The mountain Democrat., 1864-07-09
ga GROWING I'M
A STORY cv TEE BLACK COUNTRY.


midland counties Of England known a
The Black Country the mere mentiou
Of its name will hriNs Nssc=1 he mind th,
whole dreary spectacle, the blackneas oi
desolstion By day, the burning waste By
night; while to those unacQuainted with
the scene, no description, however vivid
would convey correct idea Of its peculiar
| features.
In these days of constant railway trav.
cling, when distant town is often practi.
cally nearer than 9 neighboring village
many who have never visited the Black
Country have obtained q general idea ol
its character while passing through it
and should their train have been q slow
one, probably the short journey between
Birmingham and Northampton has
given them all the acquaintance they wish
to have with q scene so gloomy in the day.
hight, SO appalling in the darkness. The
| fiat, back ground, intersected with canals
upon whose foul and muddy waters slow
barges laden with coal or iron, and drawn
by lean horses, and even in some cases by
women with scarcely trace of their Se1
visible IN dress or feature-the short
wide chinneys pouring forth smoke and
fame, the machinery for working Goa
pits, and the debris from them and from
the furnaces, all 60 to make one Of the
most dreary pictures conceivable. Per
haps the huts or hovelS-bullt sometimes
of mud, sometimes Of mad and brick, and
always more or less fallen or falling into
decay-inhabited by pitmen and other
workmen of the place, are the saddesi
sight Of all. BY the doors Of these desc.
late and ruinous buildings little children
are Seen, looking like little savageS, even
to the color Of their skin, Playing their
drcary pay among tue cnders which GOV.
or the roads.
These pages are not the place for dis
cuss:ng the question; blt it might well be
asked Il II is not possible that country
so blasted and dis6sured, retaining no Gle
men. OF beauty, AID IN the very nature of
rs enT'Qyinents tending GO brutAlize rath.
er than to elevate its population, may not
~ rs influence be in some measure con.
tuc.vc 10 those crimes uf diabol:cai afro
c!ty which seem almost peculiar 10 this
rcg'oG, and which from time 70 time star.
tie even those most accustomed to th, De.
tails Of crime ihto active indignation.
But the sights 10 which ! Gave alluded
ar not tie on. things which render the
Back Country terrible. It il liable to d
peculiar danger 1t an nIiA.hrs raturr ;
aad the circumstances L"4rr Nah Er>t
heard e At, being n themselves '.o; un;u-
teTesting, maAc no apology ior repeating &
tLrm
About Gve wears ago | accepted a. n.
vitat. ? 70 sprni Christmas ~lth i i:.cr 4
NviEg 10 Sontu Stafordsh.te. lie was en-
iron taN.cr ul sowe -oas!!.rAt!. position,
and, finding /; Grc,sS2ry = i've IN tie
nrighborho4d Of lis bu-iaesS, had butt
q house near u his works, and had tai kcn
thth"r E:S young wife, vito was cousin
q m."c, Ia the rariy part of TIE year. |
lad never even passed through the cnun-
tTt, a"! had to i!ea Of its aspect. and
on.r lp2h"d i"cHard 70 4 pleasant ~ /
Wit. Csy fricniS.
Professional engagements kept me in
I"rloa ti,l IA. in ;he Afternoon c! the
24t& Of December, and in the early twj.
high; Ct hat winter day began my jour,
Hey. There vas G,;,er hard frost, the
clouds gathering black ' seemed to prom.
!se = LoGyy l.,l q snow before morning,
an! | MAS Eluca Annoyed to find that tie
only tran could take was slow one.
stepping al every station. However, i:
T2s no use TO complain and wrnppins
mveef up as ~arc4.y as possible in my
rug, l coz posed myself fJ7 sleep soon af
ter Se started, and Was fortunate enough
a. hns II. t-l,,
length.
Wien awokc it was no7cl sight
On either side were the huge furnace fires
of tae Black Country shedding a lu-id
light far into :he darkness; aad the heaps
Of refuse, which looked gray and dead in
the daylight, were now 50 many glowing
hrlocks c: red hot embers. 1t was more
Ike dI:a:a inan any wakn sight ever
had and more ike vision ol pursatory
or even . worse place, than like dream.
The train stopped, and upon inluiring the
name of the station, found that | had
passed the station Of -, where ought
to have left the train, and where my fT:end
had arranged TO meet me with carriage.
Considerably ve1ed, I took up my carpet
bag ard asked If could have convey
ance 70 take me to my friends house; but
the place was little more than a village,
and nothing Of the Kind could be had
The station master Informed ME, in an
swcr to my impatient inquiries, that Mr.
- lived about three miles off, and Civ
ing me some directions as to the route, Of
which beng stranger, could make no
thing, left me to take my chance.
walked out Of the station and then
stood still irresolutely, somewhat bewil.
dered ty the strangeness and popularity
Of all that saw and dazzied by the strong
effect of ligG! and shade, the glare from
the huge fires contrasting SO sharply with
the blacknesS Of the night. looked al
my watch and found 1t vas just eight
o'clock.
AT this moment man passed, and
asked him if he could direct me to the
house of Mr.. -. lie turned ct the
sound Of my voice, and, pointing vaguely
into the darkness, said it lay way over
there
But don't know the country at all |
said. 4 was never here before, and can
not find my way unless you tell me some
thing more
'Oh, if you're a stranger he answered
somewhat roughly, you won't find it
easy. You're come to the wrong station
for the nearest
4 know that said 4 have made a
mistake
If that's it, he replied, more good-hu-
noredly. come along with me. I'm goin'
good step o the same way, and Ill show
you as far as | can
accepted the offer Of companionShip
gratefully. and We walked quickly on
nos in the gale, now in the darkness, till
we came to small gate, which opened
upon the canal path. 1t looked so dismal
and CO droo.,, oe Cor ne IL could ha Sa.n