Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-07
AN ASTONISHED EsGLEsHMAN.
His Horror at Hearing that VIII
lam Cullen Bryant and Ralph Wal
do Emerson are Negro MInstreis-A
Corner ia Peanuts.

| his HOrrOF at hearing thht VIII
lam Cullen Bryant and Ralph Wal
do Emerson are Negro HInstreis-A
Corner ia Peanuts.
The fluctuations of fortune in this coun-
| try are SO sudden, aud men so frequently
| change their avocations, that it is not
strange foreigners can be made dupes in
regard to the antecedents aud occupations
Of the public men.
An Englishmsn, quite well Informed
! for an EDgtishman in regard TO America,
arrived here recently, and was much aston
| ished at the peculiar things he saw and
heard. He could hardly credit the story
that the President OF the United States
| once had small farm near st. Louis, de-
| pended for subsistence upon selling small
| wagon loads Of wood, and, on account Of
! his habits, unable to support bis family.
| He thought that they who told him this
| were trying to stake him in, you know"
and received the little history with excla-
nations OF "Walker! Walker!" Finally, cor
| WINGED Of its truth, he was prepared to
credit anything and strolling through
| Barclay street the other morning, observed
over small shop the sign.
civilian c. BRYANT, TAILOR
81 say now,' he remarked to his compan-
| ion, a journalistic wag Of some note
| -''do you see that name there? It's the
name Of your favorite poet, the author OF
| 'Thanstopsis.' 1t isn't the same family,
dare say, now"
"Not only the same family" was the
| reply, shut the same man"
Lsit, indeed? Well, that's very strange
l thought Mr.. Bryant was wealthy JOUR
nalist, the publisher of one Of the great
newspapers here"
"He was" answered the joker, ga few
| years ago. Then he owened the greater
part of the Evening Post, but he went up
| 10 Saratoga one summer, got to drinking
| champagne and betting on faro till he be-
| came bankrupt, and was for some time
dependent On ne charity Of his friends"
Greatly, that isvery extraordinary, now
| l think remember something your Mr..
| Bryant's singular career. Let me- see. At
| ter re lost his fortune, didn't he go into the
negro minstrel business? Seems to me
that | have heard of Bryant's minst rels.
| De7ilish queer that great poet should
black his face and play tsmborine, now,
isn't it?"
ooh, no!-nOt queer here; nothing is
| queer in this country. Bryant made a
| great deal of money with his Ministries by
dancing the Camptown hornpipe every
night to crowded houses"
How did he happen to be tailor,
them"
'.Re tried to monopolise the peanut mar
| ket by getting upa corner in the trade, and
! again loOsing every dollar he had, he was
forced to set up this shop in order TO make
livelihood"
ga corner In peanuts?" Now 1 don't
| exactly understand that, you know. Did he
| get into the corner himself, or did he get
| somebody else into the corner? But
there's no use in my trying to understand
| such beastly business. It's enough to
floor a fellow completely, you know, to
| think Of great poet getting peanuts in
a corner, and then bursting up as you
| say in America, you know.
"Notman Of our puplc men do 60 into
| the peanut trade; but the minstrel business
| is quite a favorite with our scholars and
thinkers. You've heard of Emerson, the
| Sage of concord, IS he is often called, have
| you not?"
"Ralph Waldo Emerson? Oh, yes; he
whom we named the American Carlyle,
you know. He isn't negro minstrel, is
| he?''
"Of course he is. Ee's playing here
row, and when it comes to a first class
banjo solo, Ralph Waldo Emerson is
mighty bard to beat"
"But, 'reslly now" said the perplexed En-.
glishman, 81 shouldn't think mao who
wrote the English Traits would be forced
to do that sort Of thing. What's the use
of being man Of genius in America, you
know, If you have to earn your bread and
butter by playing banjo, you know?
This is indeed an extraordinary country,
and the more learn about it the less I'M
| derstand it."