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| Umbria. |
Letter from Rev. J. L. Robertson
DALEY,
Scotland, September 11, 1892.
DEAR EDITOR:—You see that I have not
forgotten your good wishes and your request for a letter from me during my absence,
even though so long a time has passed without my writing. The delay has been
caused in part by the constant demands upon time and thought in traveling and
sight-seeing, but still more by the fact that experience of suffering in
connection with writing, soon after landing in Liverpool, warned me that it was better for
me not yet to make much use of pen. Now, however, I am feeling so better that I
venture to comply with your request, at least in a few lines. But where shall I
begin? It would be folly for me to attempt anything like a detailed
account of our journeying and experiences.
The voyage on the good ship Umbria was delightful;
she has broken the record for Cunarders on her westward trip, and she broke it
again on this eastward one—getting abreast of Queenstown in six days, one hour
and fifteen minutes. This of course was only possible with favoring winds and
bright skies. The water was scarcely rougher at any time than I have seen it
often on our lakes. Only for a few minutes did I have a touch of sea sickness, while
Mrs. Robertson was entirely free from it.
The truth of the familiar saying about the
value of' friends at court was abundantly realized by us. We were thus brought
into special nearness to Capt. McKay, whom we grew greatly to admire, and from
whom we enjoyed all the privileges that he alone could give. The unusual
experience in this line, of a day’s sail along the Irish coast was granted to
us. We thus saw where the "City of Chicago" was wrecked, and saw the
ill-fated vessel herself as she lay broken to pieces on the rocks. The voyage
was quite too short for us, and we were really sorry when land was sighted.
Landing at Liverpool, as you can imagine, we
found many things very strange to us, and yet we were soon quite at home.
Friends had led us to expect very little to interest us in that city, but
instead we were greatly pleased with it, particularly with the massiveness of
its buildings and the excellence and cleaness of its streets, and the busy
thronging of its people. After two days there we left for a day at Chester, and
two days at Leamington; thence we made visits to Warwick Castle and
Stratford-on-Avon and Kenilworth, and for a day at Oxford and a week in London.
York was our next stopping place, and then Scarboro and then Edinburgh, where
we spent four memorable days. Then came the journey through the Trassachs,
embracing two brief railway rides, two coach rides and two trips by steamer,
the latter on Loch Katrina and Loch Lomond, and what a day that was!
And so we came to Glasglow. Thence we made a
day’s excursion through the Kyles of Brits and along the coast of Ahang—and the
next day we were at Ayr and visiting Burn’s cottage and looking in at the bed
in which he was born and meditating as we leaned over the wall of the “Auld
Brig O’Doon,” and as we walked about “Kirk Alloway” and remembered “Tam O’Shanter.”
Poor Burns, what rare gifts he had, and what a great tender heart! And what an
awful pity we felt it to be that he made such a wreck of himself as he did.
Thence we came by the way of Drumfries, where Burns died, and where again his
name is associated with almost everything—to this little Scotch town where we
are to spend two or three days with a granduncle of Mrs. Robertson.
You will see, I am sure, how full these days
must have been and how, if I would essay to tell all about their scenes and
experience, I must write a book rather than a letter.
London was wonderful to us. Instead of our
one Broadway there seemed to be fifty in it; we were very reluctant to leave
it. Yorkminister has most impressed us as a cathedral. We had never imagined
such a vast and imposing structure, although we were familiar with pictures of
it. But scarcely anything has so interested us as the beautiful country with
its well trimmed hedges and clean fields, and quaint and substantial houses,
and marvelously smooth and solid roads. When will we ever have anything like
these last in our own land?
The great difference in the climate has
quite surprised us, the oats and barley being not yet fully harvested, while so
far north even as this, wheat cannot be grown, not coming to maturity. We wear
already our heaviest winter clothing, and need to do so for comfort. But there
is a wonderful invigoration in the air, and we are almost wishing that we had
come up here at once on landing, as we are feeling so greatly benefited by it,
so much so, that we would be glad to stay longer if we could. Our time,
however, now is short, as our arrangements are all made for sailing on the 24th
on the Umbria again. From here we go to Bradford to visit other friends, and
thence we will find our way to Liverpool, hoping that by the time we reach
there, there will be better news in regard to cholera, and that we will have no
reason to fear delay in quarantine in New York. It would not be pleasant to
have to be for twenty days within sight of our native land, unable to get
ashore. Rather than do it we would be tempted to prolong our stay so much
longer here if we could only be sure then of getting through at once.
