Weekly Caledonian. (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1919-1920, 1919-04-02
Part Three
EVENING

Dewey got over their little alterco-
ton. Our trusts grew great and our
merchant marine grew small. The
Republican party walked arrogant and
the Democrats settled upon one
Presidential candidate and ran him
with the consistency of despair. Big
business thrust thousand belchinp
furnace chimneys upon the skyline,
railroads were extended, harbors
deepcned, national finances strained
to the breaking point and once badly
! broken. We demonstrated our pro-
clivities for doing big things in big
way and then hammering on the oc-
ciputs those giant geniuses to whom
our growth was due. We turned
swashbucklers in a great big HARM
less hugc-hearted way and made
much hay in the sunlight of marvel
Gus international prosperity.
AS it has been in our nation, so it
has been in our town-which is a
counterpart of hundreds of American
towns scatteredall over the continent.
business blocks went up several
stories and wooden structures des-
ccnded under the crowbar of the
building wrccker. We paved Main
street and built Jail. Fat sociablc
boX-llke old houses painted dirty
white gave way to cupalos and bay
windows and softer hues and trim
mings. We RACED our white picket
fences and allowed our lawns
breathing chance. We bought fire
truck and policcman's uniform and
made Mi :.
who hitl
suspendc
at the c.
Streets
motions. Thus we arose to the
grandeur of a traffic cop and tool
great pride in him until he had "baw.
led us out" publicly one night fol
driving our automobile with one ligh
blinked out and then we declared hin
u nuisance and started petition t,
have him removed.
In our homes we took up our car
pets and laid down art rugs. TIL,
graphophonc with the old wax re
cords and morning glory horn wa
consigned to the attic and in the cor
ner Of our libraries" we Unstable,
what rescmbled and old-fashione,.
music box on top of a wine cabinet
but which was really Caruso and Nc
Cormick and Gluck ready at q mo-
ment's notice to fill the neighborhood
with art. We consigned the old
red table-coths to limbo and
went in for Haviland china.
The less furniture we could
get into room the better it was
furnished and the prosperity of a
family was not reckoned by it's acres
but by the number of silver birches
on its lawn and the width of it's
front piazza.
Our social life changed also. With
the passing of terra Gotta statuary
in the front yard went the little
brown pug dogs and with the little
brown pug dogs went the spinsters
and old maids and we had the "bach-
elor girls" who discussed women's
rights and motherhood with an au-
thority and frankness of which Miss
Melinda Sparrow in her widest NOM
ents two decades before had ever
We once took so much pride and \
Jared to dream. Young people be-
,amc old and old people became '
Joung. The acme of ambition for
,ur rising generation was to grow up
md shake the dust of the place from
heir negro-polished shoes and dwell
mid purple and fine linen in the
titles. In place of the jovial Vir-
cinia Reel and barn-dance or the
reamy two-stcp and waltz, both
exes polished one another's front
uttons by clutching one another,
ticking to one place in the floor and
around there with antics
hat would make any self-respecting
squeeze down into his
OK and wonder after the days when
nyone possibly conceived that he
ras funny.
Our women dropped off their bus
es, cut off their trains, parted their
omadours and called them turbans
,stead of hats. Meteorological =
eeves were first turned about and
len discarded for no sleeves at all.
houlders came down, petticoats
,me off, skirts went up and Mary
arden was pinched for doing what
very woman would do if she dared
nd styles said so. Menfolks dis
,rded the Prince Albert coat and
,tes-a jar collar. They approved
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