The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-11-09

The Eine Ridge 1sewion OF Virginia.
| Correspondence Cincinnati commsYc'al.
VIRGINIA HOSPITALITY As IT rs THE PEOPLE,
THE LANDS, THE CROPS.
! RAPrAHANNocK COUNTY. VA, October 90,
1SIl.-Business brought me here. Nothing
but imnerative business does. could, or
iwould, keep me here. In short, have got
enough OF the "Old Dominion" and am
ready to turn my back on The chivalry with
as little reluctance as one would feel on
leaving cannihal island. Experience and
observation hive hitherto taught me to be-
leyc that +. CooDer and John S. G., Abbott.
in their r"marces about the noble saysccs
and Napoleon the First have reached an
overShadowing pinnacle in the art Of mis-
representation, but | now know that rs
liars they are mere pigmies compared with
those who have taught the belief
that chivalrv and hospitality exist in
Virginia. Certainly their maDtles de-
seendet upon those who have de-
scribed the manners and customs
OF these people rs refned and cultivated.
aud their disregard Of truth most assuredly
finds an equal in the fabulous statements
we all have read about the princely well
come to strangers, the excellence and per-
lection of housekeeping. and The unbound
cd generosity of the +. +. V.'s. In old
times we ignorant northerncrs believed
these people TO be true patriarcbs. sur
Grounded with aiorirg and submissive SER
wants; but the war and its consequent dis
| closure OF facts diSabused us Of those ideas.
In truth, we found them to lie slothful, list
less, and eXtravagant, but we have not yet
been diSahused Of that greater talsehood
about their proTerbiul hospitallty.'
write this to say 10 you that ''Nirginia hos
pitaltv" IL = myth, and that your +. +. V.
is as stingy, AS SUBSCRIPTIONS, and az shrewd
nj 4 bargain as the most successful clock ped
Ter in all Of Connecticut; that they live
i'll dirt; that they don't know how to
cook that they are lazy enough to burn
up their garden fences rather than cut fuel
from the woodlands; that they are proud.
arrogant, and ignorant; that they don't
.mend their roads that they cannot appre-
ciate or understand any other than the life
| they now lead, and that they Will not be-
liCvc that Massachusetts or Ohio each are
hundreds Of years in advance OF them in
agriculture, mechauics. sciences, art, and
; literature. / make these statements so
comprehensive as TO include every white
man, woman, and child in the Blue Ridge
region. The exceptions TO it are so few
and startling rs to serve merely to make the
general rule more apparent. l propose to
prove this indictment by the testimony OF
: Experience, as follows:
| Leaving Washington hy tho Alexandria
land Orange railroad, you find at the first
$ station in Virginia painted announce.
| ment that the rates Of passenger tariff over
: | it are six cents 4 mile, and you also ind
that even if you buy n ticket for long
= journey the rates are more than five cents
, | for the same distance. If you happen to
) leave the cars anywhere between AleXan-
, dria and Culpepcr Courthouse, and try TO
travel of the line Of tue railroad, you will
$ be compelled to hire private conveyance,
} for there are no stage routes. The mails
{ are carried on horse and mule back, or in
= light spring wagons. and no effort Is maze
. even 10 encourage travel by public We
; h;cles. You may have submitted with
: poor grace to the eX0rbitant railroad fare !;
, but when you come to appreciate the cool
, eNtortion Of the livery stable keepers, you
groan aloud. Ifyou are wise, and have had
. experience, you will hire saddle-horSe
from farmer, because even the best turn
pixies in this section, not having been re-
paired since they were worn into ruts by the
artillery and baggage wagons OF both
armies during the war. are now as rough
, as corduroy roads. They would be pre-
scented as nuiSances or sWindleS in any
.. OTHER community, but here the people
, submit to them, pay most miratuously
exorbi.aut toll, aud even thank the pro-
prictorv corporations for the privilege.
From Culpeper 10 Sperryville, twenty
eight miles. the toll for a single horse and
buggy is Seventc-tivc cents. II Is the same
: from Wurrenton to Little Washington,
twentr.four miles. From Rapnahannork
county to Alexandria rld turnpike the toll
amounts TO more than the railroad fare
: Il. r., more than five cents mile. For Il
fuur-horSe team, such rs the farmers are
compeIicd to Use in the mountains, 1t
, is twice as much, SO that TO carry
4 load Of wheat from here to the
market at Warrenton the owner is re-
CURED to pay one dollar ard half, or, al
present rates not quite 4 bushel and hal
: | OF the grain itself. And such vehicles !
They are ONLY equalled Iii d!lapldatloh D!
The beasts that Stagger along Wltb-not
draw-thcm. They break down so often
that blacksmith and wheelwright shops tEd
> constant employment, and are so neceSsa-
~ that they are generally located only i've
!, or six miles apart. With all, there are no
puulic tavcrnS, no resting places FOR man
and beast between the towns, AID The stran-
| ger is thereby lDpelIed-reluctantly,a alter
brief cXpcricncc-to thrust himself upon
= the tabled hospitality OF the country.
: Proceeding on horseback from Culpeper
to SperTyvilic, not long since, expert
: cucci the terrible re3lity Of these state
= ments. The pike was SO rough that my
: horse stumbled. fell down, and lost shoe
before had rcacked 'Stone. house noun
. tam six miles. There learned black
/ smith OF the African persuasion exercised
his vocation for the benefit OF my Stced.
prctactng his efforts by the query DO
vou want new or old shoeS!" . W nat 90
YOU meQn:" | asked. son, you're a
stranger he-ah. ! means does you want
: shoes what's been picked up on the PIKE,
= or new ones fresh come from Baltimore ~
+ I learned from this eNplanatiOn that even
= the horse-shoes are manufactured abroad
land brought here for use. While he was
: shocing MY horse ! Sossipcd with him
about the people. He said 'tthe crops
had turned out right poorly; there
, was more straw than wheat, and the
: drought bad killed the corn; there's
no grazing, for there's no grass; the
: apples didn't hit down here, but they did
, further up i'll the Ridge; people haven't
l got no money, and have two years taxes to
: Day; they don't always pay their farm la
2 borers, but do rs well as they can; mighty
| hard times, and been so ever since the SOL
dcrs left nobody pretends to mend their
| houses, and they're most all just as they
were left by the troops; good many fences
have been put up, though, and some farm
crs have COT a start at raising their hogs
and cattle again all of them have saddle.
horses, and most Of them good saddles, but
they haven't got many good work-horses
'nears like they care more for rldlng ABOUT
/ tIan working; some Of 'em have steam
!, saw-mils at work. doingright smart OF Dusl-
ness. and there is big tannery at Sperry-
vile. but that's all the hange since The
/ ~ Ypnt