, 1889-01-03
NYE AT ATLANTA.
His First Intention Was to De-
strOy that City,
But He Stayed His Ruthless
Hand and Showed Mercy.
Visit By n Presumptuous
Local Humorist.

/
| lSSS.-Here, perhaps more than elsewhere
in the South, peace and prosperisy have
| obliterated the scars OF war. Swords have
been turned into plo owshares and spears
into cottonhooks. Atlanta represents tue
spirit which thrilled the listener and cleo
trifed the whole union in the speech
by Mr.. Grady several years ago. She
stands for the generosity, cordiality and
enterprise Of the new South. without the
| false pride and dolce ferina of the old.
| Paved streets, fine building, thrift, en-
terprise and prosperity mark the counten-
ance of this thriving young metropolis,
which has risen from the smoudering
ruins of disastrous and disagreeable war,
during which pronounced ill-feeling was
manifested. one that ripened at last into
marked rudeness aud personal alteration.
Yesterday we had the honor of meeting
Mr.. Grady and Joel Chandler Harris, who
| lighted up our boudoir at the Kimball
house for an hour or 80.
Harris. in the Constitution, says that
am a homely man.. He says that the pic
lures of myself, as compiled by McDoug.
all, are good, but softened very much by
the tender feelings and kind heart Of the
| artist.
Mr.. Harris does not allow his portrait
| to be published. That shows that he is
not utterly lost to all those finer feelings
which 20 to make man lay over, as 1t
we're, the brute creation. Mr.. Harris ia u
plain man, but good. He has a massive
| head, which he uses In thinking. Ene-
mics have said that his hair was red. II
is not His moustache has bright rud.
dy glow on it, but his hair Is not red.
| That is. IL Is not so very red,
Joel Chandler Harris is modest man,
but he is a great man. and rise superior
to all those petty prejudices to SO state.
His causeless attack upon my personal up.
pearance can never make me so far forget
the eternal principles of justice as to say
that Joel Chandler Harris is not the author
of one of the best pieces of work in the
modern category of literature. | care not
that he has said of me that ! am as plain
as q swollen Eastwood god from Farther
India. Let those who have been blest like
Mr.. Harris with the fatal gift OF beauty
hurl the first stone at me, and then let
! others follow in rapid succession. Ii mat
ters not. l. will be just.
| Mr. Harris has kindly eye that looks
earnestly at things which he desires to OBJ
serve. In this it is assisted by the other
eye, which resembles it in many respects.
| Mr.. Grady [ had supposed was very
large man. about the size OF Goliath of Gath.
but he is not. He is rather below the me-
dium height, with round jolly face of
the Father McGlynn style, and two black
eyes which snap and sciDtiillaer as he
| talks to q remarkable degree. | was also
wrong about his voice. thought from
his utterances that he had Il voice like
Alexander the Great. and could easily ad.
dress a mile track without getting red in
| the face, but his voice is rather high,
wonderful conversationalist, talking easily
with man like me, and without the
! slightest embarrassment.
On the train the other evening we rode
down from Macon with Governor Gordon.
His wife and daughter were with him Mrs.
Gordon is fne.looklng woman. indeed,
and his daughter, Miss Fanny Gordon,
would catch the eye of the most unobserv.
lug, as she evidently inherits these char
acteristics from her mother.
We had quite long talk with Governor
Gordon regarding the new administration
Mr. Riley likes to assure people chat Cen
eral Harrison will give the country the
best administration it ever had. Gov
ernor Gordon said he would not interfere
with General Harrison's administration.
| think ! can say without violating any
confidence that Governor Gordon will not
interrupt the new administration provided
it is satisfactory.
[JIn believe that in the south there was
never more general desire to do as she
has been in the habit OF doing than to-
day. Everywhere we see manifested an
earnest spirit, tireless energy directed
toward the best interests of those
who manifest 1t. regardless of party.
A conciiatorv policy in the South
would never have a wider field to work
in than it would to-day. Industries
here are looking for Il fostering hand. A
fostering hand could get steady work here
all the fall. New enterprises needing
nothing but capital and industry to make
them self supporting. could be started up
all over the South. With fine climate.
good air, warm sun, wet rains and bright
red soil, the South is on the eve of an era
of prosperity which bids fair to dawn at
any moment. do not know exactly what
have said, but will not take it back
now.
Governor Gordon told us about bis
ranch. He il an enthusiastic farmer and
asked us to visit his farm, but we ca nnot
drop our lecturing to 90 gadding Ibount
with every governor we run across, 80 we
told him that with us life was real, life
was earnest, and that we would not drop
our work to visit the executive farm Of
Tom, Dick and Harry.
Governor Gordon is maintaining large
herd of cows by pasturin9 them ON the
rich, succulent foliage of the Rshpole.
The skittish reader may charge me with
lying in order to astonish him. but such
is not the case
The ordinary cane. pole, which is 80
largely used for fishing purposes by the
plain. tw0-for.a.quarter sportsmen who
generally gets all the fish there grows in
wild, barbaric splendor and profusion
without replauting. Governor Gordon has
fishpole orchard covering large area,
over which he pastures his cattle. These
canes grow to q great height unless fed
down. and 1t is no uncommon sight to see
i IL