The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1875-09-16

tho wrecks OF the good and great old
families that camo down from colonial
times and contributed so many high,
historic characters to illustrate and
adorn tho annals of tho now world.
Rroken~down families They arc in
overy city, county and ncighborhood
OF the South. Tho descendants of
statesmen, warriors and notable old
colonial and revolutionary patriots
and gentlemen arc, in humorous in
stances, reduced almost to bcggary.
Take Virginia. 1t is melancholy to
trace the docadcnco of those many
grand old families which have made
her social life the admiration of all
tho synonym of honor, refinement,
hospitality. Broken, scattered i'm
povcrishcd Tho descendants of
many of the best people arc in. want.
Now pcople-novi homincs-lord it
over thom and thoy feel deeply hu-
inflated. Human nature is human
nature, and these people feel that they
arc in q falso position that those
who arc socially over them ought TO be
under them. Thoro arc young ladies,
of the best blood in the land, who
have to exert their wits and eXor-
ciso all their activities and energies
to find means to keep up barely re-
spectacle wardrobe. School teaching
amd sewing machines! These are
what they are reduced TO, and it is
noble in thom to avail themselves of
those resources. We should be thank
ful to those occupations for giving
them the opportunity for such honor
ablo development Of character.
But what shall we say of the young
mon? Some Of them are talented,
mettlcsomc, high spirited lads, who
feel that they cannot work, and that
TO beg is shame, and 90 thoy sit
down and do nothing. They dream
away the active period of lifo. For
tunatoIy thcro arc others who havo a
more practical turn, and do not rest
until they find som othing to do. They
start out with the determination to
find some occupation, and ovcry
youth who does that will succeed
sooner or later.
Ono thing is certain, il tho broken
down families Of Virginia, and indeed
Of the whole South, arc over to be re-
cruiLcd and restored, that result is to
bo brought about by the industry of
tho young-thoso from fttcon to
thirty. They can do this if they Will,
and surely thoro would be no higher
duty.
Wc havo in Virginia n population,
old and young, malo and female, rich
and poor, whito and black, of moro
than million and quarter. We
have our lands, our climate, tho mem
oIioa an;: traditions shat have de-
scended from tho settlement of tho
country. Wo havo in ovory county
of the commonwealth families of dis
tinction and culture. True, they are
poor and brokon down. Tho question
is, how arc thoir fortunes to be mond-
cd /? How are thoy to be restored
One thing is certain, railing at their
hard lot is not going to restore them.
Railing at tho stirring and Industrious
people who havo got above them will
do them no good. Go back to the past
and summoning up tho shades of
illustrious ancestors will bo of no
avail The renaissance can only bo
accomplished by work steady, porse-
vcring work.
II n population Of million and n
quarter in an old and established
commonwealth hl<o Virginia, who
owns the lands, ho have farm an.
mails and utonsilsj who have citios to
trade with, railroads, rivors and ca
nails to transport their products to
market; who have churches and
schools; who havc all tho powers of
governmental such population,
with such advantages, do not rise,
thoy deserve, like Milton's angels, to
bo forever fallen.
To tho hundreds Of thousands of
those doscondcnts Of high broken