Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1910-03-10
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
PrOdress.

Mr.. Editor: I read with a great deal
of pleasure Mr.. Tracy's remarks at the
board of trade banquet in your paper
of February 23. / wish we had mora
citizens like him. He is my ideal Oh
what a good citizen should DE, and has
my highest regards from a social and
business standpoint. / would that Nor
witch had more like him. Let us look
Wrinkle went TO sleep, q time beyond
the remembrance OF Mr.. Tracy. First.
let US recall Mr.. ]. Monroe Hunt
ington. who employed over four hun
bred men at Thamesville, and they
were mechanics, and the sentiment OF
the long ago was: IF we only had ten
more like him, Norwich would make
Worcester and Springfield sit up and
take notice." Mr.. Huntington and tha
rolling mills had more money paydayS
than is paid today in all the indus
tries in the city proper except Greene
ville;' and the Richmond Stove COM
Richmonds, employed more than one
half again as many men as are en-
ployed by the McCrum- Howells Co.
today. How many members of the
board of trade remember the cooper
shop across the way from the foundry
where the writer watched Cooper Clark
re-hoop the pork and beef barrels for
Norwich people to lay down their sup
ply of winters meat? No Beef trust
to prosecute in those days-busiress
done direct with the grower. Where
is there today business that employ
ed the skilled mechanics that were
employed in the c.. b. Rogers works,
more than all the gunshops at the
present time; and not the least was
Risley's pottery. How many times. as
a boy. have l watched Mr.. WInship ar
work, and how wonderful 1t looked to
me, as he kicked the lever back and
forth that made the wheel go around
and fashioned with his hands the jugs.
pots, beer bottles and other things too
numerous to mention.
Many times 1 have sat on the dock
and watched the vessels make sail and
leave Norwich for Some distant port
for cargoes. ] have counted fifteen sail
vessels in the harbor and alongside
of the docks, besides the steamers
Anything like that nowadays? AS
look back the waking up has been q
great disappointment. as i look about
me and think what the conditions were
when went to sleep, leaving such men
as the Buckinghams, Fosters, Hunting
tons, HoVeys, Carews, Greenes, Hal
seys Perkinses, Chappells. Colts. and
scores of others. gone; and as near as
I can look In my half awakened con-
dition, i don't see their places filled
to any great extent, Notwithstanding
the little red school house has been
superseded by what are called up to
date institutions of learning. I have
often wondered what the thoughts OF
such men as Capt. Benjamin Smith,
Captain Williams, Captains Clark and
Nash ana SIOTN. Deacon bromley JO-
seph Smith, A. J. Hebard, W. w. Colt,
and many more. of the long ago West
Side men would be- IL they should come
back and look the West Side over as IL
is today do you suppose they would
call il progress?
7 was talking about old times with
a old timer and he spoke of the cost
of our police as compared with the
time when Captain Small, Mr.. Button
and Mr.. TourtelIotte and one or two
more looked after the safety OF proper
ty and man after dark. He did not
take into consideration that there were
only a few that sold rum in those days,
Cal. Rawson. ID. p. Coon, Converse. or
that the rum sold in those days was
pure and made a man at peace with
the world; but now with so, more or
less, places selling stuff that takes
about ten cents worth to make a man
crazy, and requires the work OF three
or four policemen to land him in a
place of safety. If Captain Small, or
Button, or any OF the others were alive
today and were called on to perform
the duties, would they call II progress?
From the bottom of my heart / be-
Iieve they would. Now Mr.. Editor,
don't you think it would have been
better II they had let me sleep on in
the beautiful thoughts OF the past than
to be awakened to the conditions or
what is called at the present time
progress2 WEST SLIDER.
Norwich, March 9. 1910.