The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-09-26
Old Customs In Virginia.


TIE genuine, untouched Virginian OF to-
day has often been declared to be the
most complete survival of eighteenth cen
tury England now in existence. There
| are certain eighteenth century customs
| and phrases and manners in common use
here that have not been heard of In a
hundred years In England. one OF the
/ quaintest is a custom of the road which
| died out in England when the postroad
| and the travelling chariot went out or
| vogue.
| In>those days II was considered almost
| an affront for one travelling in carriage
| to drive past another going the same way.
| The travelling class was made Up general
| Is Of the rich and leisurely, and as they
| bowed along in their coaches, TO have
another coach dash by and give back It's
! dust. and perhaps incite the coachman TO
| a race was considered highly indecorous'
] TO take ones dust" Mas common eS-
preston OF contempt. The custom was
| not without its uses In it's days. But VIII
| ( he believed that at the close Of the nine
| taenth century this etiquette Of the road
| Is rIgidly maintained and that among
| welI-bred people each equipage has 10
| take the gait of the slowest?
True il is. some iconoclasts and out
| siders drive past their fellow travellers
without conjunction. but they, therefore,
prove their claim to be called iconociasts
and outsiders. When It is q very pressing
case an apology is called out, such as:
Pray, excuse me, but my horse Is rest
less" or am IN haste TO catch the boat"
er something of the kind. Uut TO briye
ruthlessy ahead without a word Of apoi-
ogy Is considered the acme OF III breeding.
The roads In this part Of the world are
not interesting. except Cor their natural
beauty. as the people os wealth following
their English ancestors In practice sought
a proud seclusiCn for thfir houses. Only
the poorest people built theif homes on
the main road, and one may travel from
che end Of his fair county 20 the other
and not find single handsome residence
on the public highway. There was another
and very practical reason for abjurlng
this public highway. Every mans house
was at the service of every man. woman
and child In the country.
An Arab hospitality obtained and was
enjoyed to the full. The people who had
undesirable homes were always willing 10
bestow their company upon their more
fortunate neighbors, so that At wouldn't
do to be too convenient 10 the main ar
teries of travel. Especially was this so
when a visit from family meant the en-
PERTAINING of two coach horses a coach
man and a maid: for the negroes went
visiting with the white people, and enjoy
ed 1t just as much, Hospitality was one
OF their great virtues, and is still. for
these people excel In social virtues. and
this particular virtue costs little.
II only meant the killing OF half dozen
more chickens for dinner, when there
were hundreds, perhaps, scratching about
in the poultry yard and the gardens were
overgrown with vegetables, for which
there was neither sale nor consumption
There were ice houses full of fee. and
meadows full of cows. and ice cream was
manufactured IN A big tin bucket. turned
about in a keg Of ice and salt. II took
two women and a man and a boy 10 make
ice cream bat it took that many 10 do
everything.
The Ice houses are among the most pic-
turesque features In the landscape here.
A great mound of earth 30 or 40 feet high,
was thrown up around a place that was
bIicked mp and looked Ike q gigantic
well. This was finished at the top by a
circular roof. The sides Of the mound
we're graded and turfed, and made nice
places for boys and girls to roll down
when the short, slippery grass was wet
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