Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-09-05

give employment to more than 1000 men
and disburse more than S2.00O.OOO a year in
wages Senator Crane is the president of
the corporation.
All kinds Of things are produced in Pitts
field There are wooden mills. knitting
mills, shops for making paper machinery.
machines and all kinds Of Yankee notions.
Like the Midlands Of England.
But the largest source of revenue, the
most valuable assets is the atmosphere and
the scenery. There may be fairer lands
than Berkshire county, but human eyes
have seldom seen them. The landscape
reminds you of the midlands of England,
only the mountains are higher. the forests
are more extensive. the residences are more
magnificent, and many of them are built Of
wood, which Is too scarce in the old coun-
try to use for human habitations. This
time OF year the mountains are covered
with glorious foliage as with a blanket and
the green was never so intense as ii is to-
day The season was late. There was a
great deal Of rain. The earth was soaked
WIN moisture and the leaves were long in
unfolding. but they were all the more lus-
trous and rich in color when they came.
The mountains are clad with maple, birch,
oak chestnut, hemlock and poplar trees.
ana am told that the foliage is even
| more glorious in autumn than now. but
that would Scent impossible It is difficult
to conceive of any improvement.
Very little of the land Is cultivated Most
OF the Berkshire hills and valleys are given
up to forests pastures and meadows and
the farmers raise hay to keep their dairy
| cattle over the winter rather than wheat
and other staples Everything however is
subordinated to the summer visitors The
| chief end OF man in these parts is to make
1t as pleasant as possible for them and COL
lect large price for the trouble.
Although the country is old and thckly
settled. game Is quite numerous. The woods
are full of deer. The game law has been
| suspended for the purpose Of accommodating
@ mr. hA ,t.;S
and as consequence they have multiplied
so rapidly as to become a nuisance They
eat up the young corn. nip off the tops of
vegetables. trample down the flower gar
dens and In some places watchmen are
kept to drive them away Most of the for
ests are private property, although the
state owns Graylock and several other of
the mountains. which is a source of graft
fication because it insures their preserva-
ton and the maintenance OF good roads,
Many Costly Homes.
Pittsfield is surrounded by summer resorts
Of the highest class For twenty-five miles
In every direction are ranges of hills and
mountains rising 1000 feet or more and be-
tween them are lovely valleys watered by
lakes. ponds and trout brooks The drain
age basin Is the valley of the Housatonic
river. which winds in and out among the
hills and Is fed by the lakes and the innu-
merable brooks. Each of the little side
valleys as far south as the Connecticut line
Is occupied by rich people who have bought
large tracts Of land and have erected villas
that cost from $4,000 to $1,OOO. 900 or more.
There are said to be at least 100 private
residences In the township of Lenox and an
even larger number In stockbridge which
posing and expensive is at Great Barring
ton. about twenty-five miles south Of Pitts
field
erected by the late Mark Hopkins. who
with Coils P. Huntington and Leland STAN
ford. composed the triumvirate that built
the Central and Southern Pacific railways
shortly after. at Mrs. Hopkins request, +. a
New York firm Of decorators sent its
chief designer. Edward F. Searles, to make
plans for Its decoration. He did his work
well. married the widow and has since made
Kellogg Terrace his home. Mrs. Searles
Joined her first husband in paradise several
years ago. leaving No. an enormous for
tune. which he has expended in identifying
ments with pictures, statuary and other
treasures of art. Mark Hopkins had an
architectural mOnstrosity filled with large
collection of pictures and statuary on Mob
Hill in San Francisco. which he bequeathed
to his fellow-citizens as an art school and
gave 1t q handsome endowment. It was q
good deal shaken up by the earthquake, but
fortunately was not destroyed.
Elaborate Memorials.
Great Darlington Is also famous for hav-
ing the finest parsonage in the world. It is
known as THE Hopkins Memorial Manse,"
and was intended by the late Mrs. Hopkins
Searles in honor OF the Rev. Samuel Hop
kins, D. D.. an ancestor Of her husbands,
who was minister more than $50 years ago.
1t was built in 1887 OF granite at a cost of
nearly 100000 and 1t may occur to you
that 1t will partake of something of the
nature Of white elephant, when 1t is as
signed to a poor minister with small sal
airy.
The parsonage is connected by pic
turesaue cloister with a memorial church
also built by the late Mr.. Hopkins at
cost Of nearly half a million dollars. There
only one two finer churches in the
country. 1t Is equal in every respect to the
memorial chapel at Leland Stanford Uni
versity, and surpasses in costliness and
architectural beauty most Of the churches
in New York. do not think that any tenn
pie of worship in New England can COM
pare with 1t. unless 1t be Trinity Church of
Boston and the new Christian Science
Church of that city. 1t contains one Of the
greatest organs in the country; it Is run by
water power and electricity. and has 100
stops and more than 5000 pipes Mr..
Searles takes upon himself the burden of
maintaining these magnificent testimonials
of his wtfes munificence but II he should
withdraw his support the congregation
would be In a bad way and have to go into
bankruptcy.