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About The Independent South. (Waynesboro, Ga.) 1860-186? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 6, 1862)
W. RICE, Editor. THE Independent South. IS l'UDMSIIEED EVERY SATURDAY, AT WAYNESBORO. GEO. •Subscription Price, Two Dollars, PER ANNUM. ALWAYS IN advance. The Man Hint tlie Bog Barked At. A few days ago wo noticed a man .walking along ouo of our principal ■streets whose appearance indicated :fhat lie was “in a peck of trouble.' - ’ tile looked cross enough to bite a • teqperiny nail in two—something •very serious had disturbed his cqua- jnimity. While we were wondering what it could have been, whether or not he had failed in business, or lost moncy-by somebody else who had failed—whether or not bis wife lmd •eloped with his best friend, all forin- -cd a strange problem. The face of ■ matters was wonderfully changed by •quite a simple incident. We had not absolutely determined, in our own mind, the nature of his grievan ces, when an impudent little terrier ojpon the sidewalk, discovered some- rthing offensive in .the appearance of the man to whom we have alluded, mud jumped towards him with a adinrp but angry bark. This was al together too great an indignity, and (filled the cup of our traveler’s annoy ances' to overflowing. IIo turned fiercely towards the (log, and while die insulted him with a blunt oath, ■attempted to kick him. The cur ■was altogether too nimble, and ns die leapedotside to avoid the punish- iincnt lie bad earned, barked more •furiously Ilian before. The man’s ■anger know no bounds; the more ■the dog barked at him the more an- .Ttious dio^eemed to be to succeed in 'kicking 'him, the figure they cut, us I the terrier capered into the middle of I .the street, the limn after him, the I ■dog yelping and his antagonist I .swearing loud and louder, was ludic- I jous in the extreme. People gathered upon the side- I walk in crowds. The ladies looked I on nnd giggled, the men braced L themselves against the wall and ■ ahook their sides bravely, and the I ilioys yelled out in groat delight “go I it, old fellow, go it while you’re young.” T\ho man who was making ■so laughable an nxhibition of himself soon discovered that tho dog was al together too agile for him, and gave up the cha6C in despair. It was not until thon he obsorved that in his anger he had made a fool of himself. He hastily drew down his hat over his brow and walked rapidly away. When our merriment bad subsid ed, wo could not help thinking how much this little incident resembled liumnn life of many specimens of humanity. If the man whoso story wo have told had only walked quiet ly on his way, and taken no notice of tho outcry of tho cur, no matter whetchcr tlie cur was governed by wnntou or by malicious motives, lie would have excited by his conduct neither laughter in others, nor dim- finished his own self-respect. So in a thousand things in life. Ho who pursues his own path fearlessly and f calmly, without heeding the puerile WAYNESBOKO, ( assaults of those who cannot by an possibility affect his destinies, hi will act a part dictated by gooc senso and wisdom. ’Tis passing strnnge, that in life so brief as this when it is in tho power of each oni to add to the other’s enjoyment, there should bo so many curs. Tin business of one hnlftho pcoplo of this world seems to bo to render the remainder uncomfortable and unhap py. There might be some slight ex tenuation if by making others miser- ublo they could’iidd to their own happiness; but no such result fol lows their labors. Indulgence in their own malicious propensities not only annoys others, but keeps them selves in “a perfect stew” by uo means conducive to comfort. The truo way to manage these curs is to pass them quietly by—their yelping is altogether innocent. Tho mo ment you med’dlo with them you find yourself in the identical posi tion of the man who attempted to kick the dog, luughed at nnd derid ed, without tlie balm of self-approv al in compensation. The Curious M:m and tlie Poet. A certain poet, who has written some of tlie best stanzas, and same of the worst lines ofany American bard, and who, for somo particular eccentricities, has been reputed mad, being sometime since, at the Assembly Room, at the City Hotel, was interrupted in his ‘dreams o fiction,’ by a stranger, who thus ac costed him: ‘Is your name Clarke?’ ‘Clarke, sir, is my name.’ ‘I have come a great distance, sir for the express purpose of seeing you.’ ‘Indeed! And do you considci yourself amply remunerated for tbi fatigue of a long journey, by a view of my delectable person?’ ‘Yes—you are a strnnge looking creature. Somo pcoplo say yoi are mail; nnd I have beard a num ber of Indies assert that if you pait proper attention to your dress, yoi would be a very pretty man.’ ‘A pretty man! Now, by Ilcavei sir, I consider that one of the mos rascally compliments they conk have paid mo. A protty man, sii (like'y’ourself, for instance) is, i my opinion, one of tli3 most con temptiblo objects that ever cair from the manufactory of Heaven ‘Why so, sir?’ ‘Because, sir the epithet impliei the absonco of everything that i manly. They might as well appl; the term to the Ocean in a storn an eruption of Mount iEtnathefal of Niagara.’ ‘Well, you are renliy a strung fellow; and in my opinion a great knavo than fool,’ ‘Do you think so, sir? I real! wisli I could reciprocnto tho compl ment I am certain that not a tra in your character will bear an comparison with your Billines which liko Aaron’s rod or Pharaoh lean kinc, Bwallows up all tl rest.’ ‘You aro severe.’ ‘You say tlmt you have como great distance for the oxpress pu poBo of seeing rao as^ou would ; to see a Bear, an Elephnnt, or Hottentot Y *
