St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1866-04-05
LETTHRs FROM THH SOUTH.
80.
Dprtng ana The Biras-Harnaoni.tn
Dnii9l atien.
GlExvlLLs G. H., ". VA.
8 IS g AArah I2th, 1867 81

Nom d IN. % sl 81 6
ED1roR DiHocnA1 Ia sosprins viii
al i.a ehal ming traii, Is fambolng snons
tAshills. Shd il shs rills. ssdsover shs stu
Writer'S Of che Kanawha. The air is balmy
and warm, redolent Of the perfume Of
flowers, and vocal with the ever-varyinp
music Of birds. The robin is calling our
attention, and delighting the ear by his
familiar notes from the nearest tree in the
garden, Or from, the top Of the apple tree
in the meadow; and the red-bird twitters
from his safe retreat in the midst Of
the great branches Of the sycamore,
whose stately form darkens the tur-
bid aowsaof the Kanawha, The singing
dove is heard over the river, away up the
mountains top, and her solemn note sounds
out distinctly on the silvery air, and echoes
along the valley, over the snperincumbent
laurel that adoen the rugged side Of tho
mountain.
y Tho flowers, too, have returned, and
their delicious fragrance comes Welcomed to
the gardens, and the lanes, and along the
road side, The pastures are covered with
the usual carpet Of summer green, and the
cattle, and sheep. and colts, lazily moving
from here and there, where the grass Is
greenest, feed and take excellent care of
themselves. The farmer is busy with his
pillow in the: field; and the gentleman Of
"Africau descent" marches grandly across
the burrows; scattering the seed Many
fields Of oats are already green, and the
gardens are lastly laid of, and the. pink,
hyacinth and other early flowers begin to-
open in beauty, and dispense their fragrance.
The sun rises: brightly. dawns warmly
during the day, and sets in magnificent
grandeur behind the mountains. Men
sit idly on the corners Of the streets, read
ing the N. r; Tribune Or, the Day Book
from Yankee Land" or the. Richmond
Times or the Wheeling Register according to-
their bias, sometimes cursing the Wheel
ing government, and sometimes the Wash
iug1on.=A7atray.,zU nioniss venturiug, now
and then, to, praise both-sll deeply inter-
ested to know what is to become of the
''Freedmen's Bureau" aud how Andy
johnson win Weather the storm. II. The
midst Of these discussions, in shit sleeves,
often considerable feeling is manifested:
and not few, Initiating Bill Arp, in his
efforts 10 ''''harmonize,"' get blue pants.
then blue buckets, and, finally, to make the
thing perfect, get 6lue them,<lve.. 49,
In this. and adjoining counties. ; vast
majority took the Southern side and emil
grated to Dixie, where they remained du-
ring the war. After the collapse of the
Confederacy, they. returned full Of grey
backs, minus green, and the ..harr onizing''
process has been the order Of the day
since. Il proves 10 be . difficult operation,
though aided by . little army OF men, who,
like the aforementioned Arp, adopt all
msner Of expedients for its successful &C
complishnept. Oil and water, philosophy
tells US, will not mix. Fire and gun !.
powder become dangerous and disagreeable
when placed in contact. And those whose
patriotism led them TO take opposite direc-,
tons during the war, come together just
as tungracefualy, and with about the same
results. !" Patriotism needs an interpreter
in these, latter times. /, Jim, Iglehart's
patriotism led him to take down his shot
gun and kill his neighbor,* because he voted
against the ordinance 81 secession; and Ezkisl
Bland, in The day the ordinance passed, was
a lazy, idle, worthless:coal digger who had
poisoned Two wives; divorced the third, and
is living With the fourth, is now worth
$4,000, stolen from his, ,neighbors during,
their absence in Dixie and boasts how
much he made by being patriotic and .tick,-s
ing to the Union. ". .sr,l eli Z tz.,t>..5..
Now, it happens, they are not all chris
tians in the ..Old Dominion and do not
hcedthe injunction ''to forgive one anoth--
err" As they are brought together, again
they. remember old scores, land, though
they say as little as could be expected, the
''harmonizing process ,drags heavily, All
plans are tried, not forgetting Bill Arp's,l
but the. harmony is more apparent than
real-the'; heart - is sadly discordant,
bclligerent, and .iuntuneful. l.. was in
hopes the spring breezes and the afeath-t
cred ;songsters, would: aid all and soften
asperities, butsI am disappointed The BIO.
cess works IS badly, IS il ala IL | muddy
weather ana under the dripping clouds
and the leaky sky H.
l. When frogs sing In winter time kopards
change their spots, snd human nature re- re-
joices in lfrfectibilty,, shah expect to
see OIL these efforts to .s.a,s,on;ss . succeed
|,apto:the hishsst2 expectations Of ,he, most
fardent friends of ,Rs cause, and tie men d
women and children II the South esn ,btsr,..
ling y one another IN the traeE. christian
spirit. pray for that day earnestly. We
themenaly, and a all season.bfe hours. T. =.
TalE Yha ma vn,' aud ~ q, ~.