The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-01-28
SARGE PLUNKETT.
The Old Man has Pity for tho Poor Tow
People.
atlanta Constitution.

just little OF the gratltuous aGVlce
which has been pouring out to the far
mers for 80 long q time may now be turn
ed to the poor town brethren.
How steadily and surely have we been
drifting away from the olden customs
And how steadily and surely has the
current of trade, of industries and Of
population been pointing toward central
ization.
There won't be but three or four.cities
left in the United State under this system
of concentration. Chicago butchers fur.
nish Georgians their steaks and chops
today, st. Louis and Cincinnati will fur
nish the bread. some other place will
supply farm implements and vehicles
and another place will concentrate on
cloth and leather goods, and so on, till
the whole business of the country will be
centralized. This disposition first showed
Itself when the cross roads blacksmith
and shoemaker and wagon maker began
to flock to the towns. 1t was 8 steady
current from the coultry to the towns,
then from the smaller to the larger town,
then from these larger towns to the city,
and now the smaller cities must drift on
to greater ones, which will resolve st last
into concentration of trade and indus
tries that will force the current back and
let it spread itself over the rural districts
and all will be proud of being country
man.
What great hopes were builded upon
the prospect Of more schools and better
schools of more towns and bigger towns,
of railroads and great inventions; all
these things were looked forward to as if
they were the salvation of the country
and great coming opportunities; people
run to meet it and took near cuts to get
to it. The children we're taughtto believe
that the plodding life of the farmer was
a great hardship and the balance of the
world had an easy life. How sadly mis-
taken these ideas have proven you have
only to look at the suffering and discon-
tent that is rife in the land to be con-
vinced. The railroads that were expect.
ed to bring the worlds products right to
our doors to be had for song have
proven disappointment to the masses.
Meat and breadstuffs are higher and
harder to get now than before. Meat
that uster be driven through Georgia on
foot and sold in towns at three cents 8
pound, now sells at ten cents brought
here by fast freights. The old-tine hog
drover was not very polished fellow but
he sent sunshine into the poor homes by
his liberality. Then the butchering was
done in the town where the meat was to
sell, and poor people were welcome to
flock to the pens and get hogs feet livers,
melts, chitlings, all such as this, the poor
could get just for nothing. Them were
old ways in Georgia and it would be a
blessing if the same old ways was here
to-day.
Who knows how many thousands of
people there is to-day who are yearning
for a return of the old-time customs
How many have strained through prime
to old age in the hope that something
would bring relief, but it comes not.
Hope, the phantom that it is, pointed
to the polish and accomplishments that
was being dossed to the children by that
great thing Opportunity" and held the
old man up while the children were
small, but steadily end surely demands
have grown, incomes have fallen off, and
this hard winter weather finds many a
family stuffed with big notions and with
not thing to keep the sitter going nor
warmth to cheer the 6reside.
If there was ever a family that needs
to be pitied it is the poor folks Of town
who have learned to crave modern style.
When think of one of them as shiver-
ing in this bad weather, it brings to mind
the roaring fires of the country homes,
the old.time country homes, where the
bright blaze throwed ont its light from
the old fireplace, lending warmth to the
great old room and making cheerful the
maids who spun and the matrons who
knit and the boys who scrambled over
walnuts in the corner and giving to the
old folks a freedom from anxiety that
poor people of the towns have never
known.
What contrast is there in these old
time freside scenes as compared with the
poor folks of the towns. There is no
cracking of walnuts, no zooning of the
spinning wheel, no plying:of the knitting
needle A kerosene lamp gives out 8
dim light for the young people to read by
and the old folks droop over the coke in
the CRATES. Anxiety is impressed upon
the faces of the old and banging" oi
the hair in paper rolls is the only indi-
cation of a thought for tomorrow among
the young. Calico can be bought 80
cheap now, is the argument, cheaper
than they can make it, and they can buy
stockings that reach away above the
kree tor ten cents, and get them ripged
streaked and striped at the boot. a no.
mans pretty stockings is a thing sweet to
look upon, but the white, home knit and
home spun aud cotton string for gar
ter answered every purpose and kept the
ten cents at homo.
The boys of these days must join clubs
for an opportunity to exercise themselves
It tickles me TO see them struggling with
ornat dnmh halla to create q musce and