The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-05-08
Job DOwling's Funeral.

Job DOwIing's Funeral.
s. s. Cox writes the following: MANY
years ago was one Of party in Wash.
ington city, when south and north We'd
with each other in convivial life. An
other of the party was Gen. Dawson,
member from Western Pennsylvania,
whose homestead was Albert Gallatin' &
old home. He was an admirable story
teller. L recall somewhat sadly, now
that he is gone, how well he illustrated
the laziness of class of Virginians.
The story was part of his congress
sional canvassing. On one occasion he
got across the Pennsylvania line into a
little village of Virginia. He was in
the midst of a group around the tavern.
While treating and talking, a procession
approached which looked like funeral.
He asked who was to be buried? sob
Dowlins," said they. "Poor Job r
natured, good-for-nothing, lazy fellow,
living on the few fish he caught and the
squirrels he killed, but mostly OF the
donations of his neighbors. $50 poor
Job is dead, is he?" "No, he ain,t
dead, zactly," said they. "Not dead
not d. Yet you are going to bury
him ?" "Fact is, general, he has got
too internal, alfred lazy to live. We
can't afford him any more. He's got SO
lazy that the grass began to grow over
his shoes-so everlasting lazy that he
put out one of his eyos to save the
trouble of winkin' when out a gunnin'."
But" says tee general, "this must
not be. It will disgrace my neighbor-
hood. Try him a while longer, can't
You? ?" Cant; too late-cofin cost
| $l.25. Must go on now" About this
time the procession came up and halted,
| when the general proposed if they would
take Job out he would send over bag
of corn. On this announcement the
lids of the coffin opened and Job Ian
his eyes as he asked, SIS the corn
shelied, general ?" No, not shelled."
'"Then, said Job, as he lazily lay down,
ego on with the funeral II
A "BLAsPHEMoUs" PICTURE.
ing Of the Cocoran Gallery in Washing
ton, writer says: ESPECIALLY is it to
be hoped that advantage will be taken
of the earliest excuse to remove from
these walls Cabaners Death of Moses
a picture which the people pass by with
brows contracted in horror, as if they
listened to blasphemy. For here in
dull color and unattractive form the
artist has insulted the beauty of holt
ness, and angels and greater than angels
have not been spared the sacrilege of
his touch. 1t is time that the world
should know the bad taste of attempt
ing to portray any higher being than
man, for such delineatlon can be moth
ing better than gross caricature, it mat
tiers not how brilliant and reverend the
imagination that conceives it. In re-
Hgion is there no resort between the |
painted angels of superstition on the |
one hand and the blank of skepticism on
the other, and would not a slight infu- |
sion of pantheism elevate the former |
and win to it souls from the ranks of |
the latter? What wonder that we are |
becoming a race of unbelievers, when |
we consider the nature of the Sunday
school books forced upon the children,
and the gloomy shapes which the beau. |
tiful people and stories of the Old Tesla |
ment assume in our pictures.
Sham Houses.
Charles Warren Stoddard writes /: |
There are houses in Florence, many of |
them, that look as if they were built of |
the stage scenery of some dismantled |
theatre. L saw one this morning, a /
snug modern affair as severely simple |
in its proportions as packing box, yet |
it was SO touched up by the brush of |
some scenic artist that balcony with |
six pillars seemed to start out from the |
front of it. There were two doors and |
four windows introduced to complete |
the harmony of the facade. Yet these
were all receptions the house pre-
tended to be of stone, with a plaster |
that had peeled off in spots, exposing |
the rough cut walls. In an attic win
dow, a mere picture, a cat summed her
self, and little way from her sat two
pigeons billing, but not cooling, for that
was beyond the art even of Florentine
house painter. A rake leaned against
the wall, and cast palpable shadow
that unfortunately ran against the sun
for it was late in the day, and the
shadow was stationary two towels fut-
tered from the balcony pail was
turned over in the corner part, and a
bush tLat might bewilder a botanist
bloomed forever in blossoms of yellow
and red-blossons as gross and I'M
savory as cabbages. Was this all !? No;
one of the fraudulent windows was
open fair and most substantial virgin
leaned forth, and with her arm extended
like statue she waves night and day,
year after year, handkerchief TO the
passer by, be he friend or stranger.
This sort Of thing is often seen in Flor
ence. Sometimes two lovers "spoon"
in a sham window. One
is half inclined to ask if the inmates sat
for this picture, but the questions of that
nature would be too frequent. 1 have
almost lost confidence in everything
FIorentine. ain never quite sure that
it is a house 1 see before me, or only
the rear wall of somebody's gardsn. 1
am quite convinced that 1 shall some
day find myself knocking at false door
and waiting impatiently for the descent
Of the fat-faced young woman who sits
week after week smiling upon the world
from the window overhead.