Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-06-18
WHOLE NO. s,lls.


| "AS NeWsRopers
That Is, the old man wouldn't--I
mean my daddy. On the contral y,
he was utterly opposed to them. In
fact his antipathy almost verged into
bitter hatred. We--mother and Il
plead and urged him to subscribe, but
all to no purpose; our remonstrances
and solicitations all alike proving alb
ortive. The old man was one of those
kind of men who detest the spelling
of words by using superfuous letters ;
letters In words which could be dis
posed of and not disturb the sense
nor punctuation, as well as make the
word easier to the illiterate. He said
in newspapers that vile practice was
universal.
"This way Of using letters, in
words which have no significatfon Is
foolish and detestable way, and no
one but q fool would do it,n have
heard him say. The old man didn't
consider a man smart or talented at
all who was continually using Latin
phrases and those intricate words In
his writings. He always said {" they
thought IL was smart and done it to
show off," The old man was an Hit
crate man, but a sound thinker. The
former, no doubt, was occnssiOned by
his rank and incorrigible prejudice I;
and to show what may sometimes re-
suit to those now possessing that pre-
judice and neglect Of taking q paper,
Inherited by my daddy. -Ga'
once had occasion for spelling
sugar In his presence. That II Was In
his presence the reader will discover
after reading what then and there did
transpire. (Allow me to pause mo-
ment, for am striving to collect my
thoughts now. :Every'time I think OF
1t 1t seems rs though / suddenly heard
quick, sharp clap Of thunder. Now
I'm ready, as the rumbling reverba-
ton In my head has ceased.). ] be-
gan, u-g-sug, about that time he
took me side Of the head, the blow
distinctly pronounced the word as far
as had got and making me see all
the stars Of this: as well as the
as the world to come. "The idee,"
said he, censoriously "ofspellin' that
word without an h." hu iH
At another time he was writing a
mans name which was Cox. He, of
course, thought he was correct, but
he spelled It wrong. He had It Cocks.
Mother and I, when we got secret
chance, laughed no little about this.
And that was not all, some how, or
some how else, the roosters and other
chichens got hold of 1t, and 1 in very
truth, thought the chickens milleni-
um had surely dawned; for never did
hear the like of Growing and cackling
since was born. Why, q stranger
passing by at the time would have
been led to the vague supposition that
some Methodist preacher had recent
ly expired In the vicinity. The old
women In the immediate neighbor-
hood were inexpressibly jublilant.---
You see when there are several pOul-
try yards in juxtaposition with each
other, II one starts up an excitement
the whole of them. The poultry
about this time, too, were con q
strike !" hence the old women's jubi-
lance. They thought the hens had
quit that foul way they had of cur
failing business. They had oil the
little chaps they could start soaring
d-iof and other places in quest OF
those much needed oval treasures. -
But-well, the chagrln and perplex-
ing astOnishment of these simple old
danes, when received the mortyfying
announcement that nary treasure OF
an oval shape could he found, can
better DO imagined than described 80
] will leave the reader to his own "Ia
mes" and surmises. Though 1 well
knew the cause of the whole matter
l refrained from giving expression to
my knowledge; because time when /
saw stars was then fresh In my me-
mory STILL" l...T
One day came near catching IT,.
He had something for me to do, and
came In and caught me reading a pa
per which had borrowed. "There
you are, fixed now. Just like your
mother, for all the world. If she can
get seated with her nose stuck into an
old newspaper, then she Is all right.
The storm might rage the the winds
blow the thunders roll and the light
nings flash, but there she will sit IN
immovable as the rock of Gibralter.
You might stick your finger In her
eye up to the first Joint and she would
neither wink nor blink.
There are many strange things In
life. 1t Is strange that man will
neglect to take O newspaper when
there Is nothing lost thereby, but a
great deal derived thereform. 1t IL
strange that man will withhold
from his wife and children this little
morsel merely because he does not
take an interest In reading himself
And strangest OF all Is, what manner
of man Is II who will not take paper
for himself and family.
MORAL.
Some men, heads OF families, will
live, move and have their being In
ignorance when Enlightenment Is
perpetually Knocking at their door.
All the while Prejudice Is within,
softly whispering his euph0nious dis
simulations into the ear Of his victim,
and persuading him to deny the
knocker, outside, a charitable en-
trance. This foolish man listens to
and embraces Prejudice, denies En-
ligtenment admittance, lives and dies
an ignOramus after brow-beating and
inculcating into his numerous pro-
geny these same prejndicial instincts.
They In turn wearily drag their way
through the mutable vicissitudes Of
A. T.. r..I r.. Il n