The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-05-14
III. passage of generations and tn. ris.

the passage Of generations and the rise
and fall Of nations.
noorer country II would be hard to
ana than that part OF Southside Virginia
through which the railroad passes. No
r.rt 81 the South has felt the. effects
~ tho war more Before the war II was
ore ~ the richest and most prosperous
sections OF Virginia, the lands being In
GOOD state OF cultivation. and the
negroes being. perhaps. more numeroue
than in my other part Of the state. The
very conditions which had made II rich
hefSre tho war, after the war made II
NOR II became, in consequence OF lis
largo regro population. the "black belt.
and for a lorg time II. with the exception
M a few localities. lay suffering under
the incubus OF its dense negro population.
Finally the white people got control. and
II began to get up again. nave ottener
than once Travelled nearly hundred miles
on the railroad through this secuon' anu
outside of the towns, not seen single
% RIM animal: this IN a region which was
once flled with well-stocked plantations,
owned by well-to-do people. There are,
=, course in this belt localities where
there are still good plantations. For In
s,ance along the Stanton and Dan lie
come 81 the best farms In the State.
On the stanton u.s. what l think, the
most beautiful country place In the South,
and the production Of yellow tobacco has
brought up another portion OF this sec
ton But the country generally IN con-
seouence of new conditions has under
gone an imrneasureable change.
rho number OF men in this part OF
,he state who were forced into bank
r,,n,cv nv the war and the conditions
,.b,rb followed Is almost indescribable
PRIOR 70 the war II was customary for
Gentlemen who were neighborS to go
socur,tv on each others bonds. and after
,,.ards a was not unusual TO find whole
ns,sbborhoods in the bankrupt courts
Indeed | believe that the outside worIa
has never taken In the complete ann
almost universal bankruptcy OF the Sopth
by the war and It's consequences III was
not merely that the property values were
aoetroved hut that everything upon when
nronertv values are based and by which
,boy can he created, were destroyed OF
rendered unavailable. 1t Is difficult accu-
ratelv 10 conceive OF a region In "nlch
nearly the entire PERSONAL property has
been viped out; the lands left unworkeu
and useless: the whole system OF LABOR
suddenly changed; the entire FORMER
laboring population thrown into std.e
of uncertainty and partial hoshlity 10
the whole governmental system reVoiu-
tionized: the former wealthy classes iett
burdened with debt and with their means
IN nav their debts suddenly swept away
with the fatigue and sorrow OF lost
war piled upon them. and with an ui-
known future before them
II Is difficult TO conceive OF THIS IS
applied to any considerable section Oh
a country; but when it applies to vast
territory, embracing many states, anu
a population numbering many mliilons'
the mind is incapable OF taxing IN 'il
whole fact. Such was the condition az
tho South. whole people absolutely
nrostrated had TO pick itself up reform
itself adapt itself to new conditio IS.
catch I'D with the general progress OF
tho world. and make for itself anew us
Mace in the column OF advance.
How II has succeeded all know; but
What n has endured and how II has
etr,ven. have been known only to Itself.
Those who fell in battle have had their
names inscribed on granite ana broHHe.
Women have wept over them ana poe's
have sung Of them, but those VINO went
down in the long and bitter struggle
afterwards are on no roster and nave
no monuments 1t is their glory that they
asked nothing and went down without
a murmur The poverty and hardship
which have been endured at the south
since the war are something or whlch
the outer world has had no idea.
THAT the results OF the war have been
advantageous to the non-slavenoldlhg
class. and, in the main, to the new gene
ration OF the former wealthy class no
thoughtful person of reasonably broad
Views can question; but the older genera
ton Of the latter class has suffered more
than the world will ever know. IL is not
dificult to find whole neighborhoods, In
deed. whole sections. In which every
place formerly owned by gentleman
has passed Out Of the hands Of It's former
owner.
The houses were built in a former age,
with no reference to railroads and modern
conditions; the lands were poor. markets
inaccessible, and with the new conditions
the ability of the owners TO maintain
themselves persisted. and, after long strug-
Cling. they submitted perforce, and new
owners came in and took possession.
These were of the class which, II they
made little. spent nothing-the small
farmer class which work with their own
hands
one Of the handsomest houses in the
| country I'm which ! was reared. and which
once was the home of culture, elegance
and princely hospitality. is now in the
| possession of tenant. Not long since
a gentleman passed through the place
and stopped there. A dinner-pot boiled
| in the old drawing room, hung on spike
| driven into a crack in fine old marble
mantel.
Another such house In a neighboring
| county, where used to visit az young
| ster, comes TO my mind. 1t had been
owned for many generations by the old
Virginia family which at that time still
made 1t one of the most charming homes
in the State. bevy OF lovely girls,
transmitting the traditional beauty OF
their mother (Which. indeed, though faded
with years and sorrow. still spoke for
itselO. made 1t one of the most popu-
lar places in Virginia. The old flower
garden, filled with old-fashioned roses,
lilacs, hollyhocks and other flowers in
profusion, stretched wide around 1t, with
walks and bowers which many
lovers blessed as they had
blessed them; and the horse-racks and
| stables were never empty of visitors
! horses: whilst within and all about were
a sweetness and charm which have never
| been surpassed. A friend whom / first
met there, told me he was there not long
| ago. He found the mansion divided up
| and occupied by two or three families OF
| foreigners, whose women went bare