Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-26

informed he had the presumption
Of knowing all things, he never admitted
his ignorance upon any subject. His
ReighbOr, Capt. Reed, an old Indian piO-
neer, saw in the newspapers this wonder
ful Improvement of the railroad, and did
not know what it meant, and went over to
his neighbOr Capt. Haynie, and says TO
him: Il see a great deal said in the East
ern papers about the railroad. What kind
of a read is it?T Capt Haynie, being per-
fectly ignorant Of its power or quality, con-
eealed his Ignorance, studied awhile and
presumed "a know, and replied to his
neighbOr: That il was called a railroad,
they meaning to convey the idea that it
was rail (real) good road; but, Capt. Reed,
they are nothing but an imposition upon
the public"
50 it might be said Of the present system
Of dancing.
MUSIC.
The like change has been made in the
| music Of the country. In ancient times we
had TIE banjo and a'the harp Of thousand
strings. the spirit of Just men made per
! fect,7 Monkey Simon with his tambOr inc,
/ accompanied by the master instrument Of
music, the fiddle. We sung and played by
ear, uncramped by books and the black
notes OF the masters, which moved the
waters of tig deep and liz up all Of the tires
| ofthe heart. Our national song Of Hail
/ Columbia 10 Anderson, My Jo John, Old
/ Zip Coon is Very Learned Scholar, The
Arkansas Traveller, the national song OF
! Scotland:
"Scots who ha' WI Wallace bled,
/ Celts whom Bruce has often led,
4 Welcome to your CORY bed OF to victory"
..Oh. Mis- Lucy Neal,
II had you BY my side, how happy I wOuld
| feel
Back Satin and the Negro in the Wood
pile" "Get ont OF the WAY Old Daniel
Tucker, yOu have come too late to get your
supper @Oh Susanah, don't cry for me, /
am just from Alabama with the Banjo on
my Knee 'ROw, BOatsman, Row, Float
ing Down the River on the Ohio" These
and various other sentimental songs were
sung BY lovely women and men aceOmpa-
MED by the fiddle and other instruments Of
music, which did the soul good, and put US
in the happy condition of Parsoa King, a
leader in his church and politics during the
canvass for CONGRESS. which was an excited
one, between Gen. Hall and Col. Burton
forty years AGO. AZ a large meeting in
Macon county. Col. Burton, one Of Ten
nessee's first orators, stirred up the assem-
bly, and salted them down, by telling them
that If elected 10 Congress, he would res
tore the ancient weight of 50 lbs. - the
bushel Of salt; when he got them uptO the
f-yer Eeat on the salt question he closed.
When ParsOn King mounted the rOstrum
and gave in his adhesion TO Col. Burton,
and announced 90 the congregation that he
had heard doctrines that day proclaimed
that did his soul good, but while he was
up he wished to say that s.he had lost his
old bay mare. She left bis premises the
day before yesterday with bride, saddle
and an old pair Of saddle-bags, and in the
Saddle-bags there was an old bell and rope,
and that he would be thankful for any in
formation the congregation might have
touching his old mare, saddle, saddle-bags,
bell and rsPe."
Since have been gone, wealth and lux
ury have introduced neg order OF things.
The music of the wheel and the plying Of
the loom is rarely heard; the piano and the
organ have taken their places. Instead Of
the old sentimental songs that moved the
heart and stirred the soul, we have the
operatie thing that they call music, for the
learned, and what is called the chaste and
cultivated ear. Whenever 1 hear a man
say that he is not moved by our ancient and
sentimental sOngS, but has a learned and
chaste ear for the OpeT2, put him down as
an ass, as a man iit fOr stratagem, treason
ami spOiis. What / have TO say upon this
subject is, that the operate music is the
Gy found in the ointment that destroys its
perfume, and the sooner We revive and keep
up our ancient customs The better for the
country.
OIHER CHANGES.
GwhO has BseR here since have been gomez
The striped linSey cotton dress has long
since disappeared. The fair sex are
now 80 disguised BY an and dress
that sue natural beauty cf the per-
son is lost m Tire poionnais, the red
ingote. the OyeTskirt, the baS lue, the jacket,
the false calves. the bustlss. the waterfalls,
the chigHpns and rats, aud the palpitating
bOsOms, so that 10 one clntell which is the
lOy ely and beautiful person, and which is
the dress and artificial means used 10 mar
and disguise il. / would as soon put my
hand on 4 muskTat as on one Of those artif-
cial things used to disguise the person. In
ancient times, FIVE yards Of calico made
dress, which displayed the natural beauty
of the person. which no art could improve;
now it takes from twenty to twenty-five,
and when silks and iiuer articles are used,
it takes from forty 10 fifty yards One
good bonnet a long time ago was amply
sufficient to set Of and shade the mountain
pink for one whole year. Now We have
the daisy, the sUndOWn, the riverside, and
gipsey hat, costing from twenty-five 10 fifty
dollars each, and which DO not cover two
inches Of the crown, and tive must be had
for every season, making eight per year
The tyrant fashion viii not permit lads
to appear more than once in the
same dress. While the fair
ones should always appear neatly
dressed, always copying nature, they should
show their native good sense, maintain
their wOmanhOOd and frOwn down the ex-
travagant fashions Of the day which neither
add to their beauty or the exalted esteem
which we hold due 70 the fair. Neither
does it promote their well being, but i'm
pOvl rishes families and leads TO the distress
Of communities. For thirty or forty years it
has been the fashion 10 consider luxury as
one of the greatest natural advantages. All
the wisdom of antiquity and the dOwDfin
of the great empires. show that IL is Cne
of the greatest curses that has ever befallen
people. 1 maiutainthat those luXuries and
extravagant fashions which are prejudicial TO
the public taste, and by which 50 many vi
ces are introduced, and so many kingdoms
have beenundOne, should be reformed and
utterly abandoned. | remain a professed
ancient on this head. A great poet and
philosopher Of human life has well said:
.sBut times are altered, trades unfeeling train,
Usurp the land and DISPOSE - the swainI
Along the lawn where scattered hamlets rose,
Unweildy wealth and cumbrOus pOmp repOse.
And every want to luxury allied,
And every pang that fully pays the PRIDE
Those gcntler hours that plenty babe % bloom,
Those calm desires that ask but little room.
Those healthful sports that grace the peaceful
scenes,
Lived in each look and bri ghtened all the green,
These fair departing seek a kinder shore,
And rural mirth and manners are no more"
Man can do nothing in the correction Of
these abuses but TO work himself to death
aud foot the bills. IL is for the fair women
of the land. who alone have the power and
can successfully alone move in this great
WORK. Man in his nature is unfit to govern
himself or control the destinies of the
world. They are the instruments, how
ever, in the hands Of woman by which
great revolutions and reforms are made.
We can do nothing without lovely wOmau.
They fire the heart and nerve the ann 70
gTeat and glorious deeds. Who WUuld
live without a woman. her beauty and
baavan bc-n if,fuanoa1 If them i auv