The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-04-25


-iriiiG character of those women OF
.7ecfIOn who ubored, suffered and prayed
together during the war between the states.
In the old time in the south our men had
sn idea-perhaps an erroneous one-that
every woman should be senuestered within
her DOMESTIC sphere.
Every southern woman Shivered at the
sight of her name in newspaper, even II
her virtues had been made manifest by
eucgy. To her it was notorlety, not nota-
bility.
Her husband. in Il measure felt that his
wife was troddcn under the feet OF men,
and his privacy violated when his wife did
anything to elicit comment rom the public;
he did not fear criticism being written upon
her, for with the perpetrator of this he felt
able 10 deal in Il summary manner.
Date of southern Women's Interest in
Politics.
From the time of the John Brown raid
the women of the south were interested
painfully and deeply i'll the political *
ritement which was surging over the coun-
try.
Far outnumbered our people in the
planting districts were by the negro populd-
ton and dwelling on deSoatcd plantations
with two white men to 100 200 negroes.
the necessity of keeping abolition tracts
out of the negroes hands was Imperative.
How to do this. when the posloliices and
pOstrOads would be manned by men who
were free so.iers. i. e., aboliionlSts, was
the south.
There were many newspapers and polti-
cal magazines taken in almost every south
ern household. and the men, anxious and
absorbed i'll the progress of events, read
them to and with the women of The family.
and both attempted to arrive at an indie
pendent Judgment and understanding 0f eur
rights under the constitution, the infraction
of them. also the dangers to which the W0-
men of the south would he exposed in case
oil Shr win la hoy
escape from their grueSOme conclusions.
Many women thought there would be no
war, because they believed in the sacrcdHCSs
of the constitution, that, to the people of
the south, was an act of the covenant which
10 touch would be sacrilegG. others noted
the depression of their husbands and heard
signs and warnings from the head of the
house which filled them with the most dread
full fOrchudi u"S.
The women of the south did not shrink
economies; they also appreciated that their
own lurt ot"t'rfA rs To hr cheerful ~ HUS-
sible to bid farewell to the men of their
family who must go to the front. perhaps
never 10 return; sometimes hope buOyed
them up, and they looked on the sunny
side and believed that their dear ones
would be spared because their cause was
righteous.
They did shrink, however affrighted from
th- uroSac''t IF beng i"ft alon" with Il
multitude of ignorant negroes who might
be instigated to rebellion without phySi-
clans to attend their children or priests to
bury them if they died. These horrors OPP
pressed them
Many a woman. buckling on her husband S
sword asked him to show her how to
shoot a pistol, adding, mot that am afraid
,lf au.t' i-C hut IN oHSV Df need bar
next problem was how to handle that pistol.
which was an object of almost as great
dread as would be the foe it was to re.
pei
Good Conduct Of ihn Negroes.
All southern women acknowledge with
nride the good conduct of the rank and file
of negroes on the breaking out of the war.
They generally remained true to the fami-
lies left in their charge. and protected the
ayonpu and children to the best of their
ability In short, their course WAS power
ful Testimonial To the iiie-ong kind and
iuxt exercise OF their masters power over
them.
However the crops failed frequently; the
negroes grew 81 partakr mora or less of the
excitement which pervaded the Whole coun-
try. and this intcrfered with the needful
routine Of their labor. Then, again, the
work horses were levied upon for the use
of the government. Thus were the means
of cultivation narrowed. The faflow land
grew impossible with weeds; the fences
and levees fell; the fields which had waved