Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1875-08-30
OUR SOUTHERN LETTER.

habltants, mostly hotel and boarding
house keepers. pleasantly situated on an
elevated, sandy ridge, with pure, dry
atmosphere admirably adapted to cure
pulmonary and throat diseases. As it Is
much more accessible than Florida, it
receives every winter its full share of
patronage, and has grown from small,
insignificant country village to its pres
ent respectable proportions since the
war. Many physicians recommend Al
ken in preference to more southerly
points, as it can be reached with far
less fatigue and expense, and the change
of climate being less abrupt and severe,
there is less danger of reaction of the
system.
For persons accustomed to Vermont
winters, Aiken is quite far enough south
to 60, and my own experience convinces
me quite as much benefit would be Sc
cured there as in Florida. One thing
works disadvantageously wherever one
goes, if it be to any of the famed health
restoring Edens-the constant presence
of an army of invalids. Cheerful socie-
ty, hopeful encouragement, strong, well
| people about one are often much better
than the prescriptions of the best physi-
clan in the land; given these with plen-
ty of light, pure air and sunshine
Gods own balm for disease-and many
a poor, dropping, Respondent one will
rally and reach out for new hold on
life. But north bedrooms, where the
sun never reaches; close, air-tight sit
ting-rOOms, heated to 100 degrees Faren-
heit out of which one goes mufied to
the nose to ride in an atmosphere ninety
degrees less than that of the sitting
room aforesaid, will make work enough
for the sections, l assure you.
Much is said about the southern style
of keeping roaring fires in every room
and leaving all the doors Open-"heat-
ing all outdoors" as an enterpriSing
Yankee expressed it. Well, they may
carry the thing to an extreme-nO doubt
they do; but if l must choose between
too much ventilation or no ventilation
at all, l will take the open doors and
run my chances of escaping the frost.
Leaving Augusta for the north, we
have only to cross the bridge over the
Savannah river, and we are in South
Carolina.
Poor, old Carolina
Such fearful stories had we read of
the desolation within her borders; the
general bankruptcy of the entire COM
munity; the poverty to which all her
citizens were reduced by pitiless taxa
ton the utter absence of all enterprise
and thrift the general good-for- nothing
ness pervading everything; and all the
result of the practices of thieving carpet
baggers, aided by an avaricious and dis.
honest Moses, who ruled over the people
with rod which would bring money
out of empty pockets as surely as anOth.
er Moses rod brought water from the
rOck-that we were prepared to see fear
full things and to have our sympathie'
and pocket books often brought into use
So strong ly was l in possession of the
idea that devastation and ruin held car
niVal in all the State. felt as if L haC
. entered an infected atmosphere as soor
as we were fairly off the bridge. Wha
matter if the hillsides were green il
their spring-time garb if flowers, brigh
and beautiful, mingled with the clover
, if whole hedge-rows of roses made us ex
: claim with delight; the destroyer lurk
ed in all we knew tive had read i
in the papers, and it must be true.
| Our train logged on for twelve miles
e with nothing very Strange or startlini
to confirm our apprehensions. We pass
I ed quiet lake where fishermen wer
busy with their nets and lines daint
/ village, cleanly kept, where the rose
3 and clambering vines nestled lovingl
> against the white cottages occasionally
a cabin around which the woolly heads
e big and little, were gathered to take OF
e servations. But no signs of starvatio
+ appeared no pale, emaciated, want
; stricken faces looked out of hungry eye
u at US as we went by.
it Twelve miles, and we stopped &
, Graniteville Here were several larg
e cotton mills, from which came the SCUM
e of machinery in motion and busy me
IF and women could be seen through I'll
l. half-open windows. The tenement hou
It es where the operatives live, were /;
e good as those one usually finds in sma
q manufacturing towns. The stir an
D. hustle about the depot was fully equ
o. to that about the stations where we ha
he halted in towns of a similar size
ID good, old democratic ruled Georgia
lie Not like stirring, go-ahead, drivin
10 northern or western town-0 no we
L. not expect that; experience has taug
it US better.
vn Northerners. who come down south
p, live, bringing all their sharpened enc
he gies. their driving. hurrying habits, q
sf- customed to see their neighbors work
ed the same steam-power motion, and trai