Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-06-19

martins Delnk generally regarded aS
useful 10 drive off all bloody minded
hawks tha. look with too hungry an
eye upon the rising generation of
dunghills. Being thus prepared for
housekeeping, now comes the tug of
war. Whatever may be said of the
poverty of the poor white, of his ig-
norance and general spiritual degra-
dation, he rarely suffers from hunger
or cold. As class, indeed, they are
much better of than the peasantry in
Europe, and many q poor mechanic
in your city-to say nothing Of the
thousands without trade or occupa-
ton wandering through the North
and West-.would be most happy at
any time from December to March to
share the cheerful warmth of the blaz-
ing pine knots, which glow upon ev-
cry poor mans hearth in the South;
as well as to help devour the fat
launches of the noble old buck, whose
carcass hangs suspended from one of
the beams Of the loft overheard, ready
at all times to have q slice cut from
its sinewy bones and boiled to deli
cious juiciness upon the glowing
Goals. Indeed, the only source of
trouble to the poor white is the pres
ervation of his yearly "crcps" Of corn,
owing to the sterileness Of his lands
and deficient cultivation that some
times fail him, running all to weeds
and grass. But he has NO lack of
meats. Wild hogs, deer, wild tur-
keys, squirrels, raccoons, oposums-
these and many more are ct his very
doors, and he has only to pick up "old
Spitfire," walk few miles out into
the forest, and return home laden
with meat enough to last him week.
And should he desire to purchase
little wool for spinning, or cotton dit
to, or a little "sweet'ning" to put in
his coffee or "sassefack" tea, or few
cups and saucers, or powder and shot,
salt, meal, or other household neces-
stiles, weeks successful hunting in
variably supplies him with enough
game to procure the withal for luxu-
ries which he soon possesses himself
of from the nearest village or cross
roads store. Having obtained what
he wants, he hastens back to his bar
rem solitude; his wife and daughters
spin and weave the wool or cotton
into such description of cloth as is
most in vogue for the time being !;
while the husband, father, sons and
brothers betake themselves to their
former idle habits-hunting, beef shoot
ing, gander-pulling, marble-playing
card-playing and getting drunk.
Panics, financial pressure and the
like, are unknown among them, and
about the only crisis Of which they
know anything is when poor fellow
is called upon to "shuffle off his NOR
tai coil" Money, in fact is almost An
unknown commodity in their midst,
and whether our currency is gold,
greenbAcks, or the dollar of the "dad-
dies" concerns them not. Nearly all
of their trafiicking is carried on by
barter alone. In their currency cow
is considered worth SO much, q horse
so much, dog SO much, fat buck
90 much, fat turkey so much, q coon
skin 80 much, etc, and by those values
almost everything is rated. Dollars
and dimes they never bother their
brains about,
The chief haracteristic, the crown
ing emblem of the poor white, how
ever, is laziness. He is the LATEST
two-legged animal that walks erect
on the face Of the earth. Even his
motions are slow, and his speech .
sickening drawl, worse great deal
than the most downeastern Of all
downeasters while his thoughts and
ideas creep along at snails pace.
All he seems to care for is to live from
hand to mouth; to get drunk, provid-
ed he can do So without having to
trudge too far for his liquor to shoot
for beef, to attend gander-pulling
to vote at elections to cat and sleep ;
to lounge In the sunshine of bright
Summers day, and to bask in the
warmth Of roaring wood fire when
Summer days are over. In religion
the poor white is generally of the
hard shell persuasion, and his parson
is of the "whang doodle" order. He
10 also superstitious being firm be-
lever in witches and hobgoblins,
haunts and spooks in fortune telling
after the ancient modes-such as palm
reading, card-cutting, or revelations
Of coffee grounds left In the bottom oi
the cup after the fluid has been drain
ed of.