The Petal paper. [volume] (Petal, Miss.) 1953-19??, 1959-07-30
THE PETAL PAPER
lessening the number of Bap-
lists among us.

leSsenlng the number or Bap-
lists among us.
l have already computed the
charge of nursing beggar's child
Gin which list l reckon all cot
tagers, labourers, and four-fifths
of the farmers) to be about two
bits per annum, rags included,
and believe no gentleman would
repine to give two dollars for the
carcass of a good fat child, which,
as l have said, will make four
dishes of excellent nutritive
meat, when he hath only some
particular friend, or his own fam
lily to dine with him. Thus the
Southern gentlemen will learn to
be a good landlord, and grow
popular among his tenants, the
mother will have a fair net prof
it, and be fit for work till she
produces another child.
Those who are more thrifty
(as must confess the times re-
quire) may flay the carcass; the
skin of which, artificially dressed,
will make admirable gloves for
ladies, and summer boots for fine
gentlemen.
AS to any fine DiXie1and city,
SHAMELESS may be appointed for
this purpose, in the most con-
venient parts of it, and butchers
we may be assured will not be
wanting, although l rather rec
ommend buying the children
alive, and dressing them hot from
the knife, as we do roasting pigs.
A very worthy person, true
lover of his Southland, and
whose virtues l highly esteem,
was lately pleased, in discours-
ing on this matter, to offer a re-
finement upon my scheme. He
said, that many gentlemen of the
old South, having of late destroy
ed their deer, he conceived that
the want of venison might be
we'll supplied by the bodies of
young lads and maidens, not ex-
ceeding fourteen years of age,
nor under twelve, SO great a
number of both sexes in every
country being now ready to
starve, for want of work and
service; and these to be disposed
Of by their parents if alive, or
otherwise by their nearest rela-
lions. But with due Difference to
so excellent a friend, and so de-
serving a patriot, I cannot be al
together in his sentiments; for as
to the males, my Yankee acquain-
lance assured me from frequent
experience, that their flesh was
generally tough and lean, like
that of our school boys, by con-
tinual exercise, and their taste
disagreeable, and to fatten them
would not answer the charge.
Then as to the females, it would,
I think with humble submission,
be a loss to the public, because
they soon would become breed
ers themselves; and besides, it is
not improbable that some scrup-
ulous people might be apt to cen
sure such a practice, although
indeed very unjustly) as little
bordering upon cruelty, which, |
confess, hath always been with
me the strongest objection
against any project, however so
well intended
But in order to justify my
friend, he confessed that this ex-
pedient was put into his head by
the famous Psalmanazar, a native
of the island Formosa, who came
thence to Dixieland above twen-
ty years ago, and in conversation
told my friend, that in his coun-
try when any young person hap
pened to be put to death, the ex-
ecutioner sold the carcass to per-
sons of quality, as prime dain-
ty, and that, in his time, the body
of plump girl of fifteen, who
was crucified for an attempt to
poison the emperor, was sold to
his Imperial Majesty's Prime
Minister OF State, and other great
Mandarins of the Court, in joints