Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-03-21
The smith Family,

citizens, as & loquacious and amusing street vender of razor stops and any thing relative to him now will doubt less interest them. ..,
 It appears that after amassing a moderate fortune, he went into various speculations, which, detracted from rather than augmented his accumula- tions, and the result was that he soon found himself reduced to the necessity of returning to his first love- strop' business. He is already on the tramp, and having turned up in New York city, is thus welcomed by the incon- siderate ''tiifle-gatherer' of the Even ing Mail;
 Yesterda:- passing through Nassau street in the vicinity of Wall, we ob-' served a crowd of open mouths and smiling faces surrounding tall, time worn, but gentlcmanly-looking man, who was, with prose and verse, with superlative use of the English lan- gnage, demonstrating that what he was offering for sale was the best, cheapest, and most endurable article ever offered to an intelligent and dis criminating people in any age, cline or community, and with forcible and amusing eloquence .supplementing the above with the fact that notwithstand- ing he had supplied the whole conti- a,,} vt nf E,tcn Co ter of century, he had still "a few more left of the same sort, for only q quarter"
 We joined with the crowd, and were impelfed to relieve the salesman of a really excellent razor-strop at so cheap price, for we recognized in his an- cient and venerable physignomy one of New York's old and esteemed repre- sentative originals-IIenry Smith, the eccentric and well known "Razor Strop Man. He glories in the name of Smith, as we see by our verbatim note of a part of his address; "Gentlemen my name is Smith, and am proud to say am not ashamed of it. It may be that no person in this crowd owns that very uncommon name. If, however, there be one such, let him hold up his head, pull his .dicky, turn out his toes, take courage, ana thank his stars that there arc a few more left of the same sort,
 Smith. gentlemen, $ an illustrious name. l And stands very high in the annals of fame; Let White, Brown. or Jones, increase as they l will, sigg aa
 Believe me that Smith will out number them L. still :a t5 .......... zs agi,
 Gentlemen, am proud of being an original Smith---not Smithe nor a Smythe, but a regular, natural, origi- nal S-m-i-t-h, Smith. Putting into the middle or an at the end, won't do, gentlemen. Who ever heard of Q great man by the name of S-m- -y-t-h or S-m-it-h-e. Echo answers who, and everybody answers nobody. But as for Smith--plain S-m-i-t-h, Smith why the pillars of fame are covered with that honored and revered name. Who are the most racv, witty, and popular authors of this century 1? Albert and John Smith. Who the most original, pithy, and humorous preacher? Rev. Sidney Smith. To go | further back. who was the boldest and bravest soldier in Sumpter's army in the Revolution? Smith. Who palaver- ed with Powhattan, gallanted with Pocahontas, and became the ancestor of the first families of Virginia2 Smith again. 8a xm i9
 And who, ask, and I ask the ques- ton seriously and soberlv-who, l say, is that man and what is his name, who has fought the most battles, made the most speeches, preached the most ser mons, held the most offices, sung the most songs, written the most poems, courted the most women, kissed the most girls, run away with the most wives, and married the most widows History says, you say, 1 say, and every body says, John Smith. Laughter and applause.l To go back still fur ther, the scripture speaks of one Alex ander, the Copper Smith. Further back still, we read of Tubal Cain, who was an artiiiccr in brass and iron. He must undoubtedly have been a Black Smith. And have no doubt, gentle men, that the great progenitor of our race would have been called Smith, if his name hadn't been Adam. Laugh ter.l And now, gentlemen, let me ask I who is that benevolent and self-sacrific- ing individual who, regardful of the wants of humanity, strives to cheer the hearts of men, to dry up the tears of I women, and hush the cries of children, by declaring eternal and exterminating war against all, each, and every dull razor, knife, shears, and scissors, in this great and glorious country?
 Modesty, respected fellow citizens, that natural and retiring modesty which is so peculiar to that honored family of which have spoken, forbids me to mention his name. Let it suffice to say that if any gentleman ill this most respectable and intelligent crowd desires to procure an article that is warranted to sharpen his wife's scis- sors, his boys knife, his own razor, his wits, or his appetite, stand ready as the sole representative of all the Smiths whether blacksmiths, white smiths, goldsmiths, silversmiths, cop persmiths, or John Smiths, to sell him a keen, close, cute, cunning, capable, curious, and capital razor strop, of