Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1892-11-24
Letter from Georgia.
MCINTosH, Ca, Nov. 10, 1892.

MCINTOSH, Ca, Nov. 10, lS92.
Dear american
A sudden chill has swept down upon Us
here in this Southland. Tidings reach
US this evening of the overwhelming vic
tory just won by our Democratic foemen
and the thermometer dropped from eighty
to forty nine yesterday afternoon with 9
cool north wind. Whatever may be the
connection l leave others to cipher out.
am not quite sure which circumstance has
the more chilling effect on our colored
friends and neighbors. Our white friends
of course. are much elated. AS for our
selves. We comfort ourselves with the
thought that we personally would not
know the difference, IL we were not told
having no salary or official position al
stake.
Journeying from Maine projected us
backward into summer which lasted until
yesterday; bright. beautiful days. only
somewhat too warm and evenings like
pleasant July evenings in Maine, only not
so light. 1t Is somewhat astonishing how
dark 1t can be here when 1t is dark II Is
like the mans soft hat-darkness that may
be feh. The leaves are slowly falling
now, not SO much, however, from the ap-
proach of fall apparently as because 1t is
the fashion. The live oaks will keep their
brilliant greenness all winter. A walk or
. ride through the forest Is always full of
interest. Let your Imagination ramble
with US little, as we go out on our more
distant duties. Here we come upon a
group Of little people very busy-not at
play, for in the busy harvesting season all
the family, large enough, must work, and
II Is surprising how small child can be
employed. cheerful good morning
greeted me, and to my query as to their
occupation came the response: "Totn'
rails" Probably to surround the rice
stack or sweet potato heap.
A further walk carried me over work
of the ola days Of slavery, an enormous
rice field which, am told, extends In a
series OF similar swamps many miles to
the coast These swamps represent an
immense amount of labor as they were
gums and cypress-unpaid. servle labor
Since those old days they have largely
been allowed 10 grow up to tall, coarse
grass or sedge. These colored people,
with their imperfect cul,is alton often pre-
fer to clear new swamp rather than keep
the old one under proper culture Rice
ing or when, from overmuch rain, it can
not be gathered in season, sows itself aud
produces volunteer" rice, an inferior
quality which in line takes possession of
the soil.
Some half mile more brought me to
the farmer who was the object of my pur
suit, digging potatoes with a part Of his
own family of boys and girls and hired
romaH, all barefoot, think they all
work the fields that way. | have always
found them at field work shoeless.
Our visit to aunt Judy was one of inter-
est to US. A pleasant afternoon walk un-
der the trees brought us to the hut where,
on backless bench, the old lady sat sun
ming herself by the door. Nothing shor,
Of a kodak could give you any tolersbie
picture of the same. twelve by fifteen
log cabin, very ancient in appearance, In
the background. and by the open door an
old colored woman, bent, wrinkled aud
shriveled, wrapped in fragment Of an old
shawl, with turbaned head, bare feet, and
eyes that seemed almost to have lost sight
of themselves and everything else. She
said she was seventy in the war" 1t
looked very probable.
She asked US in and of course We went
in. Open, open, open, below, around,
above, In rainy weather she moves out
to the house of neighbor across the way,
leaving bed and all else to be soaked. The
bed was a limited quantity of doubtful
looking bedding on shelf There is
more of it now. A few utensils, not over
h1ii . hbLCL, IHtiutCs ltf tIitlIt StI lIt
from water pail to table ware Indeed,
there was none OF the latter. But there
is small need OF dishes where there Is only
the food given by neighbors,. themselves
little TO spare. Nowhere was anything to
be seen on which the old creature could sit
and rest ner back. Our new teacher called
tcith and An Ind no.
ing chair We hope that next Saturday
will see her under tight roof and the
walls near the bed (?) much improved,
Even then she will not be living in luxury,
though she may think it such.
Our number in school Is climbing very
rapidly. Last year we closed October
with forty-one pupils, this year with hun
dred and twenty, and to-day onr enroll
ment is two hundred and sixty. And still
'the woods are full of them" Last night
a man called to see if he could enter his
children next Monday. On being told, Yes,
ifthere is ROOM" he replied, I'm have
them there tomorrow" Notwithstanding
the cold rain Of the morning, they were
present.
We want more teachers, we need more
school-rooms, we must have more school
books. we can't get along without big
ger boarding hall, and how can the boys
be taught the industrial work they sc
much need without tools3 l did not in
tend closing in this way, but Ill let it &c
now. FRED W. FOSTER.