The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1901-11-23
m. Genius Of the Blu. Ridge.

In the northwestern nook of North Caro-.
lima, squeezed between the Blue Ridge and
the Iron Moutains, lies Watanga County. In
Watanga County is Banner Elk. In Banner
Elk is the Genius of the Blue Ridge, poet,
philosopher, lecturer, singer. and all-round
man of letters, of whom the Tar Heslers are
justly proud. His name is Sheppard NJ.
Digger. His great work is called ''The
a copy of this exquisite production, printed
In Gothic type, upon rose leaves, was never
T, out of Queen Victoria's hands, during her
latest visit to the Riviera. In moments of
companonship is SO sweet as Mr.. Dugger's
| exquisite masterpiece. Sweet odors rain
| from it, aromatic gales rustic in its branches.
| The fly leaves of it are sovereign plaster,
for wounds; bruises and bisters. But, it
was not Of Dugger, the writer, we propose
| to speak. Sheppard NJ. Digger is known
| in regions where Shakespeare has not pene-
| trated, save as New Orleans name. He is
undoubtedly the first orator in the State. as
| the following description, with ample quo
| tations, of one of his lectures, will testify.
MIR. Digger arrived at the Green Park Hotel
| on Saturday. There was an instant demand
the hotel that night. With his usual kind
ness he complied and named his subject,
Educated Companions The audience
was almost worthy of the lecture. 1t was
''highly select, elite, bon ton, and creme de
la creme. MIR. Mcdowell, of Charlotte, in
introducing the speaker, said that ''When
the Creator made the Grandfather and the
eternal blue hills about him. this grand
work of nature was not left unknown to the
world, but the hand and pen of Sheppard
NJ. Digger were provided to send down to
posterity the praises Of this beautiful sky
land This public recognition of the fact
that he was the necessary consequence of
the Blue Ridge, must have been gratifying
to the Warbler of the Moutains. After
graceful acknowledgement of the compli-
ment and the enthusiasm with which he was
greeted, he ''plunged at once into the pro-
| found abysses of his oration.'' He began
with the love- making of the old times, in
the Old North State. He told of the game
called ''Old Sister Phoebe wherein one
girl SKIS in the center of circle, and the
rest of the company march around her sing
ing, ssOld Sister Phoebe.'' MIR. Digger
sang the old rhyme in a voice sweeter than
a comb and mirror chorus of mermaids.
He showed how, at the end of each verse,
mountain gallant, in blue jeans would kiss
imprinting thunderous OSCILLATION upon the
palm of ''hs good right hand.'' For
strong burst of metaphor, he described that
old fashioned OSCILLATION sounding like
the turning of splendid pancake in the
skillet He then gave what purported to
be piece of experience of his own: In
those days we cooked, ate. slept, wove
cloth. received company and made soap, all
in the same room, where a big, wood fire
served for both light and comfort. When
a fellow went counting, If the old folks liked
him, they let the fre get low and went to
bed early. If they didn't like him, they
sat up late, and then built up a rousing big
fire before retiring. In either event the old
woman pretended to be asleep by an affected
snore. (Here the speaker drew a snore by
way of illustration.) She drew the cover
trated again by hiding his head, save one
eye, behind his handkerchief while the
other half buried in the pillow. kept steady
watch upon the courtship. Universal tit
tering.)
..Once 1 went counting in a one-r room
cabin. The parents sat between me and
the girl until 10 O. clock and then, building
on huge fire, went to bed looking sulky.
got up and stood on the hearth, very much
embarrassed, and after expectorating in the
fire t~o or three times, sat down by the
girl. She complained of toothache and
told her that if she would let kiss her
she would get well. She affected to be I'M
willing, but 1 insisted. 'O,' said I, My
dear Mary, Malitha, Matilda, Mahulda,
Martisha, Jane, it pains me to you suffer
SO and if you will just let me kiss those rosy
lips you will then be as we'll as an angel
Whe,eupon, the old lady spoke out and
said: Lerim kiss you, my daughter; let'im
kiss you, and if it cures you, then I'll get
him to kiss that bile on my back; it's hurtin
me mighty bad tonight But it would be
gross injustice to the Genius of the Blue
Ridge to Judge his oratorical powers by this
light vein. Let us hear him in a more awful
moment, Gin a passionate burst of elo-
quence, mt only to be heard in the glow of
mountain sunset, and to be re-echoed from
the reverberating craze of the grandfather.
See that orunkard, with his educated
head staggering around grog shop, |
with his heart as barren of love as the Des-
ert of Sahara, without even little oasis |
where his wife can quench her thirst for a
time, or pluck flower to pin on her baby's
vesture. Imagine that dimpled babe smil- |
ing on its mothers knee, and catching in its I
dimples the tears she sheds for her Maynard |
ht,sf 0rI f~r :G..I
guage! If sentences were vines and words |
were branches, if letters were roses and !
sounds the music of insects; if periods were |
swelling buds, and exclamation points were |
trumpet flowers, filled with honey to the |
brin, then would write sentences like gar
lands of glory and with them I would |
wreathe the brow, and awaken the hopes of |
that detected mother.
so. that staggering father, l wish, at |
times, had more bitter language. wish |
that sentences were snakes and words were |
CLEANS of their baleful light; wish that |
periods were the eyes of scorpions, and |
commas the fangs of reptiles, and exclama |
ton points the stings of scorpions; then I
would write sentences that would writhe and |
hiss, and coilng them around the heads Of |
the yet unpolluted youth, I would make |
them to damn every grocery and grog shop, |
from Dan to Bersheba, and from the rivers !
to the ends of the earth.
''l Dung men. if you educate your head |
and fail to flavor your heart with the odor |
OF sweet flowers, and decorate it with the |
roses of love, and hang the dropping fuch- |
sias OF meekness upon it, and cleanse it |
with the elixir of sobriety. and set It in the |
9 of he IS