American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-03-01


one who fancies there's something to be
said on t'other side; and that'll never do
| you know, in religion no moro
than in politics. No half measures for me:
none of your folks with an aggravatin9
sort of conscience that makes them think
and hesitate, and ask themselves lues-
tons. hate crOtchety preachers. Just as
much as crotcnety Parliament men.
like a man that goes straight forward. as
if he could see the goal ahead and didn't
care to look at anything between him and
it. And that's what our young men out
Of the colleges are getting too fond OF
doing. Between you and me, they're get
ting almost as bad as the parsons. But
know what I've got to say, and l say
they've anything 20 sayagainst the Book,
why, they'd better not say it to me, that
all. / go ahead when L get on a text
I've read Spurgeon till l tlatter myself
I've formed my style on his-on the best
part of his, of course.
Yes, I'm highly respectable; am so
by the confession of the head of all the
Johnnies in this half of the country. He's
a ScOtchman, is M'Clutchy; good many
of us are Scotchmen, though they mostly
leave Prcsbyterianism on the other side
of the Border. Fine fellows those Scots
| admire them, though Pm not one of
Them missionaries" las L called them
at quiet sOiree some score of us had last
Twelfth Day at CambOrne) carrying with
them ''the gospel of trade" A great hit
think that was. And then l drew an
eloquent contrast between those early
missionaries, Saint Perran, Saint Leven.
Saint Senan, and Company, whose names
have filled the land, and who brought with
them but an imperfect creed. which had
to be trimmed at the Reformation. and
further altered by glorious John Wesley
n ON
of modern fabrics round to the most out
lying cottages. Truth in stuff is at least
as grand thing as truth in word and
that is what we persistently preach. How
we practice it those must say who buy
our articles. One thing we certainly don't
do. we never condescend to the shop
tricks about the three farthings or eleven
pence halfpenny lightly penciled on when
the shillings are as big as window-pane.
We should be ashal4ed of such a clumsy
continuance. mo; there's the price.
mum; and if you like it you needn't pay
all at once vow know. A shilling a week
is my rule. Can't make up that? Well;
they must lie poor gettings where the wife
can't save that much out of her market
ings. You think the stuff swell enough
1t is, indeed, you may take my word for
it. If you was to go to Truro, you'd find
that's just what all the tip-tOp county
people are wearing now: and doesn't it
suit your face too? Black hair and eyes
why. l can almost light my pipe at
Them" said L. suddenly remembering
an old story. ''Come, then; if you've
set your heart on it you shall have it, as
far as l can help you to it. A shilling to
start with for dress like that, and only
nine shillings for the whole of it. Well
drop next week; that's as fair as any one
could say; and you shall give me Il cou-
pie of shillings the week after. There'l
be general pay betwixt this and then,
and, unless it's very bad month indeed,
you'll easily manage that much, and no
body the wiser"
That was how 1 began my first deal
with Mrs. BOsancO, in Il lone cottage up
Oh the moor behind Neither Dosperrow.
She was rosy country girl, not well
tout of the teens of years. with baby
of some six weeks old, her husband work
ing . under tribute" in Wheel Conscience.
Things were looking well with them; he'd
brought home six pounds last month, a
vast sum for a Cornish miner, though our
Scotchmen tell me it is just nothing conf
pared with the wages upwards. The
poor damp cottage looked as bright and
cheerful as stoDeware spaniels and groups
of Burns and Highland Mary, and cheap
glass plates on the mantle-shelf, and
German prints on the walls could make
it. l thought knew every inch of my
beat as well as government surveyor:
but some of these German peddler chaps
had clearly been beforehand with me.
Fact is, BasancO's house had been empty
for years, and 1 thought, till somebody
told me, that it was empty still. But
trust those Germans to find out where
money is to be got and they never give
credit, so the cruel wrctches often make a
clear sweep, carrying off every shilling
along with the rest of the ready cash. /
hate them on artistic grounds. L have my
feelings, and l hope Pm not inscnsible to
the beauty of good engraving. It's just
that which makes me so mad to see fright
full caricatures of well known prints
stuck about in all the cottages go into.
What cain our societies be about that
they don't do something to raise the popu-
lar taste, or at least to hinder the Ger
mans from depraving it? Tracts! We're
Overdone with them. L can pick enough
up any Sunday about the lanes to keep
me in pipe-lighters for the rest of the
week. How much better to get the Art
the "Pilgrim's Progress and of the
''Ancient Mariner and two or three more,
and sell them for next to nOthing-send
them round ready-bOund with the book
hawkcrs. I'd warrant they'd get Il sale.
But this is 4 depression it shows you
that L have my feelings, and that can be
righteously indignant, especially when
Hood the country with what is in itself
detestable. Besides, look at many of
their wares. The Cornish are highly
decorous, hut I've seen bits of prints tnat
it can never do p girl any good to look at,
nor bOv either, and that in rooms where
the big Bible was on the little round table,
nicely covered with an anti-macassar, In
the corner. There's another class of
prints, too, bought, l fancy, for their
pIOripuS cOlOrS these are SimDlV the
cheapest ROmanist pictures, of which our
unsOphisticated folks don't know the
meaning. l could show you half dozen
places where tine Pope is execrated, and
Rome held in Reproduction. and yet on the
walls are 1.-The Seven COlOrs of Mary, or
the Sacred Heart" Yes; am sure our
'societies''-Tract and Christian Knewl-
edge-might do great deal with advan-
tage in the way of pictures for the poor.
But 1 was telling you about Mrs. Bo-
sancO. Well, she paid well enough that
two shilings, and shilling more.
after letting another week drop, and then,
after waiting a go.d bit, another couple
of shillings: and then, without waiting to
pay up all what did she do but buy pair of
green glass earrings and a brooch to
match-(these Cornish girls are all mad
after jewelry; it's in the blood, think
and half crowns worth of flowers
- real flowers" they always call the artifi-
cial ones, because they last longest, | sup
pose. once had the honor of walkin.
over three miles of moor alongside of Her
Majesty's inspector of schools for our dis
trict, and he-a Cornish man, tOo-stucb
up for this love of 9 flowers" and think
he even had a weakness for the rings ano
glass jewels it showed taste struggling
against difficulties / don't agree witt
him IL wouldn't do for me to give NJ
selling what every body wants to buy