The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-10-14
Frederick Haskin's Letter
Especial Correspondence Arsnsl
The Thirst and Fur Traders.
Especial Correspondence

ne unusual feature OF fha 90.
tune is that it apparently imnoess
no restriction on the sort ~ ~,
that may be worn, and the comb
nation of a row of sombar 49,
dresses topped by bobbing mas
Wreathed with daisies. forget ?r1e-
nots, or gay stresmers Of pink ana
blue ribbon, is striking.
There are a great many Of The
converts. Montreal is a CITY oF IN
situations. There are innumerabI.
great gray stone piles-bosnifois
monasteries, asylums. Schools
nearly all under the direrlior ~
some cherchly organization, ap5
nearly all French.
When you consider that four
fifths of Montreal is French fbis
is not surprising. The surnrisin1
fact Is that so much good EnelisSl
is spoken. Most of the peopIe ser.
to use both tongues. The nphiia
schools teach both, and The gavorr
ment issues all its proclamation
and street signs in both English ana
French. Even the bilIboards srs
apt to proclaim the excellence ~
their wares in the two Languages
A Cosmopolitan Civ,
Despite the prevalence Of .ha
French, all sorts of types are IN
parade in Montreal. In a dowp-
town street. you may see a typiesI
Irishman, pipe, smile. umbrella ard
high topped felt hat; then a Brif-
Usher, with cane, tweeds and per-
haps spats. His London paios
bristling with "cheerio" and @'tood.
Ieoo," is more striking against tbs
French background than if vouls
be elsewhere in the Dominion II
reminds you suddenly that Mon
treal is British territory.
The American is all over the civ
too, with his inevitable camera and
guidebook, and his exchange Of con
fdence with his fellow travellers
about trains, boats, connections
things to see, how not to get stune
the best restaurants, the rate Of en-
change, and so on, endlessly.
The French types do not stand
out so, by reason of their preva-
lence, and because they fit into the
atmosphere. Their houses, how
ever, are extremely picturesque. IN
the older quarters OF Montreal, long
rows of these houses may be seen.
They are decorated famboyantly
with scroll work balconies, spires,
towers and dormer windows.
But the Quaintest touch is that
every one has a flight of steps on
the outside going up from the street
to the second floor, occasionally
even to the third. Sometimes the
steps are spiral; more often they
are straight and steep.
This style of architecture was
adopted in many instances to divide
the houses into flats. One family
uses the lower floor, while the
other entering above by a different
set OF stairs and doorway, is at
home in the upper rooms.
The same idea has been Uss3 in
the state, though with what would
seem to us the more sensible plan
of having the stairs 20 the upper
floor inside the entrance. Especially
In country where winter is a long
siege of snow and ice, a flight Of
Is to 20 steps to be kept in condi-
ton for use must be a discouragIng
How the children keep from fall
ing down the steep flights, too. is a
mystery. Children scarcely more
than babies Chamber up and down
them unguarded. Apparently the
head OF a family considers front
steps no drawback in seIeting a
home. Houses with this feature are
passed for block after block
throughout the typically French
districts.
Life in this city involves a good
deal of climbing everywhere. Mon
treal is on a billy island where the
st. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers
join. Mount Royal rises directly
back of the city. and the city itself
is on anything but a level grade In
one railroad station the third floor
1t one end of the building is the
street floor at the other, and this is
hot an unusual instance
The people of the city climb the
lills and the stairs without appar-
ent effort or complaint Montreal
s the New York of Canada. The
10y of merely living in so great a
seems to be SUN 0iant 70
make up for any trifling discom-
orts.