The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-07-10
MOVING TO TOWN.
Plunkett Talks About the DiSpo-
sition to Leave the Country.
The tenants" of the Country are Doing Bet
ter than the Mechanics of the Cities.
For The Constitution.

PIunket as he leaned his chair back and threw
his feet on the banisters.
"Thar's hardly day passes" continued the
Old man, "but what l see movers pass erlong
the big road going to Atlanta.
This is all wrong, for if u man what is
brought up in the country can't stay there,
| thar's no use in his going to Atlanta to better
himself, for he can't do it.
GIVE seed too much of it, and I know how
| it is. L remember just erbout two years ago
| thar come er fellow erlong and camped yonder
| by the spring. He was plum carried away
with getting to Atlanta. He had good yoke
of steers, two good cows, erbout eight-five dol
lars in his pockets and four likely country
girls besides his old oman. went down after
supper and sit and talked with en- for some
time.
"The gals were plum carried away with get
ting to where they could earn their own living
er working in the factories and SIGH like, and l
soon found out thar was no use in talking to
them or their nanny Their nanny lowed
| she was tiard er seeing her daughters
| slaves to the corn field, and she
got to .>Atlanta they'd make money so
| fast that all four of 'em would be err having
nothing to do but to dress and promenade err
| round So turned my talk to the old man,
| who seemed to be sensible and substantial,
| and lowed:
"Stranger, you've always had err plenty to
eat and clothes to wear, han't you"'
eyes"
"You'd better, turn right Ground in tn
morning and go back
well, we can't 'cumulate nothing, and the
gals han't satisfied, and the old oman thinks
we can do better, and if l was to say anything
they'd think was trying to keep 'em back,
and so I've sold out what had, and L think
Wen soon make money enough to go back and
| farm right, leastwise, hope So"
stranger" said I, "you don't know what
you're doing. These are pretty girls and
the wagon is all light, and the cows s
| are good mixers; you've got some money and
you'd better take the back track, for Atlanta
nor no other city won't bring back the tran
| quill peace that you've left behind, and you
may take my word for It,"
"We'll make money!" said the old oman.
| "Other folks do well in the city, and l know
| my daughters are smart, and they'll work, and
| after we get enough to farm right won't
mind it; but this way of working and giving
| er big part for rent and buying guano and SIGH;
we can't more'n live and we hain't er going to
stand it no longer
/ seed thar was no use in talking to the old
| oman nor the gals-for | could see by their
| looks that they agreed so | turned to the old
man and lowed:
"Chawing the bag is proof of the pud-
ding?"
'Well, you jist go back to your settlement
and you bring me q hundred of the men who
rent land-tenants, as they are called.
"Let 'em form er line out thar in the big
road.
"I'u go to Atlanta and Til pick out one
hundred of the mechanics-skilled worl5men,
who get from two to three and half day
| and I'll bring 'em here and form or line er long
by the side of your enc hundred tenants, and
then Wen take an inventory Of what each line
has got.
'You will find that your settlement renters
have got milk cows and steers and or horse
4
| able most any time to take off er Saturday to
| go to meeting or SIGH like. and when the girls
| sweethearts come to sec 'em on Sunday they
can give 'em some fried chicken and some
| preserves and some blackberry pies or potato
| custard now hain't that so?"
eyes"
"Well." said I, "on the other hand, the
line of men from the ctythe skilled. work
men-wll have no COWS, no steers, no horse,
no pigs, no nothing, but are in debt for their
weeks provisions, and if they were to take
Saturday off to go to church or to picnic
ninety-nine times outen er hundred they'd
make somebody feel disappointed on their next
settlement day."
l seed the old lady was getting hot, so
stopped talking and went homo and left 'em
to discuss me as some old crank who didn't
know what was talking erbout or didn't like
to see the mountain folks do well.
"Two years passed erway, and one hot June
day ! seed a ragged old man and careworn
woman stop at my gate. 1t was the same old
man and the same old oman what have told
you erbout
Come in, said I and make yourself at
home"
"My old 'oman got 'em chairs and arter
they'd took thar seats and got or good drink Of
water l aXed:
"Whar you travelling?"
"'Going back said the old man, as his old
| oman pulled her bonnet over her face and
drapped her eyes on the floor.
ap'c rOt,D
Sold it,
| "Whar's your steers?"
"Sod en-
| "Whar's your coYs?"
"'Sold en-
"Whar's the money!"
| "'Spent.'
"Whar's your four daughters?"
And then came the climax. The old oman
| bursted out TO screaming, and lowed:
"'Runedl Kuinedll Ruinedl!p
II heard the story arter dinner
"The girls went to the city innocent and
virtuous. Now they were ruined, ruined,
| ruined!"
"Thar must be change" continued the old
man after pause.
81 seed it demonstrated during of the war
that our Georgia girls could be iist as sweet in
a homespun dress as in black silk.
"Its the fashions. It's the custom.
"a young couple will marry these days,
and there is n fool sort Of a pride got up
| among tnem that they must DO thus and so,
and they do it if it bursts the boiler.
"Why can't a young couple who earns two
dollars day 90 to church with good jeans for
the man and calico for the woman?
| "'Folks will think thus and so,' is the an
swer, and the young couple will either not go
to church or else they strain themselves be-
| yond their means-or live right up to their
means-so that when misfortune in the way OF
sickness or out Of work comes on, they are
forced to do what should have been done at
the start, and ninety mine times outen er hun
dred there will be something unpleasant out
side Of the mere stress Of want"
Thar Is many girl that would go to At
| lanta and work in some Of their shops and
stores in a mint, that would pout out their
lips and feel like they were insulted if you
were to try to hire them to do the cooking or
homework. That's just notion, and fool
! notion too.
at would be safer TO entrust the morals Of
your girls to the mistresses Of the dwellings
than for them to mingle with the masters Of
| tho shops and the shops surroundings.
"Either one is all right, but If I was er
young man looking for en- wife I'd or heap
! rather take q cook than clerk.
Take young girl ut 10 years old and put
| her in a shop, and what win she know about
.s...e .. f..