It has been pleasant to visit all of these
places, but more than ever are we glad that we are Americans, and we long to
see our own home again, and to look into the old familiar faces, hoping that
none that have been dear to us will be missing when we return.
Yours sincerely,
J. L. Robertson.
Practical
Ideas on Immigration.
(From the New York Sun.)
We shall certainly not put a dead stop to
all immigration from Europe. We shall certainly put a check upon indiscriminate
immigration to this country.
We must somehow limit the number of alien
immigrants permitted to come here. Suppose,
for example, by way of suggestion, that we set the number at 100,000 per year.
We might admit only those aliens who are in
sound physical condition. We might require immigrants to possess at least a
small amount of money, may be $100 per head, as some assurance against foreign
pauperism here.
We might, in short, make a series of
desirable rules for the regulation of immigration to the United States from
Europe, rules which could be rigidly enforced, and the cost of the enforcement
of which should be met by a tax upon immigration.
It would be unwise and impolitic to cut off
immigration altogether and forever. It is unwise and impolitic to let
overwhelming swarms of immigrants of all kinds come here without restraint,
without subjection lo a systematic, lawful, and rightful body of prescriptions.
At this time, in the face of danger from the
cholera, bars are raised against immigration; but they are only for temporary
service. When taken down they must be replaced by laws of permanent
application.
There must be no further trifling with a question
that is of supreme importance to our country.
Washington
Letter.
(From Our Regular Correspondent.)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 26, 1892.—Who will Mr. Harrison
name to take his place as Czar of the republican campaign machine is a question
that is daily becoming more important to republicans. The condition of Mrs.
Harrison is such that Mr. Harrison will not leave her long enough to hear and familiarize
himself with the reports of those who have come here to inform him of the
perilous condition of his campaign and to receive his orders and there is
little prospect of Mrs. Harrison becoming well enough to permit him to resume
control of the campaign. He has so far absolutely refused to talk politics with
those who have tried to impress upon him the necessity for an immediate
delegation of his power to some one else.
Steve Elkins has been sent for and he will
try to get Mr. Harrison to name a new boss, and it is possible, indeed would be
probable, that Elkins would be the man if it were not that Mr. Harrison has always
regarded Elkins as being tarred with the Blaine
stick, and feared to trust him in matters affecting his own political welfare.
He may have to do so now. There is no other member of the cabinet, excepting Charlie
Foster, who has sufficient political sagacity and experience to do the work; so,
unless he goes outside of the cabinet, one of these two men will probably be selected
to wear the republican crown during the remainder of the campaign.
General disappointment has taken command of
the republicans hereabouts. The first disappointment was caused by the flat failure
to make the G. A. R. encampment a republican campaign gathering, and by the
upsetting of all the plans that had been made with that end in view. Vice-President
Morton was approached and asked to lend his aid to carrying out those plans; he
positively refused, and also informed those who broached the subject that if
any attempt was made to bring politics into the encampment he would at once
return to New York. It matters not whether Mr. Morton acted as he really felt
about this or was actuated by a feeling of revenge and a desire to "get
even" with those who kept him out of the Vice-Presidential nomination at
Minneapolis; it is enough to know that he helped to disarrange plans that would
have been a disgrace both to the administration and to the G. A. R. had they
been carried out. Another disappointment, and a big one it is too, is that
caused by the knowledge that Senator Hill has gone actively to work to help carry
New York for Cleveland and Stevenson, just as those who know him best have all
along maintained that he would at the proper time.
