Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-03-23
The Two necfion..
o the Editor OF the Dispatch:


Dear sir,-Though II has been nearly
twenty-five years since the civil war endeu
there Is still some bitterness existing on both
sides. There are some men at the souih
who have never ceased 20 nurse their resent
ment and bcwail their injuries, and there are
many AZ the North who seem never 10 tire Of
tTampling on the vanquished. This state OF
feeling il greatly TO be depl0rcd, and every
effort should be made by patriotic
citizens 10 wipe II out and 10 establish
peace aud fellowship between the dn-
ferent sections Of our great country. There
Is one thing which my observation leads me
10 believe will greatly help In that direction,
and that Il more frequent Intercourse be.
tween the leople OF the two sections. Let
Nv southern men 20 North and see The peo-
pie and learn something about them from
association with them, and | an sure We
will place 4 higher estimate on them. we
will ind so many examples OF noble man
hood and w0mauhood that we VIII return
with q kinder feeling in our hearts towards
ali the people OF that section. And let north
ern men come South sud they will fiud the
same thing true. Some twenty years
ago a family from New York scttled
near my old homestead. They were vel
coined by the community heartily snd cor.
daily and soon came to be loved anu
respected by neighDOrs aud acquaint'
anccs. They have from the beginning as
sOcialed with our people with tue same
freedom and Headlines that mark the In
tercOdrse OF families whose ancestry were
born and reared ia tbe neighborhood. they
have hsd quite n number Of friends TO VISIT
them from the North. and they all expressed
thcmseiye. delighted with the kindness ex'
tended 10 them 10y our people.
a few miles from this place live faml-
" who moved 10 this county from New
York about ten years ago. l know them
well, have visited frequently at their house,
aud see them often. They have voIun-
tered to tell me more than once that they
have been greatly surprised and pleased at
the manner in which they have been treated
BY their neighbors and acquaintsnces In
the county. They came expecting TO meet
with insult ard injury, and on tho contrary
they have been met by cordially and kind
ness. The lady OF the house remarked that
she dreaded coming because she thought
that in case Of sickness she would
be helpless. 1t so happened that few
weeks after they moved they had aserious
and protracted case Of sickness in the fGmi-
". Before the physician could arrive the
neighbors began 20 come in and offer tneir
assistance, and durIug all the weeks that FOL
lowed not day passed that some one was
not there 10 help. One OF the gentlemen OF
this family told me another thing that ls
worth remembering in this connection. lie
said be had asked many colored people what
sort OF masters they had, aud that he had
yet 10 ind one who did not say he bad
good master, and WAS kindly treated.
Several wears ago a gentleman from the
North came down into this neighDorh0Od
looking for home He visited friend who
had preceded him and had been living IN The
county some time. In the course OF their
conversation The latter remarked: You
may find richer land else where, but no man
ever bad better neighbors than ] have"
Last spring the southern Baptist Conven-
ton met IN Richmond and many men from
the North were present. and without eXcep-
ton thew expressed Themselves as delighted.
and some OF them as surprised At the cordial
greeting extended to them.
Two or three years ago gentleman from
our village married an accomplished lady
from New York. During the past summer
her parents paid her visit OF several weeks,
and It Was NY privilege To meet with her Ia
ther several times. found him an elegant
gentleman and man OF intelligence. lie
expressed DlmseH a. greatly pleascu WIN
our people and acknowledged thst he had
been greatly mistaken In regard TO many
things concerning us.
a lew days ago / bad a seat on the train
with a gentleman from New Hampshire or
Vermont who nad been on brief visit TO
Richmond. lie sad he had eXpected to be
treated roughly, II not lnsulted, when 1t be-
came known that lie was z northern man, but
that greatly to bis surprise he mad never re-
ceiyed more polite anu friendly treatment in
his life. lie said that many persons at the
North still tank 1t is absolutely unsafe for a
man from that section 10 come down this
way.
could multiply examples OF this sort that
have come under my personal observation,
but these will suffice. We are ready TO well
come in our midst good men from the North.
whether Republicans or Democrats. OF
course il an unprinciped, degraded fellow
comes down here and associates with the
low and vile and arrays himself against the
best interests OF the community he viii be
treated Just a. he would IN any other peace
nying community. A. Il. JR.
BOwLHG GREEN. VA, March, 1889.