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Show IAGO. News Notes and Social Gossip. Points and Opinions, (Special CorrospondtiBice.i Colujiuia, Pa., Mttrch 28, 1S77. Drizzle, drizzle, drizzle ! V jira undergoing a severe attack of that weuther wliicli, in western phraseology, phrase-ology, is bo "favorable to young ducks." March and April seem to have made an even swap, for we expect ex-pect tho winds next month. But such Lliinye nevar dampen the spirits of your "quill driver," and were it not for what is transpiring in the hall below where I am sitting, my patience- would have no limit. A11 organ war competitors, Golden Tongue and Eatey. A trilling inci dent, but one which may afreet the stops, construction and general tone ol this epistle. The times haven't changed since my last; dull here as everywhere no journalistic reference, Harry. The usual number of people are looking forward to the "eood time coming;" Bome stand ou the street comers watching for it all day long, while others think it weut around the other way, and have gone back to work. The current topic is, of courso, blue which has outdistanced all rivuls, and is ns common in tho mouth of the newsboy as the philosopher. philoso-pher. The papers arc full of it; 6ome advocating its claim to credence and scientific import, others denouncing it as a fraud. What it will eventuate iu is a myth to us who lack "larnin'," but as I ace eome of otir energetic home citizens aro practically testing the mazarine, we may hope to have soon something more to enlighten us thun tho abstniiive theories and con- dieting testimony now toing the rounds. The raiting se.-ison on the Susquehanna Susque-hanna is now open, and the river will soon be alive with lumber drifts, which may Blir things some, furnish many idlers with employment, and set considerable money afloat. Tnis branch of trade is extensive in this region. Marietta, Columbia, Wash--iugtoB and Fort Deposit, all on the same side- of the water, are great markeU for lumber, which is rafted all the ainsou from the upper wate-s of tho Susquehanna, where it ia manufactured, piled in yards on the shore, convenient to the railroad trucks, mid shipped to supply the eur-rounding eur-rounding country. Philadelphia, Pittsburg, IjancaHtcr and other cities contribute patronage, which goes to niitUo the lumber traflic a ppccinl nud very profitable business. To guide a raft down to this point, aotui-.u aotui-.u u.,.,,i-ri ,;i; ,;nQ !,,! three hundred miles, requires but liitle care, but below here are the canal dam, Bhoals and continuous boulders of rock stretching across the stream, to pass which, in safety, tries the skill of the experienced pilot. AMUSEMENTS. A few evenings since John T. Raymond Ray-mond electrified the Columbiauiles with hii unique impersonation of "Mulberry Sellers." This character, like good wine, (under key) improves with age, and the actor, with admira ble tact, has taken advantage of the late political paradox to increase ids stock of hits and side - speech es, which render the drama more telling than ever. The Lonten season was unfavorable to the success which otherwise would have greeted the '"colonel," but there was "millions in it" (more or lean) as it was, while the eflerveaeuc of ds-light ds-light which agitated the audience was all that could be desired from "raw turnips and cold water." To-night there ia a concert iu tho colored people's church, and the number ol little "nigs" on the street, who "liaint had nuthin to eat for two days," is materially increased. The children can't be blamed; the fee is only ten cents, and the object a benevolent one. The lecture mania has been prevalent preva-lent in the vicinity; Utah olten getting her share. A. traveler from the Pacific const gets ofl at Ogden, runs down to Salt Lake, takes a bath in the Warm Spring (a very charitable act br tho bye), leaves neit day. comes east and lectures on "Five Years Among the Mormons." The neighborhood holds several of these geniuses. Ono in an adjacent borough, bor-ough, I am told, says he was in Utah some four years ago, hired out to work and was paid in pumpkins; not finding any sale for the vegetables, he and a comrade began playirjg tenpins ten-pins on the sidewalk with them, and were arrested by Bill Hyde for "keeping "keep-ing a saloon open on Sunday." Mjr informant seemed surprised that I had never heard of this event. I told him we had many such characters char-acters out there, but their ten-pin proclivities pro-clivities were restrained by a municipal munici-pal ordinance passed many years ago, lor the erection and support of an insane asylum. Tho credulity ol come peoplo is as elastic as the consci cuces ol those who impose upon them. But then thia is a laud ot liberty an age of progress; and it ij gratifying to tho cosmopolitan mind to notu this freedom from restraint; as well as the general disregard for stereotyped ceremonies cer-emonies imposed by tyrant usage, which pervades the street society of an eastern town. Everybody is acquainted ac-quainted with everybody, tho whites and blacks, even, are on tho most familiar terms, habitually accosting each other with that style of address so indicative of tho utmost freedom and equality. As an illustration: When a youug disciple of Ham is on his way to market, a white boy on the corner will ycil, "Hello anthracite," anthra-cite," "Go bagyer head, whitowash," is the calm rejoinder. The use ol these suggestive metaphors not only denoto care and research, but presages pre-sages an oarly revisal ol our mother English which may result in a perfect grammar of the language. The political horizon is about the same. We learn from the last issue of Harpcr'B that "the times are ripening ripen-ing tor a lasting peace;" a good deal of anxiety was thereby removed from the public mind, but the full showing remains to the future. "The mills of the gods grind slowly." Iago. |
