Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-02-04

+ couraged as they were, they did th
best they could towards rails
ing a crop; and the result Of 1856
is very encouraging. The cottol
crop, although only about half a
large as the crop Of 1860, is bring
! ing them in as much money-abon
two hundred millions of dollars
and in addition to this, they hay,
an abundance Of Corn, Sweet Pota
toes, &c.
The country has a very dilapids
ted appearance. Buildings of al
kinds are rapidly going to decay
fences are retting down, and in
many instances stand supported by
the briars and shrubs that fill the
fence rows; the bitches are mostly
filled up, SO that the area ofoverfow
is extending rapidly, and this will
continue for a few years longer
from the fact that the people are
NOT yet sble to turn their attention
toNimprovement, as there is SO much
to do In many instances it would
be equivalent to building, fencing
and ditching anew; for on vast
majority Of the plantations there
has been nothing of the kind done
for ten years. The cities and lar
ger towns being differently circum.
stanced, show but little of the di-
lapidatlon Of the country. Yet few
OF them indicate much thrift except
the larger places or commercial
centers.
Lands can be bought all through
the South at prices ranging from
S3 to S25 per acre. Only the best
and most favorably situated would
bring the latter price. The coun-
try is almost destitute of public i'm
prOvements. The roads through
the richer portions Of the country
in the Winter time are almost i'm
passable. The streamSin many in
stances are destitute of bridges and
those that exist are very unsafe
often patched up with poles and
rails; and it is of almost daily o.
currence to hear ofa mule ora team
ofmules falling through.
Public Schools do not exist, and
the only chance for the people to
educate their children is to send
them to the towns, where there are
very good schools, The Church
buildings all through the country
are rapidly going to ruins, with
windows all out, doors hanging half
open, and the whole building pre-
senting dark and sombre appear
ance, seldom echoing to the song
of praise, or prayer of thanks.
From the lands the transition is
easy to the labor that cultivates
them-the Freedmen; and in order
to form true conception of him,
it is necessary to look at him in his
two-fold character Of laborer and
citizen. From the earliest historic
time, and even underlying the first
step Of the civilization of the hui
man race, we find slavery. Barbar-
Gus and savage man detests the
very idea of labor. Warfare and
the chase are alone worthy of his
consideration; and when driven
by the pressure of population to
cease his nomadic life, and attach
himself to the soil, he does it by |
conquest, and makes the subjugated
tribes his slaves, while he is King, \
Baron and Lord, and follows the
chase and a military life, The
slave tills the land, develops the
arts and sciences, and in course of
lime is either voluntarily or invol-
lntarily emancipated, and with his
acquired capacity for labor, devel- /
BPS into an intelligent middle class /
lpon whom deVolves the final elab- I
oration of all succeeding civiliza- {
ion; hence, the best utility of an |
,ient slavery. But American sla- /
'ery had nothing Of the kind to t
it. 1t was "sui geneyis,"
md certainly peculiar institution i
IS they liked to term it. 1t had all i
he vices and not one Of the virtues t
# ancient servitude. It consisted t
n confning the slave to the most a
nenial servitude, and suppressing il
very noble aspiration Of the heart. Il
iaternal love was ignored, and a
amily ties were split asunder with a
uthless hand. Concubinage was @
ncouraged on every hand, and even Il
he master did not hesitate to select s
few of the "sable beauties" for o
is harem. Tbieving, lying and all c
lie minor vices grew in rich pro- o