Spring Approaching

“The bland days which we have been enjoying are delicious, after the long, severe winter which has held indisputed scepter ever the earth for so many dreary months. The buds are bursting in the genial rays, birds singing and flowers beginning to peep put from their long winter sleep. The weather is almost two fine to last, we fear. Even St. Patrick’s day resembled a lovely May-day rather than the roystering, riotous welcome the season generally accords to the Saint.”

In the same edition a column titled “Loafers” paints a romantic, if not tongue-in-cheek, picture of Elkton life at that time.

“The Spring days of the present week have exerted a quickening influence on all animated nature. The most torpid animals are warmed into a more active state of existence; the blood courses quicker and a degree of vitality not natural to the creature is infused into its sluggish veins, by the life giving breath of Spring. Even the loafer is not proof against the inspiriting breath of the floral virgin, and on these warm days multitudes of them may be seen basking in our streets. Their favorite haunt is on Main street from the Post Office to Bradbury’s store. You can on a mild clear day see crowds of them standing on the corners, or the Post Office steps, staring at passing ladies, lazily supporting walls and lamp posts, or spawling on empty dry goods boxes, hanging over hitching rails, banisters or whatever convenient resting place may be found. When a shower suddenly comes up they are driven from the street, and lake shelter in the stores, shops, saloons and covered porches. With the appearance of the sun, however, they again lounge in their accustomed haunts. Hezzie the barber is familiar with them all, and has learned their slow and easy ways, and lathers and scrapes them in a manner most grateful to their languid temperaments.

Elkton has every variety of the loafer species. You will see in line weather the genteel gold chain, diminutive cane and kid glove loafer. This class only shows itself on pleasant evenings. It smokes on such occasions a pleasant segar or very heavy pipe. The common species, and by far the most numerous, is met with at all times and seasons. This class may be known by its habitual lounge. Whether walking, sitting or leaning —it never stands—the inevitable lounge accompanies it. It has a great avertion to soap and water and is not partial to line clothes. There are white loafers and black loafers, and loafers of mixed colors; old loafers and young loafers. This latter class has a special fondness for the gutters, and never moves about without a portion of their soil on its garments. They have unkempt heads and battered hats, and are in most respects a close copy of the older class already described. Being youthful they have naturally more animation and may be seen playing at marbles on the Court House yard and other haunts,—the former being their favorite place of resort. A lengthy chapter might be written on theloafer variety of the human family, without exhausting the subject, but the curious in natural history can have an opportunity of observing the animal in its favorite resorts, at any lime by visiting our town.”

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