The National tribune., 1909-01-28

outside of the southern negros ha;
sung his praises until now, yet nobody
has ever had much to say against him
He has never been regarded as quite
as "ornery" as wolf or a coyote, nor
has he had that esteem for his intelli-
gence and devilishness that is given a
fox or raccoon. His principal intel
lectual characteristic has been his abil.
ity to sham death and retain his self
possession in that shamming under any
| amount of kicking and-pounding. This
has given very significant phrase to
our language, playing 'possum." His
fur is not valuable, like that of the
raccoon, which even in the poorest and
crudest days of the pioneers was legal
tender for dollar of the daddies,'
and in many States was received as
legal tender for the payment of taxes
and private debts at that rate.
'Possum Skin.
1t was not even so good as fox skin. In
the elder and purer days of the Repub-
lie men were quite eager to make caps
| vests and other garments out of rae
coon and fox skins. Indeed, the full
dress of men of the Davie Crockett
type always included q coon-skin cap,
with the tail waving behind like the
plume of Navarro. Nobody ever
thought Of wearing 'possum skin for
any purpose. 1t was not even used, like
the skin of the rattlesnake and black
cats, to cure fits and rheumatism. Phys
| iologically, the 'possum Is an enlarged
rat belonging to family of the fossil
| marsupials, all Of which are ex-
| tinct in the Northern Hemisphere, ex-
cept this specimen in our country. The
females have a pouch in which the
young are carried Marsupial animals
are common In Australia, which be-
longs to an earlier geologic period than
| ours. There are no marsupials in any
other continents, and only this one in
ours. an
The 'possum is about as large as a
big cat, with short,Y equal legs. pig
| like snout, coarse, yellowish hair, with
a long, scaly. ,p~tiike tail. It Is a very
stupid animals but has the sense OF
| taste and smell we'll developed It
generally lives in trees, s.nd during the
| day sleeps in some hollow trunk, where
it has made its nest. 1t is supposed to
feed mostly upon insects, and to this
| extent may be a valuable ally to the
| farmer, as also from its hostility to
snakes. The chief blemish on its char
acter Is its fondness for the eggs and
young Of birds. 1t Is fond of fruit, par
| ticularly Of the persimmor, and it's ap-
petite is usually it's ruin, the same as
among men. In the Fall of the year.
when the persimmons are ripe, the boys
of the country have in 'possum hunting
| which represents to them all of the
midnight larks and nightfall dissipa-
| tions which the city boys think the
wine of life. They go out with dogs
and guns to the persimmon trees In
'simmon tree" is the Southern darky's
idea Of the highest earthly and physi-
cal happiness.
In the old days our grandfathers
thought that the finest piece of humOr
extant was characteristic sermon by
Hard Shell Baptist preacher, entitled
HE Played on the Harp Of a Thousand
Strings" We reproduce this for tho
sake of Its allusion to the "'possum in
q 'simmon tree"
II may say to you, my brethering,
that am not an edecated man, an
am not one o. them that believes cde-
cation is necessary for a Gospel minis
ter, fur believe the Lord edecates his
preachers jest as he wants 'em ao be
edscated; ana altho I say it that
oughtn't to say it, yet in the State of
Indianny, whar I live, thar's no man
as gifts bigger congregation nor what
gifts.
Thar may be some here to-day, my
brethering, as don't know what per-
suasion I am Nv. Well. may say to
you, my bretheriDg, that l am a Hard
Shell Baptist. Thar's some folks as
don't like the Hard Shell Baptists, but
I'd rather hev hard shell as no shell
at all. You see me here to-day, my
brethering, dressed up in fine close;
you mout think l was proud, but I am
not proud, my brethering; and altho
I've been a preacher Nv the Gospel fur
20 years, and altho I'm capting NV that
fiatboat that lies at your landing, Pm
not proud, my brethering
''Tm not gwine ter tell you edzackly
whar my tex may be found; suffice It
tn say, It's in the leds of the Bible.
and you'll find 1t somewhar tween the
furst chapter Of the Book of Genera
ton and the last chapter of the book
OF Revolutions, and Of you'll 20 and
sarch the Scripturs, you'll not only flnd
my tex thar, but a, great many other
texes as will do you good to read: and
my tex, when you shill find II. YOU shill
flnd It to read thus:
"'And he played. on a harp NV a
thousand strings-sperits Of Just men
made perfock.'
speak Nv sperits Now thar's a Sreat
many kind of sDerits in the world. In
the furst place, har's the sperits as
some folks call ghosts. then thar's the
sperits Nv turpentine; and then thar's
the sperits as some folks cali liquor,
and I've got as good artikel NV them
hihu Nv sPeiito oh my HatOOat as ever
was fotched down the Mississippi Riy-
er; but thar's great many other kind
Of sperits, for the tax says: He played
on a harp Nv a thousand strings-sper-
Its Of just men made perfeck.'
"8ut I'll tell you the kind of sperits
as is ment in the tex; it's FIRE. That
Is the kind OF sperits as is ment in the
tex. my brethering. Now. thar's a
great many KINDS OF fire In the world
In the furst place, thar's the common
sort ux fire you light q segar or pine
with, and then thars camfire. Are be-
fore you're ready to fall back, and
many other kinds Nv fire, for the tex
ses: He played on harp NV thou
sand strings-sperits NV just men made
perfeok'
"But I'll tell you the kind of FIRE as
Is nnent in che tex. my brethering-it's
hell-fre; an thar's the kind NV IRE
as a great many Of you,li come to eff
you don't do better nor what YOU have
bin doin', for He played on a harp NV
made perfeck.'
Nov, the differsnt sorts NV FIRE in
the world may bs likened unto the
e Il