The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1870-09-29
GALES, gksttbes, 4nttNotrs, 1T.
POLITICAL ECONOMY.
BY MARK TWAIN.

Political economy is the basis of all
good government The wisest men of all
ages have brought to bear upon this SUBJ
ject the
Here was interrupted and informed
that stranger wished 10 see me down at
the door. l went and confronted him.
and asked to know his business, struggling
all the time to keep tight rein on my
seethiDg political economy ideas, and not
let them break away from me or get
tangled in their harness. And privately
/ wished the stranger was in the bottom
of the canal with cargo of wheat on top
of him. l was all in fever, but he was
cool. He said he was sorry to disturb
me, but as he was passing he noticed that
l needed some lightning rods said,
''Yes, yes-go on-what about If ?" He
said that there was nothing about it, in
notwithstanding except he would like
to put them up for me. l am new to
housekeeping have been used to hotels
and boarding houses all my life. Like
anybody else of similar experience, / try
to appear Ito strangers) to be an old
off-hand way that l had been intending
for some time to have six or eight lights
ming rods put up, but. The stranger
started, and looked inquiringly at me, but
l was serene. / thought that if chanced
to make any mistakes he would not catch
me by my countenance. He said he
would rather have my custom than any
mans in town. / said all right, and
started off to wrestle with my great SUBJ
ject again, when he called me back and
said it would be necessary to know ex>
actly how many ''points" l wanted put
up, what part of the house wanted them
on, and what quality of rod preferred.
It was close quarters for man not used
to the exigencies OF housekeeping, but 1
went through creditably, and he probably
never suspected that l was a novice. l
told him to put up eight ''points," and
put them all on the roof and use the best
quality of rod. He said he could furnish
the 'pIain" article, at 20 cents foot
''coppered,'' 25 cents 'tzinc-plated, spi-
ral-twist," at 80 cents, that would stop a
streak Of lightning any time, no matter
where it was bound, and ''render its er-
rand harmless and its further progress
apocryphal." said apocryphal was no
slouch of a word, emanating from the
source it did, but philology aside liked
the spiral-twist and would take that brand.
Then he said he could make two hundred
and fifty feet answer, but to do it right,
and make the best job in town Of it, and
attract the admiration of the just and the
unjust alike, and compel all parties to say
they never saw more symmetrical and
hypothetical display of lightning rods
since they were born, he supposed he
really couldn't get along without four
hundred, though he was not vindictive
and trusted be was willing to try. said
90 ahead and use four hundred and make
any kind OF job he pleased out of it, but
let me go back to my work. So got
rid of him at last and now, after half an
hour spent in getting my train of political
economy thoughts coupled together again,
l am ready to go on once more.
richest treasures of their genius, their ex-
perience of life, and their learning. The
great lights of commercial Jurisprudence,
international confraternity, and biological
deviation, of all ages, all civilizations,
and all nationalities, from Zoroaster down
to Horace Greely, have
There l was interrupted again and re-
ouired to GO down aud confer further with
that lightning-rod man. hurried of,
boiling and surging with prodigious