The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-03-07
Southern Social Life.

Perhaps there Is no more curious Phase o.
enr purely social life, or one more dcSe.' W.
cC attention, than that OF the oouin Nv lI'
>,rcscn: lime. We have occasional eiapoi'''
pic;,lres Of il from scycra, southern "ille' =
who sna |. not only soothing to Their senss,
b,I;tirs to deDlore the lost golden age VI
slavery. tu.. mos; probably, protiFae'c III !"
,>.,,,r;,>,, sense. one OF fhesc Fci'ticiIch'
IN = na-aziue of the carTrDt iiion."; ~
his ,>c,, IN alternate tears anu S',i " wv ~.
Ybe dcplof..b!e condition o. INC so.n'I
indies and gentlemen oil flFS;hM ne,iN."
Of their former corps OF he'a "i.u iou W.
hold servants. There CHI DC iI.io ny
,hat life in the Virginia plantations IS TN
,,,nst surrcst;vc sign of the depth Of t
change made by the war, and one that mp
r,naI. most nearly to our Sylnp:thies. The
.uIt,,rs fnarsicularlv of The women) was
t;chcr and broader than in any other souti :
rrn State; the treatment OF the slaves more
humane; the hospitality rs unstiu'cd ana
more enlightened, for it Was cap9Dle -
ole,inr food to the brain Of the guest us wei
rs his body. In spite OF III" pccvish heat anu
resentment with which our ncighborS arc alt
10 reject our oyelturcs Of friendship, Tue!
cannot hinder our warm aud hearty rccoG-
ni,ion Of their claims upon it, both bc'"rt
and after our quarrel. 80 person OF con-
mon sense denies either the compassion d''e
70 their position. deprived OF their Sole
source Of income ut the very period when Il"
exhaustive, gripping war rendered lhc,h
least able to bear such loss. But the north
crncr when he loses his income, does not
fail lat 10 The ground; his brain, or nanaS,
or fee. are ready 70 help him; ana II the NJ,
$40. rs source Of livelihood, rrhp'eu all
these in his master Gas to max, him the ci!-
f.,,cd resolrc,lyss b,,.tvn Which he dc.
scyii,cs himself to be, it WAS high timc,
for his own SKI. that the negro was ttke.
from him.
The Iugubrious writer il L'p2|ncot le-
GINS III, C,lc of WOE by stating the alarming
fa:;;lyc in the wheat and other cror', "!lGA
he ascribes 10 tic want OF labor, tue re
groes invariably prcicr1ing to work for any
loa- else than tleir Old masters: slSnlii-
cnt fact, from which nny other eyes tila';
those of "a ardent southerncr couin HinN
the moral. and which conflicts with the an.
cicnt tale, of "patriaIrlai bonds and atieS-
top from generation to generation"
Next we are tod that, negro children be-
ins no Longer profitable, "womeu without
circumference" are preferred rs servants;
consequently fewer black children a,e born:
and those few, what with freedom and Tree
schools, are reared ID bitch less ohcdiehi
mnnucr than in slavery. Probably Our color
cd brethren think they ought to have learned
obedience sufficiently by This time, anu are
acquiring some other virtue. Eat the climax
" cloquence and path0s i gwen IL TIE ac-
l'ripiion OF the typical Virginia lady, OF "J"w-
eled fingers, classic features, and absolute lc-
pose OF manner--a woman OF our piCtclrrQ
stock. our best strain Of blood'-Occupied IN
4 f,,o 11y, i1,,Il.~
ing, "at the sight OF which, bcwaiis oul
Jeremiah, "protound pity wclled up within
my soul.' As parallel picture, he presents
the brother Of ibis lady, "squiIinc-noscd.
tirr-chinnctl, Injured to battle, and Sighin2
for tic good old war time, but hoein-,
plougilng, and digging manluliy III the hot
sun frola morning to night st which de-
s,,pSsing spectacle the author "burns IL,
tirr,n and relieves his heat in the prcilcl
chivalIic E,anrcr hy volley OF oathS Hs;;.is:
the abol!tionisis and the Yrab',ae.
We suspect that he will tot carry bis an
Glencc altogether WITH him il Iii, lcrvur nr
despair. Cooking, bcl-!Eakin", and milking;
COWS arc certainly not the most desirable o.
rIpAtions for women OF culture and refine
ment; but there are very few such women,
however wealthy, living on farms in the
North who lave not been forced often to
practice them from the difficulty Of Obtaining
servants. Now, the Virginia lady for gene
rationS has bad the chance Of furnishing her.
self with trained servants, and if she has failed
10 DO so, or 10 bind them to her by any
ties, either Of association or affection,
other than that OF force, she GER
ninly is as much to be blamed a.
piticd. As for her brotlleD we heartily
congratulate the Young fellow on having
taken to the plough and hoe so vigorously.
When we knew him years ago, dancing at
Greenbrier, proving his knigbtly vaior hy
gailopins round a field at Berkeley 10 thrust
long pole through Il ring, gambling and
Ewigsing niut,julcps at the spotswood
House, VIC hardly would have hoped for 50
much manly slut IN him. When this Whole
some fight with the soil and sun shall have
brought out the latent energy of his body
lis brain, probably, will have its Turn Of de.
velopmcnt, aud he will lind tncrc are count
less accessible ways Of earning support in
dependent of rs old staff, the negro, anG
quite uncoahected with the plough and hoe