Year: 1861

The Vandalia, Fayette County Democrat is
pretty spicy paper, and the editor a witty man.
| The paper is published IN the town Of Vandalia
| Perhaps some of our readers may not know where
Vandalia is. If there are any SUCH we viii in


form them that Vandalia is on the line of the Il


linois Central TairOad-main branch-about
| twenty-five miles north of SandOval. For par


ticular description Of the place, we refer them to


the following by the editor Of the aforesaid pa
| per:


| We should Ike very much for Dickens to come
/ to some western, one horse town for a hero.
| Such town as - we could mention were we
disposed to be takative, where they live upon the
| pleasures of hope. Always happy in the future
! always miserable at present. The time will come
when their town will be the commercial empori-


um of the West Its greatness looms up in the


distance like hay stack in fog At the pres


ent writing there is not book store in the place,
and if the memory of the Oldest inhabitant serves
| him right, there never was one. They have had
several newspapers, at different times, but they


have all starved out The people hadn't time to
| read; and besides, the Cincinnati Enquirer and
| Missouri Republican were better and cheaper pa
pers than their own. One winter the young men


tried to get up literary society, but it fiz-
zled out Squashem and Blinkhard didn't like
the manner in whichit was conducted, So Squash


EN- and Blinkhard shut down on it. II you
want anything done, Squashem and Blinkhard
must do it; and without Squashem and Blink
hard is nothing done which is done. They came
here before the ague broke out They own all
the property in the business part of town. All
those little weather-beaten shanies belong to
Squashem and Bnkhard. Why don they
build p Why their money is all out on interest
They did business in those houses thirty years
ago; they're Just as good now as they were then


Squashem wouldn't sell lot for a fortune for,
you see, property is going to take an awful raise
sometime-and then -.


As to amusements, they have none, EXCEPT
when struggling show comes along. A home
concert or dramatical performance is never
thought OF, or, if proposed, Squsshem says it's
immOTal-will exert bad inhueuce-and SO the
matter ends


A dog fight is hailed with the hveliest Joy,
Even Squashem h mself comes to hig door and
looks n with degree of interest. Ten per
cent In this exciting enjoyment, all partake.
And spectator, behOlding the congregation of


lawyers, doctors, clerks, county officers, bar
keepers, day-laboTers, and the pT0miscui, would
utterly despair ofever finding novel hero among
them. The dog fight generally eliminates in a
man fight, and q treat all round, after which the
happy crowd disperse, with great expectations of
another Jolly time.


About sundown you may see from five to eight
young men on each street corner, each one with
pine stick in his hand, trying to borrow jack
knife, and-esch one absolutely lonelier and more
detected than SelkiTk OF CrusOe. The older men
may be seen wa king up and down the sunny
side OF tue street, somewhat like a starving hog
hunting hole in cornield fence. A long,
weary day has woTne away, and long tedious
evening has set in, and all are at loss for some
thing 10 do. On every visible object, sHHai "
is written in in letters large as livery stable
sign Even the dogs seem to psrtake Of this
universal detection, and lie lazily in the street
without sufficient energy to growl at the long
nosed hog that is roofing not two steps away. |
The people talk slow, walk slow, and think slow
-lszily puff cigar or take a seat on some door |
step, utterly Indifferent to everything about
them. An entire town with ils hands stuck in
It's pockets, lounging, loafing sponging its life
away A dead sea, which might be an ocean of
living water