The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1873-09-17
The Days Of the Dog.


Also the fly. The days belong to tho
dog. And the dog himself, now that
he has them. lie does not like them; he
swelters by day and he howls by night.
The grasshopper hops, the fly sticks,
the air is heavy, the ozone has gone
ont of it, in these days of the dog.
The whole is wealisome. Why
should things 60 on? Why shonld
judges sit to try people who do not
want to be tried? Why should tho
mails carry letters whic, nobody wants
to rcad9 Why should preachers preach
sermons which nobody wants to hear?
Why should editors write editorials
which nobody wants to read7 Why
not let the days 60 to the dogs, and
take a vacation all ronnde Why de-
wise picnics, and not excursions, and
dusty, sweltcring travels? Why kill
oxen, and sheep, and hens, and bake,
and broil. and stew 'em till everything
sizzles about us? Why add to he
heart of the sun by fuming about in
orr daily avocations, and eating and
drinking, and driving and flaming?
Why make such struggle as we do to
keep up the routine of life in these six
/ dog weeks, and rush from one end of
The country to the other in a frantic eff
fort to keep cool? Nature rests her.
self nov in a kind f swoon. Why
not follow her example, Take the fire.
gnent bath, eat the coil cucumber, the
waterey potato, the non-heAting me-
lon. and sleep the dyowsy sleep of the
days of the dog till September is over.
Notes ought not to come due in these
days; all engagements should be off; a
person oaeht not to heexrected to keep
his promises; the shops ought to close
at o'clock in the morning; stock
board should be prohibited by law; the
banks should shut up; no court should
be open; no lawyer should be permit
ted to bring snit or charge for ad-
vice; the telegraph should cease To
trassmit news of fires, murders. revO-
lutions and progress of things, tho
newspapers ought to take vacation
and not for h & world chronicle h Q
movements of q single politician. 1t
is reading abont the stew and worry
of other people that keeps us in hot
water; it is enough for every one to
bear his own burdens in these days Of
the heated dog.
The world would go'on .jnst as we'll,
without doubt, If things generally, by
common consent, came to stand still
in these days. There are articles
enough manufactured, one would think
to last us for a month; the shops are
NIL of them, and no end of people g"
t about the land to sell us what we do
e not want. In order to keepall the I'M
2 ersy people employed in these hot,
sticky days, we eat more than We want,
: read more than we can digest, wear
t more clothes than we can pay for. and
+, use up our very lives in all effort tn
. stimulate tagging nature.
|. What we want is a national holiday
g or rather holi-dogdays, during this
weary time, in which no one may le-
! sally do nothing rather. And if any
J. body takes advantage of the license O
). the season and commits any crime, he
or she-jnst as likely AS any way She
{ shall be promptly hung on the 2!st O
= September, without trial. Any revo
Il lutions or political conventions or bar
' gainings for office or murders or re,
d form agitations, during this time
l. shall not count. Nobody shall be turn
$ ed out, nor be put in, and any appli
: cant for an Office shall be imprisoned
+ for life. Any uneasy philosopher VIII
.. propounds new idea especially atou
' diet, or tries to make anybody els
e live rs he lives, shall cease to live at
T. ter tho 2Ist Of September. Anybod
who makes u speech, even at dinner
or rows race, or drives II horse insi,l
w of five minutes. Or ''arriyes" with
I'd flourish at any fashionable place, sha
~ not have his name in the newspaper
Ia Any person who talks about "tl.il
he tlmc," or slirs up an interest in any
r. thing, shall be sentenced to read notI
% ing but the Washington newspape
c'i the remainder of tho year. Let |
# have peace!- Hartford Courant.
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