Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-02-18
[For the Herald,l
THE SOUTH SEEN THROUGH NORTH
ERN SPECTACLES.

(C0HcEuded)
While the old regime of Slavery
aourished, there was class of per
sons WHO held very doubtful po'
sition in society. 1t was question
able whether they occupied posi-
ton above or below the Negro, as
the latter looked down upon them
and called them the "poh wife
trash," either from commiseration
or contempt for their inability to
own slaves. They usually lived in
the hilly and mountainous regions,
or "squatted' upon the worn-out
lands Of the Aristocracy. They
subsisted principally by hunting
and raising a little corn. They
were lazy and filthy, and all the vi
ces Of semi-savages luxuriated
among them.
In person they were generally
long, lean and sallow, with no in
tellectual expression whatever.-
Ignorance and sensuality were in
delibly stamped upon their brows.
They dressed in homespuu' of the
"butternut colog," wore their hair
(Which was coarse and straight
long; could not read or write, and
rivaled the negro in talking his
"lingo." The females smoked,
chewed snuff and tobacco, and
were perfect counterparts Of the
men.
This class suffered much during
the war, Many were killed, many
fled into the mountain Businesses,
or left the country altogether. At
present they are to be found all
over the South in small numbers.
They are working on the plantations
as hired hands, or cropping on the
shares. They generally have team
ofsome description sometimes it
consists of an old horse and mule,
sometimes of a mule and OK, some
times of a pair Of diminutive oxen.
They do not object to live in the
same quarters with the freedmen,
and work in the same squad" with
them, Usually, however, the fam
lily form a "squad" of their own
They generally make better crop
than the freedmen, pick it out clean
er, and have it in a better condition
for market, and is worth one or two
cents per pound more than that
gathered by the freedmen.
The literature Of the South, not
only of the present, but also of the
past. is more remarkable for plati-
tude than depth. Ifit only requires
the ten fingers to count all the
works of genius that have been
produced in the North the present
century, not a single finger is need
ed to count those of the South
Est. Elmo" and "Beulah" show a
great deal of reading, and great
deal of pedantry, bat scarcely a sin
gle spark Of genius. Yet l am
thankful to "St. Elmo for inform
ing his. countrymen that J. S. Mill
and Ruskin are two thinkers, that
might benefit them to read. Mills
book on liberty is very favorably
mentioned, as it well deserves to
be; which shows that there is still
some "leavcn"of the right kind in
that country, and it only wants diff
fusion to make itself felt by the
One can overlook much
that is Objectionable, if it is borne
in mind that perhaps many will be
induced to read some of the many
works of merit mentioned in "St.
Elmo" and "The Land we Love"
A periodical that is pushed into the
face of all travellers is a constant
and congealed whine for the Lost
Cause"-"RacheI weeping for her
and refusing to he com
Forted" Insipidity and platitude
gone to seed.
The Newspaper publications.