The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1854-03-17
KNOXVILLE CORRESPONDENCE.
KNOXVILLE, March 4th, 1854.

has tralSplfci III lHis Src"t Guy. h"''"''
little scene in the drama CT existence has
vanished from us with most monotonous re-
semLlance to It's immediate predecessor, with
nothing to stir the blood Of the public, OF
convulse the heart Of our people in any way.
We are beginning to need something to excite
us, and there ,cW be something to excite us
soon. This calm cannot last always, and the
storm will come. A murder or n fire, an
elopement or daring robbery" Ito figure
in glarlng capitals in the newspapers Of the
place)-or if not these, circus, n concert, n
ball, or something in the joyful category OF
human casualtes-must soon end this dull
monotony of nothingness, or we shall all fall
into cataleptc state. Two weeks OF mortal
stagnation, ever since johnson threw the
goose at the cabbage head. ! verify believe |
should have fallen into nightmare had it
not been for the tapping of the vital fluid
which the rattrap spoken OF in my last so
clcverly effected.
Some slight brcczcs have, however, occa-
sionally ripplcd tho surface of this Dead Sea
Dl events. Inc W IhltI HAS eNl'ilSN s'hNS
wrote you, and the bright.cyed merry Spring
mas ascended to the throne of seasons. The
last few days of the old tyrant's reign were
Enthusiastically gloomy, but the first Of
March came in with blue sky, and gentle,
bnlmy air, and wnrbling ofthe blue-birds, and
the next day was even more Spring-like and
beautiful than the first. Those two days
have told most perceptibly on the vegetation.
A walk on the riverside this afternoon dis
closed the swelling buds of the elm trees
which border the stream; and here and there
the golden dandelon appeared, first flower OF
Spring, nestled close to the bosom of its mother
earth. But wander from the city and must
return. These two bright days brought upon
our pavements such congregation and
throng of lovely ladies as surely no one ever
saw in n small city before These new business
houses which have been springing up with
such rapidly of late, have, perhaps, brought
out some mportations from the North. We
had on hand very superior supply of the
domestic article, which cannot be surpassed
for elegance and desirableness; but when to
this we add the strange but fascinating faces
we met on Gay street last Wednesday, the
assortment becomes dazzlingly glorious and
'gloriously dazzling as the Corporal would
say. Pent up during the long dreary
months of winter and especially exiled from
Gay street by the Deucalion deluge of mud
which has ovcrlaid it like some vast forming
stratum we read ofin Geology. they came forth
in splendor like unto the angelic array led by
the arch angel Michael, with silken rustling
banners and strcamcrs of lace, and waving
war-like plumcs, and flying artillery of over
powering gances flashing along and Staying
the young gentlemen by scores. Such bril-
liant opening of the campaign presages many
victory before it is over.
poor negro man belonging to Col. d. p
Armstrong was walking the other day on the
railroad, when n small portion Of earth, not
from the height of his head, and struck him
on the hip and knocked him into eternity
Poor old Frank! many a kindness hast thou
done me in boyhood, but now thou art gone
to an obivious grave; grave whereat is to
be no marble with enduring letter, but little
wooden head piece with perchance the name
rudclv cut; perchancc no head piece at ALL
Yet it is all the same with him as with you or
me, or those far prouder and higher than we.
We may be remembered little longer than
he by the memorials friendly hands may place
over our insensate ashes; but even these must
decay. OF the millions who have acted STIR
ring parts in the great drama of human
events, how few are known to us in history!
And fewer still are known to us by their
graves. Alexander, and Caesar, and Hannibal,
the three mighty warriors; Cicero and De-
mosthenes, the orators; IIippocrates, tho great
daddy Of doctors, and numberless other great
heroes, poets, statesmen and don't know
what ALL have mingled back with the earthly
elements, both they and their monuments,
and no man can point to their graves. To
use the idea of Hamlet, their dust may have
been used for stopping beer barrels these
thousand years for aught we know. There
fore, o Frank, it matters not that thou liest
down in an unmarked grave: we shall follow,
and ours shall be unmarked somewhere in
the next two thousand years, and our names
as forgotten rs thine. Did You ever read that
beautiful poem Of Bryant, "View of Death"
if may translate the ttlel If not, read it
before you sleep. We have no better thing
in our language to teach humility and resis-
nation.
The election of county officers is on hand
to-day. There is no excitement. Col. Craig
is no doubt reelected Sheriff by large ma
iority and the presen. Register, Col. Lut-
trell, and the Trustee, Mr.. Barry, have no
opposition. They are all good officers.
The news Of the passage of the Common
School bill gives rise to quite contrariety of
opinion among our citizens. The bill provides
tax of - cents on every 800 worth of tax.
able property, and 25 cents poll tax, to in
crease the Common School fund. For my
part believe we should have been better
without any Common School fund The in.
efficient Common Schools we have had have
prevented the growth of better schools which
would have grown up among us, deriving their
support from tuition fees alone But the
mass of the people now rely on the Common
School fund exclusively to educate their chill
dren, and would not return readily to the
tuition schools, and therefore the best thing
We can do is to increase the school fund.
The river continues in good boating order.
The jefferson left here this morning for Chat