The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1906-08-30
Things Seen and Heard
On a Recent Trip to New York
City, Niagara Falls and Toronto,
Canada-Mr. T. T. Hicks Writes
About People and Places as they
Impressed Him.

over that trip before, yet on rejection L
recall few facts, remarks and incidents
worth noting.
We went $50 miles and back, spent
about 90 hours in New York City and Il
at Niagara Falls sc hours on the water,
saw perhaps a million people and were
back home in eight days. | am quite sure
that hear more talking and sounds OF
human voices each half dayin Henderson
than heard on that entire trip. Occa-
sionally we saw twopeOple on steamer
or car or in hotel talking together, but
ALWAYS in an undertone. The sounds OF
hoofs and wheels and machinery or rush
ing waters were the only sounds that
burst upon those silent seas Ofhumanlty.
We had q little chat with an Irish car
rage driver who carried us over Central
Park at $500 per hour Many things
he knew that we supposed he wouldn't;
of other simple matters he was very
densely ignorant. ! asked him why Cath
olics prayed to the virgin Mary. He re-
piled instantly: Ibid you ever know
son that would refuse anything his moth
er asked him? We pray to her because
she can get Christ to answer us when we
couldn't" Once or twice L asked MIN
questions implying ignorance OF things
| knew WELL He readily perceived my
meaning, and said You're jollylng me.
o, you re a great iollyer.
We attended the 291th performance OF
play The Lyon and the Mouse. Inc
rain poured, but the house was full.
There were only Ia actors and only two
or three at most on the stage at time.
There was nothing theatrical or artificial
about it. nothing beautiful or to appeal
= hn So no
and as natural as witnesses in court
under oath; but what they did and said
was as forceful, intellectual, instructive
! and absorbing as anything we ever
heard. The 2h hours passed seemingly
as quick as many 30 minutes L have
spent. o, it's a great play and to hearlt
| is to remember it. | wept two handker-
chiefs wringing wet during the perform
ance, and was all the time and am yet
wishing that could do my duty in life
as perfectly as those actors did. They
| represented grand ideas granaly, really.
| Next night went to ''The Social W hlrl,
| a play of Jim Ilorner's selection. | slept
| through the first act and then left. jim
had been msed by some one else. felt
| that | received four times the value OF
| the cost of our tickets to the first play
| and not one-fourth to the second.
| : it's worth the time and expense re-
| quired to go to New York just to see the
| harbor and the ships and the folks and
| how they move about. Moving-moving
on forever-never saying anything.
| broad street runs round the island just
| inside of the piers or boat landings.
| Myriads OF drays of myriads OF kinds,
drawn by great big horses with great
big feet crowd this street; and horse
car line OF street railway. To get from the
| wharf across this street was well nigh
impossible; but policemen were near at
| hand and after seeing us wait a minute
| would step in front ofus and start across
and a way would open between the We
hicles as did the waters when smitten by
| the rod OF Moses.
Folks are SO thick in New York that
they have many ways OF getting about
| drays. IN some places tnere are 80 houses
piled one on top of another with electric
ears running to the top house and nearly
| 1000 people living under one roof. 1t is
said New York has a hundred thousand
visitors per day We were wondering
how the rs theatres and transportation
lines and hotels could be so well patron
lied by the people of that little town OF
four million people, till we took into con:
sideration the hundred thousand visitors
The rich on 9TH avenue refuse to allow
street cars on it so they run three horse
tally-hOs and electric autos carrying %
people; these pass every few minutes
fare 10 cents. heard lady on one oil
them ask driver whose certain house
was. He replied: Pm not paid to give
information, madam, I'm paid to drive
There are also great number OF touring
cars that carry crowds about the city tC
places of interest at 81 90 each per trip
of two hours. Those who ride on them
are called rubber neckers."
| On the boat from which we saw the
Hudson by daylight it was thought there
or pushed or spoke aloud orr did any thine
to disturb another Such quiet and de-
corum we never saw There was plenty
of good and wholesome food and water
on board for all that vast crowd, cheaI
food, too. New York City is just hal
way from Henderson to Niagara Falls
but railroad fare ischeaper there and the
speed of the trains ia greater. The New
York Central railroad has tracks The
trains go a mile minnie and the road
bed is so perfect that one can sleep in O
| Pullman better than at home-no mos
guitoes.
| Niagara Falls is the wonder of our
Western world. 1t is worth all it costs
to go and see it, tho of all the robbery
under the name OF contract, the guides
and proprietors of vehicles and souvenir
stores at Niagara take the cake. Your
idea OF the Falls If you haven seen them
is vast amount of water pouring over
a precipice, but the distance to the sights
or to them all is IL miles and it takes a
day to make the trip, tho it can now be
seen on a trolly line called the Great
Gorge Route in two hours hurriedly for
a dollar. A gentleman from New Orleans
who Travelled with us from New York to
Toronto and back said he asked a man
at Niagara how they dared to cheat peo-
pie so and the fellow replied: I'VE have
only ) months in which to earn a living
for the whole - and we have to do
folks while we have a chance"
We crossed Lake Ontario and went to
Toronto, beautiful city Order, silence,
moving on, were the rules everywhere.
A thousand people waiting in room to
board steamer made not as much noise
or hustle as one drayman in Henderson
looked over the heads of the crowd
and discovered that | was much the tall
estperson in the lot. Canadians are not
so large or tall as North Carolnians.
about the size generally OF Mr. Arthur
Smerdon, thought. didn't see but one
negro in Canada and he was a city mail
carrier. | asked a man how he got the
job He said. There's no feeling against
them here, and with sly smile we are
ali equal here Ienquired the prices of
things there and harmed that excepting
| perhaps cutlery and wooden goods they
are about the same as with us. The rule
with the English is to levy tariff on
goods they do not produce, but to allow
free trade and full competition on all that
are produced in Great Britain. Our rule
Is just the reverse-to admit free trade on
goods we can tproduce and place tariff
on those we do. Instead of England be-
ing free trade country as I've always
Given Up to Die.
Bspeigei, 1904 N. Virginia St, Evansville,
Id