The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-05-07
BILL ARP IN TEXAS.
A State tina. VIII Hayo Fifty coprres,n

Ht'h Oh the war path-no--on the
pain OF peace, for I{f1nd peace in Texas.
have now been in Texas seven weeks
aud have not heard a quarrel between
man and man. ! have seen but one man
intoxicated hayeno seen 4 pistol or
o bowie knife, nor asman with horns, nor
an impoiite, uncivilized man. The
1etds Sytings has many rough Joke
anu hard caricature upon Texas, but, /
nave not found the reality yet. The
good manners and civilily and courtesy
OF this people has surprised me. I have
mingled with them on the cars and in
the towns, at their homes, and have to
put on my best behavior to keep up with
tbem. They are free and easy and sin.
cere. They put on no airs, either social
or fashionable, and one family seems to
De as good as another as long as thew
behave we'll. The tricks and nigh cuts
OF trade are not tolerated. Ifa man
takes an unfair advantage of another. il
is resented by the whole community.
and he had just as we'll leave it, for he IN
like bank note dishonored and gone to
protest. If new conner thinks he can
come here and get fat off of unsuspect.
Ing victims, he labors under a delusion
and will soon get left, for these people
are smaIt-vas old Joe 8Bsestock says
they ara ,sefilfslt s1iart..'i Most all OF
these Texans are immigrants-folks who
were bard up at hcme end on q strain
ana SO there Is, or was, common bond
between them the bond of poverty
and 80 they all go to work and stand up
to one another and woe be the man who
seeks TO gain living by trickine them.
The Old settlers who have made money
and gotten rich sympathize with the new
ones who come, and give them welcome
and good advice, provided they come to
work. There is no Eldorado here-no
gold mines lying around loose. Work,
work is the watchword, and work ia re-.
warded. There are but few social dis.
tlnctions. The barber or the livery
stable man, or the carpenter is as good
as anybody as long as he behaves him
self properly. Of course there are cir
cles-social circles-but they are founded
on mental and moral qualities, and not
on occupations. The barber who shaved
mo at Ennis owned the hall leclured in.
The one who shaved me at Bolton was
studying law in his moments of leisure.
and both Of them were recognized as
gentlemen. Everybody seems in good
humor. There is no stiff reserveono
aristocracy. The aristocracy of Texas is
not yet formed. Well, of course there ia
some in city like Dallas or Waco, but
it lives on strain even there, and most
of it is based on shoddy wealth-fortunes
made by lucky speculation. They are
always the biggest fools, the children of
people who were poor and got rich sud.
denly.
These boundless prairies are now beau.
tiful and lovely beyond description.
Dame nature, like q blushing maiden.
has put on her pantaletts and banged her
silken hair aad adorned. her ringlets with
the flowers of Spring and perfumed her
breath with the sweet odors of jessamin
and crabapple blossoms-one can feel
the Spring poetry even though he can
not write it. For some days past I have
been in Eastern Texas where there are
trees and hills and valleys and glades
just like they are in old Georgia. have
been on the border lines-the lines that
divides the cross timber country from the
prairie-the lines that give the traveller
o view of both at once-Hunt County
has such line and man can take his
choice or take both if he is able and be
happy. Twas at Campbell, new viii
lage just q year old. 1t is ten miles
east of Greenville, the County seat, and
is filling up with good, humble, earnest
people who work and mean business.
Their farms are on the prairie, but their
town is in the woods close by. They
have but one church and it belongs to
the whole community, aud is occupied
by any good Christian minister who
comes along. I heard Mr.. Cochran, of
preach there Sunday night
and have not heard such singing in q
long time nor such sermon in ten
years. 1t reminded me of the sermon
that William Writ wrote about, that was
preached in cd Virginia by blind man.
Mr.. Cochran surprised and amazed and
humbled mo with his earnest eloquence.
There is not q saloon nor billiard table
in Campbell, and those people declare
there shall not be one. The little happy
town seems just like one family, and
half of them are from Georgia and
Alabama. There is not man in 1t
worth ten thousand dollars, but they en-.
joy life more than they enjoy money.
They are sociable and they are kind.
They hRyesas iarges school building and
two excellent teachers. had an old
friend there who was named for me in
old Gvinnett, and I stopped to see him
and had good time with his family and
with other friends. When they urged
me to give them q talk at the school
hogss ! could not refuse, and the, whole
town. came but, lnnen, ss7amsn ahd.chI.s
dren. It had to be In the daytime for
was billed for Greenville that night and
30 they closed their stores for an hour,
and everybody came, and the large
school room was filled to overfowing.
It was free show and we all got happy
together 81 loved that Ftuoh toGaDDbelE
and gave It willingly for all it was worth.
Hunt County Ia comparatively newly
settled, for until recently it had no 6rail.
road. But now 1t is coming 70 the front
and rapidly. Greenville is beautiful
town of 1000 inhabitants. When they
speak of population in this country they
do not count the negroes as we do for
there are very few to count. Negroes
are of but very little consequence In
Texas. A Mississippi man said that be-
fore he left Mississippi they were talking
of colonizing the negroes somewhere,
but his idea was to colonize the white
folks In Texas, and let the negroes have
Mississippi free. But this negro problem
will settle itself If we give it time, and
neither George w. Cable nor anybody
else can hurry. it. / used to feel some
concern about It, butI don't now--so let
1t rip. The South ID getting up ont of
the low grounds, andcan and will take
care of herself. / see that Evarts and
Hoar, two old soreheads, have been
abusing us again in public. but we don't
care. Georgia does not care and Texas
"a a p,oooH Tavoa nxss,octa IN haSo fiflv