The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1867-02-16
Plain Talk,

cityoaof the South, where men
live extravaganHy, we would
speak of their follies just as
they deserve we would expose
their street.-The and club-lifet;
their expensive private oyster
suppers and great dinners ;othe
quantities of costly cigars they
smoked, and the yhigh-priced
champagne and Liquors they
drank ; their idleness and their
betting |; their vulgaratalk and
their slander. We would paint,
in fine,' their cold, intense, sen
sual selfishneSs.lJ ID For what is
high life, socalled,I but the very
concentrated acid ofselfishness,
which consumes everything but
itself, until it wastes itself
awayab 7smil1pz ynh Iba aao aoiiaf,
"Youf country is des0late,
your cities are burned with fire;
your land, strangers devoIlr it
in your presence, and it is des-
Olate, AS oveFthrown by stran-
gers Three e-fourths of the
means you. counted on to pay
your debts were taken from YOU
when your slaves were set free,
and the debts remain, increas-
ing constantly !; but you lived
fine beforeathe dWar, and rake
and serapes and badger and
fawn, and lie, to live fine again,
apparently in hope that, some
thing may turn up-that some
Fortunatus viii leave. you his
purse $ some unheard-of rela-
tive will leave you his fortune /;
some sudden rise may take
place Ia fhe price Of Lands
some system OF labor, cheaper
and more productive than slave
labor, may be invented !. some
miracle may be performed il
your sight and suddenly, with
out your assistance. ''4s sioap'a'
That is the way we e. would 70,
talk to them, and we would
take examples, for illustration
SAY, Peter. and Jim. Jim, we
would say, has neither wife MOI
child, and therefore we, have
nothing to do, with his life e3-
cept 50 far as, it is connected
with Peter, and Tom, and Joe,
and the rest of them. Peter is
married, and his wife is, a tidy.
amiable woman, or arashowy a
shreW-iti makes no odds. They
have children, and they owe
debts ever SO many debts4-
debts for dresses, and for equi-
page !; for meat and for drink
for past parties, and past flne.
rails; debts of honor, and debts
of dishonor and there is moth.
ing to pay with, for there is lit
tie or no crop !; on little or ne
practice; or little or no profit
on sales; or collections ON athe
old debts owed by Jim, Joe
Tom, Dick'oa Harry But
before theWar, Peter had crops
and practice, and sales, and
collections, and plentyof credit
and smoked his five oRsten eent
cigars 1--WE forget the highesl
pricesl and took, bis ten CEN
drinks. and wore his fftydoIla
suit aof clothes, and his nint
dollar .9boots, and drove. .his
three hundred dollar horse il
his two hundred and fifty dol
lar cab-and the war lis owe
now, and he, must do all athe
samesat quadruple price, So hs
saunters on the streets, witt
cigar ia mouth, and hands il
pockets, and has his priyate
bottle, and talks horse, and cot
.ton-worm, !. and dog, and crit
cizes the s'gals," " just as though
nothing had happened, and b,
lounges OF or drives back home
| to find Mrs. Peter at her wit.
end to mend up the children
old clothes, and make her ow1
and theirs lookas good as new
and fairly wild at the insolenc4
and inattention Of the servants
discontented for their :. wage
over due. Mrs. Peter has t.
| stand the lhriInf Ofy their diScorl