The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1907-03-01
LETTER FROM r. TAGGART,

lLullOl OIllCu CBiAiiOLi1
7 If your readers don't tire O.
: tales of my wandering [ will per
! a few more lines.
After distracting my brain in 6
J vain attempt to comprehend Mr.
George Harvey's idea of God as
f set forth in the article quoted
from the North American Review
| in the Opinion of Feb. Sth. And
after trying to understand and
{ imagine a God who is the "infnite
reality" and the Source of all
things" and at the same time not
all powerful nor omnipotent. And
after trying to imagine myself di-
vine, and having finally to give it
up with the conviction that it
must require greater wisdom
and intelligence than l possess to
comprehend it. After all this [
found my mind in such state of
vagueness and uncertainty that |
had to get out my Bible and read
steadily for half an hour to get it
back into a normal condition.
But the portions | read Ps. s, "a,
etc, didn't seem to uphold Mr..
Harvey's idea very much |
thought, so | concluded he must
be mistaken. But that wasn't
what | started to tell.
So many people seem to have
an idea that the South is such a
disagreeable country to travel in,
but [ have not found it so. AS
far as climate is concerned we
have had ideal weather ever since
| came. Not rain enough to make
it muddy, good, clear sky most of
the time and warm breeZes from
the Gulf of Mexico to fan my
cheeks when the sun came out too
hot.
AS to the railroads: trains on
some of the roads run nearly every
day, and on some as often as twice
a day, so [ have been able to get
around quite comfortable if on
time to take the train when it did
go. One great convenience is that
one doesn't need any time tables
in the South. Most of the roads
publish them as a matter of form
and custom and when | first came
down | tried following them, but
soon found it wouldn't work, but
all one needs to do is to just ask
some one. This saves fumbIing
around in a grip or pocket when
you are in hurry and also saves
carrying unnecessary articles. 1t
is safest to ask the negro porter
of the Hotel where you stay, for
he almost always knows when
trains go. The ticket agent may
know but it's hard to squeeze in
formation out of him for he's al
most always foOling with a tele-
graph key just when you want to
know, but the safest way of all is
to watch the railroad track as
far as you can see and when the
train comes, get on. | have found
this plan to work admirably.
| have almost always been able
to get a seat near a window when
| eat my meals 50 | can watch the
track and by having my suit case
md y-io1ip NM do, tbn tol1O. a + my,
feet and my Overcoat over the |
back of my chair and eating with |
my hat on I'm plum ready (as F..
they say here,) to start as soon as
the train is in sight | have had .
to do but little running thus far.
Then too, there is another pleas .
ant feature about southern travel
ing, the trains amble along so
leisurely that one gets a good OPP
to view the country, and .
there is much to see, beautiful pine
forests in this part of Alabama
where | am now, and it was in
teresting to see where the trees
had been cut and scraped for tur-
pentine. | ascertained from a
gentleman on the train this morn
ing that the turpentine begins to
run in March or April about the
same time as our sugar season be
gins. 1t is taken from the trees
and distilled instead of boiled.
The gentleman was much inter
ested in the maple sugar industry,
so | explained the process to him
as well as | could. He seemed
quite amazed to think that only a
hole was bored in the tree to let
the sap out, and that the tree
lasted for years.
Another feature about the rail
roads here which is very con
renient, is that if one has con
the tobacco habit land
nearly everyone here has and has
occasion to expectOrate, he doesn't
lave to jump up and run to the
lOOr or raise the window but :
lSes the floor instead. So he
DOESN'T have to get up at all. This
makes it very convenient for him.
There is one custom here which is
'ather annoying and that is apart
nents in the stations and cars
marked "cOlOred" and "white"
You are not supposed to enter
hose marked "cOlored' unless you
re a negro, and when there is no {
,ody in either one you are always f
into the wrong place,
t least | am. So you see the
raypIin0 here isn't nearly so dis [