Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-11-20
FOR TIE ADVERTISER.

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FOR TIE ADVERTISER.
Mn. EDlIToR The following is offered as a
solution to the question in the Advertiser of
23rd inst. Tho question is
g ;" What has caused the decline Of sociality in
our community of late years"
The causes are found in two places. First
At Home. Second-sAbroad. Socialty de-
clines in some persons from causes at home, in
Others from causes abroad, and the causes from
both sources may unite in producing declenson
in others. / mean by home, q mans own house,
family and nterest--by abroad, whatever is
beyond these in the community in which he lives.
= 1st. There, is more of the spirit Of individual
enterprise. few men now do what many to-
gether formerly engaged in, and one man by the
aid of machinery, and the experience of former
years, now does what half dozen or more were
thought necessary to perform in past years. In
the days of rcaping.hooks they had "reaping
frolics." The seythenow, docs the work of six
or more sicklcs. A man now shucks his own
corn," and "rolls his own logs" and "picks
and gins his own cotton.n Formerly they had
cotton pickings" and as,qniltings," or " house
raisings" and "sewingsn consequently, to bring
the "boys and girls together, and in the wind
up they had dance. Formerly they5had "fin-
ger.picking froliesp to: pick the seed out Of the
cotton by the fingers. These gave way to
"hand gins" and these in turn were displaced
by the saw gin."s These identical things may
not have affected this community, but the like
spirit and change has doubtless effected more
or less all operations, 81 =.
2nd. Closely allied to individual enterprise is
= ~: =. .-oA-~f
necessity render man unsocial, but it tempts its
possessor to be so. A necessary clement Of So
cialty is dependence, and whatever tends to
independence tempts to unsociability. AS man
acquires wealth he becomes independent, and
on the score of interest has less need of being
social. In sections occupied mostly by wealthy
men, there is not half the unaffected and hearty
sociality which is found among mon of less pro-
pcrty.
3rd. In conncxion with wealth is generally
sclfshness-the bane of social interest Indeed,
want of sociality with many is but another
name for sclfslness. Many men who once gave
their neighbors an unaffected and hearty well
come into the log cabin, accompanied by frank
old fashioned shake of the hand, now receive
the same men with the coldncss peculiar to those
who do not need, but are afraid that the neigh
Dor needs something they have. AS a man be-
comes selfish he becomes suspicious of his
neighbors and thus concludes he will not mix
with his dishonest ncighbors. admit many
honorable exceptions, but they arc those only
who have resisted the temptation.
In the second place shall adducc some of the
causes of want OF sociaity found abroad, l. e.,
in the community.
lst. Occasions for social intercourse are fewer
than formerly. The social feeling can be kept
alive only by actual commingng, and if there are
not occasions for bringing the people together
the feeling will not only decline, but die. l say
nothing as to the good or evil of the occasion,
but that society must be socicty-to be such oc-
casions must be afforded, and those occasions
such as to draw the people together in neigh
borly spirit, unity of design, and commonncss of
interest
2nd. It may be said we have as many occa-
cions for mingng together as formerly, but these
occasions arc select. or the persons expected to
attend arc of certain stamp. Here is a differ
ence between the rich of the present day, and
those Of former (Jetter) days in that respect
Formerly it was much more common for wealthy
men to make no distinctions on that ground in
their social intercourse than it is now. There
has been added to wealth, in the present day,
aristocracy, and sometimes they aoOuld be some-
thing which they are not, and turn out to be
crab-apple aristocracy. How few parties are
now composed of all sorts, excluding of course
the pests to society. And even in a social meet
ing, distinctions are often made with no other
view than to shoD that there is ground for so
doing BY throwing society into castcs on social
occasions, there is made number Of societies
where there should be but one. And this pro-
duces jealousy rccrimination and retaliation
among the castcs in society. Thus society be-
comes divided, then suspicious, jealous, and
ambitious, and finally bclligcrcnt. am far from
acrarianism or anv thing akin to it. But what
is the use of telling man that you are his su-
perior. He knows it and you know it, even in
"mecting on the square,"
3rd. Another enemy to society is the bigoiry
often found in a community divided into differ
cnt sects of Christians. Men who were social
in worldly pleasure, become if united with differ
ent branches of the Church unsocal as Christ
ans. And even among the members of one
sect, thcro is often sinful want Of sociality,