The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1877-01-11

claim an extensive acquaintance
have no cause to feel ashamed of
their representative. Nobody makes
fun of him. He is the longest pole
in the House, and has knocked
down the persimmon. He has been
made the recipient of the highest
honor in the power of the House to
bestow. And l want to tell yon
how he received it, and how he
pleased everybody when he &C
knowledged it. lie did not make a
long speech full OF flowers and poe
try, red pictures and moonlight
scenes, but told the members OF the
House in as short a sentence as any
intelligent man could frame, that he
had heart full of gratitude for the
honor done, him, and then called
the next business in order. Mr..
Taliaferro means business, and he
10 doing business. He has made an
impression here that not only does
honor to his constituents, but that
will give him an impetus toward the
accomplishment of great things
greater than the present Geld opens
to him. He is regarded as one of
the most promising young men OF
the South, and his friends will see
to it that greater and higher honors
shall crown him. No citizen of
Giles is p-ouder of this than l am.
1t is pleasing to me to place Mr..
Taliaferro along with the distin-
guished men that old Giles has
given the State and the nation. If
you would allow me the space, ]
could mention many names of Giles
county men who are dear to the
country. But then 1 need not, for
your readers know the Browns and
others o: good name as well as | do.
/ acknowledge, as one of the best
gifts 1 have had in long time, the
"Christmas Allocutionn of your car
riers. 1t has afforded a good deal
of amusement to our house. Our
house! Do you know what that
meansp Well, it is house full OF
all sorts of good people-no bad
ones. can convince you that this
is so by saying, and swearing to It,
that our house is made up of nine
families, with all their sweets, sew
eral old bachelors and two old
maids to complete the lemonade
We have newly married couples
from Georgia, and old couples who
have been married long enough to
make brides and bridegrooms espe-
cially welcome as reminders.
But this is not what i started TO
say. was talking about the Christ
mas literature which the address OF
your carrier boys affords. That
address set me to thinking of old
times--of what l have seen and
heard and read in my time. You
know how one thing leads to an
other. While the funny pictures
and humorous reading in your car
rier boys allocution have 50 greatly
amused the good people about our
house, / have been led TO think Of
our incongruous Christmas Gus
toms. / am not too old and callous
hearted to enjoy The season of good
cheer and mirth--of kind words
and good gifts; for 1t is especially
the season of good gifts TO children.
1t is this more than anything else
that makes me think of Charles
Dickens, and makes me love his
memory; for he was such a good
lover of the young. Old KRIS Krin-
gle himself is not so dear to any Of
us, among all our Christmas asso-
Citations, as the name of Charles
Dickens. How our hearts and
souls go out to the great novelist
every yearl He has passed away,
but his pen is not yet dead TO us.
We have his Christmas stories al
ways with us, and there is nobody
that can tell better ones. "The
Cricket on the Hearth" and "The
Chimes" are as much of our Christ
mas as the stockings hung up by
the chimney corner. Have you ever
gone over the old familiar ground,
since his death, without finding new
pleasure In the old friends he first
introduced to you? Many writers
have tried to fill the vacuum in hol-
iday literature by writing to please
the young and the old, but no one
has ever caught the spirit Of the
day and the time as Charles Dick
ems did. The air is filed, at Christ
mas, with his plum puddings, and
all young feet dance TO the music
of Fezziwig's ball. And who among
all your good readers has not gone
"down the middle" with old Pick.
wick at Dingy Dell farm-old Pick
wick, whose very picture seemo a
reality2 There are few of us who
have not had turn in that mad
dance In the "Cricket on the
Hearth" where May and Edward
first had the floor, but were soon
followed by John and Dot; then by
Tackleson and Mrs. Fielding, old
Dot and Mrs. Dot, and last, but not
least, by Caleb and lilly Slowboy.
Nobody ever read one Of Charles
Dickens Christmas stories without
having kindlier feeling toward his
fellow-creatures when he finished IL.
You all remember what Fred said
to his uncle Scrooge, about think
ing of poor people as if they were
"really fellow passengers to the
grave, and not another race OF crea
lures bound on another journey"
This is worth remembering and you
must not forget it. OLD GILEs.
Bachelors.