Du Buque visitor. [volume] (Dubuque, Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1836-1837, 1836-06-01
THE CRoAKERs.

Among the motley group which go
to make up a world, few have made
themselves more prominent and more
to be dreaded than the croaker. He is
ever dissatisfied with himself and all
around him. In the ant he sees the IL
on. In the 'little cloud no bigger than
a mans hand" he sees the tempest,
and hears the thunder, which threatens
to shake down the heavens; he feels
the earth driven from her moorings,
and like grain of sand before the
whirlwind, hurried away into it's origi-
nal chaos. In the most triAing unto
ward circumstances, he feels the foun-
dation Of civil society giving way, and
|prognosticatcs with interchangeable
ty the approach Of barbarism. In the
slightest change of established usage,
he sees the downfall Of social order. Is
he an author, he cries down his con-
temporaries, and mourns over the gen
eral decay of literature. Is he man
of business, trade has received its death
blow, and all who are engaged in it
aregon the eve Of bankruptcy. Moth
ing can save the city but rail road to
the Hudson, and the expense of this, as
he thinks, would ruin the state. Is he
a farmer, the crops are cut short, the
pastures are dried up,. the flocks and
the herds are starving, poverty stares
him in the face. Is he politician, con-
spiracy, and anarchy, and death, are
in the land. He reads his country's
downfallin the appointment Of a hog
reeve, or in the result Of petty cleo
ton. Is she beauty, (for there are
women croakers,) she reads its wane
in the slightest compliment paid to a
mother. Her pillow is haunted with
horrible visions of old age and ugliness.
She reads her doom in fancied wrin-
kle, and feels deformity in twingc Of
the toothach. Is she tattler, she reads
unwrltten mysteries in a nod ora wink,
and fills the ears Of her neighbors with
woful tales of sad mischances. She
thinks that things hare come to a
strange oass-kitchen maids have u
surped the carriage, and the ton have
dotted their responsibility. Families
are broken up by wretched pickering.
The old maids and misses are taking
unwarrantable stepsto obtain husbands.
She spells out strange doings, in her
neighbours family, from the state ofthe
fathers elbows, and the children's stock
Iings. Is she valetudinarian, she is
ever on the point to die. She sees her
winding sheet in the candle, and hears
her knell in the ticking Of bug. She
sends for the doctor for fear she shall
be sick, and wonders that person suf-
fering SO much pain, should excite so
little pity. She is sure that her friends
wish that she was dead, and if they
whisper in her presence, they are ma
king distribution Of her furniture, or
her wardrobe.
These are the croakers. For them
the heavens hang out their lights in
vain. In vain the earth spreads out her
flowers, and the winds wait their per-
fumes. In vain the birds fill the wood
with their carolings, and the halls re-
.ioicc on erery side. Peace reigns in
the domesticAcirclc, kindred souls beat
in delightful unison, religion softens
the aspersities Of our nature changes
the objects Of allecti0n--kindles an ey~
enduring fame of holy love in the soul
-unbars the gates Of heaven brings
down ifs ioys-ssiipht is soWn for the