The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-10-04
From the Mashuille Union and American.
The Man-Croaker.

| lnG Nldl-OIOC1AO4s
There are some things common to eve
rv community-among these are the
practices of the croaker 1t is said that
whatever is indigenous in society Is IN
tended for some useful purpose, but we
have never been able to discover for what
good purpose the professional croaker was
designed. We can stand the senseless
monotone of the amphibious animal, Who'
perched upon a log, whiles away the lag
ging hours of departing day; OF OF the
stupid raven, whose plaintive notes.,
though meaningless, come oft in harmony
with the sad musings of a bruised spirit I;
but the man-croaker, the dull, tlmld, splr-
itless individual, who drags his slow
length along from corner to corner, day
in and day out, always trembling before
the approaching shadows, and drawing
out his monotonous song of coming evil,
which falls like the dull note OF the New
York oysterman or charcoal vender upon
the ear of the anxious sleeper at carly
morn, is a nuisance, and at times posi-
tive evil, of no small magnitude, and
which burdened community finds it diff
cult to get rid of: -
The man-croaker is particularly busy
and particularly obnoxious Just now.
Like frogs in the hazy twilight of a rainy
summers day, they are all perched tor
grand refrain of ominous sounds. Day
by day their disconsolate visages grow
longer and their sepulchral tones more
dolorous. The man-croaker is not con-
tent to croak to himself. 1t is an instinct
of his nature to haunt the street corners,
and other places of public resort, that ne
may have listeners to the evil forebodings
which burden his own oppressed spirit.
The mental and moral organization OF the
croakcr is peculiar. Their imaGinations
dwell in the regions of shadows and OF
darkness. They are inscnsible to hope,
and never see the bright side Of any pros
pect. The sun is to them always like the
blood-red moon to others. When others
anticipate gale, theJ arc certain of a
storm. When rational people begin to
descry the rising sun, they can see moth
ing but the dog-star Poor, gloomy souls;
if they have any conception of pleasu-
rable cmction, it is in making others mis-
erable.
The last four years have been peculiar
ly favorable for the development of these
prognosticating individuals. They were
busy during the rebellion. They kept IN
adpance of the army, foreboding evil.
Whatever disaster was to follow, the man
croaker told it in advance. Whatever
good was to cnsue he was strangely OBJ
livious to. They not only lowered around
the army, but infested Richmond. Like
the caty-dids, their notes are always the
same.
Almost everything that was good di-
minished during tho war; but the genus
croaker have not diminished.
They have been croaking upon the
crops. In some portions of the country,
certain famine is the inevitable doom.
They are croaking about the Radicals.
Brownlow, like nightmare, sits upon
their backs. They already foresee him,
as with torch in one hand and chain and
compass in the other, he lays waste the
country and then parcels it out among his
duslzy followers.
Poor croaker, we commiserate his con-
dition. His jaundiced nature is an infirm-
ity-not crime. And yet for the hap
piness of society it would be we'll, if, like
other lepers, they could have pest-house
to themselves, where they could feed up
on the gorgons. of their own Imagination,
without affrghting other timid people
out of their propricty. IF we had our
way, we arc not sure that we should be
Just to the croaker. We have frequently
felt of late that he deserved to be Danish
ed to the Dry Tortugas. This might be
too severe, but he should at least have
some mark placed upon him by which ev-
cry unsuspccting wight might read, "this
is o croaker."