The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1878-02-13

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useful and ornamental members of so
cie,y, spending hours after hours pouring
over trashy ten cent nonsense.
The writer has frequently asked novels
readers to give him a single ilea or a
single fact which they had gained from
all their novel reading that would he ben>
eicial To them in life, but he has never
heard one fact or idea given.
Novel reading, like dram drinking,
grows upon \ person until it becomes a
disease, and so completely enerva,es the
mind that it becomes disqualified for any
other study Place in the hands of the
confirmed novel reader the most profound
and lucid work on politics, religion,
or science, and it will soon be thrown
aside with a snarl of contempt as too
contemptibly dry.
Young man, If you want companion
through life, better take the girl who has
never read through the primer. than take
a confirmed novel reader.
There is perhaps no period in social
/ life more agreeable than the midway
point between the dcprivations and hard
ships Of pioneer lite, aud the advanced
stages of wealth and fashion.
Ohio county, perhaps, enjoyed this
midway point. between the years of lS21
and 1870. The prudent portions OF our
society had acquired ali the conyeniencies
ard comforts OF life, not knowing. or
caring for its luxuries and fashionable
.ccleries, with means to acquire an
abundance OF wholesome, substantial diet
ard neat and decent apparel; all lived
and dressed As their fancy or means die
taied, and the whole community might
have been deemed true democracy in
eating, drinking and social amusements
During the most OF that period, Dr.
Charles McCreery. Richard Elliott Dr.
Benjamin Smith. Charles Henderson,
John H. McUenry, William h. Charles,
and Reuben Bennett were among the
principal house>keepers. all of whom
were fond of social enjoyment, and always
kept their doors open, or at least the
"latch-string out to the young aud old,
and most OF these men, as well as their
families. were of quite refined literary
tastes and habits. Among the resident
Young ladies were the Misses Fergusons,
llendersons, McCreerys, Crutchers,
Sharks, aud Davis, besides a great ac-
cesslon OF visitors coming in from Ohio,
Daviess, Muhlenberg and other counties
Among the single inca and youths, in
ciudin. wdOwcls, were William NJ Davis,
DiIlis Dyer, Samuel o. Peyton, John NJ
Austin, Ben Duncan, James Smith,
Joshua Ferguson, MARTA ID. Mclienry,
Herald McCreery. and for a portion OF
the time, as a student of medicine under
his uncle, a Mr.. McCreary, the father OF
our present governor. Nearly all of these,
both male and female were endowed with
a high degree of moral, social and intel
iectual virtues.
One or more social parties occurred al
most every week, at the different private
houses. Fer the heads of the families,
justly believing that their company pre-
lerred brains TO bacon put themse selves
to no further trouble than furnishing
house room, fuel and light; and joined
with n zest in the social intercourse aud
amusement, which consisted in discuss
ing the news and literature of the day,
telling jokes and anecdotes, singing
songs, aud (sub rosa) occasional love
making.
The writer cannot recall to mind q
single incident that marred the social in-
tercourse of those happy days. He has
never converseI with either then citizen
or occasional visitor, who has not adj
mit,ed that those days of Aud Lang
Syne' were the happiest portion of their
lives. This happiness grew mainly out
OF the fact that the miss in her calico
felt as neatly dressed as madam in her
silks; and the boy in his home spun
never thought OF casting glance at the
superior gloss of the gentleman in broad
cloth. Oh, what a misfortune that we
have Lost the moral courage which should
teach Us to dress according to our means,
instead OF the foolish dictates OF fashion.
There Is one peculiar evil which seems
to have existed in the social history OF
the county, which is the prejudice and
dislike so many people in the county have
against the town people This feeling OF
i'll will is no doubt foslered some times in
early youth; for the writer still recollects
occurrences of i'll treatment, which he,
(then a country boyl received from town
boys and for which he Inflicted retalia>
ton and reprisal on the same town boys,
when he caught them in the country ;
practices against which parents both in
town and country should always caution
their children; for it too often leads to
confined and lasting dislikes and preju-
dices.
There is no doubt but there are sharp.
ers and dishonest persons in both town
and country, and those in town, from
there calling in business, and greater in
tercourse, have more opportunities tc
practice their frauds on the whole CON.
munity; but this is no cause OF sectional
prejudices, and dislikes; for the honest
man should be patronized and the villain
discarded without regard to location.
1t is perhaps to want OF this recip'
rocal good feeling between town and
country, tina, both our town and county
have Jagged behind other counties in thu
State. No county can ever be very pros
porous and thriving, without an equally
thriving and prosperous town. Will
superior advantages in timber. mineral