San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-11-21
ON DE sUwANEE RIBBER. y
Sir Edwin Arnold Beholds the Fa-
nous Stream.

nous Stream.
Sir Edwin Arnold, writing of his
experiences of travel in an article
in the London Telegraph, says:
"When we were passing through
Georgia, and at the moment when
the tedium was worst, the train
approached a long hollow in the
hills, where one of those pleasant
surprises occurred which go to
prove how song may cOnSecrate a
locality. A river, not very broad or
deep, but with a certain special
grace and character Of its own, lay
in front of our track. We had a
view of it as we came near the
wooden bridge by which the line
was carried across-structure
which, until you became acclimat-
lied to American travel, always
makes you wonder whether they
will carry the train this time safe
ly over. The river ran down from
the Georgian hills in a lively cur
rent, broken sometimes into rapids
and little cataracts where the red
and black rocks lay across it's chan
mel, and then widening out into
picturesque reaches bOrdered by
thickets of dark green foliage and
clumps of cypress and willow. In
the clearings here and there be-
tween the woods which bOrdered
it, stood isolated negro cottages,
around which you could see little
black children at play, and the in
evitable pig, which is the house
guest of the negro, as well
punt was gliding along
on. the quiet part of the stream
with negro on board dragging a
fishing line, and the black buZ-
yards circled over the maize fields.
1t was not very striking scene,
but beautiful in it's way, gilded as
it was by the rays of a magnificent
sunset. Yet l should have forgot
ten it in a few minutes, as l had
forgot the hundreds of other rivers
which the rushing train had trav-
ersed, had it not been that hap
pened to ask the conductor what
was the name of this particular
water.
"Quite carelessly he answered,
that's the Suwanee river, mister!
"Suwanee river! In mo-
ment the stream had for
me new and extraordinary
interest. | had not even known
tho tbopa yUaC Suob a Y.iyor in OoO-
graphical reality, or that it flowed
through Georgia; and yet here it
was-real, authentic alive-leaping
down through the southern forests,
past the maize fields and cotton
flats, to pour itself into the Gulf of
Mexico. In an instant everything
around appeared to be full of the
song that all the world knows and
sings, way Down Upon de Suwa-
nee Ribber.' The live oaks seemed
to wave it IN the evening air;
the stream seemed to sing it as
it hustled over the rocks; the
birds in the thickets had it in the
soft musical note we caught, and
the katydids beginning their sun
set chirrup joined in the half
heard chorus. The journey was
no longer monOtOnus. To be way
down upon de Suwanee ribber' was
to have come to "a corner of
America dedicated to that deep
emotion of our common humanity
the love of home. Is there any
body who has not felt the charm of
the simple niger melody
When was playin' wild my brudder
Happy was |,
o. take me to my kind old mudder
Oar let me lib and die.
All de world am sad and dreary
EberywheIe | roam:
O. darkieS, how my heart grows weary.
Far from de old folks at home.
"There, indeed were the old folks
at home, white-haired darkey sit
ting on a log by the cottage door,
stripping maize CObs, and shamb-
ling about among the pigs and
poultry, old Dinah, with a yellow
bandana on her silver locks, Groom
ing some song which might, per-
haps, be the song of the river. So,
after all itjwas real, and there was
a Suwanee river, and the sunny |
peace and beauty of it were just |
what fitted we'll with the sentl-
ment of that touching and tender
air which has gone all through the |
world because it holds it's unatfeCt- |
fected music the secret of the pa