National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-08-22

be dead in ten years, slain by the school
master.
The two schools are pleasantly disposed on
the top Of ridge, with most enchanting views.
shapely, dizzy old building. The students
were away, but the place offended the sight
by It's dirty, unkept look. There was q litte
chapel In the grounds new enough TO make
the old building look the more forlorn. A
boundary fence separated the grounds from
those Of the Military Institute, where the order
Of a well-kept garrison prevailed. There were
half dozen buildings In the grounds, well
built, though with an aspiration after the
castcllate which was little excessive; all the
walls were marked by nre-markcd In way
to make one blush for the barbarism which
characterized some Of our acts In the last war.
When this place was taken, without defence,
by General Hunter, he ordered the buildings
to be burned, with their library, laboratories,
&c. Even the gas machinery was, by order,
cut 10 pieces with axes, to make the destruc'
ton more complete.
IL Is not too much TO say that this school Is
about the most satisfactory thing In the South,
In the way Of an educational institution. A
good corps Of teachers gives tuition to about
two hundred students. The appliances for
teaching arc good. The chemical laboratory
would compare favorably with that Of some
OF our best Northern schools. The library
to replace that lost by FIRE Is already reason
ably good. There Ia the beginning OF q mu.
scum Of applied mechanics, with especial
reference to mining industry. The ma
chInery Of the school seemed effective. How.
ever much one might doubt the propriety oil
keeping the medieval machinery OF q mill.
tary school working ct this time, ono could
not fall 10 feel O pleasure at tho sight OF the
trim, clean, handsome boys who kept guard,
The effect In fostering those traits which arc
most apt TO be wanting in tho southern char
actcr-order, system and mental alacrity-is
undoubtedly good. Tho students arc fed In
mess-hall, with kitchens worked on mill
tary system, with all the best modern appli-
ances for cooking by steam, bakc.oycns, &c.
The dinner we saw In preparation was excel
lent In quality, better In material than that
of tho average clearinghouse At Cambridge,
and much better cooked. Tho physical re-
suit Of the salubrious conditions Is marked
In all the young men; more manly set OF
boys l mover saw. Among the teachers are
Geography Of the Sea, and Brooke, tho In
vcntor " the dcep-sea sounding apparatus,
which more than anything else has helped to
make soundings at great depths possible.
Our road carried us by the Natural Bridge,
once among the celebrated "wondcrs," Of
America, aud now undeserycdly forgotten.
II remains tho noblcst arch In the world.
Although only the fragment Of the roof Of q
cavern which once existed here, Il Is sin
gularly regular object, and might well DO the
monument Of Titanic race.
We seem to have found way Into an
impdsse, for all the country agrees
that there Is no road out to the cast
ward towards Lynchburg, where our
plans lead US. The old road has been
since the canal was built,
and the canal was swept away by a
great inundatiou tho year before. Our
only chance seemed to be TO take to the tow
path OF the canal, which was reported pas
sable for q few miles, though hardly wide
enough for our wheels. At times We feared
we should not be able to work along the mar
row crest aud over the narrow bridges, which
were not made for wagons; but the beauty Of
the scene richly repaid the difficulties Of the
journey. The James comes from the ALE.
ghanies, already q beautiful and majestic
river. There Is no water clearer. Where VIC
came upon II II Ia Just beginning its assault
upon the outworks Of the Blue Ridge, the last
obstacle between II and the sea. Finally We
emerged into a rich country, where q costly
and well-built road led us by climb Of many
hundred feet above the river, over the main
line of tho Blue Ridge and into the lower
country beyond. After drcary camp In Q
barren, aoOd-swept river tcrrat c we marched
towards the mo Business mountains, rs at
CUTLER of the Blue Ridge Is called. They
were even lovclier than the main mountains
the valley. No wonder the natives thinl
that they have no business here.
Once up tho difficult slopes the vast plat
Of Virginia and the array Of mountains be
hind were In the range Of eye. The caster
view had all the expanslveness Of tho sea
with the more charming variety which i
given by tcnanted earth. We fingered lont
upon these lovely mountains, and at length
with yearnlng looked our last upon the blue
billowy hills behind US that had been for tw,
months our home, and went down the hill
towards Lynchburg. This was the last da!
Of our wild journey, for there we sent on
wagons and horses home through Norfolk b,
rail and sea, and came back to the ways o
the world. One and all we were gricyed Il
end our vagabond life. Those things whicl
were at first chatting had become the most fa
miliar and unnotice1a accidents. Wchad lcarne,
the simple joys Of careless, savage life.
needs no more than years training tO brin
your Brummcl down to the uses of the bone
cave people. Our two months had served :
take us Us far on the road as the Arab
There Is u fascination In the freedom Of th
life we had been leading. We had wanderc,
as we listed. Each morning brought ane,
the sense Of perfect freedom. During th
day we hurried or loltered Us 1t might profit
and at night some silent and shadowy WOO
stretched Its arms towards us, tcnderin
blessed rest.
Lynchbarg was, In slavcholdlng times, til
centre Of The tobacco trade Of tho Soutl
although tho land about It was not the rich
est, there was rich population oil aroul
composed of large slave and land holder
For nearly two centuries tho planters ha
lived their simple life under their pcculia
condition; and here, better than anywheI
else, the student who would inform himsc
concerning that singular condition Of soclet
should come. II Is the boast Of some Of NJ
Darwin's followers, that man Is exempt fro
| the operations Of selection; but We have hei
| two conspicuous cases OF that sort Of actiol
The increase Of population, both white al
black, In Virginia, during Its two centuries
history, has been exceedingly rapid. The d
scendants of the early settlers, slave on
free, now living, probably amount TO at lea
seven millions, while not more than oil
eighth Of that number now live within II
limits Of Eastern Virginia. But the MGR
| ton of the two races has been 50 carried Z
Us to produce sharp contrast In effect. ~
white families have very generally lost the
younger aud more energetic children, wi
have gone to found the vigorous commur
ties Of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missoul
as well as to share the pioneers work
nearly every other Western and Southe
State. This drain OF the best part OF
white youth from the State has undoubtcd
lowered the mental and physical tone Of q
people below the point II would have attain
II no such drain had existed. With the =
groes, however, the selection operated In
, different way; as they Increased far mt
rapidly than the industry of the count
could make use Of their labor, they We
constantly sent away to communities wht
the demand was great; and IL was this raj
! increase which led to the miserable traffic
! men between Virginia and the South. In
: expectation the planter naturally cxercis
great deal Of selection. The intellige
handsome negro was valued about the hou
and had endeared himself to the masters;
would be kept, while the loutish, vicious
: low would be sold to the trader, who kn
5 that his cross grain would wear better In
cotton fields of Mississippi than tho I'm
house seryant type. Emigration In this CT
j was an eleyating and purifying influence.
connection with each old family Of Will
7 one or more families Of negroes we've aim
: always associated; Of these, few were 8
0 South, unless they fell into irrcclaima
. bad ways. Two centuries OF education W
= the whites has developed this constantly
y lected stock into q race which, In phyical c.
: ditlon and mental capacity, more nearly
!; proaches the whites than so different RI
n has ever done before. The negroes alb
i Lyuchburg are the handsomest In the Sou
I The admlxture Of white blood IL not lar
It but 1t Is enough to give an Intelligent lool
/ the stalwart men aud women one secs
It every side. Some Of the women, with SC
9 elghths black blood, arc quite fine lookl
IS The Intelligence Of the people Is surTrisi
l. Whenever could do so, Il was my Gust
" to talk with the most Intelligent negroes.
l. every plaatation there Is apt to DO some
y | If tina raca ram RI abla for wit ar saQac