The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-07-19
Parsons? Dunno no such
; GATHERING oF TEE CL4Ns.


By this time the whole neighborhood had
gathered around your correspondent, and
looked on him as though they didn't know
what white shirt or steady gait Indicated
in person. There were old and young, tall
and short male and female. We're 1t not for
consciousness Of your mental superiority
over them, you would consider your life IN
danger here, but you feel as though you were
standing in the midst of dumb brutes, who
would obey your beck as readily as poodle
dog obeys his masters whistle. Look at them.
and they shirk from your sight as quick as they
conveniently can. With their mouths wide
open, aud tongues extended, they work upon
your feelings In a marvellous manner.
IFS that your boy, Mrs. Dow ?" continued
vour correspondent, upon seeing lean three
footer,. with heavy double.barrelled shotgun
on his shoulder.
'.No. I wouldn't oun i'm. He's my gran
darters."
yer lie, yer lie llsped the unterriaed jn-
venie; II hain't yer boy, nor yer grandarter's
either. wouldn't oun yer"
sWell, Mrs. Dow, you look as though you
had hard time TO get along In the world.n
ssAh, sir" she means, 'sthe Bible says that
accidents and misforLunes. shall happen to
men, but believe they come to women just
as much.n
"Why don't you like your minister, since he
Is doing 80 much for you. Mrs. Dow q your
"Done for us ?' she CALCULATES. "Bah did
yer hear what piece he put In the papers
about us? Called us neathens and sich. Ii
he don't have to smart for that then I'll give
upm 1;:a,.. ~, -, -.
Naturally enough, the women do all the
talking In this settlement. The men are
sleepy and shittess, and look too stupid to say
come great deal Of poor rum, and, out OF
perhaps two hundred men whom your corre-
spondent saw there, not twenty could walk
straight. Their bleared eyes and sunken
countenances indicate q stupor which no
amount OF surprise can overcome. Drunken
ness and other vices of kindred ilk must.
needs exist there yet awhile. Civilization
culture by q long distance.
The women are now In the habit OF picking
berries and carrying them to the neighoorins
villages to SELL On these hawking expedi-
tions they use all the arts which q Jew or q
gypsy ever conceived for getting rid OF their
wares. "Please, woman" they will say, "5uy
nv berries; give me. old clothes, bread, shell.
ter, anything;' and they will fall down on
their knees and beg for what they cannot
steal. Their children are dying or their hus-
band Is sick-anything for effect. Lately q
woman went 10 Newburyp0rt to sell her ber-
ries, and was surprised TO find that q more en-
ergellc neighborhood had been around ahead
of her and supplied tne marker.
s.Did that woman tell yon that her husband
was sick. or that her children were dylns?"
she said to o lady who had bought OF the early
conner.
The lady replied that she did.
1Weli," replied the Amazon, "she Is o llar !;
she's the awfullest liar in our town, and she
hasn't got no husband nor children neither.
And now, woman, won't you buy some ber-
ries for nv husband is sick and my children
are diving give me old hes-bread-shel-
ter-anything g"-and she sold her berries.
CONTRAST.
But short distance from this place there
are numerous well-bullt houses, the land Is ID
high state of cultivation, and the transition
is so sudden, that one wonders at the possibili-
ty of TWO 80 different classes OF people living
so near together, and having no more infu-
ence upon each other. They look upon their
ignorant neighbors as unfortunate people. but
they never dream that little aid and sympa-
thy could change their mistortunes to happl-
ness and their SORROWS to gladness
In the heather district proper the fields are
entirely run TO waste, and everything like ag-
ricultural enterprise among the people Is Out
of the question. There are no barns nor out.
houses OF any scrlptlon-everything that
can afford the slightest shelter being the abode
of their household gods. From these they
seldom move, and the stencil that goes out OF
them Is slckening. Grand old elms stretch
their stalwart forms over the place, as Tito re.
lieve it of some of Its uucouth and barren ap-
pearance. Under the shade of tl.ese the chill
dren that cannot be Accommodated under the
narrow roof are playing in the mud aud
covered with filth. Here, almost in our very
midst, is a people who might reasonably envy
the happiness of Fiji Islander OF French
npaEa0t.