The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-04-02
LETTER TO WILLIAM

CENTRAL MRS., March 10th, 1879.
DEAR WILLIAM: I saw letter from 70,
printed in The CLARION. Of jackson. on N.
18th day Of February last, with which wa
greatly delighted. 1t put me in mind Of IN,
coy talks we used to have in Mrs.. Smiths
parior. But how long, long ago that seems t
| be- And 1t Is long ago. Two wears and q
hall IS long reach out Of the last hall OF
ones fourth score, and makes old time fee
ieariully mouldy towards their end But times
have changed since then, and we have changed
with them; and in Mississippi, alas, that
change has been only for tine worse. and TO-DAY
and here times are harder than / ever knew
them 10 be anywhere in eli nay life.
Ia all my life Mrs Smith saws it j.
surely humanism, and that YOU may know
a member OF the human family in any land
and at all times by this propensity to measure
time by all the days OF NV life. It is univer-
sal she says and she has travelled everywhere
and knows, il any woman knows They all
have it,. She has known little girl not two
and-a-halt years Old, 10 pipe it out with glee,
and an old man Of ninety 10 utter il with
earne-tne-- And yet it l. mere -urplussage
and means nothing How singular it l. that
men in the use OF language, a. well a. rum
and tobacco should form such habits A. min
lister not To edihcatiou, but rather % the pull
ing down OF that which Is already built.
| can -ympathiz- with vou I'm your efforts 10
acquire new acquaintance. | have gone
through the process several times, and under
stand 1t well. Il j. never pleasant and il only
1earable when necessity forces il upon Us.
would that we could always live in the old
homestead wherein We were born; walk in the
old paths that we trod in sunny youth and
live and die and be buried among the old
friends that first welcomed us into life-intu
schooi-into society. But the tendency Of the
race, and especially OF our own people and the
present age, l. to separation and dispersion ::
thus breaking up the tenderest ties OF the hu-
man heart, aud make it necessary to spend
much OF ones time i'm forming new associa-
tons building new homes and learning new
paths. ! would il it were otherwise, and l
sometimes think it would be wise in Us 10 adopt
the English system OF entailed homesteads
and primogeniture. 1t would certainly have
a tendency to make our homes more perma-
nent, secure their highter adornment and check
the rage for moving
You are fortunate in having an able body
OF men for Senators in Texas. Ability -nd
wisdom, prudence and efficiency generally 60
together. and "a State whose laws are made by
such men l. always prosperous.
Happy Texas. whose God Is the the Lord,
and whose Senators are wis. But l viii not
venture To- estimate the intellectual value OF
your house till some one rates the average OF
Mississippi house and tells us definitely
on which side of tine decimal point it stands.
Your pen and ink portrait OF that grand old
gentleman. Dr. Azhbeu Smith, is a master
work Of art and enables me to know him in
timately before have ever seen him: and |
seem now TO have known him always
And that other picture of that dear old
couple whose love induced them 10 give all 10
their graceleS- children and thus bring them
selves prematurely To poverty and knowledge
of
Glow sharper than "a serpenJs tooth II Is
To have q thaukleSS child,'
SURPRISES it; for it not only intro duces me to
Mr. Moore and his dear old wife, but makes
me weep for them. But this l. perhaps all the
more easy because | once had on my own list
of friends a fine old couple, just like your Mr..
Moore and wife, into whose hands | have
more than once when | found them in need
slipped "A secret V. Mrs Smith says that these
silly old geese Tor goo-es, which2 ought 10
suffer, because they did not raise their chill
dren better
DO not trouble yourself about the contrast
between your heroes. Ii there is no skeleton
hanging i'm Or. Smiths closet he is an excep-
ton both n an old bachelor and man: and If
! it were rs plain to your view as the wreck OF
bones that darken- the doorway OF the Moores
it would perhaps be even more hideous and re
puIsive, Ahectionately,