Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-07-12
My Impressions of Boston.

Ed. Register Before starting out
to give some of my impressions of
Boston, may as we'll state that |
am not an encomiast. My opin-
ions are not products of an in
fallible mind. I give my opinions
merely as one of the thousands OF
human beings privileged to So
journ Temporarily, thank good
ness!) in this "City of Culture"
Club of the Universe" or as it is
sometimes vulgarly, but not in
appropriately, termed, "Bean-
town" Perhaps l am instinctively
prejudiced against Boston on ac-
count of being a Westener. This
feeling of rivalry between the peo-
pie of the East and West is de-
plorable. The old Puritan stock
of New England, especially, look
on their neighbors west of the
Mississippi with feeling akin to
contempt. You would be sur
prised to find how large a number
of apparently intelligent people in
the East imagine the city of ST..
Louis to be a kind of central point
for Indians and cowboys to con-
gregate for the purpose of trading
with the more civilized element of
mankind.
My first introduction to the
snobbish attitude of New England
people toward their unfortunate (?)
brothers of the West, was at Ports
mouth, New Hampshire, several
years ago. A chance acquaint-
ance on finding out that | came
from Missouri, threw up his hands
in effeminate horror, and regard
ing me much as you would a
strange animal, remarked, "Oh
my, that is where those dreadful
James boys came from" One OF
my more intimate friends of the
"Old Stock" in pointing out the
greatness of Boston and New Eng
land in general, took great pride
in comparing the integrity OF
statesmen of the East and West.
He deplored the fact that these
Western people especially in
Missouri) should allow so many
dishonest men to be elected to
Office. In the last few weeks, as
if in judgment of these "holier
than thou" people, the Legislature
of the State of Massachusetts, has
been shown, by committee ap-
pointed by itself, to be composed
principally of men accustomed to
sell their votes and their honor to
the corporation willing to put ur
the most money. Many of the
leading Lawmakers have beer
justly accused of accepting bribes
and otherwise conducting them
selves in such a manner as tc
cause every self-respecting citizer
| in Massachusetts, to blush with
shame.
There are three classes of so.
ciety in Boston, namely: the
aristocratic, the common and the
foreign. I am ashamed to &C.
knowledge that great many peo.
pie from the West seem to think i
is worth the effort it takes to ge
= into Boston society. The true
aristocrats spend most of theil
time gadding about in automo.
biles. They run over innocent dogs
and people without compunction:
occasionally striking telegraph
pole, and discovering latter it is
too late) that they are but COM
mon clay after all. In order tc
mingle with such people the West
ern brother must be worth at least
twice as much as an ordinary
millionaire.
"But how about the common
class Of people"p you ask. There's
where the ridiculous side of the
New Englander shows itself. The
! middle class invariably initiate
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