Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-11-20
DaT" We give the following extrac,

bsO WE 6''o -tuo IottoWiuS oAUoC'
from tho Preface to Crockett's huto.
biography, merely ns a curiosity in lit.
craturc. The gallant ColoneI's book
was published more than twenty years
ego, and is q live book still.
have also been operated on by en-.
other consideration. | know that, OBJ.
scure as | am, my name is NAL kin., con.
siderable deal Of fuss in the world
| can't tell why it is, nor ia what it is to
end. Go where ! may, everybody seems
anxious to get peep at me and il
would seem hard to tell which would
have the advantage, il !, and the, Gov.
ernment,' y and Black Hawk, and q
great eternal big caravan Of wild var.
mints, we're all TO be showed off at the
same time in four different par,s of any
Of the big cities OF the nation. am
not sure that shouldn't get the most
custom OF any Of the crew. There mus,
therefore be something in me or about
me that attracts attention, which is even
mysterious to. myself. cent under.
stand it, and ] must therefore pu, all the
take his choice Of them.
On the subject OF my style, it Is bad
enough, in ell conscience, to please
critics, if that is what they are after
They are sort Of vermin, though, tina,
| shan't even so much as stop to brush
off. II they want to work on my book
Just let them 60 ahead and after they
are done, they had better blot ou, ali
their criticisms, than to know what opn
ion l would express Of them, and BY
what sort OF curious name would
call them. il was standing near them
and looking over their shoulders. They
will, at most, have only their trouble fo
their pay. But rather expect l sh nl
have them on my side.
But don't know anything in my book
to be criticised on by honorable men,
Is it the spelling? That's not my trade
Is it my grammar IL hadn't time tc
earn it, and make no prete nsions to it
Is it on the order and arrangement Of my
book I'll never wrote one before, anc
never read very many and, Of course
kno mighty little about that. Will i
be on the authorship Of the book ?-thi.
claim, and I'll hang on to it like wa,
plaster. The whole book Is my own
every sentence and sentiment Of it.
would not he such fool, or knave eth
er, as 10 deny that have had it hastily
run over by friend or so, and that some
little alterations have been made in the
spelling and grammar, and am not sur,
that it's not the worse. of even that, 70
| hate this way OF spelling contrary t
nature. And as for grammar, it's pretty
much thing Of nothing at last, after al
the fuss that's made about it.. In som.
places, l wouldn't suffer the spelling
grammar, or anything else to be touched
and therefore it will be found in my owr
| way.
But il any body complains that have
had itiooked over, can only say to him
her, or them--as the case may be-tha
while critics we're learning grammar, ant
learning TO spell, I and "Doctor Jack
son, LII. D." were fighting in the wafs
and if our books, and messages ant
proclamations, and cabinet writings, ,ant
so forth, aud so on, should need it'll,
looking over, and little correcting o
the spelling and the grammar to max,
them fit for use, it's just nobody's bust
ness. Big men have more in,por,an
matters to attend to than crossing thei
t's--and dot,ing their i's--and such lik,
small things. But the Governments
name is 10 the proclamation, and m!
name is to the book and if l did n
write the book. the "Government" didn'
write the proclamation, which no MAJ
dares to demyi
sColonel Crockett's nickname for Presiden
Jackson.