The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-08-22

rooms elegant and clean and orderly, the APP
pointments perfect, the servants diligent, con
tent, well drilled and trusty-the gentleman
Of the house always nicely dressed, intellectu-
al and patriarchal-the ladies all wondrously
beautiful and remarkably small-looted, sitting
white handed and white draperied cool
flower wreathed balconies, with nothing to
do but amuse themselves with music, drawing
and kindred beautiful arts, and perhaps, in
case of ennai, little frost-work of embroide-
ry; all the white people handsome, dignifed
and happy, all the black ones virtually dane
ing and drumming banjos, and more or less
delighted at being the slaves of SO much ex-
cellence and perfection as were embodied in
"Massa and Missis"
a For these vaguely splendid ideas of the
South, the North was, of course, indebted to
the representations of the Southerners them
selves. Their books, their newspapers, their
political speeches and toasts, all brimmed
with selflaudation and egotsm. Their eli
mate, their statesmen, and their women were
all jewels in the crown of their selfglvrifca-
ton. sd,
From the nature of these existing circum-
stances, there was comparatively little person
al communication between the two sections.
Northern business men came down sometimes
to the southern cities, but they staid at hotels
and gained very little knowledge of actual
Southern life. Occasionally, too, stray
schoolmistress went South as goyerness-
and when she came back with story of the
slovenliness, Incidence, selfshness, and some
times dishonesty Of her employers generally
planters living on their own plantation n the
summer, and going to some neighboring city
for the winter) and their slack, shiftless man
ner of living, everybody who heard her
thought she had surveyed things with eyes
jauudiced by homesickness, or had had an al
together exceptional experience. gta i' F'
But the war, which has in great measure
cleared the national sky, has disspated some
OF the mists through which the North survey
ed, as through glory, the characters and
lives of its "southern brethren The disen-
ehantment, begun by the war, has progressed
so rapidly and effectually that very few, even
OF the Northern stay-at-homes, are now sub
ject to the old glamor. If any of them have
failed to be undeceived, let them come to the
enchanted realms and see for themselves the
scenes and facts which propose by-and-by
to describe to them. Let them come, but not
with the expectation ofreceiving very warm
welcome,-come even to Virginia, (for il is
with Virginia that these notes have chiefly to
do).-Virginia, so famed for her hospitality,
her kindness and courtesy to strangers, her
benevolent politeness, her general good-breed-
ing Here will be the first disappointment
for II this section, at least, of Virginia, were
to speak its sentiments openly, it would place
above every gateway and avenue of commu-
cation the warning Let nothing Northern en-
ter herr" For these people are still SO far
from accepting the situation in which they
have placed themselves, that they are still full
| OF bitterness and hate toward everything
Northern, and generally endeavor to make ev.
cry Northerner who appears among them
as uncomfortable as may be. Many of the
Northern newspapers what reason can
not see-teem with assurances of the "good
Union feeling in Virginia. the readiness Of
Virginia to welcome Northern settlers and
capital" &C. The unencumbered capital
would doubtless be very welcome, for your
iatter-day Virginian is as poor as a church
mouse, and dearly hates to make the least ef-
fort whereby to earn new capital for himself.
Butno Northern family whom 1 have seen, and
I have known numbers, have received any
thing like q neighborly recognition from the
old residents. A New England gentleman,
about eighteen months since, purchased a
very beautiful and valuable farm, within sight
of Richmond, determining 20 make| it a life
long home Tor himself and family He told
me short time ago that so far as money was
concerned, he had done well with his farm
but that he had sold IL, at a sacrifice, and
should leave for the North at once-chieay,
he said, because of 'lonesomeness." 81 have
lived there" he said, within sight of the
window lights OF both Richmond and Man,
chester, and within stones throw of doz-
en- houses, more than one year-and in all
that time not one white person (excepting a
phys ician) had set foot in my house, or known
whether we were living or dead. My wife
has been repeatedly ILL., and no neighbor has
looked at her. my children have been often
sick and my wife had not an acquaintance
to call upon for help or advice. would as
soon live in the desert Of Sahara
Perhaps this may be an extreme case, out
I know Of several similar. Another family,
cultivated, refined and accustomed TO good
society, came here from the North nearly two
years ago, and have yet had, they told me,
only one lady acquaintance, and she general
ly calls for the purpose OF borrowing some
thing. The second time they ever saw her
she appeared at the door with colored SER
want carrying basket, and said, II see you
have plenty Of nice salad in your garden, and
as your family is small and you won't be like
ly to need the whole of it, 1 thought would
like some for dinnerw These same people
| had hardly been in their new home week,
| when one one OF their nearest neighbors, who
| had been captain in the rebel service, sent a
| servant to them to borrow fuel for his fire. A
| month later, very insufficient repayment
| was made-but neither the ex-captain nc,
any of his family have since made the leas
neighborly demonstration toward them.
| If the newspapers above mentioned simpl,
mean that New Englander may now wall
the streets of Richmond without being stab
bed, or tarred and feathered, or pelted with
dead cats, they are quite correct. But have
quite lately seen well-behaved Northern chill
dren, passing through some of the more ie'
tired streets, actually hooted at and covered
| with sand, thrown by young Virginians, who
| at the same time hurled at them the thread
bare epithets of yankee" and "Abolitionist.'
When walking peacefully along the sidewalk