The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-03

or a poet draw a better one! IN
deed, these are pictures that paint
ers and poets love to draw. Tom
Moore said:
| knew by the smoke that SO gracefully
curled
Above the green elms that a cottage
was near,
And | said IF there's peace u be found
in the world
A heart that was humble mi hit hope
for It hare"
Gray wrote his elegy in memory |
of the hum BILE cottagers, and Buns
best poem was "The Cotter's Satur-
day Nigh"
Samuel Rogers was rich, but the
wish of heart was
Mine be cot beside the hill.
And Goldsmith-poor, miserable,
delightful Goidsmith--paid tribute
to the humble peasantry of ngland
when he wrote:
His best mp2nion-lnnocence and health
And his best riches--ign orance of wealth.
The average farmers life makes
no display IN the world, and it was
never intended that it should. A
man has done his duty when he ha-
flied bis capacity. There is but
one Shakespeare, ond Milton, one
Goldsmith. There was but one
Bonaparte, and that was one too
many. | was peruSGg book on
English authors, and was surprised
| to find how few OF them lived to
good Old age. A literary life Is
short in years, though some OF
them are long in great BRAN work
it is not healthy work when compar
ed with the outdoor occupation and
simple, temperate habits of farmers.
Shakespeare died at tifty-two; Ad-
Olson, fifty-three; Steel, fifty-four;
Gray, fifty five; Pope, fifty-six;
Gibbon, Gfty-seven; Dickens, fifty
eight; Macaulay, tiity-nine; ChaIles
Lamb, sixty; scott, siXty-one; Cole
ridge, sixty two; Bacon, slxty-three;
Collins, sixtyfcuI; Milton, sixty
five; Arnold, sixty-six Burke, sixty
seven; Southey, siXty-elght and
Bulwer, slxty.nine. Then there
were Goldsmith aud burns and
Byron and Thackery and Hood,
who never Teachd their fiftleth
years. [ penned down thirty cons
secutive names OF notable writers.
and their average age was ff1y-siX
years. 1t would have alarmed me
if had written anything that was
any account, but considering all
things | will risk it a little longer
II a man can keep calm and
serene and has good constitution
he can do literary work long time:
but there are lots CT little thronbles
nowadays. | SEE book agent com
ing up the walk right now, and
have to fortlfy myself against bin
and listen with patience and 1esig
nation to his little speech, and then
look at his book and be courteous
and then make my little speech and
let him go. would like to buy al
their books, but | can't. And thele
is the worry about cooks and com,
pany, and the everlasting frollcs O
the young people, for they are &C
ing all the time, aud have run a
way with the town. There basn'1
} been day or a night, except Sur,
| day. in five weeks that there WASH
! some town fOOllshuess on hand tha
they were just Obliged to take
1 hand ip, for fear of giving offence
T they say, and some times the,
don't get home until midnight, ant
/ wish we were all back in tn,
country were we came from. Mos
f every one of these vacation DAYS i
: as big a thing as a country whea
T thleshiDg or Sam Jones taberna
Gle meeting, and, to my opinion
| these long winded frolics are not do
, ing the young folks any good, II
3 regular hours aud ice cream ant
! cake and cantelcupes and mill
/. shakes have got them ali churneC
g up, and can't get them up to break
fast nor get them home to supper
Z But it seems to be the family opin
ion that / am getting antjquated
t and unreasonable, and mayb be | am
S though have heard some othe
t paternals say it has been the ban
G genest vacation that ever cam
g over CartersvlIle. 1t will soon b.
: over, thank the good Lord. AM
q then maybe we will all get our chill
;. dren back again. Country peopl
s don't have such things, and the,