The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-10-03

see that whatever dement's the more
careless life was responsible for, it at
least for the time beng made up con-
dition of things favorable in high de-
gree to careless enjoyment and the re-
sulting cheerfulness most men are apt
to desire.
And as for that class of the communi-
ty, the poor Whites" another large ell
ement in the makeup of all Southern
communicable matter how favored
these latter were as whole with the
large estates and resultant large in
comes, the poor whites even were apt
to be as far removed from real want as
possible. He must have been pitiably
poor, of that class, who didn't have some
hogs and cattle out in the range" run
ming at large in mild climate and on
land that cost him nothing whatever,
either for fencing or taxes. And when
friend of mine down there, one Christ
mas, whose heart had been stirred by
stories of distress and starvation in the
cities, began TO cast about for some
poor neighbors to donate something to
to make their hearts glad through the
Christmas holidays, none could be
thought Of but one family anywhere
near, and that one it was certain, if ap-
preached on the subject, would have
taken it as an INSULT And, although
they lived in cabin so open and rick
ETY. that, as o neighbor reported, "seven
dogs, as he called there one day, each
went out at different hole;" still, the
people had at least abundant to eat al
ways, and it seemed, and was, their own
fault if their house was not in better
condition.
Another feature in Southern life,
bearing on the question of hospitality,
which went far to cause strangers to be
made welcome there, and literally en-
tertained, at least those of evident in
telligence, was found In the isolated
life-so far as the outer great world was
in the case-led by many of the planters
and their families. Under these cir
cumstances it seemed only, and was in
reality, fair exchange made between
the host and his visitor, when the one
could give him news of all that had
transpired and was going on In the
great centers of intelligence, the other
could entertain him with the substan-
tials meantime. While it may look from
the standpoint of communities well
supplied with intelligence, but poorly
with the means OF living, as the ex-
treme of hospitality" to entertain
freely a stranger for the night, or
longer, it was only in reality making a
fair offset, the one for the other; both
finding their pleasure and profit in
such an exchange, to say nothing of the
question of pride on the part of the
host in refusing compensation.
Of course, 1t must be remembered, in
glancing at the means at command by
the rural population of the South for
only once in awhile, at long intervals
perhaps, would an opera troupe come
within Mailing distance of even the
wealthiest planting communities; so
that, perforce, if enjoyments were to
be obtained by aggregating the means
at command, these must be less formal
and precise than those in vogue in the
great cities where. with unlimited num-
bers TO draw upon, certain circles insist
on being "very select" But the South
ern gatherings certainly made up in
warmth, in graceful merriment and
pleasant abandon, what they lacked in
exclusiveness and the stiff and formal
proprieties; and this largely because
each individual in almost all cases was
known as nejghbor and friend, and was
received and treated accordingly And
although, again, most of the inland
cities were what might be termed "pro-
vincial," in their society gatherings,
those most in vogue being dancing par
ties, no part of the Union could display
more real elegance, more of what might
be termed high-bred refinement and
courtesy, than was always present on
these occasions.
l have thought proper to say this
much in regard to this phase of society
in the lowlands, because already have
dealt so freely with those SIMPLER ele-
ments of enjoyment found In the
mountain districts; insisting, at the
same time, that to an appreciative dis
position, to one capable of finding en-
joyment under most phases in which
life presents itself, there was very little
to cavil at in either instance, how much
soever there might have been in some
aspects of the case to be amused with.
These comparisons, too, might for the
South be extended almost indefinitely.
If the inland States with which have
been dealing presented within the same
boundary lines such very diverse popu-
lations as those of the mountains and
lowlands, the States on the coast, such
as the Carolinas and Georgia, had their
"sand-hillers," the people of the "piney
woods or tar region, to exhibit in
wide contrast to the wealthy rice and
cotton-planters of the same common
wealths. While, as almost every one
knows, it was hard to find anywhere
within the bounds of the nationality
men of more education and travelled in
telligence than the latter, many of them
spending successive years abroad along
with their families; the sand-hillers,"
on the other hand, presented phases of
life, of poverty, of almost total igno-
rance and simplicity, such as seems
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