The Arkansas banner., 1844-01-02
COM M UNICATiONS.
For the .Qrknnsns Rnnner
CHRISTMAS VACCINATIONS.

etAf A<tttLU LAS NOu WILL NIlFlSU- mas was bright, beautiful, and balmy day. That delightful afternoon tempted me to spend leisure hour in walking about the City, and making some acquaintance with the external features of my new home. Du- ring that halcyon hour, many were the ob- jects that attracted my observation, and ex- cited my interest Each separate object, and some of them were beautiful-fit inspirers, indeed, of the poets pen or painters pencil, might well demand a separate chapter of de scription. But, as l am neither painter, poet, nor latin scholar, as others are, I leave all that ornamental work for them to do; and content myself here, to relate what saw and heard of one group-pieturesqu it is true, yet deiying the painters and the poets skill, and yielding it's native beauties only to the woolngs of plain prose tale That is to say, this shall be :. no fancy sketch.''
 As passed along the street, an unusual commotlon-seemingt to mingle the clamor ot voices, the stamping of feet, and the clap ping of hands, called my attention toward the City Hall. Pausing for a moment to ascertain the precise nature and occasion of the sounds l heard, I found myself unable to determine whether listened to an Indian poac-acoac, witch's incantation, or a noisy revel of lost spirits. In this state of uncertainty, l determined that, whether it were the one or the other of what have mentioned, whether 1t were :. bedlam dance, or deyilment,o I would see and hear it, close at hand. So, to the City Hall went. found none of the .:chimeras :: dire' my fancy had suggested. The scene, however, which met my eye, was rich one, if not rare. The group was imposing I admit; yet there was no need of < the riot act" for 1t was wholly harmless. It was the '' Little Rock Clay Club,o assembled in public high conclave. There sat Mir. NEWTON in the chair, presiding with much dignity; and, from the solemn import of his face and fiery vigilance of his eye, evincing that con sciousness of the importance of his station, and that earsestness in the discharge of his duties, which augur so well for success in any cause, and which am not aware of ha- wing ever seen equalled except in the person of John c. Calhoun, while presiding over. the Senate; and perhaps not surpassed by him.
 Next-in front, and a little foreshortened
 bil IAl d lON Oi d bCIlNiit oolb OLf tftUUtO Smith, and Benjamjn Borden, Esqrs., '' with spectacles on noseo occupying the place, and doing the duties, it seemed, of Secre- taries. Of course, they looked duly grave, duly digni6ed, and admirably becoming to their stations.
 Next-on the left hand of the President, and a little to the left, and in rear of the Se- cretaries, John ". Cooke, Esqr, was stand ing up, and doing the orator to the Christ mas crowd Mir. Cooke seemed to be in the midst of his harangue, when l entered :; and was on the flood tide of experiment upon action, action, acton,o and words, words, words; , which taco categories are now deemed essential, I believe, to ora torical success. MT. C., if l may judge from single effort, for have never heard him before nor since,-is :! very effective D speaker; and very a6ecting too, in Clay Clubs, if the clapping, and stamping, and yelling, which chorussed his harangue, may be taken as the measure of his merits. But not only were there action and words, but there was, also, an idea : an actual and bona Gde idea That idea was the Coon. Mr. C. seemed nightly smitten with the rar- mint. He patted him, and hugged him, and kissed him, and, finally, rolled him Gas a sweet morsel under his tonguen No mon key ever seemed more delighted with toad, than did Mr. c. with this coon-this < same old coon,o as he proudly, yet fondly called him. There was one passage of this har- rangue, in connection with the coon, which struck me with peculiar force, and adheres to my memory with great pertinacity. Whe- ther this deep and lasting impression has been the result of the native excellence of the thought expressed, or of the ornate beau ty and classic purity of the tropes and fig ures in which those thoughts were clothed, is too nice point of rhetorical criticism for me to decide But let our readers judge :: for he's living sure's you're born. I'll tell you what 1t is,-that old coon not only aint dead but he just now whispered in my ear, that somebody's trod on his tail, and mash ed 1t until he's got his dandeI up" This called forth thunders of applause. listen- ed for some one to respond with-ss sottin on a rail !" but, with that versatility of tact, and fertility of resource, which constitute the glory of Clay Club orators, Mr. C. start ed another idea! Ay-sceptical reader another idea or, what is the same thing to Clay Clubs, the same idea with another nan,e and this time he called 1t Henry Clay -alas Harry of the West-alias old Harry -alas the Kentucky statesman-alias the Mill boy of the s!ashes. Upon this the ap- plause tllundered again, aiiit with redoubled vigor. Whether this was in obedience to that" secret order'' of which John Smith makes Sabinus tell, do not know. Certain its, however, that when Harry of the West, or any of its synonymes, was mentioned, there was the applause, whether there was any sssecret ordern or not.
 Upon this idea, ''of many colors," Mir. C.