Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-01

AMUSING SCENES AT A FIRE-A CELEBRATED
coLoRED PREACHER.
| Correspondents OF The Evening Star
TOWNSVILLE, Ga, March %. 1898
Townsville, the Mecca of the pines. is the
great gathering place for all who desire the
healing properties to be found here in breath
ing the pure air and strong, pungent odor sent
out from the fresh budding pines 1t is
pretty place as well and not so entirely given
over TO invalids as one might suppose-far from
it. Many who are quite strong and we'll are
seen daily wandering through the groves.
where the sun comes slanting down in a fas-
cinating and most bewitching manner
Townsville is true southern town, only
you do not see here the extreme laziness and
| lack of energy found in Florida. The Georgians
are by far more full of life and spirit. The
Georgia darkey will work for three days and
rest one, while the Florida negro works one
| day and rests three.
There are no springs to attract the visitor for
| his morning constitutional. but instead YOU
may wander to the fashionable Pine Grove the
| Yankees paradise as it is called and there
| you will see all the northern "swels.'' Later
in the day they are to be met driving out among
| the belt of pines which surround the place
and very attractive and pretty this drive is-s
| boulevard eighteen miles in extent about the
| city. level road through miles of pines and
| always within two miles of the heart of the
| town. SO you may turn homeward whenever
weary.
En- PEASANT you see many pretty cottages or
more of the villa order built in the southern stvle
OF bungalow. The most attractive is that os Mr..
j. Wvman Jones. The place at one time.
| In the ante-bellum days. a large cotton planta-
| ton. The old house has been slightly modern
lied. still keeping its wide galleries and hospit-
| a Ont IL
very charming hail. 1t is painted in the
colonial colors. and presents a most artistic APP
pearance IN its setting of magnolia trees and
pines.
GLEN ARvEN PARK.
Glen Arven'' Park. a gift from Mr. Jones to
the Thomasvilians. is a delightful bit Of
ground Of 269 acres. which has been cleared
from underbrush. leaving pleasant drive be-
tween rows of tall pines. magnolias. blossomng
jessamine. tangled wild vines and moss. Sew
! eral deer are in the park and pretty little
casino guiding Passing through the large
gate you are out once more on the bully
ward. as our darkey coachman informs us.
TO the right and left are rows upon rows
OF pear trees in full bloom. luxuriant
beyond description, and reaching out two
miles beyond The variety is the lie Conte
and the keiffer pear. the latter yielding from
five to thirty-tive bushels to the tree. This is
great export and brings in generally a good
| income to the owner.
The PARKWAY sea breeze has sprung up and
reaches us, and we are pelted with the sweet
blossoms and filed with the fragrance of them.
All. you poor frozen northerners How we
wish the breeze would go afar, and carry to
you this soft, sweet. pure air and blossoming
fragrance, in the midst Of your long winter
weather.
We see nothing raised in the fields on either
side OF the road but the pear trees, oats. sweet
potatoes and cotton; these, We are told, are all
now that the Georgian can send to market.
We're it not for the 100000 left during the
winter by the ncrtherners it would be hard to
realize much of income in Townsville.
The natives. however, all look happy and quite
content, and day by day the typical OK cart
rolls by on its two rough wheels with its skeleton
oxen, the old darkey driver and his numerous
family ensconced in the bottom of the vehicle
And this reminds me of the population, said to
be (mind. qualify myself by said to be'')
5000. half whites and half blacks, except on
election day. when they are all whites.
AMUSING SCENES AT A FIRE.
A fire occurred the other day which called
forth many amusing scenes The church bells
pealed out in terrible confusion. while men,
women and children were rushing to the fire.
Two cottages were nearly burned; the third
was going. We wondered where the engine
could be- noisy sound Of wheels, and we
looked about to see coming at moderate
speed miniature engine drawn by two mules.
Upon inquiring into their tardiness on the scene
OF action the darkey fireman replied:
Dem mules out blowing: brought em
in mighty quick, too!'' More time was lost by
the fear OF the mules in going near the FIRE.
After beating and pounding them over the
head, they were finally overpersusded. and
slight stream Of water began to play over the
few remaining embers OF the last house.
A by-plsy. or one-act tragedy-comedy, was
going on in the meantime. A colored woman
was wandering hither and yon. an apron thrown
over her head and crying piteously. The tenor
Of her grief was that her darling Susie had
been burned up in de fames.'' We all sym-
pathized in a panic-stricken manner. When
suddenly from behind the apron the mothers
eyes espied her darling SUSIE" sprig of a
girl. standing with wide-open mouth and eyes
gazing at the fire. The indignant mother boxed
the girls ears soundly on either side then and
there, whether from Joy or cruel disappoint-
ment twas hard to decide.
AN ELOQUENT CoLoRED PREACHER.
The celebrity of the place seems to be the
colored preacher, Jack Carter. Every one goes
to hear him preach as a curiosity. We follow
the fashion, and after walk to the outskirts of
the town enter a plain frame building, with
pulpit opposite the entrance at q height of
twelve feet above the floor; long galleries
stretch across either side meeting at the pulpit
The old darkey was once a slave; he claims
that he taught himself to read and
write; he plays the piano quite well and
knows the Bible by heart. His singing is
q great attraction; he leads always and sings
often two or three solos during the service.
His flights Of eloquence are often startling, and
you are amazed at the old fellows theological
argument The next moment he desceuds to q
depth Of righteousness with accompanying
grimace that convulses the audience at once.
Sufficient to say there is rarely ever standing
room in the church during the afternoon or
evening service.
Besides the pure air we are breathing in the
quiet little hamlet among the Georgia pines. it
is delightful to reach a place at last where the
water is correspondingly pure. Artesian wells
supply it altogether, some OF them reaching
depth OF 500 feet. The water is impregnated
with small amount of magnesia, and h most
delicious to drink.
The afternoon tea has found its way here
also; the invasion made by the cottagers and
the incoming Of the northerners to the hotels
pleasant diversion, and giving glimpses of the
pretty interiors of the many winter homes of
those who dispense a lavish and charming hos
pitality.
The darkey itinerant and local musicians are
host of Ministries in themselves-each one an
end man in originality; the Unborn love Of
music, the swinging sing-song rhythm Of the
tunes and the ever-present mouth ACCORDION
all harmonizing into masterful outdoor con-
cert to which one never tires of listening There
must be a heaven somewhere made OF music to
these children Of nature. The more weird
the air the more wonderful and far
away the EXPRESSION resting on their