Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-11-12

Horatius and other eminent Roman citi-
zens in the gallery. by encouraging cries of
"Go it Bill" and other vocal incentives
to Roman fortitude and valor.
Have told you that am now engaged
on series of Drug Store Studies It is
dark AID mysterious side of literature,
but have waited long enough for some
body else to undertake it. Could You ever
understand Che fascination that makes
men gather about drug stores ? can't.
l am victim, but I cannot fathom it.
Notwithstanding they are the portals of
Ghe graveyards, men sit in them and dis
cuss temporal matters with cheerfulness
that amazes me. Aow man can sit in
front of bottles loaded with deadly drugs,
and know that some of them will be fred
into him some time or other, and that very
soon thereafter he will be fired out of the
land of the living, is an exhibition of cal
lousness l cannot understand. To me
they are subjects of endless speculation.
How the stomach. not copper-lined and
reinforced with sheet iron can stand the
wlenching. drenching, and ultimately
quenching preparations that stand menac-
ingly along the shelves; how many diseases
man Is heir to for these thousands of dis
ferent drugs to attack and conquer, and
how long human nature can stand the
wrenching-are all weird speculations that
fascinate me. But there are other men
who are not philosophers like myself ibid
l say anywhere above that was philo-
sopher ?-No! then 1 ought to have said
it) who are also fascinated. They do not
come to speculate on life or death, as do,
but to-talk. have known estimable men,
with interesting families, to hang around
drug stores till they close, pretty much as
other men cling to saloons. 1 have seen
men with happy homes, with everything
to make life comfortable, of their own
free will spend whole evenings surround
ed by caiomel, rhubarb, assofoetida, and
other nanseatng Accomplishments of life
and death. And even the blessed Sabbath
Ia not sacred from the Evil Genius of the
Drug Store. 1t looks as if some mon
COULDN'T start Sunday we'll il they did not
start it at the drug store. and indeed, the
drug store is much more certain of their
Sabbath visit than the church. Mark you,
L make no point against Others for this
weakness being as weak as the rest eff
my acquaintahces-all want is solution
OF the fascination. 1t is no local symptom
confined to any one town, it prevails every
where. 1t is not one of the idle tales that
men tell their wives about having been at
at the lodge-when they say they have
beea at the drug emporium. they haze. 1t is
the truth land what l want to know is, why
it is the truth.
Il is So rarely that one has an opportu-
nifty to say good word for Liars, that /
must say one here. Say it by comparison.
Not, you know, that they are any better;
but that there are some people so much
worse. They, the some people, are the
people who hear you say thing in jest
and go off and repeat it as if you had said
it IN earnest. 1t is combination of
t1eachery and premeditated mischief that
many lie does not possess. 1t has all the
elements of assassination. To have man,
who you are satisfied is not an idiot, laugh
heartily at good jest you make, and to
hear OF him again, weeks afterwards,
reporting it as said in earnest, gives you a
scense of betrayal from which you cannot
separate the motive of malice. You will
perceive that l am getting very indignant
over this-and yet [ wonder if I am not a
little bit guilty myself. If it is human
weakness am pretty sure to have it. 1
think as much of the damage done by this
false flor in effect it is falsehood) rep
resentation is the result of carelessnes as
Of malice, but it is carelessness that is
almost criminal. 1t is carelessness that
shows lack of that nice sense of right,
which, when in full bearing is called
Principle. am not hard on the weakness
es of humanity nor even it's faults; they
always interest and often amuse me; but
this is one whose countenance wears such
an aspect of downright meanness that
am forced to drag it to my moral barber
shop to be shaved and have its hair dressed
with the parting injunction to never let
me catch it in that plight again.
l wish to call your attention to long
neglected woman. 1t is possible that even
you have never thought of her, and that my
story of her sufferings may be new as we'll
as touching to you. 1t Is the lady that
plays the wedding march on the organ at
marriages. Have you ever read the story
of Tantalusp Here is sad one in the
organ loft. Beneath-the gay company,
the bride, the orange blossoms, the claw
hammer coats, the clergyman, the ring
the whole panorama that so often rises in
the visions of the young; above-Miss Tan
talus at the organ furnishing the music.
l know her we'll for l have seen many of
her. No longer young. nor yet old; neith-
er pretty nor plain, nicely dressed but not
in Wedding uniform-she is at the rejoic-
ing, but not of it. [ have watched her
often and spun stories Of her life How
many times has she not dreamed this dream.
with herself where the bride is stand
ing. How many of her heroes with black
hair, light hair, slender, robust, dis
tinguished, obscure, but all loving and be
loved, has she not seen standing where
this claw-hammer now stands! How Of
ten has she not seen that ring glisten on
her own hand in her day dreams; how of.
ten heard The words with which it is be-
slowed; how often looked up with happy
tears to him that is now her own! How
often has she not walked out of the door of
her castle in Spain and driven to this very
church, and walked down this very aisle