The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1913-04-04
THE RESTLESS THRONG

The congested retail business dis
trict, along Second and Third ave-
nues and the cross street feeders, are
always source of interest to me. The
extent of territory over which this
tide of humanity daily GIBBS and flows
is not extensive as compared with
some of the larger cities, yet when
lost in the restless current, one can
easily imagine Seattle is much more
populous than it is. One wonders
where all the people are coming from
and whence they are going. What
gives the impression of numerical
vastness is that one can be upon the
street day after day and rarely see the
same face twice.
Commencing at a point hardly de-
Enable to the south, the ruck and riot
of human forms drift up and down
the avenues, an endless chain of Pc
destrians, at times so wedged in that
progress is slow and the common
courtesies of the highway sadly neg
lected, for it is nothing to be bumped
first on one side, then on the other,
until one becomes expert as an artful
dOdger.
A rather strange and noticeable
break is apparent in this human tide
at Pike street to the north The wave
seems to spend it's force at the inter-
section of that highway, and dividing,
flows up or down that street. Above
Pike, the main arteries of travel are
comparatively sparsely populated. In
the main, this mass of moving people
filter along the boulevards on SEEM
ingly aimless mission. 1t may be just
the fever to be there the excitement
attuned to the mere presence of a
crowd, that is responsible for much of
this street walking, for in most in
stances the individuals do not move
with that springy, rapid step indica-
tive of one moving on business bent.
AS rule these throngs slowly and de-
corously ramble along, single, or in
merry, chatting groups, elbowing,
pushing, humping, crOwding, jaming
anyway to make progress through the
swirls and eddies along the paved
ways.
The faces of these people are an in
teresting study, and every human
emotion is depicted. The population
of almost every civilized race are to
be encountered. Old and young, grave
and gay, thoughtful and careless,
bright and morose, active and jaded,
lively and detected, handsome and
homely, rich and poor, modest and
bold, pure and impure, bedecked and
bedraggled, they mingle together in
the mob, making Kaleidoscope NOV
ing picture that presents something
amusing or touching, attractive or re-
pulsive at almost every turn in the
road. 1t is a part of the feature life
of the city from which old inhabitants
would not seperate themselves even
for a more kindly lot as to environ
ment, and improved moral and physi-
cal conditions in country town.
To the visitor who pushes his way
into the human maelstrom the sense
of being completely lost; an utter
stranger in strange land. is domi-
nant, and there exists a feeling of
disappointment that in the multitude
he sees no familiar face. Notwith-
standing the rush and daze of his sur
roundings, man can feel almost as
great a solitude, as much out OF
touch with his fellow beings, in a
large city as If cast upon a desert
island. OF course this feeling is only
applicable to companionship, for to
the man with the greese to smooth
the way, the city has the desert island
pushed off the map for diversions.
From these canyons of houses
through which the mass wends its
way, arises incessently the hoarse
roar of trampling feet, of many voices
the clang of street cars and the grind
of street traffic. This harsh music
evidence of life and trade and COM
hhClSioi dCIiNlty, iuocpdTdUle ITOIll
busy marts, while somewhat discor-
dant and Earring to the ears of those
not accustomed to the din of a metrop-
oils, Is sweeter music to the estab-
lished resident than the lacivious
pleasing of lutte. must confess that
l like it. l tear myself away with
feelings of regret. There is an inspi-
ration in this push, this hustle, this
hustle, this chorus of strange rude
sounds indicative of life and things be-
ing done that is tobasco sauce to the
blood, giving a zest to existence as it
reels off from day to day. If I were
twenty-five years younger, l would
feel that l might live until conditions
as they are here might be duplicated
In Oroville possibly not upon so great
scale, as we lack the water front
foreground to attract diversified
population and sea shipping traffic
but on a scale somewhat more modest
but none the less stimulating. And
why not? Spokane had no brighter