Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-06-01

ant, unfortunate, and hopeless class in the
South.
As might be expected, tho social and com
mercial disadvantages surrounding them in
the Black Belt and otner productive cotton
regions drove them from the rich lands alb
sorbed by slavery. The poor whites fled to
the mountains. This region has always been
called "a white mans country" But
significant change is now recorded in the
term. Before the war it meant region
without slaves; consequently without wealth
without power, without promise. Now it
means the land Of promise. where the white
man is to rule. Let us visit one of the poor
est homes yet one that is not exceptional,
but rather OF class well established in point
of numbers.
The forest stil'covers the ridges of this
land. or gravel. The pines predominant as
proof of the tkinness of the soil. And the
hills or ridges are so steep and closely pack
ed between the larger ranges that there is
scarcely garden plot of level land. But in
some places moderate slope of the bottom
along stream offers patch Of tillable soil.
Here and there in such situations | see a
small cabin and small field. The clearing
is a mere speck Of earth in the forest, and
crude and unsightly blemish on natures
handiwork of hills and groves. Here | come
to one of these homes. The old fence is
partly gone near the house, where the rails
have been taken now and then for frewood.
The inclosure has about three quarters of
an acre. Dark stumps stand about in
stubborn way, resisting the enchroaehments
of the plow. The place has been the home
Of the present occupant for II years. As
climb over the tence-there are no bars or
gate-the hostess leaves her hoeing and goes
into the cabin. An axe sticks in stump
at the woodpile this and the hoe are all the
tools on the place. The cabin is made OF
logs and cracks in almost equal proportions.
The chimney, outside of one end of the cab
in, is made up of sticks and clay piled up
not quite as high as the peak Of the roof
1t leans from the house in an offended man-
ner. As though it might secede in stormy
time. ragged quilt of unknown colors
hangs from raiter where the shingles have
been blown from one corner of the roof
The doorway is hole almost square, and
so low that see the woman only from her
feet up to her waist the casing is gone, if
it ever existed, ard the door hangs by the
top hinge, wooden hook and pin. There
is not vine, flower, or shrub about the
place. The cabin is the only structure.
As come 10 the door see the entire wo-
man seated on low bench, OF the further
side OF the fireplace.
GOOD morning madam
''Good morning, sir" she says, looking
up from her dirty knitting. She is rather
angular, almost thin and poor, though not
over five and twenty years of age. Her face
has pleasant, frank expression.
"Can have drink OF water here"
"les, sir; jes help yerself. It's right
thar in the bucket"
A bright-eyed little & irl of five years
stands behind her mother She is an illegi-
innate child, for her mother has been mar
ried only few months. In these particu-
lars they have numerous relatives here, GER
taInly as many as one-half the population of
their neighborhood. The relations of men
and women arc perfectly free, and voluntary
expressions of liking never occasion any
constraint or entail any embarrassment. In
chastity and decorum they are at the foot of
ascent. A physician was called to case
of accOuchment. lie found all the women
and girls of the neighborhood in the single
room forming the house. They would not
withdraw till he refused his services in their
presence.
"what do you raise here in your gar
den?"
Cotton"
but do YOU grow nothing else ~
"NO, sir; not much truck. We kin sell
cotton or spin it, and sell the yarn or the
socks, fur a head moe an ary other truck,
ont hyar in the woods She spits tobacco
juice into the coal with professional neatness
and precision. | have not been invited in !;
but as this is not a requirement here,
crouch through the door and seat myself on
one of the two splint chairs. The entire
house is one room about 10 by Is. | sec
through the cracks in the walls on every
side, ana a: the gables, and along the caves
the holes and crack are as large as water
pail. The floor has cracks fully two inches
wide between some of the boards. In each
corner of ono end of the house is bed.
The bedstead is made Of few poles held
up by resting in cracks of the walls, and by
one leg at the front corner Of the foot.
Short boards, split from pine trees, rest on
these poles, and form the bottom of the bed
stead. Some corn husks, loose, without any
tick, cover those boards to the depth of an
inch and a-hali, not moIe. The bed-clothes
are filthy quilts. Aithe foot Of one bed
stands an old spinning wheel, with its bob
bln half full of coarse cotton. A Iair of
cards for carding cotton lie on shelf above.
with some rolls Of cotton ready for spinning
In the corner, above the woman, is Il shoe
case nailed to the logs as a cupboard. 1t
contains two tin pepper boxes, one earthen
and one tin cup, and box Of salt, bag OF
corn meal and piece of pork. Two wood
en- hooks over the fireplace hold Il long rifle
and fish line wound on chip. In the
corner next the door shelf nailed to the
wall serves as table. On its bare boards
are n fork and two iron spoons. On the
hearth are Il Dutch baking skillet, a spider,
tea kettle and tin coffee pot Three or
four articles of clothing hang a6aint the
wall over the bed. These articles, with the
axe and hoe, are all there are on the entire
premises, without or within, in crack, cor
ner, or under the beds, either in food, raj
ment or utensils. 1t is impossible to state
the mOurnful effect. The washing is done
at the creek, where wealthy neighbor has
a large iron coldron, and a strong shelf and
paddle for pounding clothes but as this
labor is neither frequent nor long, these
facilities are ample. The clothes are dried,
bleached, starched, irOned and crimped by
hanging on the fence II day or two.
But the young woman is happy, and as
the reverse of II first visit wears away, she
talks more freely, and smiles in winning
good nature
"My man works at the mines But they
don't pay nothin' much. IT'S jcs as il We
didn't do nothin', most cause yo cant git
any money, they pay in goods. and mighty
high at that"
"Well, then, how do you make living
with only half an acre Of land? ?"
The cotton. that's always money, We
kin sell hit; or clso spin yarn and make
socks.
How much cotton do YOU get from this
Iatch?'
May be hundred pounds in good years.
That ictches $40 or Sl2. Then We peel
oak bark in the spring, Ut chop wood My
mans mighty good hunter, and he gets
right smart q turkeys and deer in II year
though they hain't 80 plenty as they used to
be thousands o game in these hyar woods
And he picks blackbcrries and carries 'cm to
town That's six mile. But We cant git
more an 10 or Is cents a bucket-niggcrS
pick such heaps Of en-. Thar haint much
money in hit"
"Do you own this land ~
"No, sir ; hts public land We've lived
| hyur lcyen year, now hut hit's gittin'
wore out, and reckon ell move soon
This class of people generally clear IA small
] piece of public land, build hut, and stay