Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1892-02-25
DIR. Gambrell Writes a Talka'
tive Letter from Springfield.
Interesting Facts About Abe
LincOIn's Old Home.
Northern Notions About the
South and Her People.
The Laugh Turned on n Young Smart
Alec" With More Cab Than Brains
A Good Old Lady That Need
ed Consoling.
Correspondence Meridian Daily Tribunel


largely of Southern extraction, many
of them Southern born. The most IL
lustrious man who ever lived here was
Abraham Lincoln. | have just read a
sketch of his life, written by himself,
and preserved here in his own hand
writing. He was of Southern stock,
born in Hardin county, KY, of parents
on both sides from Virginia. Senator
Palmer, who lives here and is men,
Der of the Central Baptist church with
which | have been labOring, is also
Southern born. Senator CullOm lives
here also. This, Sangaman, county,
is reliably Democratic and the finest
people here, are many of them, of that
political faith.
My reception has been most cordial
by all sorts of people. The meetings
have been largely attended and results
gratifying.
One hears no talk here of hard
times. Enormous crops and good
prices have lifted people out of the
depths, the value of varied industries
is apparent. If one fails, everything
is not fat. A Meridianite can catch
many points which might be turned
to account at home without making it
his business to study business prob
lens. am stopping at one of the
leading hotels and the conversation
carried on in the lobby is something of
a school.
| have found no bitterness toward
the South, but much good feeling.
The ignorance of many good people
about the South, however, is simply
prodigious. | give two instances. A
young man with good deal of bright
ness, but with the flavor of the nursery
about him, was telling a company of
gentlemen in the hotel, that the South
would never come to anything, be-
cause the people would not work. He
has been on a trip South and found the
people idle. ] ventured to suggest
that there is good deal in the COM
pany a person keeps in any part of the
country. If were to judge the North
by some of the people | meet up here,
| would think they did nothing but
talk about things of which they are
ignorant. There are people in the
South who do not work, and evident
ly these are the ones the gentleman
fell in with. The South has made
back every dollar she lost in the war,
negroes and all, and half as much
more. In November the exports of
the whole country amounted to $110,-
OOO, 900. The South furnished $685.
OOO, 900 of it with less than one-thlrd
the population of the country. Some
body works in the South"
The young gentleman said, "Why, l
never saw people walk so slow" ""Very
/ likely said. Our days are longer,
and the people are bound to adjust
themselves to climatic conditions.
Then besides, considering where most
of you are going, don't see why you
should be in such hurry to get there.
The laugh was turned on the "Sir
Oracle" and he said, "who are you 7"
The reply was, "The voice crying in
the wilderness" l had the satisfac-
ton of knowing my young friend did
not carry the crowd with him.
The other case was kind, good
woman of Southern extract ton, who
seriously wanted to know if the hOr-
rible things told of the South were
true. "Do the Southern people work 7
Do they make a practice of killing
negroes? Do they believe negroes
her with the truth. What a wilder
ness of false ideas about the South, to
be cleared up by some one-nO,- not
some one, but by many.
The State House isa noble structure,
built in the form of a cross, at cost
of 81, 100000. 1t is kept warm all
over by steam and an elevator runs at
public expense for all corners. In one
part of it is museum, kept open to
the public.
The Lincoln House, the house be-
longing to Abe Lincoln and occupied
| by him when he was elected President,
belongs to the State and is kept open
for visitors. 1t is a plain wooden
building, without portico, and is not
| at all equal to many Meridian houses.
The double parlors are filed with
relies the stove used by the family
for cooking, and old carriage wheels,
bits of rails split by Abe, pictures and
much bric-a -brac. Entrance is free.
A handsome Miss turns you in and
you look with your own eyes, till you
are satisfied, and then go ont. In this
house Robert Lincoln, minister to
England, was born.
The Lincoln monument is out some
distance, and have not seen it. AT.
ter the attempt to steal the remains
of the President, they were kept un-
der guard till inferred some six feet
under the monument in cement. Mrs
Lincoln is buried with him. The peo-
pie here of all classes respect Mr.
Lincoln as an honest man, and they
seem 20 have, as a rule, very correct
views of him as public servant.
The negroes are pretty we'll repre-
sented in the city and they are doing
about the same things here as in Mis-.
sissippi.
The church sexton is negro. Their,
is one negro woman in the whit.
| church (there are two negro Baptis
churches), and strange to say she il
with Southern woman, was raised
by her and has never lived apart from