The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-05-23

and learned to esteem highly in years agone.
About one o'clock that light boarded the
train on the Piedmont Air Line ana glideo
smoothly and rapidly on my Northern triP
4 traveller cannot fail TO notice and admire
the magnificent and elaborately built coach
es on this road. The passengers are not only
comfortably but luxuriousiy prSVlaieu ,tc 1or,
North Carolina and before sunrise on the l6th
we entered the city OF Charlotte.
During that day passed through inc tWo
and saw much that would Interest your read
ers If can command time to write IL out wltn
any degree Of fulness.
A WORD IN BEHALF OF CATHOLIC IMM1'
GRANTS.
In the old North State the small grain crop
is much more promising than at nome, par
ticularly the wheat stalk was taller anu anu TN, .ne
ton factories were seen on the route ana mucn
was said among the passengers ABOUT the
meeting of plaid manufacturers held ieW
days before in Charlotte. There was mucn
talk TOO among them about the recent con
vention al Asheville engineered by MS emil
nence" Cardinal Gibbons of the Romlsn
church. 1 must say frankly that could not
sympathise with much that 1 heard on this
subject. ! don't understand the opposltlon oi
many Of our people to Catholic Immigrants
We need all through the South more popula.
ton; it is only in this way that we can a'd gedi
our lands cultivated, our mines worked ana
all our varied resources developed. VI course
we don't want anarchists and criminals and
tramps but we want people who are willing
to work and If Catholics will do that work /
say let them come to our Southern LAND by
the thousands and the ten thousands. am
not afraid of the votartes OF the rope OF hotne
when they come here to live under our Liberal
institutions Catholics have made good cltl-
Zens in the past and will make them In the
future. They learn very soon 10 thlnR ioi
themselves and will not be blindly lead oy
their priests as they are in Spain and inc
TOT
into good citizens, If they will not be ProsaS:
tants let us train them to vote intelligently
and lead sober industrious lives, even II they
lieve in the Pope of Rome. II we cannot
teach them as much as this and assimiiate
them into our body polite, with all our
preachers and newspapers ana colleses, ~ Il
Certainly very deporable confession ol
weakness. don't believe that the welfare OF
this county is 10 be advanced by prescription,
by excluding either the Chinese or Catholics
from our shores. 1 believe In freedom OF &C.
ton and freedom of thought and the opposite
of this antagonists the spirit of our institu-
tions ard ought not TO be encouraged by the
American people and especially by the people
OF South Carolina.
A GOOD BREAKFAST.
At Danville we got break fast, rather late, Of
ter nine o'clock, but the most fastidious epl.
cure could not have found even the smallest
objection TO it. Ample justice was done 70
that breakfast by set Of very hungry people.
The break fast house Is owned and run Dy the
railroad company, all the table linen tnn anu ex,
enstamped upon 1t the name or the company.
To furnish such q breakfast even at 20 cents
will not swell very largely the dlYldends OF
the company. We had Strawberries, peel
steak, shad, chicken, bananas, oranges, apples
and every thing else that was good in lavish
abundance and plenty OF time TO eat IL all ~
a crowd of people ever did look sood num0reo
and seemed permeated all over and clean
through their true inwardness with pleasure.
able Sensations, it was that company that
stepped out OF the breakfast house AT Dan,
Vile. AS they got out OF the cars they looked
uncomfortable and slightly haggard and some
even wolfishly hungry, but twenty minutes
work at that table wrought Il wonderful trans
formation. There had been many muttered
criticisms not very defout on Inc rallroao
company about the late breakfast, but now
ali that was gone and every thing and every
body seemed full OF blessedness. The truth
is, that the power OF a well filled stomach mas
been greatly neglected oy the pnllos0pners
and perhaps it may be the crowning glory OF
this age, enterprise and mental activity 10
yet an appreciativc view OF that remarkable
organ and bring 1t out to That hlghest seat
from which 1t has all along been excluded.
THE HAPPY NONSENSE OF YOUNG PEOPLE.
At one place about two dozen Of picknickers
came aboard the train; they had spent the
day roaming the woods. gathering flowers,
fishing the streams and talking and listening
to the empty talk which young people so
highly prize. Whatamazed me was that they
were not utterly worn out with their days
work but they talked as glibly and rapidly
and laughed as loudly and showed such hilar-
ity and vivacity and such an exhuberance OIL
fun and frolic that they must have had an CIV.
erflowing spring 10 draw from. wonder II
these people ever have such thing as seri-
GUS solemn thought? Is there ever room for
one such to enter and remain even the short.
est while amid that mass of etiervescing
seethlng nonsense and frivolity? I cannot
answer this question, am afraid If 1t was
correctly answered that my opinion of them
would not be raised much higher than it now
is.
HISTORIC GRoUND-wAR PICTURES.
About noon we came to Lynchburg, with its
great massive hills with their rugged rocky
Sides, located on the James river. We cross
ed many rivers during the day, the Dan, New,
but none are more historic than the James.
As we crossed the river, my Imagination
went down to where Richmond Is seated up
on It's banks and lower down called up the
terrible fghtings between the Union and Con-
federate soldiers during the last (may 1t re-
main forever the lasD war; then l thought OF
the first settlers and Capt. Smith and Poca-
hontas and the Jimsen weed, &c. Then came
Charlottesville. that noted seat of learning,
where so many of our Southern men have
been educated and even many of our own
State. From that place to the Potomac, a re
gion, perhaps, OF hundred and fifty miles In
breadth was indeed historic ground. Over all
this region war did Its horrid work of destroy
ing property, numbering men and multiply.
ing widows and orphans. Scarcely tree or
fence rail was left, hardly horse or COW re-
manned, the land was wasted and became n
desert. That's an ugly picture TO call up from
the past. 1 reckon there is not square rod OF
earth along the line Of this railroad that has
not been dyed with soldiers blood not q
house that was not despoiled OF some OF It's
inmates.
THE BLESSINGS OF PEACE-PRosPERoUs PEo-
PIE.
But within these more than twenty
years just past great and blessed change has
been brought about. This devastated region
in the hands Of q thrifty people has become
joice and blossom as the rose. The whole
country on either side of the road Is settled
with beautiful farm houses, all painted, and
many OF them specimens OF architectural
beauty. Fields of clover and timothy abound,
many fine cattle are seen grazing. saw no
Jerseys, only Devons and Holsteins, and not
a COW among them all that would have CIV
en- my own milker for. Many fields Of corn
were seen, but a great deal Of the land was be.
Ing prepared, not yet planted: The prcpara-
tion is thorough, most OF the ploughing being
done With large ploughs and double teams
and then 1t Is carefully narrowed. The chlet
part, in fact, Of the cultivation is done before
the seed Is planted. Barbed wire fences are
taking the place of the old ziszag, timber is
growing In many places and the whole coup.
try seems to have regained in material inter.
ests what 1t lost during the war.
BEAUTIFUL HOUSES AND RICH LANDS.
One cannot but wonder at the recuperative
power Of this land and this people. don't
reckon that the people who live in these beau
tiful houses and cultivate these rich lands are
in debt, or that they buy their supplies OH
liens, or that they mortgage their farms to
borrow money to pay their current expenses.
wish that some one would come TO old Alb,
beville and teach our people some things that
we have not yet learned.
But now we are nearing the Potomac and
that glimmering light several miles to the
;s olo rio liuh No n