910 



GLEANLNGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Dec. 



tremendous speed underneatli the roadway, 

 just between the two tracks. A narrow 

 slit in the pavement permits what is called 

 a "gripper,'' that goes down in the center of 

 the forward car, to grab hold of the wire 

 cable. By moving a lever the tlriver makes 

 this gripper gi'asp tightly or lo.)sely the mov- 

 ing cable, and this pulls the car. In the 

 crowded parts of the street he grips the cable 

 a little, then loosens the grip, ;ind puts on 

 the brake, and then grips a little again, and 

 soon. When he comes to a comparatively 

 clear space, his lever is pushed home until 

 the gripper grasps with a firm hold on the 

 cable, and then, I tell you, but don't we just 

 plunge ahead ? It reminds one of digging 

 his spurs in the sides of a high-mettled 

 horse. The three coaches just leap, as it 

 were ; and when one is in a hurry (trying to 

 make a greenhouse four or five "miles away 

 in a short time, for instance), isn't it satis- 

 fying to his feelings to be rushed ahead ? 

 Yes. and without a horse or locomotive to 

 bother with ! AVhy. you don't have to wait 

 to get up motion, for the car comes up at 

 full speed, almost, in an instant. Of course, 

 they stop and start to let people oft and on. 

 as with ordinary street-cars ; but the saving 

 in time, as well as saving in speed, is im- 

 mense. If the men who got up these cable 

 cars had known inc, they might have hiown 

 the cable cars would captivate me entirely. 

 We rode al)OUt four miles in a brisk, cold 

 wind ; but the wind just made me feel hap- 

 py, especially when I could see that ma- 

 chine work. At intervals we found men re- 

 pairing the track and machinery, and caught 

 glimpses under ground of the mechanism. 

 Attheend of four miles we were obliged to 

 take a horse-car ; but when the driver said 

 thei-e were no greenhouses short of three 

 miles further, we decided we could not 

 make it, and so we stepped on to the cable 

 cars going in the other direction, and sped 

 back to the convention. I had so entirely 

 enjoyed my ride, however, that I M'as not 

 sorry ; and perhaps just here it may be w^ell 

 to tell you a little of Chicago. It seemed to 

 me at the time 1 was there, that, in certain 

 portions, there was more crowd and business 

 than even in the city of New York. The 

 streets are broader, and there is more room, 

 and I should say better facilities in many 

 respects for doing business. Tlie stores are 

 immense ; and toward night, when it is time 

 to set the electric lights going, it looks like 

 a fairv scene. Notwithstanding the cold 

 weatli'er, the sidewalk on State Street was 

 heaped with goods of various kinds ; fruits, 

 candies, toys, dry goods, jewelry, clothing, 

 and every thing that man can think of or 

 need was displayed in endless profusion. 

 Brilliant placards, glittering with black ink 

 on the whitest of paper, offered wonderful 

 bargains at every step, and great multitudes 

 surged to and fro, taking advantage of these 

 bargains. The streets were even lighter 

 than in the daytime, and one feels like rub- 

 bing his eyes, to be sure it is all real. I had 

 fully :is much trouble at the street-crossings 

 as I did in New York. I should have men- 

 tioned, that the cable cars follow each other 

 quite closely. One row goes down street, 

 and the other up street. There is not any 



clamping of horse - hoofs to warn you of 

 their coming ; no, not even any puffing of 

 steam. The ears seemed so dangerous, that, 

 even before they were on me, I jumped back 

 inalfright; but when I jumped back I got 

 right before one coming another way, until 

 the driver sounded his alarm-gong in a way 

 that might have muddled the wits of almost 

 anybody. By the time T got out of the way 

 of both cable cars, I was right in front of a 

 cab ; and then, thinking the danger was 

 over wlien I got out of the way of the cab, I 

 jumped again for a place of safety, only to 

 find myself almost right under the feet of a 

 big dray-horse. Just as I began thinking 

 there was no such thing as getting across at 

 all, a great biuly policeman looms up. 

 Whenever I see these Chicago policemen I 

 think of that passage in Genesis where it 

 says, "• There were giants in the earth in 

 those days." I know the Bible critics used 

 to pick at this passage, but I now concluded 

 there was not any thing strange about it at 

 all, for we have" the same kind of chaps 

 nowadays, and I think they must all have 

 gone to Chicago to act as policemen. Well, 

 this great giant was not a bad man at all ; 

 in fact, he looked so kind and pleasant that 

 I was rather glad he happened to be just 

 there. He raised his baton, and good-na- 

 turedly signaled to the drayman to hold on 

 a bit. He did not say so, but I suppose he 

 meant something like this: "Look here, 

 friend ; here is a country editor all the way 

 from Ohio, who is not used to our ways. 

 Just hold on a bit until he gets out of the 

 way." If one stops here it stops a good 

 many others, and so he was obliged to speak 

 to the driver of another vehicle—" Hold a 

 little, my friend ! There, now move on ! 

 Now hold again— there ! Now we are all 

 right!" 



Now, even though he was a big man, and 

 had authority under his great big coat, he 

 was as gentle as a father speaking to his 

 children. If Iluber had been driving a 

 horse through a ditficult passage I should 

 not have spoken gentler to him than did 

 this keeper of the peace in the great city 

 speak to the busy throng. What wonderful 

 beauty there is in seeing gentleness com- 

 bined with power and authority!* "Lord, 

 help!" wells up while I think of my own poor 

 self in this respect. 



These cable cars carry a man ten miles for 

 a nickel. One of the great needs of civiliza- 

 tion is to get around faster than one can do 

 it on his feet. If I am correct, the cable cars 

 furnish the cheapest mode of transportation 

 yet known— half a cent a mile. But, more 

 of this anon. 



The daily papers of Chicago are a wonder- 

 ful institution. Not only do they tell of all 

 important movements going on throughout 

 this great busy city, but they have a fashion 

 of picturing people who come and talk at 

 conventions. I have told you what appear- 

 ed in the Hail, the first morning after the 

 convention opened. The next morning 

 the Daily Netos came out with a witty notice 

 of the proceedings of the convention, con- 



*ThinkPst tlioii that T can not now pray to ray 

 Father, and he shall presently ^ive me more than 

 twelve legions of ansels?— Matt. 26: .'iS. 



