The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-11-09
The SuwaBee River.


But in that part Of the long journey
when we were passing through Georgia.
! and at the moment when the tedium was
worst, the train approached a long hol-
! low in the hills where one Of those
| iieasant surprises occurred vhich go TO
| prove how song may cOnsecrate 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 good view Of il as we came
near the wooden trestle bridge by which
the line was carried across-structures
which, until you become acclimated 10
/ American travel. always make you Won
der whether they will carry the train
this time safely over. The river ran
down from the Georgian hills in a lively
current, broken sometimes into rapids
and little cataracts where the red and
black rocks lay across its Ctannel, 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,
between the woods which bOrdered it
stood Isolated negro cottages around
which you could see little black children
at play and the invarable pig, which is
the house guest Of the Niger as well as
Of the Irishman. a punt was gliding
with negro on board dragging a fishing
line and the black buzzards circled over
the maize fields. IL was not striking
scene. but beautiful in it's way gilded
as IL was by the rays of q magnificent
sunset Yet I should have forgotten IL
in q few minutes, as l had forgotten the
hundreds Of other rivers which the rush
ing train had traversed. had 10 not been
that / happened 20 ask the conductor
u-h4t narop Of This n9Tfteutar
water.
quite carelessly he answered, That's
the Suwanee river, Misterw
The SuWanee riverl In a moment the
stream had for me new and extraOrdi-
nary interest. l had not even known
that there vas such a river In geograph-
zeal reality or that IL flowed through
Georgia; and yet. here II was-real, au-
thentic. aliye-leapng down through the
Southern forests. past the maize fields
and the cotton flats, 10 pour itself into
the Gulf Of Mexico. In an instant every
thing around appeared To be fun Of the
song that all the world knows and sings.
way down upon the Suwanee Riber."
The liveOaks seemed 10 wave IL IN the
evening air; the stream seemed 10 sing
II as 1t hustled over the rocks. the birds
I'm the thckets had II I'm the soft musical
notes we caught, and the crickets and
Joined I'm the half-heard chorus The
Journey was no longer monotonous. To
be "Way down upon de Suwanee Riher'
was 10 have come o. q corner OF America
dedicated 10 that deep emotion Of our
@ nmon humanity-the love Of home. Is
there anybody who has not felt the
charm Of the simple niger melody
When 1 was playln' wild my brudder
Happy was j,
O. take me 90 my kind old mudder,
Oar let me lib and die.
All the world am sad and dreary
Everywhere / roam,
O. darlles, how my heart grows weary
Far from de old folks at home.
There. indeed. were the old folks at
home. a white-halred darky sitting on a /
log by the cottage door stripping maize
cobs. and, stumbling about among the
pigs and poultry, old Dinah, with yellow
bandana on her silver locks, grooming
some song which might. perhaps, be the
song Of the river SO, after all, II was
real! and there was a Suwanee river.
and the sunny peace and beauty OF II
were pust what fitted well with the sentl-
ment OF that touching ard tender air
which has gone all through the world
because II holds In its unaffected music
the secret OF the pathetic retrospects OF
lite Just the spot II was 10 which a
tired man, be be niger or otherwise.
'cht took back with attachment and
affection. We travellers coming suddenly
upon &c and leaving it at thirty miles an
hour had. ~ course. nothing but the most
aittirg concern with "de Suwanee riber."
But one could imagine how dear Il
might De 20 native born. and how sim
cere the original emotion was Of the song
writer or else OF some darby from whom
be borrowed II. 20 write and set 10 such
SOFT "a # synpdtnic music "Deres
where my heart IS turning ever" Hence
forward for me that Georgia stream. with
the dark groves friugiug Il. and the red
crales, and the quiet reaches OF silver
water glided by the setting sun. has a
place In thought among the famous rivers Z
OF the globe. and 1 never hear the mel
anchoiy music OF the popular niger la
ment without a rev feeling Of what song
can DO far beyond history and important /
events, 10 consecrate spot IN nature
forever, and TO l0calize universal SEN
timent. Fl Ego IN Arcadia. l too have /
been way down upon De Suwauee RIDE" /
Sir Edwin Arnold In London Telegraph. /