Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-04-13

NORTH AND SOUTH BEFORE AND AFTER
THE WAR:-In those days there were no bloat-
ed bondholders. We had not even risen tothe
dignity of the insurance agent. Capital was
really timid, and for the most part, was repre-
sented in the South, as far as the East was
the vender of lightning rods. These, who
made themselves familiar with Southern thor
oughfares only, were impressed by the man
ners Of our staggering hero; they stoed
abashed before his bullying ;they were amused
by his vulgarity being for the most part un-
versed in the ways Of the world, except that Of
trade, they were bound to fall into mistakes.
Not unnaturally, therefore, they mistook the
Southern swashbuckler for the Southern gen.
tleman and carried home daguerreotype of
Southern life taken from their adventures
which as we may conjecture, were rarely OF
the incest. The South on it's part got it's view
of the North from the wandering middlemen
who were best known to it and thus amutual
misconception sprang into existence-taklng
it's ideas and examples, not from the better
classes of society but from the worst. The
truth is, that behind these people, the good
people Of the North and South lived, moved
and had their being ; in the one section, rely
ing upon personal thrift and industry to build
up fortunes in the other section, victims to
ClICuilloGdllCCc ldVuCl CAdA uOoiSA, oNSoAAAoAe1
ting debts as they accumulated slaves. l am
sure that am not mistaken in this; and in
deed, events are verifying it. After years OF
contention and war, the obstructive forces are
passing, away, and what do we see Why, in
the South looking northward we see race,
kindred to ourselves, a little less ELUSIVE, but
hardly less genial, already disciplined and
equipped to struggle against the Withstand the
waves. In the North, looking southwark, the
philosophic observer sees, not huddle OF lazy
barbarians, composed in large part of murder
ers and gamblers, but great body Of Chris
tian men and women, who have had hard
struggle with fate and fortune, but who have
stood against the elements with a fortitude
that contradicts the characteristics formerly
imputed to them !; he sees the master OF yester-
day the toiler Of to-day he sees the mistress
of the mansion, still a gentlewoman IN the
truest sense, striving and saving, patching,
piecing and pinching to make both ends meet ;
he sees, in short, people, born to the luxury
of rich soil and a warm climate, anu Injured
to nothing except the privations OF disastrous
war and unexpected poverty, throwing them
selves bravely into the exigencies Of real life
nowhere indolent and idle; no where demor-
allied everywhere cheerful, active and sober.
1t is not of these, however, that l shall
speak in these pages. The hOmely story OF
their ups and downs will pass into the humor
of the future. I wish to introduce here low
er order to talk the comicalities and whimsi-
calities Of Southern life, embodied in the ex-
ploits of the ''howling racoon Of the noun
tains" and the musings of the epic hero who,
describing himself, said II am fighter from
Bitter Creek I'm wolf and this is my night
to howl. I've three rows of front teeth, and
nary tooth alike. The folks on Bitter Greek
are Tad the higher up you 60 the wuss they
are and Pm from the head,oaters." This type
is the offspring of class, and as humor itself
springs from the neither side of nature he must
needs play considerable part in the veracious
chronicle Of Southern life.-THe Century for
April.