Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-17

splinters, used for so long. CITY,
made chairs, tables. bedsteads, etc, fill
The place of the old homemade before
the war truck" Rural magazines and ag-
ricultural papers can be seen in their
homes, and children now read and intelli-
gently discuss the news of the day for and
to parents, who never enjoyed the privilege
Of reading for themselves There is also a
mere general desire to diversity the crops,
and to plant gardens and fruit trees. The
churches baptist or Methodist) are of
frame. and chairs or easy backed wooden
benches now take the place once occupied
by couple of short blocks with a pole on
top to sit upon. 1t seems that to get re-
ligion in one of those old backwoods
churches should entitle enc to rank as
saint in the calendar of the churches. To
sit for hours on such seats, to kneel on the
uneven floor, and, when the religion was a
certainty. to be taken out in the woods and
baptized in pond almost alive with young
alligators and water moccasins, was press
ing endurance to the very further edge
Some of these new churches are painted
and say this, with all caution, that have
heard of one on Big He'll Hole Swamp that
has an organ. True, no one there can play
it, but it got there all the same.
Land that could be purchased ten years
ago for 80 cents an acre, to be paid for at
almost any time, is now hard to get for S.
or Sc per acre cash, for the lumber alone
upon it is worth that much.
WHAT THEY FOUGHT FOR.
Upon recent visit, was shocked to find
sawmill in full blast, run by an EXON
federate Major and Yank, upon the site of
many a happy days deer and turkey hunt
that l have enjoyed. A large number of
the people know of and appreciate these
changes in their condition, and very often
acknowledge the obligation they consider
themselves under to the war for having
brought this change about.
Less than three years ago, while in con-
versation with man of this class, an old
overseer, and very hard working man, |
said to him: Mr.. s., what did you
fight for, any way2" He hesitated a mo-
ment. then looked round at his garden and
his house, and his girls on the porch, read
ing and sewing, and, doubtless, comparing
their lot with his and their mothers, when
young, he replied: a did not know at the
time, but have often thought" and touch
ing his new house with his hand and nod
ding, he concluded, :" it must have been for
this, after ALL" Within ten yards from
where we were standing was his old home,
a pole house, with an earthen floor, con-
tanning one room, in size about 10 by II
feet, and in which he and his wife and five
girls had lived until after the war. The
between the old shanty and the
new house of five rooms. nice garden,
and everything lovely and smiling, struck
even him, and spoke volumes of the old
past, that happily for the white, as well as
the black man. could never return again.
GOLDEN DAYS OF THE SLAVE LORDS.
OF the slave owners have little to say.
If they did not enjoy life it was their own
fault. They had. or could command,
plenty of money, and they did come as
near enjoying life as any people l ever saw.
Their hospitality and generosity was, and
is still. great, provided that you came
known or well recommended. Small hos
pitality any one received, that did not
come in that way. To their friends, how
ever, they knew no limit their purse.
house, dogs, guns and negroes were at your
disposal, always provided that you did not
trench upon one cherished idea-the right
to own and hold human beings as chattels.
They heartily despised peddlers. Yankee
school teachers, and, as a rule. Irishmen.
but were we'll disposed towards the English
or Frenchmen. They always spoke with
evident pleasure of state of society where
q was iCCOEiiiLCQ
AS class, they treated their negroes well
better great deal than they did the poor
whites or poor emigrants but a well-e
Gated man THAT is, of gcntlemanly deport-
ment and instincts), though poor, could be
sure of a warm welcome among them at
any time. Nothing in life is more absurd
or more exaggerated than the popular idea
of Southern planter. For the benefit of
the uninformed, l would state that they
only wore top boots when hunting or rid
ing they did not carry cowhide whips, nor
were they usually followed by blood
hounds; in their conversation to their
slaves, as class they were uniformly kind
and gentle, if the niger was of any ac-
count. Thousands of old slaves to-day,
all over the country, revere the memory of
" old massa and miss" spoke 10 one old
man in Los Angeles. who wept tears of Joy
when told him had seen his old owners,
and that they were well and doing well,
and would like to see him.
REVOLUTION IN SOCIETY.
The state of society in the South has IN
dergone the greatest revolution imaginable.
% Before the war'-to use this much hack
neyed Southern expression-the planters
. had no use" for the poor whites. All
their work was done by slaves, and the
only white man wanted around was the
overseer. In many districts the aristocracy
formed communities for visiting, built
churches, paid special preachers, and were,
to all intents and purposes, as exclusive as
the most so of European my lords" They
fenced in large tracts of lands as parks "a Ia
in which they carefully preserved
deer, turkey, quail, partridges, etc, and the
poor piney woods white man was as rigor-
nod he Los,
Of, and was of less consideration TO the
planter than the meanest negro on the
plantation
The poor class of whites entered the
army from various causes. Some few of
the more fortunate had small interest in
owned man and his
family. They were the aristOcrats of this
poorer class. More went into the army
from excitement, aud because they had
been taught at the musters and elections,
and also by their preachers, sometimes. to
hate g Yank." Small blame to them for
that for of all the meanest specimens of
humanity that used to drift down South
before the war, the class designated lin
error) as "Yank," was the meanest; ex-
cept, probably the carpet Dagger of which
more, perhaps, hereafter.
SOME OF THE NORTHERN MUD sILLs.
These so-called Yankees were composed
of the following classes: First-Men hail
ing from down East and employed as run
ners or overseers on large plantations
round docks, etc. These men were gener-
ally reserved on their own affairs, and I'M
duly inquisitive into the affairs of others
They were the direct antipodes of the
Southern white man. They were little,
narrow minded, mean, parsimonious and
inhospitable, and did not try to conceal
their contempt of the country and every
thing in it. These men were the hardest
overseers and slave handlers in the South,
and we're dreaded by the negroes worse
than anything on earth-except a negro
overseer. Many people will call to mind a
man or two of this class; they had not their
on earth, except perhaps a
mate or Captain of dowa-East coaster.
with soul as small as q breeze in the dol
drums.
Another class Ga small one 1t is truel.
with many noble exceptions-the Yankee
school teacher-he generally traded with
and being ostracized by the whites, fratern-
lied and traded with the negroes, and one Ia
was run out of Charleston county.
South Carolina. for purchasing. among
other things, 3 set of jewelry stoles by a
negro house servant.
The last and worst class still hourishes
aud grows fat at the South. When all else
here gets thin aud starves, he grows atand
rich. l speak of the
GERMAN AND POLISH JEW PEDDLEgs
And storekeepers, who establish thea
selves at some cross road or boat landing,