Great as was the success of the G. A. R.
encampment, in point of attendance and visitors, it did not escape the baleful
shadow of the "nigger"—few things in this country do. It has just
leaked out that the reception in the rotunda of the Capital building, which Congress
by special act authorized Mrs. Gen. Logan and her lady associates to hold, and
which so mysteriously came to an end almost before it had fairly got started,
was spoilt by the aforesaid baleful shadow of the "nigger." It was
stated at the time that the doors were closed in the faces of the thousands
standing in line, waiting their turn to pass through the rotunda, and
reiterated in the local papers next day, that Mrs. Logan and her lady
assistants had become so fatigued that it was physically impossible to continue
the reception. The ladies may have been quite as near prostrated as they wished
the public to believe they were, but it was not caused by the fatigue of
standing to shake hands with those who got in before the doors were closed.
Among those who accepted invitations to
assist Mrs. Logan in receiving were the wives of three cabinet officers and a
number of ladies prominent in the social circles of Washington, while a number
of young army officers volunteered to make the presentations. When they arrived
at the Capital and proceeded to the rotunda they were surprised, and some of
them greatly shocked, to find that one of the receiving party was a "nigger,"
the wife of ex-Senator Bruce. There was an immediate rumpus, and as it could
not be quieted, some of the ladies refusing to stand with her and some of the
officers refusing to make presentations to her, the reception was brought to a
close at the earliest possible moment, and to avoid a scandal during the
encampment the story about the ladies being so prostrated as to be unable to
continue was conceived and given out. Mrs. Logan has not improved her
social status by inviting Bruce’s wife to assist her at that reception, nor has
she heard the last of it.
HERE AND
THERE.
A new two-cent postage stamp is to be issued
Jan. 1st, for use during the year of the Chicago Fair.
John B. Morris, who was kicked by a horse
last Thursday, is able to be out again. There was no internal injury as was at
first feared.
The opera house was filled on Wednesday
evening to see Charles T. Ellis in "Count
Casper." The performance gave general satisfaction.
The Y. P. S. C. and the literary club of the
Universalist church hold business meetings in the church, Friday evening. The quarterly
church meeting will also be held to prepare for observance of Lord's Supper.
Mr. J. E. Briggs has let the contract for
erecting the building on the south part of the Samson lot to Messrs. Meager
& Maher. The building is to be of brick, 27x71 feet, three stories and an
iron front. Work will commence at once.
Steps have been taken to organize a drill
corps in this place, to be known as the "Cortland Fire Department Drill
Company No. 1." Temporary officers were chosen last week, and a meeting
was held last evening for the purpose of formulating plans and to effect a
permanent organization.
Mr. George Seaman, son of S. B. Seaman of
Harford, went to the hospital of the Home of the Good Shepherd in Syracuse,
Sept 7th, and one week later underwent a most successful operation for a
removal of an abscess on the lung. Mr. Seaman had been suffering from the
formation of this abscess since a severe attack of grip some time ago.—Dryden Herald.
A little after 9 o'clock Tuesday evening,
Mr. Warner Rood undertook to turn the light out of a Rochester lamp in the
candy kitchen, preparatory to closing the place, when the chain broke and the
lamp fell to the floor. The oil spilled over upon the matting and in a
twinkling of the eye, Mr. Rood had a first-class fire. He seized the lamp and
tossed it into the street. Mr. W. McAuliff, the Cortland House porter, ran to
his assistance and tearing the matting from the floor, dragged it out on the
sidewalk and a few pails of water extinguished the flames in the store. Some
one cried fire and both Orris and Emerald hose were soon on the ground, but
their services were not needed. Mr. Rood’s hands were burned quite badly, and
Mr. McAuliff's clothing was ruined. It was a close call on the building.
The smokestack on Brockway's shops in Homer was
blown over by the high wind of Monday morning, and the hands had to lay off for
one day until it could be put up again.
Mr. George A. Brockway, of Homer, has bought
the handsome house formerly owned by the late A. T. Nye, on South Main street
and has sold his new residence on James street to Mr. M. M. Newton.
Hitchcock Hose company, and the Forty-fifth
Separate company have decided to hold a joint fair in the armory, commencing
Oct. 24th and ending Oct. 29th. Several committees have been appointed and the
preliminaries are being actively pushed.
E. F. George, of Freeville, had the misfortune
to have his eye so badly injured by a small flying piece of steel in the machine
shop of Cortland, that it has destroyed the sight at present and with little hope
of being restored.— Dryden Herald.
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