Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1873-12-11
Sunday Chat.
For the Fayetteville Observer.

am tempted to make an effort to
avoid the drowsy sensations
that are inclined to lay hold of
me, by boring you with few
things that are passing through
my mind. Sunday is said to
be a bad day to write-well,
you know how it is yourself
but it is Il great day for talk,
small talk, light talk, serious
talk, funny talk, talk Of change,
exchange, war, commerce, trade,
courtship, love and whatever is
hardest on the mind
finds vent on Sunday, and re-
lief is felt for week. Well, as
this IS so we may conclude that
it is part of the divine arrange
ment.
There is divinity that shapes our ends"
Christmas is nearly here a.
gain, we are admonished by the
preparations being made for that
eventful period. Preparations
for Christmas? Yes. How are
preparations being ma d p
They are too manifold to state
them all. What should we pre-
pare for Christmas? Aye, there
is the rub! But what is Christ
mas? "a holy day or feast,
the festival Of the christian
church observed annually on
the 25th day Of December,"
says Mr.. Webster, But how
did Mr.. Webster find that out?
Supposing a stranger to the
christian world should happen
for the first time to be in some
one Of our towns or villages on
the 25th day Of next December.
What would naturally be his
impressions as to what IS Christ
mas, explained by the conduct
of a christian people? He would
doubtless ask why is it essen
tial on that day that men should
make brutcS Of themselves by
drunkenness, rowdying, scream
ing like demons, and swearing all
the profane oaths to be found in
the devils vocabulary? And
what relationship does the holy
festival bearto the firing Of guns,
pistols, squibs and chinese fire
crackers? But while speaking
Of fire crackers, Mr.. Editor, I am
"Sicklied DER with a pale cast of thought,
when [ reflect upon their annua!
cost to this country. Don't be
astonished when Iasscrt that the
annual costin buying and the ex-
pense i'll burning these little
5quibs in this State is sufficient to
support every pauperand educate
twenty-five thousand poor chill
dren. If thatis true, you will |
say that the fire cracker business
ought to be wound up. The
way to ascertain the cost to the !
country Of the fire cracker a.
musement, is to take up all Of |
the newspapers published in the
State from the 18th Of Deem
Der to the 18th Of January, and |
'ead all the accounts of ac-
,idents happening during that
time, and you will find about five |
hundred headed about thus
'Teamrun away, one man killed."
Horse run away with buggy"
Buggy smashed" Horses leg
oroken,'' "Great fire f1 - loss
100000" Explosion, three men
killed." &c, and when we read
he cause of all the accidents you
will find a sufficient number
.raceable to fire crackers to
to quarter or half mill
ion Of dollars. What the orig
nal cost of these squibs is no
me can tell, but | can safely
'ay | never yet saw Il consumer
If these things make a profit
N his investment, although |
lave frequently seen the ragged,
)are-headed and bare-footcd
lrchin pay his last nickel for a
punch Of these much coveted ex-
,loders. and, sir, I have seen
he poor laborer who from pov-
,rty could not buy his wife a
pair of shoes, or good whole
some food, or medicine to re-
icve her suffering, walk upj
md pay his last quarter for fire
crackers to amuse his uneduca-
ed and ragged offspring:
"Inventive men were paid. at public cost,
To plan new modes of sin. the holy word
OF God was burned, with acclamations
loud
New tortures were invented for the good.n
| am for the abolition of the
ire cracker trade. The man
Who brings them into this coun-
ry is a malefactor. Cannot [
,ur city fathers prohibit their
ale in this town? If they can !
md will do it, they will confer