, 1879-05-22
SOUTHERN SOCIETY.

Tho War wrought wonderful trnusforma.
tions In Southern society. It mntlo mnny Of
tho First Families poor. Wo nre apt to forget
how much OF tile wealth of tho South, before
the War, was in slaves. It is common to
hear wh1to meu In Mississippi or Georgia
say "Before Gen. CHANT Tor Con. SuENMaN)
marched by here was worth "-S100, ,000,
S2oe,o0o, or $500, 1000, as tho case may be.
After tho Union forces Ind passed, those
mon were worth nothing. Thoir slnvos, tho
only visible signs Of their wealth, 1oa, and
obtained protection In the Union catnps.
Alcmbers Of tho First Families, thus reduced
to poverty, had to find other nouns of got
ting livelihood than dependence upon savo-
lAbor. Somo OF them wero able to maintain
show of atllucnco by disposing of part OF
their lau1od cstatos md oultivating tho ro-
mainder. Others woro dispersed In varions
mercantile pursuits. Some obtained scanty
subsistence by taking situations as agents
nnd oycrsoers. hInny becamo clerks in
Blores.
Tho anuihilation Of Southern wealth did
not, however, carry with it tho destruction
OF tho olannish aud exclusive social spirit.
Tho Shareholders Oasto has been maintained
rs joalouBly Binco the War as before. Tho
inquiry In regard to an outside canditlate for
admission to tho bost society is not very
rigid If he DO truly gentleman and n man
Of somo position ut home. But thero is no
inquiry at nil in regard to Southern person
who can provo his descent from ono Of tho
old families. It ,nakosuo difference whethor
his aducntion Ia imperfect or otherwise,
whether his habits nre good or bnd he is
admitted ut once on tho gcoro of 6oryico to
tho State Tho moro act Of bolng born hcir
to number of blacks is ostcosncd Il pnss-
port to every drawing-room. Northern birth,
oshor things being equal, is against ma,,.
Proof is Required to remove the presumption
OF ill-breeding or mnloyolont Intentions.
This proof may be furnished by a Northerner
who permanently tRkes up Ills residence in
tho South by ha regularly voting tho DEM
ocratic ttckot But thcro Is no other why ot
satisfying tho fcolug wllicl, IL commonly
entertained in tho South ngaiust "in.
tr,,lors."
Emancipation brought tho negroes into
now roiatious with Southern society. Tho
Constitutional Amendments accorded to tho
nagroea political equality. The whitoa ro-
sistcl this, at first openly, then secretly,
OF lato they havo beon reluctantly inclined
10 admit 1t. hut ono traco of the old system
thoy TO cling to. They abhor tho doctrine
Of social equality NJ between whites mud
blacks. Tho latter aro still denied admission
to tho theatres a1ltl flrst-class passage In tho
cars or steamboats,. III Virginla few days
siAco wo Ind Ill illustration of the horror
with which intormarriago between tho two
races is atiil regarded by Southern whitea.
Tho two victims of this social rago still
lang,t!al. in Jail, mud their imprisonment is
justified by nearly NIL tho wlito man at tho
South, whilo wo Mt tho North, only question.
Ing tho tasto Of tho proceeding, admit thu
full liberty Of whites and b!acks to marry
whom they please, The Southern blacks aro
no moro accounted soo1al eq,lals now
thnn thoy wero In tho alavo days. The
change III tl,is respect is naturally slow. It
lsas not beon helped, but rather impodca, by
the Obvious taos that many Of tho negroeg
aro superior III intelligence and morals nua
greater possessions than many Of the whites.
Tho stronger tho clalm to social equality is,
tho moro hotly It ,s resisted.
The transformation Of tho faco Of society
in tho South Inns struck at tho very root OF
tho code. In tho old tlnys 1t WINS oasy to
determine who were amenallo to tho codo
mud who not hut IL Is not always possible
now to draw the lines strictly. 4 Southern
gentleman who Inns been offended and who
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