The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1869-06-03
For the COURIER.
A Trip South.
CONTINUED.

CONTINUED.
The valley of the Edisto, as also
some other low lands Of South Car.
| olina is rich and productive. The
Scuppcrnong grape flourishes finely
| in these low lands, or deltas, and it
is quito, common sight to see men,
women, boys and girls, peddling the
Scuppernong wine. 1t is said to bo
harmless,-the same kind, Ipresume,
that Horace Greeley says old father
Noah got drunk on.
We soon found ourselves at Aiken
Station, whcrc wo stopped to enjoy
the balmy breezes that there blow
among the troeses las has lately
been discovered by Thurlow Weed,
who has been spending some time
there for his health, and has succeed
ed in writing that poor sterile sand
bank into considerable notoriety.-
This town of Aiken, whose godfa-
theirs are Thurlow, Congressman
Derby, and real estate agent Wood,
stands 600 feet above Charleston on
the east, and 500 feet above Augusta
on tho west, on ridge Of something
between stone and soft earth; the
soil, if so IL should be called, being
a little too soft for sandstone and a
little too hard for anything else.-
The whole creation is good, every
part being well adapted to some pur-
pose. l expect, therefore, that All
ken is good place for some men to
get we'll at, but I--got sick there!-
We found tho hotels and boarding
houses quite full of guests. In fact
the place has quite the appearance
Of fashionable resort in the first
stages Of its agony; where fashiona.
BILE, giddy women, ight-hcarted gay
girls, and noodle-headcd young men
do love to congregate. Sensible peo-
pie are there, also: The talented and
accomplished Mrs. Kate Sprague was
there; so was tho editor of the Ro.
chester, N. Y. Democrat, which paper
shows him man Of ability. I OK.
pect Derby and Wood fixed him with
an Aiken farm, where he will have
great opportunity for the exercise of
both his brain and muscle, and where
his sensible young wife will find It
quite necessary to look closely to his
excncquer, as suo Was pruuUns1y do-
ing when we saw her.
Late Saturday evening, with a
company of Gothamites, we left this
southern Italy of T. W's, without
casting longing, lingering look be-
hind, and went to Augusta to spend
the Sabbath. Arrived there, we
strolled about its beautiful, wide,
shade-tree lined avenues; looked at
some fineprivate residences; saw the
water as it rose in curved lines from
the jets of numerous fountains, divid-
ing into drops and spray, sparkling
in the bright moonlight, and listened
to its cool FLASHING sound as it fell
back into the marble basin. The day
had been oppresively hot, now the
air was mild, and we thought, is hea-
ven more beautiful than this earth
would be without sin?
Augusta is thriving city of 10000
inhabitants. Has two large cotton
factories, and two or more large flour.
ing mills, the falls of the Savan-
nah river here giving it any amount
Of water power. There are, also,
large cotton factories at Graniteville,
not far below. So cotton manufacto-
ries in the South will not be an exper-
iment Of Senator Spragues, when he
starts his at Columbia, although he
is somewhat given to experimenting
of lato. When at Aiken, thought
perhaps ho had better be there with
his wife, who is said to be an able
adviser. On Sabbath we went to the
Springfield African Church; got there
early enough to see the closing exer-
cises of the Sabbath School, which
occurs as Church begins. The Su-
perintendent, q very gentlcmanly
>.la-ad man. raviewed the lesson in
q sensible and very becoming man
ner, and then the large school, con-
sisting of some 400 persons, exclu-
sively colored, sang a familiar Sab
bath School song, and were dismissed.
The children were well dressed, and
most Of them quite intelligent. The
church services were opened by a
very good prayer by colored broth
or, a layman, We thought; and then
the minister read the parable Of the
Prodigal Son, and tho account of the
death Of the martyr, Stephen, taking
the latter as the foundation of his
| sermon, which was quite replete with
new ideas, and delivered with all tho
tervor, zeal, and power of his good,
unsophisticated soul. His style was
| that necnliar to tho nure hlnnded Af