The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1875-01-18
LETTER FROM WILLIAM
EAST MISSISSIPPI, Jan. -. 1875.

two weeks. So deeply have felt the need
of sunlight, that | concluded to write small
poem to the sur. | wrote it. When I fin
ished it, my cheeks were in glow felt
the divine affi9tus, the poetic fire. At night,
/ read it again, after | had gone TO mill and
got wet, and it seemed tame, to some extent.
Next morning, When was feeding my COWS,
one Of the poor, dumb brutes accidently
struck me in the stomach with one Of her
feet, when | was very cold. | think this
last blow scared off all the MUSES.; for when
| read my poem again, it seemed the merest
bosh [ give you the first line:
'sCome back to the skies, thou bright God of
day"
Mr. Jones says that the sun has never
eft the skies, and that my poem should begin
Go away from the skies, We clouds of the
morning"
After considering all things burned my
manuscript. AS poet am a failure If
all your contributors WILL after preparing
their pieces, go to mill in a cold rain, then
read over their articles, wait twelve hours,
go out and set kicked by a cow, then read
over once more, you will print less foolish
ness.
The usual annual contracts between land
holders and labOrers have been closed and the
work of the year has begun. Mr.. Jones
says, however, that the Mississippi State
government and the Louisiana Returning
Board are enough to insure the failure of a
fruit crop, and, he fears, of all crops during
the present year. Nature is sympathizing
with the untoward state of affairs, we know,
and we fear the results.
Last Saturday, at our singing society, one
of our young men attempted to get up
club to purchase tickets in the Louisville
/ oft nd al tu
until he asked Mrs. Cornelia to take share.
That ended the matter. Mrs. COrnelia spoke
to the young people as follows:
''In this Lottery there are five prizes of
considerable size; then there are nine hun
dred and ninety-fve of inconsiderable size;
then there are nineteen thousand prizes
simply the amount Of your tickets
every simpleton who buys ticket, ex-
poets to draw nothing less than the largest
prize. To do this, he must overcome ninety
nine thousand nine hundred and ninety
nine chances against him; and to illustrate
/ the probability of the thing, | will request
some young friend to cut some letter-paper
! into one hundred equal pieces and, with
lead pencil, make any character on the back
of one of the pieces, so it can be known.
Now let another young friend prepare one
hundred similar pieces of paper; and on one
of them, write 100000. Place the one
| hundred pieces of paper, first prepared, in
one hat; and place the other lot in sepa-
rate hat; mix the papers in each hat we'll
and cover each with a handkerchief. Now
! let two of the girls draw them out. Mary
can draw one from this hat, and Susan one
from that. When Mary draws out her slip
of paper with the character on it, in order to
get the 100000 prize, Susan should, at the
same time, draw the slip out Of her hat,
marked 800, 600"
The slips were prepared as directed, and
after drawing an hour, the two marked slips
were not drawn out at the same time; and
every one was convinced that such a coinci-
dence would hardly occur, if the drawing
was continued for twenty four hours. Where
upon Mrs Cornelia resumed:
''In the drawing at Louisville there will
be two wheels. In one there will be placed
the l 900 considerable prizes. In the other
will be placed one hundred thousand tickets.
The probabilities, William, that your ticket
and the capital prize will be drawn simulta-
neOusly, are precisely the same as the prob
abilities are that the two marked slips, in
these two hats, can be drawn simultaneous
ly for in each cast, there is hundred against
one.
"This illustration is based upon the sup
position that the lottery is conducted
fairly, which we will not dispute"
/ here interrupted Mrs. Cornelia, and
asked her if persons never drew prizes in lot
teries. She replied ooh, yes, but very sell
dom. 1t is very rare that tightening ever
strikes and kills man-yet such a thing
does occur occasionally. Perhaps we would
be safe in saying, that for every man killed
by Tightening, there is prize drawn in a lot
; terry, we read Of both in the papers, but few
of us witness either" Mrs Cornelia then
proceeded to show the demmalzing effect OF
buying lottery tickets; and so painfully
clear did she discover the tendency of the
mind, operated upon by hope with no frui-
ton, that every one present abandoned all
idea Of investing.
| write you this, gentlemen, because of
the great number of gift concerts, which are
now advertised in the papers, and because
of the disposition of our people, especially
our young people, to inves5 their small say
ings, vainly hoping and idly dreaming of 2
sudden fall of fortune barely more probable
than the appearance of q irst-class miracle
Notwithstanding, the above demonstration
n the lottery question, [ suppose some folks
III buy tickets.
You doubtless wish to hear of all new in
ventions. Our distinguished friend Barney
S. Trice, Esq, has discovered or invented
a method to cure stammering or SUFFERING
There is no mistake about his giving relief.
and we advise all parties who stammer to adj
dress him at Verona, Miss
1t is painful for me to announce the death
of my friend, DIR. J. J. Shelton, of Macon
Miss. The Doctor combined in his charac
ter all the elements of manhood and owl; III;