American wit and humor; Caricatures and cartoons -- United States; United States -- History -- Humor
[Illustration: ARISTOCRACY SNUBBED.]
In short, aristocracy did not do well on this soil. Baronial castles,
with hot and cold water in them, were often neglected, because the
colonists would not forsake their own lands to the thistle and
blue-nosed brier in order to come and cook victuals for the baronial
castles or sweep out the baronial halls and wax the baronial floors for
a journeyman juke who ate custard pie with a knife and drank tea from
his saucer through a King Charles moustache.
Thus the aristocracy was forced to close its doors, and the arms of Lord
Shaftesbury were so humiliated that he could no longer put up his dukes
(see Appendix).
There had also been a great deal of friction between the Albemarle or
Carteret and the Charleston set, the former being from Virginia, while
the latter was, as we have seen, a little given to kindergarten
aristocracy and ofttimes tripped up on their parade swords while at the
plough. Of course outside of this were the plebeian people, or
copperas-culottes, who did the work; but Lord Shaftesbury for some time,
as we have seen, lived in a baronial shed and had his arms worked on the
left breast of his nighty.
So these two Colonies finally became separate States in the Union,
though there is yet something of the same feeling between the people.
Wealthy people come to the mountains of North Carolina from South
Carolina for the cool summer breezes of the Old North State, and have to
pay two dollars per breeze even up to the past summer.
Thus there was constant irritation and disgust up to 1729 at least,
regarding taxes, rents, and rights, until, as the historian says, "the
discouraged Proprietors ceded their rights to the crown."
[Illustration: TWO DOLLARS PER BREEZE.]
It will be noticed that the crown was well ceded by this time, and the
poet's remark seems at this time far grander and more apropos than any
language of the writer could be: so it is given here,--viz., "Uneasy
lies the head that wears a seedy crown." (See Appendix.)
The year of Washington's birth, viz., 1732, witnessed the birth of the
baby colony of Georgia. James Oglethorpe, a kind-hearted man, with a
wig that fooled more than one poor child of the forest, conceived the
idea of founding a refuge for Englishmen who could not pay up. The laws
were very arbitrary then, and harsh to a degree. Many were imprisoned
then in England for debt, but those who visit London now will notice
that they are at liberty.
[Illustration: OGLETHORPE'S WIG.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account