The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-05-21
ESTABLISHED 1865.

LlOn, anu the uaiullleI VI lAC bCi0HoOA
hood blacksmith rings upon the anvil,
as he fashions the rugged ploughshare'
Then soon the plough-boy's whistle Is
heard in the field, as likewise, at night
fall, the loving Of the milk-cow follow.
ing to The milking shed. "He that will
have cake oat cfthe wheat must tarry
the grinding"; but, lo!Summeri is ready
with his mills.
1 was once made acquainted with the
fact that the distinctive manners and
customs of the inhabitants of different
sections in European countries remain
the same for century after century.
Thus, at the present date, peasant OF
Burgundy can be as easily distinguish
ed from one of Picardy, as it could
have been doue two hundred years ago;
and this was on account Of adherence
to pecularities of character and raiment
long established. Now, this is the case
more or less all over the world; and has
been through. all time. 1t requires
more than a half century to change
notably the characteristic habits of a
people. Therefore, the ways of the
Dutch Fork families were very much
the same in 1926, as they were in 1850;
and as l am not satisfied with the
meagerness Of detail just given concern
ing their agricultural beginnings, and
have bright recollection Of the state
of their industry sixty years ago, L
shall venture to describe chopping
and log-rolling by assembled neighbors
when l was boy eight or ten years
old, ,-believing that such a description
will answer for a similar gathering at
the time when John Adam Summer,
the First, was in the zenith Of his sue
cess.
1t was in the year lS26-'2S. Que Of
the most prosperous farmers in the
Dutch Fork had two fields separated by
about fifteen acres of primitive forest.
His desire was to have these two fields
united by the removal of the woodland
thus throwing all into one large in
closure containing in Ill fully forty
acres. Accordingly, negro boy Of
proper age and intelligence was sent to
all the nearest neighbors, inviting them
to repair with axes and handspikes to
his "nassa's" on the next Monday,
soon in the morning, to assist in cut
Ting down the woods in the Clubhouse
field, and rolling the logs into heaps.
At the same. time he bore message
from his "Missus" for all "de young
wimmins to come later on in de day,
bringin' dare cards wild 'em to card
rolls out O. cotton for spinnin' arter-
wards; and dare mammies muss come
along to, for insistence in cookin' of de
dinner; and dare was gWine to be muse
ment tel fur in de night" Iheappointed
morning came on. sparkling with sum
shine and frost; for il was in the first
week Of January. At the first break OF
day, four light-wood stumps, at nearly
equal distances from one another were
set ablaze to give light and warmth to
the neighbors when they should arrive
at the place of labor. A stoutjug of corn
whiskey, made bitter by the liberal in
sertion ofsprings of double tansy, stood
centrally in the woods at the roots of a
wide-spreading dogwood selected to re-
main for shade-tree under which to
rest for little while when the heat OF
the coming summer seasons might be
too oppressive. This whiskey was pre-
pared with tansy as stomachic for
giving edge to their appetites for the
breakfast which was to be brought to
them, just as the sun should rise above
the tree tops over towards the Cohees
shoals. Now, the aXe-men begin to
make their appearance. The morning
has scarcely begun to throw forward
her crimson streamers, when their stall
wart figures emerge from the darkness
into the ruddy light afforded by the
burning lightwood stumps. One by
one at first and then in groups they
come. Each one strikes his axe into
the trunk Of doomed tree, goes to the
fire to take short warm, and to the jug
to take long swig, and then, with the
invariable preparation of the palms of
their hands, they grasp the axe-nandles
and begin the work ofthe day, though in
a somewhat desultory manner,-not yet
in the vigorous methodic effort that is
t. animate them under the inspection
Of the sun.
Now, while the breakfast is being
prepared, I will venture upon digres-
sion. In the days of which am now
writing every farmer was boastfully
proud of the qualities of his axe. No
Collins razor-edged, convexed, surfaced
axes were then to oe seen. The neigh
borhood blacksn,iths kindly competed
with one another in giving points Of
excellence to the implements they sent
forth from their shops. At a working
of some road or other I once listened
to conversation substantially the
same as the following:
"Sam, who made your axe?"
"Why, Summers York, ,"replied Sam;
"who made yourn?"
"John Settler made mine" said the
other, "aud better axe never jerked
chips ont of tree"
"rhat's mighty true," remarked an
other, coming up at the moment. you
see, John Settler is the grandson of the
old witch-gu nsmith, who could put
spells upon felix's"
"bless youc hearts, people," said a
fourth party who heard what had been
said, "John aint the man as would take