The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-02-09
HARD TIMES IN TIE sOUca.
Mrs. Eliza Notation Ripley Tells of
Some Curious Experiences.

Mrs. Eliza Nc datton Ripley Tells of
Some Curious Experiences
From Mrs. RtpleyS Book Flag to Flag"
All household and family goods were
scarce during the war, even in Texas, that
had Rio Grande facilities not enjoyed by the
other southern states, as the great bulk CT
importations were specially adapted t.
army purposes. The difficulty of procuring
stockings, handkerchiefs. articles of prime
necessity, was very great; those for whom
helped to provide wore for two wears home
made stockings, knit of heavy cotton yarn:
and recall cutting up my only silk dress
a brown India silk, with white dots-to
supply the demand for handkerchiefs, max
ing my husband a coat of a linen sheet aad
helping frie9d rip up calico bed comfort
that she might make a dress Of the material
Even planters, with large tracts Of land and
abundent supply of workmen, often suf-
fered for the necessaries of life other than
those they could raise on the plantation
Through Southern Texas. where our wan
behring's led us, railroads we're few and the
SER ice poor. The Houston and Beau
mont" afforded fair specimen of the entire
system. Many plantations were situated
twenty miles ana more from any railroad
or navigable stream, and often half that
distance from town or pOstofiice. ! spent
weeas with a family that could not procure
salt to put u their meat, and were reduced
to the necessity Of utilizing the dirt-h0Or of
their smokeaouse, which was rich in saline
properties from accumulation during a
series of years of the waste salt and drip
pings. First teaching the earth lin the old
fashioned way of making I've from ashes,
then, Ivy eyaDorating the brine. sufficient
salt was procured to cure a small amount
of b. con. Neither lamp oil or candles cou d
be purchased: candle mold and the material
to make them were extremely scarce. 50
that families were compelled to exerc Sc
their ingenuity in home production 70 meet
the necessity. The dai " you G ladies
who played brilliant So atas on Laughing
pianos, filed the house with meiodi Jus $ 3ug.
and read Racine and Mo,iere IN the original
srent hours over the boiling fat, STRIVING
with patient perseverance to make sym
met ical tallow-dos, tnat for lack of AIDE.
quate supply of candles icks would prob
ably shine from the neck Of bllci; glass
bottles The energetic other, with broad,
fiattened stick carefully tes el the SEA,
during the process Of manufacture, and
succeeded IN obtaining fair sIpouaceJas
compound, which mad often to lie used in
SUCH a crude, immature state that il
Damaged the llne aud FADED the colored
garments. On wash-st uds in uumbaross
HOUSES lllble SduitTS OF SOU so p were placed
for toilet use salt being too precious for
even few grains to be spared to harden
this domestic production.
Homemade Looms were built in many
back rooms, and housewives who had
ludist met recol,ect,o1s of the industry, as
practctd 10y their graaduothers, or 81
theoretical kno Wedge of the handicufr,
labored TO help black nanny recall tue
70 gotten art Of weaving cotton cota for
PLANTATION uSh.
4 needle dropped or misl1id was searched
after for hours; II one was broke, its
irreparabie loss was lameutsd Needle
pins, hair-pin', and such significant
articles so common IN every hou ehJ.d that
no reckoning Is made of the number u.ed
and wasted, rapidly became very scarce,
aud occas,io ally vanished entirely, leaving
an "aching void Tooth brushes were
replaced by twigs Of sur lbs, nicely
peeled, and the ends cheNed into brushes
Often one comb did duty for whole
family, the aid OF hair-brl5h being el-
tirey dispensed with. Br.aka.e OF china
or glassware was house Oh calamity.
and with the needless, scatte brain arxies
who handled such valuab!es, one of pain
full frequency. Alas it was SO easy to wear
out. lose, and destroy insig iticlnt articles
that could not be replaced. Garments we're
often patched and darned until the original
material WAS SO merged IN repairs as to lose
Its identity.