Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-08-16

Having encouraged the goodiy craft of
the single at Hampden SidDey and tried to
set before those chained in psirs-after the
manner of convicts-their inferior position,
/ 20 to the neighboring Farmyille where
hear We have members and a prospect of
half dollars. fsrf
How queer this country looks without
enclosures, the crops coming to the edge of
the highway and the Landscape variegated
with picketed pigs and eollared cows, tied.
about with a view to the picturesque and
getting grass. had no idea this plan Of
dispensing with fences was SO generally
adopted in Eastern Virginia. The farmer
finds it greatly to his advantage. "A farm of
the average size here--say six hundred
acres-losss In building and repairing
fences perhaps a hundred and fifty dollars
year. The State could save
probably six millions year By dispensing
with Enclosures universally. The same
might be said of Tennessee. The renters
to which unhappy class this deponent doth
belong, and of whom he had heard it is
said, that it would be a good thing If the
last one of them could be knocked in the
head, also find their advantage. For be-
sides the increased facility of letting their
cattle Craze in their neighbours crops at
night and getting them out before light
can we help it, brethren, If the COW slips
her rope-their righteous souls are not
vexed by being forced to maui rails, they
get the land for less rent, and AFTER a little
while they find IL is far less trouble to keep
the cattle from the crops than the crops
from The cattle. But whether popular or
net, this plan will soon be forced on many
parts of Tennessee on account of the
scarcity of TENDER. 1t will be as well
not to wait until the last tree is gone. be.
fore this plan is inaugurated. If any one
of our most potent wise and reverend legis.
lators shall honor this letter with his persu-
al, let him see bow he can easily win. an
immortality of glory uy getting such law
passed.
And here is Farmville, the greatest place
for its size in the world. White trash is in
contemplate minority. But when they
walk humbly and take the edge of the pave
ment they are tolerated. Still liberties are
not allowed as a white "pusson" of high
standing found to her cost. She called a
eolored 'slady" "Auntie, /" to which the '.lsdy"
replied, tMiss, we is no kin if we is equal.'
| spend few days here, and
there seems to be a chronic
state of auction going on, for the majority
which half fills chief business part of
Main street and quite fills the pavement.
The minority seem to have neither eyes,
ears, or noseg for the annoyance. Ths
train comes at night when band of music
goes off and leads procession up the street.
| presently learn there is going to be po-
litical contest here in the heart of old Vir-
ginia. What memories crowd upon one at
the thought. Patrick Henry's grave is in
the next county. There, too, does John
Randolph sleep, where one stone, rough
and rude, marks the spot. Wlles' noun
tain, that looks mistily through the twilight
sees the Blue Ridge, at whose base are tha
graves Of Jefferson and Madison. o, tenn
persl Two negroes and scallawag
are running for Congress. The whites
stand outside of the circle, looking
on, as men look on dog fight. The ne
groes are educated and sad to say grind up
our white brother into the small dust. He
gets all the vitriolic abuse that coarse
strong minds untempsred by mercy and
unrestrained by courtesy eau concentrate.
he wits and withers, but is as helpless as
baby, and
'sLord Percy sees my fall"
The outside ring of gentlemen whom it
has been his business 10 betray hear it al.
He knows that even their just vengeance
must De more than satisfied at his terrible
punishment dog who has bad his des
lined day and vino is thus barked into the
cold by baser ours pl esents spectacle too
abject for aught but eontemptuous pity.
The pecuniary depression of this region
indeed of all Eastern Virginia-is distress
ing. This section about Farmville, settled
mainly by FRENCH Huguenots, has been
held by their &c csndants fE
ages. The plantations are large, averaging,
perhaps, thousand acres. The taxes,
which are grinding, the labor, which is de-
moralized, and the drought, which is now
in its second year, are working Wholesale
ruin. Tobacco is the staple, and this is
perhaps the meanest crop grown out of tie |
ground-the trouble is so great and the !
profit so little. The quiet submission of |
the people TO their hard lots is fair to see. |
If there is anything that is high, anything |
that is noble and pure and holy, it seems |
to be worked in them by their trials. |
hear of men of high standing who returned |
from the war and went to plowIng. They |
lived year after year as negroes did not live, |
and dressed as negroes would not dress;
yet their gains were Just the blisters /
on their hands. Still they labor along, in
the thick darkness that may be felt. They |
give their offerings out of their deep poverty
every Sabbath at church. The few days |
am here they buy manse for their preach
er=-Rev. Alr. Halves, whose sister, Marion
Harland, authoress of Alone, is so celebra-
ted--costing 5000. But their extrava-
gance ends with the church. They ride in
carts as once ia carriages, dress in calico in
stead of satin, cook and wash
'when happy with her jeweied hand
She smoOthed her silken gown"
Yet there is the same refinement, showing
all the fairer because of its plain setting,
and oh, such moral beauty, as Of gold tried
seven times in the fire. happen to go into
the Office of one Of the rising lawyers of
the county and State, himself of name as
old as Virginia. A plain looking client is
telling of his efforts. His hard
work, his utter Disappointment, his
efforts not to doubt the good Prov
idence which he believed was leading
him, his making an humble investment in
the staple of the country, tobacco, how
Providence still seemed against him, and
how in darkness he still tried to trust. YeI
his trouble seems more about the dreaded
failure of his faith than of his fortunes.
happen to come upon fine looking young
man hitching a cart in which are two
chairs. l remember him as very small
boy a member of family which dates back
10 the Norman conquest, which If we had
a nobility would belong to it. we sit in
he shade while he tells me his history.
His father who has been dead many years,
forced him to 60 to college when the youth
wanted TO go into business that be might
not be burden on his family who before
,he war had sustained ruinous losses. He
names a spot in the road where riding
one day with his father in the warmth
Of conversation they stopped, and the latter