Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-11-23
HOG KILLING TIME.

HOG KILLING TIME.
The following from the Atlanta Constitution
is truthful sketch of a genuine home scene on
the Southern plantation, as witnessed every
year before our people transferred their smoke
houses to the West.
At dinner the other night, after the trash
had been disposed Of, two roast pigs each with
an apple in his mouth, were brought in and set
in front of the host and hostess. l had not
seen such thing in years, but it was savory
reminder of many a lavish board under which
my youthful legs had twned about each other
in ecStacy.
There's good deal of sentiment in the men,
ories.that hang about the hog. Where is there
a festival that compares in solid enjoyment
with ''hog killing time'' on an oldpantation !?
How many time have sat on the warm side
of big fire in the cold of December dawn and
licked my half-frOzen chops as watched the
sleek carcasses being drawn and quartered, or
hung over the huge scalding pot, like young
Macbeth over the witches caldron
How the glores of those festive occasions
come trooping into my mind as l write Inc
first trophies that came to the youngsters who
were happy enough to he present, were the
bladders that blown up and tied, opened
game of impromptu football, or dried and laid
away, were exploded Oh Christmas as the open
lIlE gun. uell CllllC ldllo w W lottoeSN AL
the embers of this fire, or that, and slay the
demon that was unclaimed in the youthful
stomach, while the hogs were laid on rail
pile to freeze during the night. The next day
came the spare-ribs with their crisp and cheese
ing fat, and the backbone with it's unutterable
marrow. These elemental delights past, then
came the more intricate process OF cutting the
leaf lard into little white blocks that were
thrown into the pots from which came the
sweetest and purest lard, and those dry brown
bits into which all the SAVIOR and the essence
and the soul of the hog seemed imprisoned
the cracklngs (Stop moment pardon this
emotion. There-t is over !! And from the
cracklings and fatty bread, and the head cheese
and the chitterlings, and the smoked JoWls,
and the brains, and the liver, and the shoul-
ders and then the feet, first boiled and then
fried in batter And after the over worked
sausage grinder that wheezed and soughed as
it was we'll nigh choked to death with chunks
of fat and strips of lean, or strangled to death
with red pepper and salt, or tickled to death
with sage leaves, but nevertheless filled pans,
pots and skins and maWS with OdOrous SAIL
sage, until it must have itself been astOnlShed
at what it had DONE And then the mlnce
meat. which is at once the meeting point and
the resultant Of all the edible felicities And
last of all-after every part and particle OF
this precious animal, save and except the brain
and hasets, had been absorbed with thanks
and praise-the old SmokehOuse with its
smOldering fire of hickory chips in the pit dug
in the centre of it's floor, it's winding rat holes
haunted the winter through by keen young
sportsmen, and its vague and blackened raf-
ters beyond the aspirations OF all save the most
daring climbers, and their slender cross sticks
from which were clustered festOOns Of sausage
;,,1- in thar SkiOS OntS in Their
shells-genial middlings on white oak splits
and hams that ripened and grew favorous III
their seclusion, absorbing month after month
the aroma of the earth, and OF the Sltted ashes
that were sprinkled over them, and OF tile
sweet chips that burned beneath them, and of
the odorous smoke that iloated about them,
and of the night winds that stole through the
loosely shingled roof above them.
This is all very foolish. 1t is fashionable
now to berate the hog, mainly, l think, be-
cause hog killing has become business now
instead of a sentiment, and because hogs are
killed in slaughter pens rather than III open
woods, and sausage meat or beef rather than
pork, and hams sweetened in night with
sugar and cured in day with chemicals rather
that with the gentle influences bred OF air and
earth and forest and in long patient vigils that
nature requires of all things she brings to per
fection. BE this as it may, the hog III all his
particulars is appreciated in high life. The
late Senator Hill loved nothing so well as a
plate of gatherings. | have seen Gov. Hers
chel V. Johnston eat pigs ear with lnilnlte
relish. What were Gov. Browns collards L!
refuse to spell it coleworts) to that great and
good man, if underlying his historic love TOR
this fine esculent there was not an uncontessed
love for hogs jowl once saw Gordon rush
ing through Wall street, when we both had
more stocks than was healthy, with bucket
of hogs brains that he had bought from a
down town butcher for his table at the st.
James. Governor Stephens dotes on brolled
ham, and the nearest to death General IOombs
ever came was from indigestion caused by
overeatng hogs head cheese so that il little
more hogs head might have prevented seces-
sion, More than one historian holds tnat
Lees army was never whipped until the Da-
con had given out and it had to fall back on
beef. Mayor English frequently greases MS
DISTINGUISHED chin with fatty bread, and
il was at a Governors table that [ saw
the sucking pigs that evoked tins tram OF
memories.
SUCcEss.-Every man must bide his time.
He must wait. More particularly in lands
like nv native land, where the pulse OF LIE
beats with such feverish and impatient throDS,
is the lesson needful. Our national character
wants the dignity of repOse. We seem to
live in the midst battle, there is such din,
such hurrying to and fro. In the streets OF
crowded city it is difficult to walk slowly: