The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-03-20
THE HOGGISHNESS OF GRIPPE

dlI Christ mean when ue ~a1I t0 those
disciples who ser- discussing vho &a-
10 b. the greatesf in the kingdom u
heaven. Except 80 d. converted ana
become a. q little child. - caano en-
ter the kingdom Of heaven.
He certainly meant that there WAS
10 be a complete turning about, q rali-
cal change Of feeling and Of conduct.
and q wonderful shrinkage Of ones
self in his own estimation. II other
words a. he told Nicodemus. one must
had been naturally. That means some
b. born again-born Spiritually as he
thing. -. Paul says a converted man
is q uCW creature old things have
become new. what he onced loved hc
hates, n what he once hated he
loves.
When one IS converted to that Ak
tent he ought 70 shout and lei peo-
PIE know ne is born, and born alive at
hat. Dead babies don't cry. aud dead
converts can't shout.
j have had the grippe several times
and | have observed that il always
comes when ! am least prepared For it,
therefore. wholly indisposed TO enter
tain it. 1t came on a visit 10 me Mon
day. a week ago. and before ! had had
an intimation of its coming, it had
arrived and was proceeding 10 make
itself as diSagreedbIe as its diabOiical
nature is capable of making il. /
would say some hard things about it.
hut | have such 4 profound contempt
for the whole grippe family. especially
for the grippe That. from time to time,
has griTpcd me. | don't care to speak
Of it, only to Say that # it had any self
respoct-anV sense of honor-any re-
gard FOR the good opinion of people. it
certainly would keep away from the
homes of those who hate to see il
come and 41n a lVEI We i'm "a had hIlIanI.
while 1t stays. 1t has no more man
ncrs than Il hog. amd not 4 bit more
refinement. It belongs to a low down.
i~lI-manncrcd family OF diseases, and is
totally unfit to enter a decent house
bold. 1t is the supposed offspring Of
sid EDizootic." better known as
Horse D~istcmper." its proper
place IS among mules and horses; but
having Il mighty hankering after social
equality. it takes Il hoggish delight in
going where it can Creatc Il sensation.
a gentleman and his wife. aided by
q gardner, spent q whole la arrdng-
ing the front yard. The walks had
been laid off. the shrubbery planted,
the seed soWn. and the work had been
artistically done Next morning it was
all undone. A hog came along during
the night and rooted up every walk
and bed and plant, and seed. and, not
content with the roofing, ne W~alioWed
IN a mud hole, and rubbed his muddy
sides against the corner of the house.
That's about the way the grippe
serves q gentleman: for. like Il hog
that proWIs around and roots when
one is asleep, the grippe sneaks in and
tears up things when least expected.
The man whose front yord was rooted
up said to his wife. next morning. by
Of joking her: My dear. We dis
played our best taste in the arrange
ment of the walk and beds and in the
ln-e fin,a nf NY go ~ -, = 49,. , L
hog didn't seem TO like the way things
were arranged. 50 he's fixed them to
his taste
And" said the Wife, "he's made a
mess of it."
1t makes no difference how well a
man may feel: how carefully and wise
~ he may plan his bushes; how ur-
gent may be the demands GH@n his
time. or how important the duties ~e-
quired of him, hog-like. the gripp
breaks in, when least expected, and
roots everything up. and. as the wife
Of the hog, makes q mess Of it,
a hog is an iconoclast-so is the
grippe. \ hos has a way Of his own
SO has the grippe. \ hog does his
meanest work under cover OF darkness
so does the grippe. But the analogy
ceases and the hog becomes Il saint !
as compared with the grippe. when
visions of spare-ribs. backbones, chit
tefllngS. crackllng-bread and sausage |
fit before us. y hog has his besettina |
sins: but We can forgive all of them
he Is hanging in the smoke
house, And when we have d dish Of
ham and eggs for breakfast Sunday |
morning we can even bless the m |
the hog that used to vex US. and
feel very kindly toward the hens that !
up the garden seeds. But
thereIl never be a time when any one |
has had it viii feel kindly to-
the grippe. | don't think any
body is its friend, not even the doctors. |
and if it had any s~elf-respect it would
leave this country. But it won't. It's
nagging me right now. and the reader
IS bound to conclude. from the reading
1t. that | have had Il hard time
trying to write this letter. If Tillnan
succeeds in getting the rate bill
through the Senate ] am thinking of
nemor1allzing him 10 try his ~pitchfork
on Monsieur La Grippe. the French
that IS giving US more trouble f.
han the Chinese coolies viii ever do.