Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1871-09-14
For the Advertiser.
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, VA,


Mr.. ED1ToR,-The solstice affected
your Correspondent so tangibly as to
force him, NAL gre bon gre, to flee to the
mountains.
Indeed Edgefield and Columbia, like
the city of old, steamed in the nostril, in
somuch that our physical man was ex-
hausted, and with Childe Haroldewe de-
termined-" cen for change of scene to
seek the shades below
A brother rustic, however, came along
jinglinghisspare cash, and lent us enough
to pass few weeks at the White Sui
phur.
We will pass over the villainous scapes
by rail road accident and delay, and tell
you at.once that we reached the White
at the fullest moment of the season. The
crowd was immense, the confusion great;
and curses were deep and loud when the
announcement was made that no rooms
were to be had. We were in despair,
when three bora fde Generals and one
Judge pounced upon US and claimed us
for bed fellow, with as much em,preSse-
ment as though we were atne Femme la
robe verte.
We slept the sleep of innocence, as do
all newspaper correspondents, and woke
next morn to enter upon tour of inspec-
ton. Do not be alarmed, however, as we
have too much experience to bore your
subscribers with snow-capped noun
tains, azure skies, green wales, DC. Mr..
Charles Reade and Madame Ouida have
combined and succeeded in dispelling all
such beauties of nature from the brain of
the present generation.
Editors like cooks must therefore cater
to the fashionable tastes. Society here is
divided into two general heads-the
Saints and the Sinners.
The first class is composed of rather
elderly persons of both sexes, with few
youthful peritents of the wall flower
species. They sit in corners and praise
Byron's denunciation of the waltz, while
they curse him for all else. They abhor
Roman and pine for funeral. Like Pc
ter Bell :
"Their eyes turn up, their noses down,
Their accent has nasal twang,
They oil their hair, there may be heard
The grace of God in every word they
have either said or sang"
Your rustic correspondent, however,
has been informed, greatly to his aston
ishment, that the majority of these saints
are not entirely oblivious to the pomps
and vanities of this wicked world. That
they are at times fond even of pheasants
q la mode (that is odorous and scented)
and swallow oysters OH the half shell
with all the gusto of an abandoned roue.
Indeed a young man, whose .fanccc one
Of these Saints had tied to his pious
girdle, boldly announced, in our presence,
that they were no better than Mormon
Saints, that they had iquorish teeth, &c.
But we will say no more, for fear OF
being placed in the same category with
Reade and Ouida, who "we are free to
maintain, for tricks that are dark and
ways that are vain," surpass our most
fevered brain.
The Sinners are so numerous as to con-
descend even to subdivision. Like the
spirits in Macbeth, they are white, red
and gray, though generally classed
as black. Judex says they are as motley
as the Supreme Bench Of South Carolina,
Niger, Jew and Yankee. Those of the
premier rang have strange desire to be
intensely ignorant of everything, to
know nobody, and to be astounded at the
announcement that it is either day or
night. They sit in circles of six or eight
and enjoy anaristocratic drmbness, which
reminds one very forcibly of the Dumb
Club in the Spectator.
Your correspondent has been unable to-
penetrate the mystery Of this species OF
self-deception, evidenced in the way OF
affected dumbness.
Theaning the Dumb Chashdmire
here is the Count Nettincourt Vaubin-
court Rene, who is not only dumb but
deaf, and also partially blind. They say
that the poor dear Count was rendered
deaf by the roaring of the Mitrailleuses
at the late storming of Paris. This makes
his deafness beauty instead of defect.
And further, that his dumbness is conse-
quent upon his deafness; and his partial
blindness is caused by habit contracted
in too closely scrutinizing the immortal
Frescoes in Rome and Florence. They
blame him little because he did not lose
his eyesight entirely while engaged in
recreation 81 distinguee.
The Count owing to this habit of re-
garding things al .fresco, walks with his
chin elongated and elevated above the
Dumb Circle, and all other circles.
He has the ,soubriquct here Of " "the
Chinner,'' and is lepl,ss distingsse oat:c
eaur. His gaucherie, even in treading
on the corns of the Dumb Circle, and de
ranging the powdered plaits of the dowa-
gers, is esteemed en- re7le, because it is
done al fresco. Indeed to be superiative
ly aristocratic at the White this season,
one must be either dumb or az fait in
ciinniag; that is, able to pass through a
suite of crowded rooms with chin eleva-
ted above all else, hcarin nothing, see
ing nothing, knowing nothing.
We have caught several Of both sexes
here practising this fashionable art Of
Ginning. 1t can only be learned, like
foreign tongues, however when taught
in early life.
Our Chinner attended the grand Mas
querade on last Wednesday evening, and
even chinncd the masks. La mode q Ia
mention, Mr.. Editor, or, in English, the
Ginning style is so gallant.
OF course the Chinner saw nothing and
knew nothing of the Bai-NnSQue, but an
amiablc lady who is great ad1nirer OF
this high parsonage, whispered few
hints into your correspondents ear, as
to the toilettes, costumes, masks and
crowd To tell the truth (and we hope
our readers will not be offended at our
speaking truthfully, as we know it is not
exactly la mode: and we apologize, not
desiring to insult any one) We saw every
thing. And we intend to speak little
whether right or wrong.
Weverily saw, as we believe, Miss Ma
rv c., of Baltimore, dressed as o Sheph-