The Port Gibson reveille. [volume] (Port Gibson, Miss.) 1890-current, 1892-04-13


immigration, commerce, or North
ern Capital.
TO the Northern man, and par
ticularly TO the pedestrian, the win
ter climate of central North Caioli
ma seems perfect. An occasiona
boistcrous day is offset by half--doz
en- of blight sunshine, with th'
clear, invigorating air Of q New
England October. In the midst %
the brown leaves Of last year, hard,
flowers start up; on the coast th'
palmetto is seen. The western
third of the State | know only b,
hearsay 7; but in the centra! rolling
region, twelve easy hours from
Washington, are hundreds of sites
for people who would like 10 find
winter sunshine north of Florida
A New York capitalist is just con,
iractlng to build hotel at Chapel
Hill, and it is safe TO predict that
many others will follow. The
views are charming, the country.
side interesting, and the shooting
good. On the coast there are sur
face indications Of a less favorable
climate. One suspects evil when
he hears q bride confide TO her hus-
band that Gin Plymouth she had
regular chills every other day till
Christmas" or when a voice in the
corridor of the hotel asks an inyisi.
BILE person whether he "has taken
his quinine yet" /"
The beautiful midwinter weather
hardens the roads. The pictur-
esque troughs worn by two centuries
Oftrayel in the hills must sometimes
be full OF mud. Even in winter,
driving is not easy: many of the
streams have waited for bridges
since Carteret's time. Nor are the
roads likely to improve, now that
cross-country railroads are penetra-
ting the whole State. There is a
delightful flavor ofstagc and steam
boat travel about these new roads:
the signal TO the engineer is a yodel
from the lungs of negro, inspired
by the order: "Holler i'm backl"
and the reason for the delay OF q
train is stated to be: "SlOw cap
tain on board" Along the roads
are grouped, at rather frequent in-
tervals, the iarm-houses tho word
plantation is hardly used. The in-
quisite traveller finds little TO de-
tain him: q group of children gath
cred about the fire of Stat pine" in
the open chimney; rude and worn
furniture; two or three women
thoughtfully rubbing their gums
with the snuff-stick. The prevail
ing type OF farmhouse has an out
side chimney on each end, no We
randa, and half-a-dozen little squal-
id out buildings about il. Only in
or near the towns do more elaborate
mansions appear.
Ia strikingcontrast to these towns
in the beautiful place from which
| write. A row of handsome square
houses stands on an attractive wa
ter-front. The court house of 17I6
is elegant in proportions and finish.
The interior carving of the Bond
mansion l1759) and It's furniture
are hardly to be surpassed in New
England. st. Paul's is a colonial
church and has the colonial silver
and well kept records, including a
ringing declaration of the vestry-
men of June 10, 1915. Outside the
town, but visible from my window,
is Hays" beautiful mansion up
on the grounds Of which lie Justices
Johnson and Iredell OF the United |
States Supreme Court. The house
contains many interesting portraits. |
including a characteristic head OF
Clay, and fine old library. With |
its stately architecture, its magnifi-
cent trees, and its surrounding ne
gro quarters, it is that typical
mansion which we have
all expected some time to see. This |
lovely coast, but four hours and a
half south of Old Point Comfort,
seems destined to become a winter
resort.
Before going to North Carolina,
three pre-concepiions as 10 the con-
Gition of the south had gained lodg-
ment in my mind: that the negroes
we're improving; that the relations
between the races were working
themselves out satisfactorily; and
that the white people were doing all
that could be expected of them.
All three ideas have been much
There is q small class
of cultivated negroes, a sprinkling
Of black professional men, and n
very few who have a little money;
but the greater part Of the race
moves in q neither world of great
Ignorance and OF greater degradation
No one who has noe seen them can
appreciate the slowness OF their nd
vance. The race is picturesque:
from the town negro coachman, in
tall hat, flashy jacket, and checked |
trousers, fashion-plale for a min
strel troupe, 10 the wood-chopper
for six dollars a month.
Farm labor is the chief employ
ment of the negroes. The owner of
Ihe largest cotton mills in the state
says that he employs only ono ne
gro, n drayman. More OF them
work in tobacco factories, and there
IRE some negro mechanics and even
UF.-f. T~f.... I..f........ /