El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-07-09
Roundabout The Country
By O. 4. MARTIN.

enthusiastic over their parks and
tree lined bouleTards that not one OF
them object 10 the taxation necessary
70 maintain them and TO continue
glad 20 pay IL, for the rich and the
poor alike benefit. The rich may
ride through the trees in their motor
cars The poor may lou beneath the
trees on the grass and watch the mo-
tors whizz by. This park system was
constructed for the democracy Of
Kansas City and the democracy uses
IT, St Louis ditto in a somewhat
smaller way, but just as appreciative.
The great blessing 20 the S. Louis
resident Is the proximity OF the Mis-
sissippi- hOWever-the great father
OF waters" With the old Mississippi
at hand. they could get along with
out parks, for its cool breezes al
ways beckon and they give satisfac-
ton when you answer the call Where
the people all come from, one might
wonder AZ, but every day three large
steamboats,, as LONG as an FL pasO
block. put out from the wharves twice
daily loaded 10 their utmost capacity.
Leaving in the morning they make
daylight run up the river 20 Alton
Leaving a. night. they make niEht
run down the river 10 jefferson BAR
racks You can get anything you
wish 70 eat or drink on board or you
can take a lunch-in fact. the man
agement encourages the lunch idea
because otherwise there would be too
many TO feed-and YOU can even toss
your empty lunch boxes into the rear
lifeboat and nobody cares often the
boat returns with the rear lifeboat
swing fun Of empty boxes. testiuo-
NAL 10 the true aim Of the passen-
gers
As soon As the boat puts ont
- h..
chestru swings Into a Oug step
and you can dance until you are
TOO tired 20 dance more n you
like. II you happen not to be nc-
quainted. just stand around n
little while At the rail or along
the dancing floor. which Is about
30 by 100 feet, and you'u be uc-
quuinted in a little while, FOR lots
Of the st. Louis boys have gone
to war and 81. Louis girls stiI
80 on the excursions and they
like TO dnnce-moHt OF them.
Some society OF some kind gives q
picnic every night on one OF the boats.
sometimes there is a picnic party on
each OF them. One night this week.
the Western Union EMPLOYEES had a
picnic on the Majestic and the knights
OF Columbus had one on the Liberty.
while an Episcopalian Sunday school
had one on the ST. Paul. the biggest
OF the three boats OF course, the
rest OF the public can attend, too.
These picnic parties Just help 10
swell the crowds.
No matter how hot Il may be in
the city, IL Is always cool on the
river and as YOU float down past the
breweries, the smoking switch en-
gines on the banks, the mud scoWs
and the drift wood in the river and
read the bill boards sticking out from
among the trees, you can ruminare on
the days when the Mississippi river
packet was the most luxurious OF all
American methods OF travel and Won
der II Mark Twain really piloted a
boat over the very spot that you are
"a the moment riding on the muddy
bosom OF the great stream.
In the moonlight, q Is lust nH
HlTery as our own Rio Gramde.
and incidentally the odor Is very
similar. As the old boat swings
at her dock while the pfcnfckerH
rush down the river bank to get
aboard Ea the engineer framtIcaIIy
whistles his elnEt calls for the
tenth time, you watch the train
load after trainload OF people
pulling into the great middle
western metropolis from the IL
liuoia side over the bic bridge
just ahead and above you. Passeu-
gers wave from the trnin and the
M about the street cars crossing
on the deck high above the rail-
road and the SCOT falls down on
your panama and the plumber
with the mashed thumb next 10
you gquirtg orange juice on HIS