The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-11-25
NO.9.
WOMEN IN THE WAR.
How They Met Their Trials and Difficulties In
Times of AdYersItY. ---L--

How They Met Their Trials and Difficulties In
Times of Adversely. >..rf ~
Southern women are always interested
Ill any incidents connected with the late
war; they arc proud of every sacrifice
they were ever called upon to make, and
would willingly have borne ten times
more had it been necessary. The Phila-
delphla lines has two exceedingly pleas
ant correspondents, both Southern wo-
men, and both portray yividly many
scenes and incidents familiar to our
readers. One, lady who was teaching
school in Alabama, tells of tho originate
ty OF our women when necessity was the
law; 1t brings back the old times aud old
times and old scenes; she speaks among
other things of the substitutes used for
tea and coffee, and says: sI was perhaps
most difficult of all to find good sub
stitutc for coffee, which was twenty-five
to thirty dollars per pound, and very few
had 1t or could get it at that price. Some
planted large patches Of okra, the seed
OF which when parchcd was often mis-
taKon for pure coffee. Yam potatoes,
peeled, sliced thin, cut i'll small bits,
dried perfectly and then Drowned, were
thought by somo to be botter than
Drowned okra seeds. Drowned wheat
and burnt corn mado IL pussablo bever-
age, For tea raspberry leaves did very
nicely: Many planted the raspberry
Vlno oil around the garden fence, so as
to gather tea when wanted" Then she
goes Oh to tell how We managed in To-
gard to light: cas- neither candles nor
Kerosene oil could bo had VIC fell back
ON moulding candles, which had long
lain obsolete. In lieu Of kerosene, the
oil of cotton seed, groundpca oil and the
oil of compressed lard served well the
need of the times, When there was no
oil for the lamps or tallow for the can
dies, which at times befell, mother wit
would suggest some expedient. [ re-
member one evening at q neighbours
house being pleasingly diverted on en-
tcung the dining room Mt the improvised
lamp for the evening. 1t was simply
the round globes of the Sweet gum
tree, placed i'll shallow vessel of oil.
The globes, becoming thoroughly satu-
rated with the oil, gave fairy-like light,
beautiful to behold" Next she speaks
of the ingenuity VIC exercised in regard
to our fancy articles, and how proud We
were of our homespun dresses; she saws:
"We soon learned to make fans of the
wing feathers Of the geese When tho
feathers were mature we would pluck
them, being very careful in pluclSing to
string the feathers one by one as they
were taken out. All the right wing
feathers were placed on one string and
the lett wing feathers on another string,
so that when we arranged the feathers
Tor making the fan each feather could
be placed III its proper place and would
have the fitting curve. We soon be-
came quite skilled in the art of making
fans. Besides these for home use we
made and sold i'll the city of Eufaula
many fans for as much as $40 and $l5
apiece. l made one for my mother of
the dark olive green feathers of tho pea.
fowl. The handle | covered with pieco
OF dark green silk velvet On either
side where / had joined the handle and
feathers L placed IL roscttc mado of the
small green and blue variegatcd feathers
that adorn the neck and breast of the
pcafowl
FOUR HOMEMADE DRESSES,
We lad all joined hands in the task of
making the slaves winter suits and after
we had them finished Mrs G.. promised
us each homespun dress. We set
about the task Of making these last and
III few weeks had our dresses ready TO
wear We had to begin at the founda-
ton and had hard work getting through
1t, but we succeeded splcndidly. A
nclghbor made herself au elegant dress,
the material being an old, worn, black
silk dress and lint cotton. The silk was
lnvclcd up, thcn mixed with tho fine
white cotton and cardcd all together till
thoroughly blended. When spun and
woven ii formed beautiful texture of
gray, soft and silllish to the touch. The
best Of the worn silk wus put by for
cordlnG and covering the buttors made
Of pastcbonrd, and otherwise trimming
tho dress. We soon found uso for ali
the worn mcrinos, caSsimcres and silks.
When ravclcd up, corded aud spun
gloves and capcs were knit of them"
And SO on through u long list Of how
Southern people managed domestic
affairs. The other writer, Virginia
lady, brightcns up the dark days OF 'Gl
by amusing incidents, showing that
every cloud ir"s its silver lining. And
not only that, but that our Southern
women were brave, cheerful and willing
to endure, even unto the bitter end.