The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-05-09
BILL ARP,s LETTER.
Arp Describes . Section WheEe Negroes
arc Scarce.

BILL AkP'S LETTER.
Arp Describes . Section Where Negroes
arc Scarce.
atlanta Constitution.
The place I visited last in Florida
was Wildwood. The name does not
fit the town but it does the country
adjacent on the southwest. / never
was in just such deep tangled wild
wood as that wherein the famous
King orange grove is planted. The
giant monar,hs of the forest are there
towering toward the sky, many Of
them eight feet in diameter and one
of them twelve, and all apparently
solid and their immense limbs stretch
ing far and wide and their evergreen
foliage hiding the sunlight and casting
over all shadow and fear. Under.
meath them was found chaparral Of
wild oranges, and Of these the larger
ones were cut down and the smaller
ones were budded. This produces a
luxurious growth Of large trees whose
foliage is q dense dark green and the
fruit of fine color and quality. The
King grove now stands at the head Of
the list both for acreage and quality.
The amount of labor that it has taken
to subdue this wilderness must have
been immense and it still goes on
ditching and clearing and pruning
$40 acres in oranges does not satisfy
Mr.. King, and he has 240 more COM
ing on. 1t is just such plants that
show the value of the negro. His
muscle, endurance, good health and
contentment while doing such work is
admirable. I remember hearing an
old blunt-spoken member Of the Leg
islature say, ''Mr. Speaker, these rail
roads may fool some people, but they
can It fool me. One of 'em goes right
by my house and never stops to say
howdy or good morning. | watched
'em when they was buildin' it and |
know who done it. The company sold
common stock and preferred stock,
and issued first mortgage bonds and
income bonds and they got the cost up
to $4,000 mile, but most Of that
was greasage and stealing. The real
cost Of the road was the sweat Of the
nigger at a dollar day"
There is much truth in that. The
sweat Of the niger is the cost Of most
all the railroads, and down here now
is the cost Of all the phosphate plants.
But outside Of the large towns i"
Florida the negro is rarely seen. l
saw but few in Wildwood, and there
are not twenty-five in Clearwater.
There are hardly enough to do the
cooking and washing. Most Of the
families serve themselves. They do
their own cooking and, therefore, not
much cooking is done. You are not
invited out to dine. The people do
not attach so much Importance to their
appetites as they do to other pleas
ures, nor are they bound up by the
rules Of society as they are in cities
and old settled towns. If they wish
to 60 anywhere they walk or else ride
in the little farm wagon. There: are
some buggies but no carriages-no
darkey sitting up with a beaver on his
head and robe over hiH knees. "A
man can sit in his piazza with his coat
of and a woman can wear an old straw
bonnet if she wants to and no remarks.
Mothers take their children to church,
baby and all, and why shouldn' t they.
When would they hear preaching if
she didn't. I heard man say not
long ago that it always made him mad
to see woman in church with baby
in her arms. Well; Of course, the
child does sometimes disturb the con-
gregation, ,sbut5not long for the mother
takesit out, but that woman has per-
haps been tied to her house day and
night for weeks sewing and cooking
and nursing while her husband can 60
about and talk and chat with the
neighbors. No doubt he is a very
clever, industrious man and means to
be kind, but the wife who is mother
Of young children is bound hand and
foot to the hearthstone. Then let
them go to church, and if the baby
cries let us be sorry, but not mad.
How old father time does slip up on
us. Verify the years are all coming
this way. I found at Wildwood An
drew Harvey, the son Of my old friend,
Judge Harvey, of Rome. When I
last saw him he was but boy going
to school with my boys, and now he is
the father Of family, a sspater fa-
milias." he is settled man and his
wife is a settled woman. Of course,
she is settled, for five little children
will settle any woman, but mother
hood. is her natural condition, and the
women who dodge it have lowered the
standard of the sex. Andrew Harvey
is a leading citizen of the town and
the Superintendent of the Sunday
school. His home is just what a home
should be and his wife is a helpmeet
as well as helpmate. / was their
guest, and never felt more at home
than when under their roof, and espe-
cially at their table. Good gracious
What a Florida dinner was spread be-
fore us and what turkey and what
cornbread and buttermilk. What
cream was that on the grape fruit.
There was revival meeting going on
in the Baptist Church and I heard
good preaching in the daytime, and
the preachers all suspended service at
night and honored me with their pres
encc, and brought the congregation to
hear me talk. That was kind and un-
expected, for sometimes I have had
preachers to warn their Aocks against
grieving the spirit by hearing Bill
Arp talk. Ny thanks to Rev. Mr..
Porter and Mr.. Farmer and to the
good people of Wildwood.
We left Clearwater last Wednesday.
The place and the people have our
benedictions for our sojourn there has
been most delightful, and we will
have much to talk about for weeks to
come. There were no operas or thea
ters or horse races or conventions OF
elections, but the sweet quiet Of the
town and the placid waters of the bay
were enough to make us feel calm and