Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-02-12
ARP AND THE BIRDS.
The Eagle an Aristocrat- Tho Buzz
card q Democrat.
The Mocking Bi,d Beats Them All. for
While Being Sweet Singers They Are
Ghme-How Two of Them Whipped
Screech Owl-Life In Florida.


Screech Owl-Life in Florida.
There seems to be an aristocracy In
Pill things, animate and inanima.e, anil
the human face is no exception to this
law Of nature. The Creator made some
things for honor and somo for dishonor.
He made some creatures to rank other
creatures; some people to rank other
people, and nobody has any right to
make fuss about it. The word aris-
tocracy comes from the Greek word
aristos, the best, and should not be con-
founded with plutocracy, the goldbugs,
who rank money above brains and vir-
tue. Gold and silver are useful metals
and have always been honored above
other metals. Moses tells US in the
first chapter Of Genesis that the gold OF
that land was good. The Creator put
bome gold in paradise and it has ranked
all metals since. Iron and lead and
copper are far more useful, but gold
ranks them. Just so do diamonds and
pearls rank marble and granite. In
and rosewood and ebony and the royal
palm rank the woods that are more use
full, such as the oak, the hickory and
the ash. The orange and the apple rank
pther fruits. The rose ranks the flow
ers and Marechal Mel ranks all the
roses. In animal life the horse stands
at the head of the list. ''He smelleth
the battle from afar and mocketh at
fear" Among the fowls OF the air we
see the eagle towering in his pride. He
is of no account to mankind, and yet we
sing
"Great bird Of the wilderness, lonely and proud
With an eye never dimmed and a neck never
bowed"
And we stamp his image on our money
and claim him as the great American
eagle. The chief difference between
him aid the buzzard is matter OF
taste-one likes live meat, the other
prefers that that is dead. But the eagle
is an aristocrat and the buzzard is q
democrat. Coming, however, down we
find the mocking bird ranking the birds
Of the air. lie is q charming singer,
and, best of all, he is game-he will
fight. 1 was ruminating on this line,
because just at twilight saw pair o1
them attack a screech owl on the front
him and drove him away, and then one
of them sang US an evening song. They
are building near the house, and SO are
the squirrels, and have seen the birds
drive the squirrels to their hiding
places. Game chickens rank the com
mon barnyard fowl-neigh Dor Freeman
says they are better to eat, and have g
finer flavor. lie had said this so often
that his wife thought she would see il
1t was 50. She had one of his fine
shawlnecks killed while he was away
and had it nicely cooked, and, as he wa.
enjoying it, she said: Now, do YOU
really believe that game chicken il
any better than this one?" ''Why, my
DEAR" said he, there is no comparison
This chicken tastes like all the common
chickens, but it hasn't got the flavor mol
the delicate juices Of game chicken.
She told it on him, and he hasn't men
toned the subject since. Nevertheless
it is fact that game fish are better than
the stupid submissive kinds. Trout
rank all the fish east of tho Ale
ghanies-trout and Spanish mackerel
are the gamest fish down here, and they
are the best for the table. But l will
not write any more about fish, for fea1
OF losing my repu tation for truth and
veracity. ] only intended to illustrate
o fact which is, that courage is the best
mark of aristocracy in animal life. Cour
age of convictions, courage in duty
marks the best type OF manhood, moi
only in war, but in peace. Calico and
Luther had it as strong as did Lee and
Jackson. 1t is force of character and
wlll-power that marks the true aristo-
crat Webster and Clay and Calhoun
were typical aristocrats. They had
convictions, and dared to maintain them
regardless OF personal peril. We haye,
no doubt, few statesmen now of equal
brain power, but they are lacking in
moral courage-they deem it safer te
follow the people than to lead them
There Is not a statesman in the nation
who stands up pre-eminent for his polit'
ical wisdom, his moral courage, his un'
selfshness and his patriotism. There
is no Moses to lead US out of the wilder
ness-party is bigger thing than coun
try. II it were not so, congress would
sgree on a commission from both parties
to frame a tariff bill and silver bill
that would give the nation peace, and
take these great national questions ou'
of partisan politics. AS it is now, one
party says to the other, We will oppose
anything you advocate. The rejecting
conservative people everywhere are no
only tired, but despairing. They would
welcome the disruption Of the old par
ties. II never expect to vote again" ID
q common remark.
But there's life in the old land yet
The South is getting along very we'll
considering the panic. The people have
got used to hard times, and are adapting
themselves to continuation of the gen
eral depression. The South is blessed
land. have before me letter from q
man in northern Ohio. who says: "Tel
your people who are discouraged ovel
the losses by the freeze to be thankful
they are not up here in the North, where
we have been buying feed for our stool
for six months on account Of last sum
mer's drouth, and many are suffering
for the commonest necessities of life