Year: 1874

RAssMENTs THAT COME FkOM fNi'iA-'N S


THOUGHTS.
rPRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENCE OF Iiih iNS' MI


s,p,roeA. Sent. lit was of statement con-
tanned in former letter, viz thai at Saratoga no
one either dies or grows old, that the company were
gDealing Indeed public conversation turns upon
little else thar nv letters, / find and this so dis
+resses me that I've half mind 70 stop writing.
modest man like myself finds the position painful
rather than pleasant and sometimes almost deter
mine to cease corresponding from great moral cen
ters and 90 to writing PaTadises Lost and other
poems of that sort, which everybody praises ana
nobody reads.


Anyway il was of my late statement, that nobody
dies and nobody grows old az Saratoga. we were
talking, when a telegram arrived from New-forK
addressed


To ne Lise Girls at he qrand Uaion Hotel 5s You
will an be sorry % learn that your Od rehu, CO Ae
ander, died very suddenly last evening"


You NAV remember that last Summer in writing
from here made mention Of Col. Alexander as
perpetual Santa Claus, who, look for him in what
part of the house one might, you always found
loaded from his knees to his chin with clusters OF
children. who wreathed round and climbed over
him like mornng-glOries festOoning and glorlty1ng
a hale old apple-tree. In Central Park, too, his
figure was equally familiar there as here chill
dren hocked round him while he disburdened his
huge pockets of cunning little fans, dolls earrings
and necklaces rubber balls, lockets almost as beau
tful as real gold ones miniature tea sets IN emma
everything IN which children delight Only three
DAYS before the Colonel had held a farewell leyee
before going down to the city for few days, kissing
his little friends goodbye, and promising to return
the next week with fresh invoices for their
delight, and they looked forward to the opening
day thus indicated with gleeful anticipatlons
But instead came the telegram of the good ColoneFs
death. and you can wen imagine how the children
felt when il was read to them For he won all their
hearts not so much by the gifts he gave as for the
sympathy with which he entered into all their little
plans his interest in their sports and studies, the
stories he tOldnOt of fairies and fairyland but OF
the real world, wherein they were TO mlnge and OF
which they were to be a part. So you can see how
now come forward to recall my former assertion that
none die who come to Saratoga, and to lament that
it seldom or never happens that those die who
ought TO.


AS a general thing. think it may be set dOwnfora
self-evident fact that we do not die soon enough
in most cases we'd all be better of if we died ten
wears before we do. 1t ght not be money in our
pockets. exactly so to do. bat in the majority OF
cases t would be better for our regulations, our
comfort. and all if we died earlier-betore we're
found out. was going to say, but won't!


Here is the Beecher matter for instances if all the
men, women. and children concerned. directly or
indirectly, had died ten years ago. would MT II
have been a deal better for theml Understand, do
not say that it would only ask the question.


1t so happened that was present at Mr. Beechers
sermon on the death of Sumner. The clergyman
very distinctly stated that the statesman did not die
quite so soon as he ought to have died for his flames
sake. And my daring mind at once jumped from
that single statement TO the general proposition
which have now advanced. But did not look TO
see an illustration OF the truth soon IN the preach
er's own case Nor do profit by the wisdom thus
gained in minesjwn. For instance. l am publishing
a hook. Now undoubtedly the best thing for me TO
do in lie were 20 die before that book Is published
but don't mean TO- if can help it. Tis not the
common custom TO practice individually what one
breaches During the late unpleasantness labored
very hard TO make my countrymen understand how
clearly it was their duty to step forward and be
killed but for all that never went to the front and
got killed myself. Very few did. indeed, who talked
about it rs a Christian duty!


But mere I have been betrayed into a DEPRESSION
which | did not at all intend in setting out Ger
tainly it was not my intention to aIude to the un-
fragrant affair which has now SO nearly died out
that one can read any leading journal OF the day
and only have To hold one side of his A slngu-
lar pause has indeed in the current Of popular
conversation. You no longer see heads wagging
on all sides as the waggers advance their different
views of the scandal do old dowagers seize you
by tie ears and Ing you Oft into of the room
to ask if YOU as one connected with journalism,
have not some last development in the affair to i'm
part-some particulars to give which il was deemed
improper TO print.


The only allusion to the affair that Pve heard in
week dropped from Col William Seayer-in an I'M
guarded moment. fancy. He had drank several
glasses of Hath0rn water, and was about 20 ap-
proach and aSk him if his was a water as we'll as a
fire insurance company, when he evidently remem-
bered that he had forgotten to take his watch from
under the pillow that morning, and suddenly dsap-
peared, calculating, Grace, Mercy, and Peace p as
he turned the corner.


Inotice current remark to the effect that this
has been poor season for Saratoga This statement
surprises me- Nor can l see on what it is based.
Certainly have never seen the place so crowded,
and my observations cover a multitude of years.
The crowd came early this and seemed deter
mined TO stay late. And they still keep coming.
Formerly il was only the country folks who came in
September; you would the Omnibuses dsgorge
the most appalling and women in the most
astounding costumes. and anon you saw them file
into the dnng-rOOm holding each other by the hand
and addressing Thompson as Mr. Breslin. But now
there is really sprnking of swells arriving, and
some Of them look as though they intended stay all
Winter.


asked Mr.. Breslin if it was true that he COM
menced tearing town the Grand Union as the only
way of persuading people to clear out and let him
close the house up For it did indeed seem that il
they would take no other hint that the season was
ended, they'd be apt 70 twg when they stood pound
on the ground floors with roof over their heads
He said no that the real object of the tearing down
which began on the 1st of the month was to find
Mrs Paul's Lace paraso lost here last Summer This
loss he says has laid heavy his heart ever since