Small Town Man Moves to the Big City

NEW BABBAGE, NB — The chief difference, it is immediately evident, between a small town and a large city, is a vertical one; whereas a small town moves slowly and horizontally across the landscape, a city stretches both across the landscape, and yet reaches also, up toward the heavens - just ask the man who only today landed in New Babbage, ready to begin life anew.

The moment the dirigible airship landed, the very height of the city astounded our small town man.  He was immediately greeted by a tall friendly man sporting an impressive stovepipe hat, he introduced himself as Mr O Underbean, chief advisor and assistant to the mayor, Clockwinder Tenk.  He seemed intent on individually meeting every person who exited the craft, perhaps due to his temporarily holding the mayor regent title in the absence of Mr Tenk, a fact he seemed intent on relaying, mentioning it several times in their short conversation.

Our small town man was pleasantly mystified by this personal treatment, expressing the opinion that this sort of behavior is generally believed to be the sole domain of smaller communities.  Mr Underbean scoffed at such a notion, describing the city of New Babbage thusly as 'a tight knit community, in fact one could accurately say many of its citizens are at one another's throats in perpetuity.' To prove the amiability of the city to newcomers, the advisor and assistant to the mayor offered to personally see to the placement of our small town man in a rental office, in one of the city's most popular areas, one known locally as 'the Gut'.

It would seem that the small town notion of the large metropolis swallowing not only individuality, but also morality and brotherhood, is an antiquated one.