The Newtown bee., 1909-10-22
HOME NEWS. RAPID TRANSIT THEN AND NOW. E. L. Johnson in South Dakota.

In these days of rapid transit or the land, across the water and through the air, when we no longer measure distance by miles but by time, so that, though now we are more than 1900 miles from our Con- necticut home, yet, barring all tenn porary hindrances, we are less than 50 hours, it seems an opportune time to lay before the readers of the Bee copy of an advertisement found some time ago in copy of the Hart ford Courant issued in or about the year 1894. It mas been held in abeyance to be used at the writer's pleasure. AS our own town is men, toned therein it is likely to be read with some degree of local interest as being in striking contrast to the speed movements of the present day and time. The advertisement refers to stage route between Hartford and New York
 HARTFORD AND NEW YORK.
 New Line, Express Stage.
 Fare only six dollars through, way passengers six cents a mile.
 On the turnpike road through Pennington, Bristol, Watertown, Woodbury, Newtown, Danbury, Mount Pleasant, down the north river to New York. Leaves Hartford every Monday, Wednesday and Fri day at 4 o'clock a. m. without fail and arrives at Mount Pleasant same evening at 8 0 clock. Leaves there every Tuesday, Thursday and Satur- day at 3 o'clock a. m. and arrives in New Yor4A to dine the same day. Re- turning leaves New York every Mon day, Wednesday and Friday at Ii o'clock a. m. and arrives in Hartford next day at 8 p. m. This line of stages connects at Mount Pleasant, 36 miles from New York with a packet expressly fitted up for the con- venience and comfort of the passengers and no boat on the river performs her trip with more pune tuality. Passengers therefore will meet with no delay, but will find the best of horses, good carriages and careful drivers and punctuality in the departure and arrival of this stage not to be found in any other line running at this time. Persons travelling through Hartford to New York will find this line the cheapest, most pleasant and expeditions, with out the inconvenience of riding nights, of any out of this place. Just think of it. Only 32 hours from Hartford to New York, including a sleep or rest from g p. m. to 2.9O a. m., and a fresh relay of four horse teams at two points midway between the two places "
 How passing strange it seems to us to read the aDove or any advertise ment than can be found in regard to the ways O. travel as it was a cen- tury ago. A previous letter left our readers just as we had reached Sioux Falls. Although it was to be our first visit, yet the expected meeting with our son took off that feeling of strange loneliness that might other wise have been ours. Soon we were at what was to be our abiding place during our stay, and after shaking off the dust of travel we began to feel much at home. Although when we were in our Connecticut home, South Dakota seemed long way off, now that we are here it seems as if we had just crossed the border, which, once crossed, opens to us the Great West, and leaving all that is behind us in the east. We have now been here one week. The weather has thus far been delightfully."- warm, the mer- cury in the thermometer ranging daily between TO and 75 degrees, with perfect freedom from the winds that sometimes sweep down upon the vast stretch of country that lies directly east of the Rockies and in close conjunction to it. No frost has yet touched the most tender of plants, and garden plants and flowers III luC OpOu dlC JuoI do llCou do dL any time during the season. The thousands of acres or corn that lie all about us and, stretching far off in the distance, is mostly standing uncut and in ripeness at least three weeks in advance of t. e crop in Connecti- cut to-day. Like the surface of an unruffled ocean as far as our vision can reach the farmers are following the blow either singly or in gangs, turning the grain stubble over to make anew the ped of fresh black soil on which, when the warm spring time comes, will be sown the crops from which the patient housewives of the world will give to us the staff of life" With no desire to monopolize space in our local paper or to tire its readers we will reserve further comment for later date. HE. l.. Johnson.