The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-05-28
OF SOUTHERN SOCIETY.
THE CONDITIONS THAT EXISTED IN
vIRGINIA PRIOR TO THE WAR.
Hon. Lyon q. Tyler Exposes the Absurd
Attempt of Northern Writers to Divide
the White Population Into Castles.

Southerner who has the picture peIofe
him every day as more absurd than the
attempt to divide our white population
into classes. in other words. to create
castles. something after the fashion OF
those which prevail in Egypt or INDIA
Bryce divides the Southern whites into
"the upper or educated classes" and tine
mean whites" 'The planters" he says.
"disliked these whites, and kept them OF
their estates as much as possible; the
slaves despised them. and called them
poor white trash" have been born and
reared and lived nearly all my life In
the South, but the mean white as
class or order Of society, is entirely un-
known TO me. L have seen n greag many
poor men, II Is true, some of them I'M
educated, but they had no more the mark
Of a caste upon them than any other poor
or uneducated men. John Fiske. one Of
the most enlightened Of the Northern
historians. is so carried away by this
cfimera that in his civil Government"
he represents our poorer classes as de-
scendants OF servants who were ali con-
victsl II is time. I think, that some ro-
tice should be taken OF these imputations,
which flow not so much from disnosi-
ton willingly to err, as 10 the environ
raent, social and literary, Of the writer's.
Let us briefly inquire into the origin Of
this absurd distinction made by Bryce,
which has become almost a shibboleth Of
faith. Ike many other erors, in the
North. and by oft reiteration has made
its impression upon even as sensible an
Englishman as Mr.. Bryce.
Mr. Bryce says that the slaves "despised
the poor white people and called them
poor white trash" In this sentence Is the
whole secret. The poor negroes were held
in slavery before the war. Northern
writer's have written thousands Of books
upon their wretchedness. And yet none OF
them seem 10 appreciate the force OF
their own eloquence. The negro seeing
nothing in his own condition 10 be proud
Of. took pride I'm the condition OF his
master. His degradation was so keen that
he gloried I'm his own chains, and affected
10 regard every man inferior In wealth
to his master as poor white trash"
While they acted thus a bitterly preju-
diced feeling existed against the South
in the North. Detraction and hatred
on both sides were rife. II was manifest
folly to underrate the gigantic intellects
Of the South that on every field Of strife
supported the reputation Of their people.
The Northern writer's seized on the slang
Of the negro. and affected TO regard with
contempt. on his authority. the poor
white people Of the South paying no at
tention 20 the worthlessness Of the au-
thority it<alf.
Many years ago some convlcts were
imported from England into Virginia II
became self-evident. therefore, with some
Northern people that the poor white
trash" were the Wretched offspring OF
tfSse unfortunates Mr.. Fiske seemed TO
have this opinion when he wrote his work
upon civil government.
A more absurd and unjust idea was
never entertained. AS 10 the convict
population Of Virginia, there is no reason
whatever 10 suppose that there were
more Of these people in Virginia than in
New England: that is, If we can believe
the evidence Of Mr.. Weeden and the New
England Historical Register. Mr.. Jeffer-
son. who was n keen observer and the
best-informed man OF his age. put them
and their descendants I'm Virginia at the
time Of the Revolution at not over 1000.
No one has ever pretended 20 calculate
with any certainty that they were more
than this. There was class called white
servants in Virginia during the seven-
tecnth century especially; but, as the re-
cords Of the counties show, most Of these
were originally children under sixteen,
and too young 10 have made acquaintance
with crime. while the letters which I
have read spread upon the record books
prove in the case Of others that they We're
I'm part persons Of lamily and education.
who had become impoverished al home,
or who. well-to-dO at home preferred the
new life in Virginia. full Of ultimate
promise These servants existed also I'm
New England, and their importation
thither was especially encouraged by law.
The records and newspapers Of the times
also show that the chief part OF both the
servants and convicts in Virginia, rs soon
as their indentures expired, struck out
for the West or North. whore their pre-
vious condition was not known. All the
poorer people Of East Virginia with
which part Of the State 7 am best ac-
Quainted) are descendants of the old free
men of the colony: have the same names.
and preserve I'm many ways the evidence
Of their descent sometimes by holding
portions Of the original patent lands. the
family Bible or other heirlooms. I have
made an abstract Of the records Of one
of the eastern counties. running back
about two hundred and fifty years. and
have examined very carefully into many
others, studying the descent 81 families.
and ] have found the same fact true Of
Virginia rs Is true Of other countries.
Starting with n prominent immigrant,
who had his cOat-of-arms and other In
sigma Of rcspectability. and following the
intermarriages of his descendants, have
found some maintaining the responsibility
OF their ancestor and others. from acct
dental or other causes, descending with
the social scale and becoming the sport
Of the slang Of a race ten times more
wretChed than themselves. I have before
me the directory OF one of our cities.
In IL is a peculiar Virginia name once
held by a distinguished member OF the
Colonial Council. And yet in the directory
It is represented by persons OF every order
OF social standing. And the same is true
of other names throughout the South.
The fact is there were always more
gentlemen" in the South than I'm any
other part Of the continent, perhaps in
any part Of the globe. The poor whites.
therefore, have as fine a descent, as a
rule as the more wealthy. The company
that John Smith brought over was full
of English gentlemen. The Virginia As
sembly declared in 1922 that many Of the
settlers were Of ancient houses and
born TO estates Of n,00O a year"-an
amount something like an income Of
$4,000 per year at this time. Smyth. in
his Travels" in MS. declares that
THE gentlemen Of the best families
end fortunes Of the colony are
here much more respectable and
numerous than IN any other province in
having liberal education, en-
lightened understandings and a thorough
knowledge OF the world. being lac
cOrding to his ideas, "the most agree