River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-08-28
THE EAST AND WEST IN
CONTRAST
BY E. S. REED

In former letter contrasted the
East with the West in respect to nat
ural features-comparing the crowd
ed conditions in the Atlantic sea-
boardstates with the breezy room
mess of the great plains, the noun
tain regions and the states beyond.
In this communication | will give
my impressions of the people in
these extremes of space, notice
some contrast of general conduct
among those one meets in the West
to those he had been accustomed to
meet in the East.
It would seem as if the cir
cumstances surrounding people had
an effect upon their conduct. Those
who lived within confined limits,
under congested local conditions,
are less liberal in their
views than those who live under
conditions that give them larger
outlook and more freedom of action.
Constrained environment restraints
the freedom of the mind az we'll as
the physical activities. People are
likely to be narrow-minded and
selfish when crowded by walls
and houses and the grinding greed
of commercialisn in populus
centers. This constraint of envire-
ment seems to make people appear
to us in an attitude of defense,
sometimes with such guarded APP
proach as TO make their conduct
almost an affront. In some in
stances it seems that people you
meet in the great cities are aggres-
sively insolent in conduct without
any apparent occasion for it except
the possible expectation they fear
some one will shown them just such
conduct and they want to be pre-
pared for a stroke. Out in the great
West it seemed to me that the
people in their conduct are imbued
with the expansiveness of their
environment. They appear to be
more liberal-minded, less suspicious
more genial and generous than
those we meet in the East. They
meet strangers with a manifestation
of friendliness, welcome and good
cheer, while in the East strangers
seem to repel approach, meet Other
strangers in an attitude of defense
In communities in the East one
frequently meets people who mani
fest an offensive haughtiness
Their manner asserts in strongeI
accents than the words of the Hypo
critic who stood on the street cornel
to be seen of men" as with long
face he told the Lord he was better
than other men.
Such a fellow we say heis stucl
up" This pompous exhibition o.
superiority in the snob may com
mand the admiration of the fawnins
toady but il provokes only merri
ment or contempt in sensible
people.
In my travels and residence in tn,
West l never came in contact will
an instance of the display of this of
fensive haughtiness. IL the snol
exists out of there ne was not il
evidence.
On the cars, in the highways, il
offices of lawyers, bankers mercan
tile and manuf actuing establish
ments, one sees no manifestation o
cold exclusivness that he often feel
in the East, no exhibition on thu
part Of individuals of an assump
ton of superiority. Instead the pee
pie seemed to desire to make cour
tesy feature of their communities
ton with each other. This charac
teristic appeared 10 me in pleasin
contrast to the conduct of man
people in the East.
1t is probably not just to clair
that a high silk hat is always
badge of the snob, nor if it often i
such badge that there are n
snobs except those of the dude val
iety, yet it is certain that mos
people look upon an ornaments
display as an Intentional proclams
ton of distinction. In my journey
did not see man made conspicr