Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-05
FuNNY RAILROAD MAN.
REApING MArrERFoR THE JAIL.

HEADING MATTER o THE JAIL.
In our Gossip last Sunday morning we
suggested a plan by which an act of Chris
tian charity might be performed by our
readers, which would be of great service to
an unfortunate class. We proposed that
donations Of old papers, magazines and
books be left at this Office for the benefit OF
the inmates of the jail, but to this PROPOSE
ton no response has been made as yet. A
gentleman who is a frequent visitor at the
Jail, warmly endorsed the proposition, and
said he hoped it would be favorably conSid-
cred. He said that he had been made
painfully aware of the longing for reading
matter on the part of the prisoners, being
constantly importuned by them, in making
his visits, to bring them anything that
would serve TO pass off the time. This re-
guest he had complied with as far as he
was able, but could not begin to supply the
demand. Every family in Nashville has a
collection of old books and papers from
which a selection might be made that
would prove very interesting and instruc-
tive to those men and women now locked
up in our county Jail, many of whom sadly
complain of the lack of interest taken in
them by their more fortunate fellows. As
was stated last Sunday, we will be reSpon-
sible that every donation of books or papers,
no matter how small that donation may be,
finds its way to the parties for whose bene-
fit it is given, if left at this Office,
The pleasant weather and bright noon
light nights we are now enjoying, are util-
lied by parties of s~eranaders, who may be
met about midnight in all parts of the city.
THE AVERAGE SERESADER
is a frst-elass nuisance, and ought to be
abated. Merely because he is in love with
Aramintha, and sees charming traits in the
| character of that maiden, which her own
| family never discovered, he is allowed TO
make night hideous 70 the reSidc.,s of a
dozen square, Surrounding Aramintha's
home, with his collection Of wheezy,
twanging instruments manipulated by a
party of thick-skinned, cOid-blOoded chaps
who are willing to bring misery and dis
tress to an entire community for a small
| consideration. 1t is pleasant enough
for Aramintha to be reused from
her slumbers in this way, for as she steals
| gently to the window, and draws the cur
tain aside slightly, she secs tine manly form
of her darlingJ. Augustus Dobyns leaning
| gracefully against a tree on the opposite
side of the street gazing upon the hireiingS
as they disturb the peaceful neighborhood,
| and fiji the midnight air with their diabOli-
| cal discord. Dobyns knows that the posi-
! ton he has assumed is very graceful, and,
though a couple ofcaterpillars have dropped
from the tree and are m~eandering down his
. back, he heroically maintains his striking
attitude, carelessly putting a cheap cigar
meanwhile. He has hedged on
his daily expenses, putting of
the demands of his washwOman
and victimized landlady with glowing
promises in order to make this display and
he enjoys it 10 the utmost. But the hard
working business man residing in that
vicinity, vino has gone to bed exhausted in
mind and body, the mother of the fretful
child that has just been soothed TO slumber
after many hours of anxious care, the pain
racked, nervous invalid, living next door
to all these, sleep is the choicest, the most
| highly priced of blessings, and they all
agree with the writer of this article that
Dobvns and his kind are q nuisance and
that they will never get their deserts until
they are treated like a litter of kittens, i. e.
drowned in the nearest millpond.
Now if they'd only do their serenading
at 6 o'clock in the morning, there would be
some n in it, for besides being less OBJ