Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1851-01-16
conesDondent Of the GaIiipOlis Journal.
FoRRxsT CRY, KY, Jan. 2, '51.

FORREST CITY, n.y., Jan. z, '5i.
Ma. HARPER:-It may not be unin-
teresting to you and your readers to
know how the Holidays are spent in
central Kentucky.
/ By an established custom, these days
are observed with singular esteem
Throughout the civilized world. Christ
mas is celebrated as the birthday Of the
Redeemer. by christians in general and
by the Catholics in particular. This is
somewhat strange, in view of the fact
that the particular month and day Of the
advent are not known, some believing
it to be in March and others in Decem-
Der. As the 25th of December is the
day, by common consent, of course it
will support superstition as we'll as the
true day. | freely confess my want of
veneration for this day: in view Of the
probability that it is not the true christ
mas-and but for Santa Claus and the
thousand crackers, 1 would not know it
from any other day.
Nothing special is done here, on this
day, except TO JOIN into parties for hun
ting. Hounds are very abundant though
tgame is scarce. To supply the place
of a for or coon, a young gentleman
will shoot a cat and tie rope round its
neck, and mount his swiftest nag, and
off at full speed, dragging the dead cat
after him. In about an hour, from thir-
ty to ifty dogs are let loose on his track,
with as many vel mounted sportsmen.
In few minutes the country is perfect
lly inundated with the yelping of dogs
and the whooping of the huntsmen. In
tense anxiety for the success Of the dog
or horse is pictured on every face, and
no one fails to do his best. This would
seem to be a very unmeaning exercise,
but here it developes tlOo great facts.
the fastest horse and the fastest dog, and
so important are these facts, that days
of severe toll are spent in bringing them
out. This exercise is technically call
ed the drag very appropriate word,
i.eof dragging a dead esi, and jaded nor
J ses, and iaded dogs for days, through
: muddy fields and roads, is surely
dragging work.
This exercise was suspended, on the
9th December, for the purpose Of wit
Messing the public execution of a negro
man, who had killed his master. Thi:
> was a horrible day-the picture wa;
heart-sickening; hundreds had assem-
bIed at an early hour to see a mar
launched into eternity. 1t is true, there
D was great sympathy for the wretchet
convict, and but little for the murdered
master. for he was very cruel-but
L could see no reason why men and wo
} men should willingly submit themselve:
TO the horrible shock of public execu'
ton
To me, human life seems so sacred q
thing, that lis violent termination always
fills me with dread, whether perpetrated
by an individual or a crowd. Execu
tions always excite a shudder among the
S innocent, the humane and the wise-hear.
!, ted, and universally fall most keenly on
the best hearts in the community. What
is this but the voice Of God crying from
within against this savage custom? Lei
not the murderer go unpunished, but lei
] his solitary confinement for life be the
ultimate penalty. This will fully NEE
the claims of justice and prevent the
many and the grossly demora'izing ten
1 denotes of public executions. A taci
acknowledgment of the bad influence o.
executions is made by many of the
s States, in the fac; that they are forbid
/. den to be public, as formerly l hope
the progress of civilization will soor
usher in the period when public execu
tions will be only matter of history
and not OF fact.
(. But the old year '50-where is it witt
all its scenes of sorrow and of joyl-
Gone-and with it many that we loved
We are now under the reign of Janus
the two-faced god, who looks before anC
backward, and is, therefore, a fitting
emblem of this season of retrospectior
and hope. Every class haye their pc
r culiar way of dismissing the old anC
. bringing in the new year. In Londor
the new year is welcomed by a merry
peel of bells from all the steepIes il
the city; and in Germany an orchestr;
of forty or fifty of the best musician,
go into the steepe of the highest church
e and perform some grand symphony
!. We can readily imagine what il would
be, to hear Hayden and Handel poured
out on the moonbeams from the church
o of St. Michaels in Hamburg, which i.
i near 490 feet high. The glorious tone.
would flow down, softened by the dis
tance, as if they were the breathings o
angels. | confess that this would fil
i my idea of new years welcome, much
;. better than the roar Of the cannon anC
guns, or the savage practice of whoop
ing and bachanalian riots that are bu
too common in the towns and cities o
this country. May age and letters give
n US wisdom.
But what of New Years day in Ken
lucky? 1t is the day of "hiring out anC
hiring in servants" hence the towns
f are crowded with black and white
n Some servants hire themselves where /
will suit them best, and the master con
: firms the contract. Others, who have
- roora o,,,al ,oasfars oro hirad hv n,,bI;,