Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-04-04

neighboring town of Ashland City,
boarded the B. II. Cooke at the Clarks-
vile wharfboat and in due time landed
at the aforesaid place. l had anything
but pleasant time in getting from the
landing out to the business part of the
town, the landing and street, or road,
being exceedingly muddy. 1t was not
Sunday, and therefore, according to
one of considerable eminence in the
Methodist Church, it was not SO sticky
as mud usually is on that day. Not
being entirely devoid of pride, l was
lamenting the pitiable condition of my
pedal extremities on account of the
mud aforesaid, and while lamenting my
situation and regretting having to
make my debut in a strange town in
such plight, to my great relief saw,
to my left and little in advance, what
/ supposed to be the insignia of bar
ber's shop. | at once made for the
desired haven, congratulating myself
that for small outlay I could have my
appearance much improved. But ''ye
gods" judge my surprise when l had
CROSSED the threshold of the supposed
barber shop to find myself in drink
ing saloon. l had only mistaken the
fancy red, white and blue" letters of
the sign painted over the door and the
fancy red, white and blue windows for
the old fashion barber's sign. Another
matter of astonishment to me was the
mixed and mottled crowd there congre-
gated, ranging in age from boys of
eight or ten summers to hoary age, and
from the pure laucassian to the I'M
mixed Congo, with all the intermediate
shades of amalgamation, all eagerly
watching a game of cards played with
a greasy deck by two scioDs of the
genus homo, who from their size and
appearance yet of right belonged to the
'trundle-bed trash" or at least would
have been kept there in my raising
until they were older than their pres
ent physique would indicate. 1 re-
tired as soon as common politeness
would permit, after explaining my mis-
take. | was then very kindly direct
ed by one of the juveniles present to
tie place | wished to find. In retiring
from the scene of my recent discomft-
ure, | cast my eye over the door and
read City Exchange" painted in
gaudy colors. City Exchange what
does it mean? Ibegan to enquire Of
myself. How often has the desolate
and care worn wife and mother, from
the great deep of her crushed and
bleeding heart, with pain and anguish
answered the question. In the first
place, l concluded that 1t meant to ex-
change one of Spinners fractional cur
rencies for drink of liquid fire and
distilled damnation." 1t means to ex-
change virtue for vice. 1t means to
exchange sobriety for drunkenness.
1t means to exchange kind, loving,
dutiful boys, for disobedient, disre
spectful, lazy, indolent ones, who will
ever be q source of shame and misery
to their parents. 1t means to exchange
that affectionate husband, who has just
set his barque afoat on the matrimo-
NAL sea and who is now just within the
outer circle of the great whirlpool OF
destruction, for a fiend incarnate. II
means to change that blushing happy
bride of few days, whose skies have
never been obscured by a single por-
tentous cloud, into the pale, careworn,
disconsolate wife and mother, keeping
the midnight vigils with sick infant
over the smouldering embers of the last
crate of coal, awaiting the return OF
the besotted and inhuman wretch, mis-
named husband and father. 1t means
to exchange the well to do man of BUS
mess for the red nosed. blear-eyed sot.
1t means exchanging the hard handed,
industrious mechanic for the regular
topper and bar-room loafer. 1t means
to change the qdie:, peaeeable, law
abiding citizen into criminal of the
deepest dye. the inmate of a felon's cell.
1t means exchanging the snow-white,
vine-clad, cottage home for the tumble
down, rickety tenement hovel, the re-
ceptacle of every vice known to the
dark calender of crime. 1t means to
exchange love for hate; kindness for
cruelty; domestic peace and happiness
for misery. But why pursue the in
ouiry further? Are these not enough
to cause one to stand amazed at the
object and effect Of rum selling? And
when we sum it up and hear the con,
clusion of the whole matter, we are
a .f-Ia tbaf fha an1 80