a larger life. My existence
among the pine stumps Of Ontario seemed
so narrow that the inner man couldn't get
enough breath.
AS for the cities. they might as we'll have
been in Neptune. My OK team and old pillow,
whose handles had so often, among the
stones and pine roots, grazed along my ribs.
were both on good terms with me; but l
feared that these alone would hardly give
ms a liberal education. 1t had always been
my dream to spend a vacation In the dim,
fabulous realm of a large city. After many
years tOiling and waiting il came TO pass.
and although / cannot now enjoy things
with as much wondering delight, | know
tnat / got my money worth. Inc pest
thing l know for young people who live far
in the country and long TO see something
different, is TO spend a winter in Kansas
City, or Buffalo, or Chicago, or st. Louis,
or San Francisco. or Philadelphia or New
York itself. You can't get the same effect
in smaller places. Do the job right while
you're at 1t; it will cost little more. The
Philadelphia could not have occurred on
such q remarkable scale in a city under a
million. Its 1900 newsbOys had .scampered
together for a free Christmas dinner, and
two halls accommodated the entire host.
The extent Of the thing was what engaged
me so much. 1 put down my virgin impress
SiOnS and offered them to an editor, who
paid ne enough to square my room rent for
three weeks. A gang OF threSherS or a
country wedding had been about the largest
crowd L had ever seen eating together, but
when 1 had 1.5OO yapping. tumbling news
boys under my eye at once, all pitching into
the turkey and mine pie like jolly young
bears-why. that was different" Then to
see the 5000 march TO the largest theater in
the city and watch them enjoy the ever
varying things on the stage for nearly three
hours, was worth 50, and yet 1t didn't cost
a cent. In the large cities you can see more
for nothing than for S5 in small ones. Here
are some OF the things / saw free: Launch
ing the huge Oceana greyhound. the Colo
RADIO. a weekly music concert at the Drexel
Institute. weekly aeOlian recital of the
aeolan pipe organ, aeOlian piano and or
chestrelle combined. scientific, literary and
humorous lectures. museums, arrival of i'm
migrant ships from Europe. large depart
ment store Entertainments, the mint, Bald
wins locomotive works, where from 10000
TO 1900 men make from three to six loco
motives a day, various institutions and
homes and the remarkable park. For %
cents L heard and saw great music concerts
in such places as the Academy OF Music.
HandeIs Messiah for instance, and 1.-THE
BeatitudeS" were each to be had for this
small fee, on the uppermost gallery, where
everything could be heard and seen. and In
respectable company. Then, the operas and
theaters can be enjoyed for the same small
price. but one must be there early to have
the pick Of the unreserved seats. There is an
endless variety of healthy amusements to
b. had for a quarter, and often i'm the midst
of a laugh you get a grain of knowledge to
boot SHADY" affairs, of course, must be
avoided. and one soon learns TO judge them
from the outside. The free entertainments
are usually hTst class; for example those
In the DreXel Institute hire only masters of
their craft. a viOlinist told me he received
$50 for his evenings playing at that place.
The wickedness and temptations of large
cities are no worse than those of smaller
ones. Take your character with you and
you'll go home as good as you went away.
I forgot to mention the churches. To a seri-
Gus person who Is looking around for a faith
OF his own, there is nothing more interest
ing than TO visit the places of worship of a
large metropolis. Philadelphia has over sew
en- hundred. II is officially said, SO there is
no necessity for being one-sided. With all
their faultS-catheGral, chapel and hall,
barracks and meeting house-there isn't one
that doesn't widen the observers charity
and deepen his reverence. This experience
belongs to n liberal education, and If a
farmer doesn't need genuine education, who
does? The cheapest way is TO rent two or
three furnished rooms. and board your
selves. Two of US had three such rooms for
% a week; N.G for each person. Our food
cost 81 a week; 50 each; which made $3.50
q week for each. including most of the fuel
and light Then there was the unavoidable
= cents a week each for laundry. 81 a
week each, and on this we lived comfort
ably, having bathroom privileges. Besides.
we saved board at home on the farm. One
can't do without paying for food in some
way even on the farm. Then, of course,
there was car fare. but not much, for we
usually walked for exercise, and so cents a
week for amusements did us first rate, be-
sides the free" privileges. That sums up TO
I.50 a week; or add another . cents for in
cidentais-4.75 The fun and exercise of
Keeping house" on the third story (for in
stance, we bought a barrel OF wood and had
10 pile IL in the pantry and the clothes
closep all helped TO make the days short.
And what a chance IL gave To browse in the
free libraries. to visit artists studios and
authors dens. No matter what your hobby,
you can ride IL In a big city If you go 10
ave a holiday. And what nice letters you
learn TO write To the folks YOU left behind.
What a fine art you can make OF letter
writing Don't fail to ramble through the
poor quarters once a week. All me- Spend
December, January and February thus.
You can do IL. VIII you then hate 10 90 back
home2 Never, never. neveri