The Iuka vidette. (Iuka, Miss.) 1894-1912, 1895-01-10

My Presby terrain friends are not happy
because the printer made mo say there
were only 800 Presby terians in Georgia.
They flood me with postal cards to in
form me that there are $4,000. l wrote
very plainly that there were 1000 voters
in that church-three thousand-not
three hundred-and that is about right.
The typesetters will make some blum
aers and they are sometimes very ex'
asperating TO the author. II man
writes a bad, perplexing hand like
Horace Greeley or Alex Stephens or
Sunset Cox, the typo is eXcusable for
mistakes. When Cox was invited by
Henry Grady to come to Atlanta and
lecture he accepted. Grady then wrote
him to learn what his subject would be
and he answered something that looked
like Just Human" And SO it was adj
vertised and placarded all over town.
Just Human" was on every wall and
corner. Nobody was very much sur
prised, for they knew that Cox was a
wit and a wag and that he could make
that subject fit almost any kind OF
discourse. When Mr.. Cox arrived and
saw the posters he was greatly amused.
| why, whoever heard of such sub
ject?" said he to Grady. 81 wrote you
that my subject would be Irish Humor"
The best way to decipher bad hand
write is to read it with hedouble wabbles
like the fellow who shot out the bulls
eye in Longstreet's Georgia Scenes"
Don't look at any particular word, but
let the sight wabble all along the line.
Take it all in at a glace. Sometimes
find no difficulty in reading letter, but
am perploxed over the signature. More
than once i have cut it off and pasted it
on the envelope containing my reply.
| His own postmaster will recognize it il
can't. Sometimes lady correspondent
tails to indicate whether she is maid
or a madam, and so we do not know
whether to address her as Miss or Mrs.
| But the most amusing letters that
| literary men receive are from school
boys and girls who beg for original
| speeches or compositions. Years ago /
tried to oblige them, but soon found IL
would take all my time and was forced
to decline them. 1t grieved me to do
this, for / remember what an anxious,
depressing task it was to me to write an
original speech or composition when
was schoolboy. Some of the boys who
write to me for help have an idea that l
can roll off speeches like rain runs from
a roof and that love to do it. But this
Is great mistake. Not long ago boy
wrote to me for very, very humorous
speech-ono that wound bring down the
house and create a sensation-and hoped
would send it right away. He added
postscript as follows "Whilc you are
about 1t, wish you would write me two,
SO that l can take choice"
AS these letters very seldom have
stamp enclosed, the boys should not be
surprised at receiving no reply. Another
class Of letters are more pardonable, but
| they always grove me. l mean letters
asking for charity or for donation to
some church. They are always reason
able and make deserving case and it
grieves me that l cannot respond to
their wishes and expectations. The
writer's have an idea that am rich and
have great big heart. l wish they
knew how poor l am and how small is
my income. They would be astonished.
1t is great misfortune to have a rich
mans ways and a poor mans purse.
The results of the war placed a great
many OF us in that condition. We were
reared to live FREQ and easy and we kept
an open house. 1t was pleasure to be
generous and hospitable. 1t was
special pleasure of our wives and
mothers to feast their visitors, and the
servants took pride in it, too. Aunt
Ann, our old-fashioned cook, has not
gotten over it and had rather show off
to company with a fine dinner than to
do less work on q common one. She
says: II was raised where dar was bum
dance of everything and l likes to see
bundance yit Quality folks can't git
along without bundance." Old fashioned
darkies still call the aristocracy quality
folks" Aunt Ann is in trouble now
The city marshal has levied on her
house and lot for taxes. 1t is only
seven dollars. but she can't pay it. She
thinks it an outrage on freedom. Her
old man voted fer the Populars because
they promised to take off taxes and
give them FREQ schoolbooks. 1t is the
SAME old story of forty acres and mule.
And now the Legislature is fixing to add
to our burdens CT taxation. The edu-
cational bill and pension bill will take
nearly million of dollars, but they
will pass the bills. The reign of the
demagogue is still upon us.
But we are off to Florida now, and be-
fore this goes to press we will be bask-
ing in the sunshine and breathing tho
balmy air of the gulf coast. My 1augh-
ter's house is ready, her furniture gone
down, the fish are waiting, the sailboats
sporting on the bay. l see the surf
rolling and flashing through the island
passes and l hear the murmur of the
waters. ! see, long rows of pelicans
like sentinels standing in the sand The
tide has left. l see the whitewinged
uullc fno N In ha air Ii