The Meridional. (Abbeville, La.) 1856-1906, 1889-05-11
Few Suggestions.

VERM1L1oN PARISH, La, May G, 1889.
Editor A%bbeville Meridional.l
AS no one else will write to you I
will endeayor to give a few lines;
and. as | am neither a Demosthenese,
a Webster, nor a Clay, | hope you
will not expect much. Our Union
is in a very good trim. We are
still taking in members. Some of
our members are very negligent
about attending meetings, and ] do
hope that they will be aroused to a
sense Of their duty to see the respon.
sibility that rest upon them.
Brethren, let US come to the meet
ings with something to say that
will be instructive to hear and bene.
fetal to the order. | do hope the
sisters will attend more regularly,
for it takes our mothers, wives, sis.
tiers and daughters to make society
what it should be. We are always
delighted to see the sisters come in,
and | think sisters, if you would at.
tend regularly you would have a
great influence ovcr't the brethren. |
think some Of them would not gas
on SO many foolish topics and chew
tobacco and spit on the floor.
Our Union is talking up co-ope.
ration now | think we are in a
fair way to put up a Union gin this
sur1mer-and just here I wish to say
for the encouragement of some, we
can put mp a gin with the money we
would pay other ginners to gin cur
cotton-pay for it in one year, and
have a gin Of DUR own, and not be
out any money. That is strange, but
figure it out and see. / want to say
a word about economy, and this
dreaded debt, or rather it ought to
he dreaded by everybody. l think
there are a great many people who
live 100 fast; they live far ahead of
their ability. do detcst a man, es,
pccially a farmer, who sets around
town Saturdays with his best clothes
on, whiting q cigar or taking a
glass, and in debt for them; not Only
that, but in debt for his cigar and
drink. That is bad enough, but go
to that mans house and see his dear
wife and little children in rags and
tags, trying to make a living. Great
God, that is horrible! But | have
branched off a little. ] know it is
hard for US to free ourselves from
debt all at once, but I say we eau
live on less than we do. 1t is better
to 90 GU less sugar and coffee, and
Fquit tobacco and whisky short off,
than contract debts that will hang
over your pcsterity forever. We
can raise u own bread, why buy
il? We a raise hogs, why buy
meat? W. can raise molasscs, why
buy syrup? Some say, well, Mr..
Merchant has been so kind to me,
and carried me for an acccommo.
dation that I had to quit buying
from him on credit. Well, buying,
for instance, molasses for seventy
five cents per gallon, that cost thirty
five cents, is accommodation; we are
accommodated, but | can't see it
that way.
We have men in our parish who
plant cotton, 60 in debt, the cotton
fails, the debt has to hang over and
no corn, meat nor molasses for the
next year. Now, if that isn't in a
bad fix, / don't know anything. l
say raise all your living at home,
and your surplus let it be in cot.
ton, or something else that will make
money.
Success to Union banner, may she
long wave until there will be none
left to say, where is liberty, but all
know her, from the least to The
greatest, whom to know is equal
rights to all, and special favor to
none. Fraternally yours,
VERMiLIoN PARISH.