Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-09-11
Aailp Clinton e American.
" g From the ". y Daily Tribune, Of Aug. 5.
i - 20 e HOT CORN: '..' e's +.
ira7 Or, Err rS rnr Cry.

~ ~.
ling hot smoking hot. just from ihe potr, Uoar af
Ter hour, last evening" IS we satoyeF tia desk, thi
Ier5 eameppiua safi, plaintiye voice under our win
dow, which told Us Of one of the ways Of the.poo,
TO eSe oat the means Of Subsistence in this over
buFteneds lifted and worse-lddged home of Iniser,
-ef so many without means, who are constantl,
crowdng inte the drtieSt pureus of this notorieus
dirty City, where. they ale exposed to the daily
chance Of death fromsome sudden outbreaking epi
demic like taat now desolating the same kind o
streets in New Orleans and swallowing up its thou
sands of victims from the same class of poverty
stricken, uncomfortably human beings
who know not how or have not the power to flee
to the healthy hills and green fields of the country
Here they iye-barely live in holes almost as hot
the hot corn, the cry of which rnng in onr ears
from dark until midnight s4 --f.
Hot corn, hot corn. here's your nice hot corn,
up in faint child-like voice. which seemed to
have been aroused by the sound of our step as we
were about entering the Park, while the City Hall
clock told the hour when ghosts go forth upon their
midnight rambles. We started, as though spirit
had given us rap, for the sound seemed to come
out of the iron posts which stand as sentines over
the main entrance, forbidding all vehicles TO enter
unless the driver takes the trouble to pull up and
tumble out of the way one of the aforesaid posts
which is not often done, because one Of them often
if not always is out of place. giving free ingress
to the court yard or livery stable grounds of the
City Hall, which, in consideration of the growth of
a few miserable dusty brown trees and doubtful
colored grass patches, We call .-the Park
.I Looking over the post We discovered the owner
of the hot cry in the person of an enaciateFi
little girl about twelve years old whose dirty froek
was nearly the color of the rusty iron, and whose
face hands and feet, naturally white and delicate
were grimmed with dirt until nearly of the saIee
color. There were two white streaks running down
from the soft blue eyes that told of the hot seain
tears that were coursing their way that nat,-
rally beautiful face, r-
SOme corn, SIR lisped the little sufferer as she
saw we had stopped to look at her, hardly daring
to speak to one who did not address her in rough
tones of command, such as 'gite me some corn you
little VOLTS whelp," or name still more oPpro-
briOus both to herself and mother, Seeing We had
no look of contempt for her, she said, piteously.
please buy some corn, sir -
NO my dear, We do not wish any. it Is not very
healthy, in such warm weather as this, and especial
ly so late at night, -t.---g ..-- .z--
.Oh dear, then, what shall dO?'
"Why, go home. 1t is past midnight, and such
little girls you ought not TO be in the streets of
this bad city at this time of night a
IT o,,II 1
Oh dear"
Cannot 60 home. Why not?"
"0h, Sir, my mother viii whip me if go home
without selling all my corn. Oh, sir, do buy one
ear, and then | shall have only two left and am
sure she might let little Sis and me eat them for
have not had anything to eat since morning, only
one apple the man gave me, and one at the grocery
when went to get-tO get something in the pitch
er for mother, but dare not. did use to steal
Dut Mr.. Pease says it is naughty to steal and don't
want TO be naughty, indeed don't; and don't
want to be bad girl, like Lizzy Smith, and she is
,nly two years older than me- if she does dress fine;
cause Mr.. Pease says she will he just ike old drunk
N Kate one of these days Oh dear, now there
yoes a man and did not cry hot corn, what shall
do?" sG 1
"Do! There, that is what you shall do" as We
lashed the corn in the gutter, Go home; tell your
mother you have sold it all and here is the money.
"Wont that be lie, Sir? Mr. Pease says we
must not tell lies 4
mo, my dear, that wont be lie, because have
oought it and thrown it away, instead of eatingit.
But sir may eat it then if you don't want itg''
"No it is not good for you; good bread is better,
md here is a sixpence to buy loaf, and here is an
other to buy some nice cakes for yOu and Sis. Now
hat is your money, don't give it to your mother,
md don't stay out so late again. Go home earlier,
md tell your mother you cannot keep awake and if
he is a good mother she wont whip you"
"Oh, sir, she is good mother sometimes. But l
m sure the grocery man at the corner is not good
nan or he would not sell my mother rum, when he
.nows-for Mr. Pease told him so-that We poor
hiIdren were starving Oh 1 wish all the men
we're good men like him. and then my mother would /
lot drink that nasty liquor and beat and starye u.s.
cause there would be nobody to sell her any--aud
hen we should have plenty to eat?"
Away she ran down the street toward that reek-
ng center of filth, poverty and misery, the noted
five Points of New York i.
As We plodded up Broadway, looking in here
nd there upon the palatiaI splendors of metrope-
tan saloons we think that is the word for fash
enable upper class grog-shops-we almost invol- 4
ntarily cried ~hot corn, as we saw the hot spirit
f that grain, under the various guises of Hpure
in''-'old rum"-apale brandy -''pure port /
Heidsick or 'Lager-bier' '-p poured down the hot !
hroats of men-and ah, yes, Of women, too, whose
aughters may some day sit at midnight upon the
old curbstone crying ahot corn" to gain penny
1r the purchase of drink Of the fiery dragon I
hey are nows inviting to home in their bosoms, I
those cry in after years win be "Give give, give,
nd still as unsatisfed as the horse-leachs daugh-
ers @ A -- f.fE. /
Again as we passed on up that street still busy /
nd thronged at midnight, as country village at I
lidday intermission OF church service, ever and |
non from some side-street came up the cry of "hot
orn-hot corn and ever as we heard it, that lit /
lie girl and her drunken mother, and the bad man.
I the corner grocery, and we Thought that hers !
-as the best, the strongest Maine Law argument |
-hich had ever fallen upon our listening ear.
Again, as we turned the corner Of Spring ST. |
he glare and splendor of thousand gas lights and
.e glitteriug cut glass of that, for the FIRST time
ghted up bar-room of the Prescott House, SO Iaud-