Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-05
garden CITY OF THE SOUTH"
A Boom for ThOmasviue from Away
Down East"

Down East"
After travelling hundreds Of miles OF
barren pine lands, interspersed with
swamps, and relieved by broad fields OF
cotton ana rice, the tourist reaches the
uplands of southern Georgia, where
Thomasville, 'the Garden City of the
SOUTH" offers Its warm embrace TO the
shivering Northerner. Here, not long
ago. says correspondent of the Boston
Gtobe, we alighted from the train and
were quickly surrounded by noisy
group OF "colOred brethren" dressed in
motley habilaments conspicuous for
brass buttons, vociferating the merits or
the respective houses they represented.
Such an exhibition of local living power
was surely encouraging to the newly-ar-
rived health seeker, ana cheered by this
thought we were driven briskly up the
Mill TO where the Mitchell house, with its
massive rectangular structures OF brick
and mortar, its towers and spires, looks
down upon it's surroundings like ieudal
castle.
Here is the centre of the town which TO-
day presents a scene of unwOnted actlYl-
ty. 1t is market-day, and from far ana
near are gathered both the white and sa-
ble-hued denizens OF the backwOOds and
town--a Variegated throng. Hawkers OF
poultry and game, penny-peddlers OF
fruits and peanuts, and vendors Of all
sorts of small ware enliven the air with
their cries, while "a hand-OrRan and mon
key prove an immense diversion to a crowd
OF excited youngsters. The number and
variety OF vehicles to be seen is some
thing astonishing-evidently there Is no
one so poor but aspires to conveyance
Of some sort. Donkeys and mules and all
intermediate grades of animal up TO the
horse sstand by with their proVerbial
stolidity, some hitched to long, rambling
wagons, some to dilapIdated gigs, and
some to rickety carts. Oxen and steers
even cows-had been pressed into ser
vice, yOked to twO-wneeled carts, ana
wheels without the carts, when the own
ers, generally an aged negro and his
spouse, were perched upon the axle, like
crows upon a branch. But what we should
have certainly mistaken tor an exhibition
of burlesQue, if il had not been for the dig
nifty OF the driver, a cOlored patriarch OF
ancient habit, was native "spiked team"
made up of mule and oX--incongruOus
uni0n-and driven tandem style. such
were some of the elements of this weekly
congress for trade and pleasure. Now and
then a horseman pushed recklessly
through the crowd, scattering the loung-
ers.
"Sit up dare, mule" cried one driver,
cracking his whip, and we, too, soon had
a way forced through the Jhrong and were
landed at the door OF our hotel, where we
were willing TO exchange the novelties OF
the scenes without Tor the iuXuries speed
| lily furnished us within.
Thomasville is more fortunate than
most of it's Southern neighbOrs. Situated
far from the sea-cOast, its dry atmOs~
| phere, laden with the balsamic eXhala-
tiOns OF the pine, its equable temperature
and quaint attractiVeness, have brought
to itself health and pleasure-seekers in
| yearly increasing numbers, until the old
town stands beautited, enlarged and
prosperous. The general air Of dllapida-
ton and decay, which peryades many a
Southern locality, has here disappeared,
without the loss of any native charm of
scene, and in its place have sprung up
| picturesque private residences and mag
nifcent hotels. But the old Southern
manor house, with its low, slOping roof
and wide-spreading verandas, and the ne
| gro cabin, familiar to us in story, have re-
NAMED just the same. The latter, though
far from an object of pleasure to Southern
| eyes, is a neVer-failing source of interest
and amusement TO Northern ones, for
| here dwell the "SimOn-pure" negro and
his brood.
To Judge from its appearance on sun
nv day, this is certainly not castle Of
Incidence. Lined before it's lOwly portal
stand we'll worn wash-tubs, and every fe-
male member of the household capable of
bearing sudS is pressed into the service
which goes on merrily to the l0ud-sound-
| ing strains Of negro melody. The half
naked youngsters roll cOntentedly in the
I surrounding mud, but the lord ana mas
ter Of the domain is absent. Far be it
| from his dignity TO be present upon such
occasions, but having selected some warm
corner at distance, he Gloves to lie a
basking in the sum-" or il fortunately in
possession of some decent earnings from
his family's industry, disports himself
upon the main street with a cigar. In
! such a manner has this victim of former
oppression become the oppressor Of sec
tiOnal industry by an idleness from which
he can only be aroused by the veriest
want and hunger.