The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1921-11-04

/ sight to man from the prairie, and
one he keenly enjoyed. Once we
appeared suddenly in the main sreet
of a resort town on the sea, and the
Ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds bands
etc. were so numerous as to remind
me of visit to Coney Island, near
New York City.
Then the road led into the country
again, but it wasn't really country:
summer cottages were scattered
everywhere, ranging from modest
houses to palaces.
Occasionally we stopped at famous
Lobster Palaces for meals, but were
always surrounded with tourists, and
saw little of the real natives.
| suppose what we are aiming at
in this country is for everybody to
spend their summers in New Eng
land, and their winters in Florida.
That, l take it, would be really
Triumphant Democracy.
Well, we are coming nearer to
achieving it than you imagine. Many
of the men who manage hotels in
Florida in winter, manage hotels in
New England in summer, and several
of these told me the vacation crowds
are increasing enormously every
year. Whatever else happens, the
hotels are crowded. If we have any
money left, we spend it on moving
picture theatres and gasoline; or on
newspapers which tell US how poor
we are.
We spent a night at Old Orchard
Beach, and l carried lot of Boston
papers to my room, d read of the
wretcherness of my country; for
several days l had been forgetting
our wrongs.
What a familiar story it was Five
starving, in New York alone. In
justice here, there, everywhere; mobs
marching and demanding food; ladies
shooting gentlemen for non-support,
or other ill-treatment.
/ had been away from home eight
days, travelling rapidly, and seen only
two poor people. This was in Chi
cago, where | walked in a park near
a railway station while waiting for
a train. Two men were asleep on the
grass; one white and one black. Both
of them put together would not have
made half man. Worthlessness was
plainly marked in both of them.
All of the rest of the time / saw
great crowds of prosperous, we'll
dressed, polite and unusually good
looking people. l heard some grum-
bling about dull times, but recall
visiting the business place of the
Parkers in Montpelier. All the ma
chinery was going, and the superin-
tendent-a man the Parkers referred
to admiringly, l thought, as Bill
said they had all they could do.
Collections were a little slow, yes;
but did you ever know a time when
they were not ? l have much affec-
ton for Americans, and much hope
for my country, but do not expect
time will ever come when all of
them will pay their bills promptly.
The meanest gossip / hear about
people everywhere is from bill col
lectors. To expect collections to be
good is expecting too much; we can
never accomplish it.
The strongest impression / receiv-
ed at Old Orchard Beach was this:
Great crowds go there, and every
visitor seems to buy a Boston paper
at least twice daily, to see how we
are imposed on. After a glance at
these papers, they are thrown away.
Early one morning | took a walk
along the beach, and old newspapers,
rolling about in the wind, seemed as
numerous as particles of sand.
Have you not observed how news
papers collect in every household, in
every public place AT Old Orchard
Beach, they reminded me of tumble
weeds on the plains of Kansas.
| picked up one paper, and read of
an outrage that made my blood boil.
1t seems that a man in Boston ran
so sound a bank, and stood so we'll
with his fellow citizens, that the
other bankers combined with the
bank commissioner to ruin him. This
base plot had so far succeeded that
the good man was temporarily under
a cloud, but he could plainly see
brighter day dawning: the people
were rallying, and he would not rest
in well-doing until practically every
Boston banker was in Jail where they
properly belonged.
Old Orchard Beach seems to be a
good deal given to camp meeting. A
gentleman / met on the beach that
morning told me Of a wonderful
affair the day before, addressed by
noted Salvation Army General. These
in the great audience, the gentleman
said, were wonderfully moved; sure
ly great good had been done; the
collection amounted to twenty-eight
hundred dollars.
Boston is the capital of New Eng
land; its people say New York was
discovered by the Dutch, is run by
the Irish, and owned by the Jews.
The smart Yankees who are faithful
to Boston take many other clever
digs at New York
In Boston and its suburbs one is
reminded of an old English city:
Boston is different" but the rural
New Englanders seem to be regular
and speak the language. |
In Boston we frequently encountered |
guides offering to show us about, for
a fee. These / always observed in
the old churches and cemeteries; at |
the spot where the first blood was
she'd in establishing American liberty, |
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