The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-06-16
THE SOUTH.
It's Young Men---A Character to
be Admired.
Home Seekers Guide

this be true in a general sense, it is
forcibly true in the case of the young
man of the South. Does he hear and
consider the sound of going among
the trees; the note of preparation for
future work? Does he see and appre-
ciate the movement going on around
him, which means immense develop
ment and future wealth. Does he
feel the stir and movement of the day?
Will he be quick to perceive and seize
the opportunities Of the hour? And
will he measure up to the demands
and responsibilities of the times? If
so, then is the young man the hope
OF the South. We will not give direct
answers to our questions, but will try
to show to our readers the young man
of the South, and let them answer the
questions.
The young man of the South to-day
is the product of one of the greatest
social revolutions which ever effected
a civilized nation. The present con-
dition of social structure, and its con-
dition before the civil war, are as un-
like as a rich meadow we'll coated
with clover and grasses, and garden
showing at the same time the most
beautiful flowers and the most noxious
weeds. Before the war society was
divided into two classes; viz, the poor
whites; without education and refine
ment, almost without the common
decencies of life, without wealth or
means to acquire it, and yet counted
in the census and in the political life
OF. the people. The other class, con-
sisting of planters and important busi-
ness men, was fairly wealthy, with the
means of wealth always within their
reach: they were able to give their
children the best educational advan-
tages; and to surround them in their
homes with comforts and luxuries.
Both classes reproduced themselves as
the generations followed each other,
almost without change. The poor
whites remained poor whites, and the
young men grew up to be like their
fathers. The rich and prosperous re-
NAMED rich and prosperous, and the
sons succeeded to the advantages OF
the fathers. The sons of the lower
class, without education, still were
educated to believe that they were
to be nothing more than their fathers,
and that they existed mainly to fill
the gap between the negroes and the
ruling whites. The sons of the othe,
class were educated to and with the
idea that they were to be the future
business men, law makers, governor:
and presidents of the land. The two
classes lived side by side, yet far apart
They did not intermarry, and they
were socially seperate and distinct
More than that. Generations of sucl
lite and conditions had made them
almost two distinct types of humanit,
in personal appearance.
But the civil war came, and all the
men of the South of every condition
and almost every age, were swept into
its destructive current. The existence
| of a common belief in the justice o
their cause; the common discipline o
the march; and the common danger
of the battle field, leveled all distinc
ton. Then the drawing togethe
process of the two classes of people
began. Similar influences were a
work at home too, during the progress
of the war. A common suffering wer'
breaking down social distinction, ane
were drawing together those who hat
lived apart. The close of the wa
left all alike poor, and face to face
with the solid fact that henceforth the.
must work for living. Labor hae
been menial; the fortunes of war mad'
it a necessity; its pleasures and it
gains have now made it honorable il
all. The conditions forced upon al
classes of people at the South, still con
tinue, though modified in degree
As result of these conditions ne'
social life has been evolved, and
now quite established. The uppe
class has lost its opportunities ant
means for education, culture, refine
ment and luxurious living. The lowe
class has gained greater opportunitie
for acquiring education and wealth
The children of the upper class hav
manfully accepted the situation, ant
by labor of hand and head are work
ing out their own support and tn
support of those dependent upon them
The defendants of the lower clas:
working side by side with the Others
are forcing themselves into tn
avenues of wealth, agriculture, bus
ness ofall kinds and the profession!
The present generation of the tw
classes associate and intermarry with
out thought of former distinction:
the physical types of personal appear
ances are rapidly vanishing away; an
within few years it will not be poss
bic to find the proof of the existene
of such former types, except in tho:
districts most remote from all chans
ing influences. Social equality exis
nowhere. There are social distinction
in the South as in the North, but the
:, are formed in a different manner, an
x rests on different basis from those
: days before the war. As was state
above, the young man Of the South t
e day is the product of the tremendo
charges which we have briefly d
scribed. He recognizes social distin
4 tions; lives in them; but not with soci
r, classes. He is doing all kinds
o manual and mechanical labor. ar