The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-06-01

courses, from hamlet to hamlet. mine
at once of local news. of ale-house pol
itics. of stories, tales, legends. and
roguish humor. gathered together in
his peregrinations hither and thither,
the chapman was at once welcome
aud suspected visitor at village or farm
house.
For his position was peculiar and
anomalous one. He stood IN the social
+pian upon neutral ground between re-
spectability and rognery: possessed OF
all the cant phrases, quips and tricks OF
thief. he was yet pomiually an honest
man; living the irresponsible. wander
ing life of gypsy. he was yet prop.
erty-hoder, a merchant and man oil
vested rights, SO far as the pack upon
his back was concerned. He was like
the bat i'm the fable-he neither flew
with the birds of the air nor walked
with the beasts OF the field; he was
neither fish, flesh. fowl nor good red
herring.
Yet, in spite of his dubious social po-
sition and very questionable honesty.
/ he was always a questionable visitor IN
the countryside; and when his voice,
mellow with pots of ale and good Nv
ing. was heard in the village street
trolling forth one of the ballads or
broadsides that he purveyed with his
other wares. the folk would come
gathering to where the centre OF a
group of children and idlers, the itine-
rant merchant stood with pack open
and wares displayed-riDgs. ribbons,
laces. trinkets. gew-gaws. kick -knacks'
and this and that innumerable.
And besides all these things the won
derfu pack was a nomadic bookstall as
well for snugly tucked away in the
separate compartments were neat pack
cts of miscellaneous ballads. rudely H.
Illustrated broadsides. and no less rudely
illustrated folk booklets-a sight tit To
set watering the mouth of member OF
our RoxbOrough Club-and all to be
had for great or so apiece. FOR 10
the old-time chapman. to that queer
product Of a by-gone life. 1t was gwen
to be the disseminator OF a flood OF
cheap and popular literature SO broad,
so general, so far-reaching as to filter TO
the very lowest substratum OF the read
ing public. And more especially was
he the vendor of what is generally
known as the chapbook.
Eliminating large mass OF the chap
book subjects, including in their range
Interpretation of dreams and signs ana
demonstrations from personal Dlein-
ishes. prophesies from Mother Shipton
and a host,of others, household receipts
cookery books, popular histories OF the
Robinson CrusOe and Jack the Giant
Killer type. and such other ephemeral
topics oil greater or less importance, we
find the balance divided into two
broad and most widely diverg-
ent subjects. Upon the one side
stands religion, typified in Biblical
histories set forth in doggerel verse,
lives of saints and martyrs, or men
and women remarkable for their virtue,
or. colIaterally. the history of the ter
rible damnation of DIR. taustus, or OF
the doings of magiclans and witches
who tempered with the evil to their ey-
erIasting undoing. Upon the other SIDE
stand histories, legends, and tales oil
famous cunning scamps. rosues,
thieves, and outlaws. mythical ana
semi-mythical and actual, written IN
feeling Of sympathy with and admira-
ton for their prowess, boldness, skill
and cunning, - From Chapbook He
roes. - written and illustrated by How
ard Pyle. in Harper's Magazine for
June.