The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-10-18
4 Glimpse at Life In Kentuoky In the Day.
Preceding the War.

4 Glimpse at Life in Kentuoky In the Day.
Preceding the War.
As the day draws near noon, the
tide of life is at the food. All mixed
in with the tossing horns and nimble
heels Of the terrified, distressed, half
maddened beasts, are the people.
Above the level of these is the discord-
ant choir of shrill-voiced auctioneers
on horseback. At the corners of the
streets long-haired-long eared-doc-
tors In curious hats lecture to eager
groups on maladies and philanthropic
cures. Every itinerant vender of no
ton and nostrum in the countryside is
there; every wanderer Italian harper
or musician of any kind, be he but a
sightless fiddler, who brings forth with
poor unison of voice and string the
brief and too tickle ballads of the time.
'Gentle Annie, and Sweet Alice. Ben
Bolt. )" Strange y cOntrasted with every
thing else in physical type and marks
of civilization are the mOuntaineers
who have come down to the .ssettle-
minis" driving herds of their lean.
stunted cattle. or bringing, in slow
moving. Ox-drawn steamboat" wagons.
maple-sugar, and basket, and poles,
and wild mountain fruit-faded wagons,
faded beasts, faded clothes, faded faces,
faded every thing. A general day for
buying and selling all over the S ate.
What purchases at the dry-goods stores
and groceries to keep all those negroes
at home fat and comfortable and come
ly-cottons and gay cottonades. and
gorgeous turbans. and linseys of pris-
matte dyes, bags of Rio coffee and bar
rels of sugar. with many another pleas
ant thing! All which will not be taken
home in the family carriage. but in the
wagon which Scipio Africanus is driv-
ing in: Scipio. remember; for while the
New-Englander has been naming his
own flesh and blood Peleg and Heze-
kiah and Abednego. the Kentuckian
has been giving even his negro slaves
mighty and classic names, after his
taste and fashion. But very mockingly
contrast with the condition of them
that wear them. A surging populace,
an in-town holiday for all rural folk,
wholly unlike what may be seen else
where in this country. The politician
will be sure of his audience to-day in
the court house yard; the seller will be
sure of the purchaser; the idle man of
meeting one still idler; friend of seeing
distant friend; blushing Phyllis. come
in to buy fresh ribbons. of being fol.
lowed through the throng by anxious
Corydon.
And what. amid all this tumult OF
life and affairs of the justice OF
the peace, whose figure once lowered
up so finely? Alas! quite outgrown,
pushed aside and well-nigh forgotten.
The very name of the day which once
SO sternly cOmmemOrated the exercise
of his authority has wandered away
into another meaning. County Court
day" no longer brings up in the mind
the image of the central courthouse
and the judge on the bench. 1t is to be
greatly feared his noble type is dying.
The stain of venality has soiled his
hOmespun ermine, and the trail of the
office-seeker passed over his rough.
hewn bench. So the new constitution
of the commonwealth comes in, to make
the autocratic ancient justice over into
the modern elective magistrate, and
with the end Of the half century to
close a great chapter of wonderful
county court days.-James Lane Allen,
in Harper's Magazine.