McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1917-07-27
Letter From New York

Inc SbOrm anu SbEeSs VI WdI-tliHcS
tell upon one these days in this tre-
mendous hive of humanity. In that
great, lowing stream Of people down
Broadway you see many sad faces;
Germans with wide, staring eyes and
mouths open in despair. and many
others who look like they are going
to a funeral. There is double sorrow
for the Teutonic element here now:
Not only is the war going dead against
them. but they are the great hackers
Of tbs saloon business here, and pro-
hibition hits some of them harder
than the war. Take the German and
Irish element out Of the whiskey bus
mess here, and you wouldn't have
much left to make people drunk. The
Germans themselves don't get drunk
much, but they handle the stuff that
makes others that way.
Still, there are many attractions
here to take ones mind eff the war.
Mrs. Perkins and | strolled through
Central Park some time ago, admiring
the lovely lakes swarming with boats,
the artistic bridges, the bowers of
wistarias and roses, the latter making
great banks of color on the rocks
which here and there rise in big
humps; the fine old trees. the broad,
winding avenues and towering shrubs.
In the distance were heard the open
ing strains Of that song Of songs, The
Star Spangled Banner, which now
opens all concerts here, and we made
our way through grove, cope aud
avenue to the band stand. where per-
haps 10000 people we're gathered to
hear the music. 1t was a French
band, and there must have been thirty
or more players. The music was of
the highest order; no rag-time, fox
trot or other tra-modern abomina-
tions. We heard selections from
Meyerbeer. Verdi, Wagner, and other
old masters. The selections from
'Lohengrin" German mlsic, played
by Frenchmen) we're certainly beau
tiful, although all Wagners music
| does not please me. Then there were
lovely passages from Gounod (Goono)
the French master, and a number of
other things | have forgotten. A
little Russian woman sat on one side
of me and picked catipillars off me
which were falling from the trees,
and seemed more interested in the
worms than in the music, till | began
to talk to her in Russian always tell
ing Mrs. P. what | was talking about,
of course) and Mrs. Russian Cor Miss;
: it doesn't make any difference; she
, was ugly enough to stop clock, and
had a nose like an Interrogation
: point in whirlwind") told me where
she was from, and how long she had
been here. In front of US stood Ital-
ian people talking as if for dear life
. bad manners when we wanted to hear
the music. Twilight fell as the music
= was done and the great crowd melted
= away through'the dreamy woods, and
. my wife and and / passed along the
shaded avenue where stood statues of
Beethoven, Walter Scott, Shakespeare,
: Columbus, and other big bugs of other
: days. There sat Robert Burns, the
. peerless Scotch poet, his pen in hand
9 and his face twisted up in great
shape, writing his song: 20 Mary
. dear departed shade,' etc. Fitz.Greene
D Halleck, author of Marco Bozzaris,
. sat on his pedestal smiling at US. Hi
% wrote that lovely tribute to his FRIEND
II Joseph Rodman Drake, author o.
N "The American Flag"
10 "Green be the turf above thee,
Friend Of my better days;
y None knew thee but to love thee,
o. None named thee but to praise.
TO AS the shades of evening fell. th'
n stream of automobiles in the Parl
" seemed to increase, till they rolle'
A along, several abreast, thousands AM
thousands of them. containing richl
dressed people and often dogs, wit
u bright ribbons on, barking loudly a
n. they passed. The numbers on tn
autos ran away upon over 100000
Once in awhile horse and buggy o
!, some one on horseback generally
young woman wearing riding astral
die in breaches and a derby hat
= passed by. and then everybody turns
{. to look. Horses are curiosity there
s. Among the interesting plants !
a. the Park saw bush of rue, an
r when | mashed the leaves and smelle
St them (by permission of the gardne
1t