News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1890-03-13
Letter From GEORGIA.
ATLANTA, Ga, Mar. 1, 1890.


MesSrS. Editors:-
Since having laid down the editorial
quill, have written very little for the
press, and would not now do so but
for your kind invitation, which pre-
sumo is endorsed by some at least of
my old friends and former patrons.
First, let me say to them that cher
ish the recollections of their acquaint-
anceship fOndly, and esteem them
| highly Nowhere else have | found a
people who were so universally true
and possessed of qualities that 90 to
make up real men as in old Lamoille.
God bless her and her people,
Well, now | am lin Georgia. fIwere
in another world it would hardly seem
more strange. 1t is very unlike New
England. Perhaps it will be of inter-
est to note some of the differences.
Probably the greatest is the climate
Here the winter is short and not very
cold, and that was expected; though
owing to the fact that this portion of
| the State is over a thousand feet
above the sea, the winters are much
more severe than in the lower cOun-
|
strange as it may seem, are not hot.
In the two summers that | have lived
here | have suffered less with the heat
than when in Vermont. Have not
seen a night when some covering was
uncomfortable, and havenot heard Of
a case of sun-stroke. True, the sun is
| hot, but the shade of an umbrella
mitigates it's severity and renders
walking under it's rays quite bearable.
Those accustomed to labor in it do
not seem to suffer as much as those
in northern ATTITUDES.
Although expected, as a matter of
course, the large cOlored population
furnishes marked contrast to our
northern communities, and their-tO
me-strange ways, sayings, habits,
modes of worship, and conduct gen
orally, is a never-failing source of
study, presenting all imaginable
phases. The Blackville" illustra-
lions in Harper's Weekly, which l
used to think were caricatures, are
indeed realistic. With many their
highest ambition is to own a mule,
but somehow the mule don't appear
to enjoy the situation. Some are con-
tent and happy in the ownership of a
''critter' team, the cTitter being a do
Gle tOrO yoked or harnessed single in
thills to rickety cart that is seldom
or never creased. Driven by a single
clothes-line rein he can be guided any
where and by even child. This re-
minds me that here sometimes a COW
gets cross and becomes dangerous,
but bull is generally gentle,
But little dairying is done here.
Calves are not weaned till a year old,
if the COW is in milk as long, Soon
after coming here L bought a fine COW
of a man who showed me her calf that
| might see that she was "new milk"
After paying for her he offered me a
good price for the calf. | stared at
him, for | had not even dreamed that
the calf went with the cow His offer
however caused me to "catch on"
and | said | would keep the calf until
the COW became wonted. He might !
have kept the calf and | not have
known but that he had a right to it. |
am often reminded of Aunt Ophe- |
las expression in Uncle Toms Cabin, |
"Oh, how shiftlessr y The farmer here
buys his hay and feed for his stock in
stead of raising it, He also buys fer |
tilizers instead of saving manure. SO |
/ wonder they get on as well as they |
do, agriculturally. Very few horses
or mules are raised here. Tennessee
furnishes the greater part of them
For some cause probably lack of |
limein the soiD a Georgia raised mule
goes blind or has bone disease, while
Others do not. | see but few spawned
or ring-boned horses, but blind ones
are quite common. Sheep are not as
as they ought to be, for in
my opinion they can be raised very
easily, and be a source of great profit
They can live out of doors here the
year round. Certainly the cold will
not trouble them, and they stand the
heat as well or better than in Yer
mont
The vernacular of the people is an
other marked contrast to that of the
Yankees. Much of it is common to
both races, but one can generally
EASILY tell which race is speaking with ,
)ut seeing the speaker. The peculiar :
of the mouth and vocal or
rams doubtless affects the speech; but
habit has more to do with it. For
the cOlored people almost
omit the sound of final 7
n their speech-saying edo" for door,
&c, | judge there has been no i'm
)rovements since the days when the
Boys in blue and gray exchanged bits Z
IF gossip across the lines, The col
)red people make an eXtravagant use
IF the name of deity in common con- !
not thinking of being pro- :
ane Last year when our strawber-
les were ripe an old "auntie" came
along and seeing them, calculated: s
God bless the fencest and God bless
5he postes, de berries amt ripep'
OF course the greater part of the
manual labor is performed by theco
bred people, though they, like the +
whites, seem to be constitutionally
tired. Burdens are carried on their
heads, which is practiced from child {
hood. have seen an immense water .
melon ride easily and gracefully on a
voolly pate. When | think of water
millions it makes my "mouth wa
-Ci' II 10 OiIC SICdOCSu COulUI lOI
melons in the world, both in size and
quality, as well as quantity. If you
want to see supreme delight, watch
5he countenance of an Afro-American
rs one of these delicious vegetables is
disappearing inside of it. Iconfess to
4 fondness for them myself, and should
ever sojourn in the Green Mountain
state again, | should miss our justly
amOus Georgia melons.
There are SO many things to write
lbput that | shall make this too
ong if | don't stop now. If | write
lgain | will say something about the
avs and customs of the people.
Respectfully,
CHAs G.. MORSE.
WONDERFUL ADVENTURES OF HENRY NJ.
man who would have dared
hree hundred years ago to attempt crossing
his American Continent in the face of hostile
nd treacherous Indians uncertainties offOod
T water for long distances and in peril of
lid beasts, would have been brave indeed,