Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg Court House [S.C.]) 1877-1881, 1878-06-08
For the Orangeburg Times
SANTEE, ORANGEBU sG, S. c.,
June 3rd., 1873.

Mr.. Editor:
"lives there man with soul so
dead' to the beauties Nature dis
plays with lavish hand in every part
of our Sweet sunny South" as to be
unwilling occasionally to HE him
away to some rural retreat afar from
the, care and burden of his daily
walks, and there, to pass rcstful
day of calm enjoyment beneath the
free blue sky amidst the cool reccsscs
of our forests primevaI IF there
is such person, | beg tn he excused
from an intro ductinn. 1t seems to
be provincial custom here, to de.
vote the forrict' i.lv after Easter to
the divinlL.e> VIZ" p'">iI" r"r wood
and stream, which interpreted liter
ally, means, to devote our best en-
dsavoTs 10 spend pleasant day in
the woods, by n stream if possible,
and obtain, if not the favor of thes e
divinitios, the more nppreciablc one
"f picnic dinner. Be that rs it
may, last Thursday beheld many
persons ca routc for n landing OH
Santee River which has the reputa
ton of having been favorite resort
for picnics nearly forty years ago.
Then, however, they were conducted
differently from the present method !,
for, one or two large planters gave q
feast, and invited everybody else
without the now Indispensable bask-
ct as n ticket Of admission to til e
festivities. Wealth and pride, worth
and fashion, youth and beauty, were
assembled in those prosperous days
of ryore; not only from the fine Id
- 81 aiics Of Ornngeburg, but from
s uinter and Clarendon came many
representatives of faristocratic society,
and even regions more remote sent
numerous happy hearts cover the
river" to pa ticipate in the delights
of those social gatherings. But, all,
me! "it ain't like it used to be-" and
we must be content to merely imi-
tate those unte.bcil"m:scc
The place selected for our picnic,
is eminently adapted for such pur-
poses, rs oversadowing oaks of great
size and beauty efftctually vanish
the heat Of day, inviting roads walled
with green, entice the idle strollers
to follow the windings of the river
and penetrate the hooks and glens of
the deep old forest, while very
picturesque appearance is presented
at an ancient mill-seat where n
solemn silence broods over the tall
trees robed in their drapcry Of Ion 6
gray moss, undisturbs'i by the low
continuous murmer beneath where
| "The blue waters rise and fall
| In sleepy sunshine mantling all"
as they gurgle down the broken
declivity. A steep embankmcnt
obstructs the view of the river, but
on descending to the base ofthis
bluff, an imposing scene is presented
The river makes several graceful
curves;-the sky, the green ban ks,
the silent flow, the broad expanse,
and the historic associations dear to
every child Of Carolina's S il,-noth-
ing is wanting but the dark tint of
the Edisto to make it perle' tly en-
chanting; unfortunately, though, for
the harmony of thought aud scene
the remark Of a disappointed touris
is applicable here, it being true of
this stream rs he affirmed in more
expressive than elegant phraseology,
of "the beautiful blue Danube, that
it is n dirty, yellow, muddy fraud"
l beg your pardon for descending to
this anti.climan, but the association
Of ideas is as ungovernable with me,
as little boys appetites at picnics.
That suggests another idea. When
writing Edisto, thought of the past,
the Crsngeburg TIMES, News, Tar.
Payer, and all papers that ever wore
that prefix, and I did wish most
heartily that some Of you would find
q new name for your rapers. One
designated thus has been sufficient to
proclaim the right of our County seat