The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-01-25
Notes from Nashville.

To the Editor Of the ENTERPRISE.
Christmas is the great day of the year in
the South. There is a lavish expenditure
of powder, firecrackers, torpedos and Ro-
man candles, reminding Northerner' of
the Fourth of July. The colored people
are jubilant and give themselves up to a
solid week of pleasure. 1t seems to mat
ter little if the supply of coal and bacon
runs low; you can see by their glistening
eyes and teeth and merry voices that they
are bent on being gay and happy still''-
at least while the holidays last. They are
apparently the hsppiest people we meet;
being entirely untrammeled by the con-
ventionalities Of society, they can dress
and act as they please, and so long as they
have enough provisions for the next meal
and keep out of the lookup they are all
right.
One New Years morning we found that
the weather, which had been 50 balmy all
the season, had at last covered the ground
with snow; but 1t seemed Immediately to
have repented, for it began to rain, and
has rained ever since, with only now and
then a few hours intermission.
The Cumberland River has assumed
dangerous proportions, overfowing its
banks, causing great suffering and destruc
before in over thirty years. The lower
portions of the city are submerged, and
over five hundred families have been com.
PEELED to abandon their homes; many Of
these are suffering for want of comfortable
shelter and food. Many Of the streets are
traversed in skiffs and canoes. OF some
cottages nothing can be seen except the
comb of the roofs. Market street, the sec
ond up from the river, is ten feet under
water. Yesterday steamboat came puff
ing up Broad Street to find landing.
Miss Frances E. Willard visited the
city, recently, and lectured to a small but
appreciative audience. There is an organ
ization of the Woman's Christian Temper
snce Union here, composed of q few
Jealous, devoted women. They are now
endeavoring to establish q coffee house
where young men may find a safe resort
The public sentiment on the subject of in
temperance is far behind that of the North
1t is rarely denounced by pulpit or press.
The evangelist Rev. E. p. Hammond
has been holding meetings in the city fol
the past three weeks, with apparently Lit
tie success The congregations have, mos
of the time, been small. The people here
do not readily fall in with his methods o.
working.
Bishop Peck has been spending several
days in the city, and on the 18th gave -his
lecture on Science and the Spirit World,
for the benefit of Spruce Street NJ. E
Church. It was an intellectual treat an6
financial help. He preached three times
on the following Sabbath, with his usua
power. His visit was great help to the
cause. The Southern Methodists are quite
strong here, having eight churches and {
number of missions. The "Northern
Methodists, as they are called, have but
one church. Their society is composed
largely of Northern people. There are
some, however, who were brought up in
the South, who were during the war loya
to the Church and the Government. They
own valuable property upon which thers
is some indebtedness, but the membership
are taking hold of the work with faith ant
determination to succeed in clearing the
debt and in making some improvements
They are also abundant in spiritual labor
lin visiting and relieving the sick ant
the poor.
The bitterness and ostracism which
Northern people formerly met is gradually
melting away and a more fraternal spiri
prevails. A late Southern paper says I
"good, respectable class of Northern peo
pie, who come here TO become citizens
are cordially welcomed" Carpetbaggers
politicians, and scapegoats generally, arr
not wanted. A. II. r.