The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-12-01
"The Old Times in the South.

In various parts of Louisiana [
found many people who had lived
on some of the great plantations
before the war, and heard their ac-
counts OF the peculiar life Of the in
habltants OF some of these regions
in the interior of the state. The
planters had considerable wealth,
for that time, and they and their
families lived life of elegant. re-
fined leisure" with little business
or care except pleasure and happi-
ness. All supplies for the plantations
came from New Orleans merchants.
Once a year the young ladies had
bonnets, and sometimes gowns,
from Paris. Visits and paroles and
balls were the events of life. The
young people had good education;
many of them were sem to northern
schools, but the south had good
schools and colleges in those days. 1
do not doubt that it seemed to the
people living in a pure and innocent
life happy and wholesome, and so
natural and stable that it was likely
to go on forever.
eve did not know it was wrong"
said an accomplished woman to ms.
Ione day. "NO one had ever told us
it was all wrong, OF that we were
going on gayly toward an awful
destruction. We knew no world
but our own. We thought we were
very happy, aid we meant to be
good. We were much attached to
our people,-the negroes, [ mean
and they were happy, too, then. We
heard sometimes of low, miserable
Wretches who abused their negroes,
and how we despised themp
"Would you rather have it all
back, that old time and that beauti-
full life, if you could ," [ asked.
ooh, no; think it is just like one
of the great changes, revolutions,
that we read about in history. It
all had to be, should think, and so
it must be there is a Providence in
it; it must be for the best, in some
way"
After pause, she went on: 81
disposed of the war in that way,you
see, and then l could be reconciled
to it. We had our losses, too. My
only brother,-there is his portrait"
and she pointed to leslie likeness
of handsome, boyish-looking young
fellow in an officers uniform,-"he
died in prison, at Elmira,
New York. We were up there
afterward, but we could not find his
grave. Excuse me-" she said,as her
voice broke a little, 81 did not
blame anybody about the war; did
not hate anybody for it [ thought
| understood the war-well, in 9
way. You know, perhaps, what ]
mean. 1t was too large, too awful
a thing to hate anybody for"
"Now," said she, f'you were on the
other side, and | am talking to you
almost as ii you were on ours, or as
if the war were away back in his
| tory" 1 bowed, and she immedi
ately resumed: But what happened
after the war-some of It'll coulC
not understand. [ did not know
where to put iU,or how to classify it
1t seemed like something which
could not be, and yet was. Dit
you-did the north-Wish us''-an(
she became pale with agitation
did the north wish us to regar(
black men as we regard white men
} as our companions and friends 2"
: mo, my dear madam; [ assure
you, we never wished that.
She looked at me keenly, with
troubled expression on her face, ant
exclaimed, but let US not talk o
tthat!'
This lady is the wife of meT
chant in one of the smaller town
on Bayou Teche. The plantation
which was her. home before the wa
is but four miles away, We rod
out and looked over it. 1t ha
passed out of the possession of tn
t family, and was owned by youn
man from Pennsylvania, who ha
erected a smart, nOrthern-lookin
frame house, with narrow veranda
"a mistake in that climate. He an
his wife received US cordially, but,
thought, with a little embarras
\ ment. AS we drove ava
from the house, the southern lad
my hostess in the village
said, 81 wished you to see the plac,
g l do not like to come here, becaus
= that young man and his. wife al
! sorry for me, l think. 1t W;
;. awkward at first, and one day IL
i woman cried, and said she felt {
o if l ought to be the lady of tt
g house. But 1 laughed at her, an
S told her not to feel so, as did NJ
grudge her the place"
The two families 60 to the san
church. and both the women al
: interested in regard to the mora
of the young negroes around then
/ thought this a good instance Of
practical kind of reconstruction.
December atlantic.
PRFNTATTRE GRAYNFgS aVOid(