Palisadian. [volume] (Cliffside Park, N.J.) 1906-current, 1916-01-15
The Chronic Kicker
Rails At Palisade
But Is Badly Routed

L WOuiu give d pIeCIy Jill WHISKY,
said Palisade man last week, "to
know what has gotten into this
town."
"What's wrong?" he was asked.
"Just about everything"
"Well, thought Palisade was
doing pretty WE'LL" suggested the
party of the second part.
'sWell enough, I will admit, in a
material sense. 1t is doing fine in
the way Of building new homes, and
many more / understand are promised
for the near future. But what can
not understand is the lack of village,
or community spirit Why, man the
folks here are not interested enough
in any local matters to get out to
anything but fire. They are more
Indifferent to community spirit than
any set of people l ever heard of"
"You appear to have crouch on"
"Not on your life. I mean what
I say, and know what I am talking
about"
"You may mean what you say, but
you don't know what you are talk
ing about" said the second man.
"Well, will you kindly enlighten
me as to the social error / am maxi
ing?"
"Quickly enough and gladly. In
the first place, Palisade is not yet on
the map, and the people here would
make a name and fame for them
selves if they would only undertake
to do this"
eyes, that is one of the things I
uac to1kiuo about -
"But you are not going about it
right. The people Of Palisade are
not unlike many other communities
in nearby towns surrounding and
very close to New York City. Here
we have about the finest lot of local
talent I ever saw"
"And they won't do blessed thing
for the town."
ooh, yes they will. You don't
know them. You have not stirred
them with the right kind of stick"
swell, what I think is that no
amount of stick stirring can wake
Palisade out Of her present social
lethargy."
"Then you are again wrong. They
can be awakened. One of these days
you will find things different"
eyes, but why are they not differ
ent now? In the earlier days of the
village they used to be different. Why
there was something going on all the
time. Almost every week some
body's home was the scene of nice
affair of some kind. Now, when
there is anything Of a public nature
going on, only a few can be coaxed
out. They won't even go to church.
They won't do anything. / have seen
the little church packed to the guards
when there was a childrens' festival.
Now the festival does not pull nearly
as well. You could have put another
hundred people into the church at this
last Christmas affair. AS for COM
munity sociability, only few of the
immediate neighbors in various Sec
tions of the village ever get together.
You cannot call them out. They
simply resist all appeals"
care you through" again asked
the party of the second part.
"Well, I have said enough, l
guess" said the first speaker.
''Now let me explain it all, or most
of all this apparent Indifference you
speak of. When Palisade was new,
there was the old pioneer spirit. The
very novelty of the thing of build
ing a new town had everybody in
terested in every movement that
took place. You could draw a crowd
out any evening without the slightest
trouble. In those days the social side
of things was not yet adjusted to
conditions that were sure to follow
any new town so close to the Big
City. Now that the little village has
at last settled down to it's regular
business of being alive, and sees the
lay of the land, things are different.
You see the main thing is that Pail
your complaints originate from this
one fact. Every last man jack Of
the jewellers in Palisade are workers
in New York. They all get up early,
go to town early, and come home
late. Having hustled all day, they
come home late and burrow. They are
glad to get to a resting place, and
it takes something big like a fire to
draw them away from the family
circle"
eyes, but they sit up late at night"
said the man who started all this
talk.
''No they don't. How many times
do you go around town at ten or
eleven o'clock and find the lights on
Why, at night this is the most quiet
town ever saw. You never see any
body on the streets. They will not
al of them go to the postoffice even,
half the time. They are too tired
to move around. They all lead the
strenuous life in the big gay city.
There are not half a dozen people
here who get out at night. That is
all the answer you want to your COM
ment about Palisade. INCEST town in
the world, not drone in it. There
could not be. If there We're any
drones they could not live here. The
town may not hustle much, but the
men folks do, and don't you forget it.
Put me down as the champion of Pail
SADIE, and strike out your account
against the village. The bill won't
be paid. You have charged up con-
ditions here to the wrong account"