The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-08-06
SARGE PLUNKETT.
THE BURNING QUESTION FOR THE
SOUTH ATLANTIC STATES.
Young People Must Not Go West The Old
Methods Must BE Chang, d, and the
Young Folks Kept Mt Home.
For The Constitution.


ed many a head to swimming with the
Texas fever from the glowing account he
gives of the crops of that state.
Mr. Bane is agent" but has returned
to Georgia to see old friends and relatives,
and he is just such gentleman that
his words can be depended upon, and is
therefore, more dangerous to the interest of
Georgia to the gain of Texas. While our
Georgia boys are digging away at their lit
tie ''bumble-bee'' cotton, to free it from
grass, caused in much abundance by the
late rains, Mr.. Bane comes and tells them
that people We're picking cotton at his home
when he left there two weeks ago, and that
the stalks are high as mans head,
and Tapped in siX-foot rows.
Mr. Bane does not tell his glowing story
of Texas with any interest of injuring his
old state of Georgia. 1t is told as other
simple truths would be told by gentleman
of Veracity in the natural course of fireslde
conversation, and the young people listen
and wonder while feelings of dissatisfaction
creep into their young minds and they grow
aweary of the old red hills.
L would not dsparage Texas if L could,
nor would / undertake the softest impeacn-
ment of such man as Mr.. Bane, but
venture that there is another side to this
picture and darker side. There are plen-
ty Of poor folks in Texas There is gruinb-
ling of hard times there are men out OF
work and "tramps" are upon the roads. l
venture there is more "tramping" in Texas
than in Georgia-three times as much-and
there are graveyards and suff-ring, ana
sickness and | doubt if the tongues parch-
ing with the feverS of this rich section can
find the crystal springs of old Georgia to
cool them, nor the same healthful breeze
does not fan them to rest. say TINS, not
that l love Texas less. Texas is young ana
vigorous, and can stand alone now, wltn-
out drawing from these old south Atlantic
states, as she has drawn and if she is wise
she will cease to tear her linen to draw
from anywhere, but offer her wild lands as
a premium for twins and grow popuia-
ton worthy of the stock from whence they
sprung.
The Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia have
done enough for Texas. The most of us have
many loved ones in Texas as we have at
home, and if this going" keeps on we Will
all long to go there for this reason. L have
been watching these movers to Texas for a
long time. Long trains of OK teams used
to fill the roads their way, and the dirt
from here there has been moistened by the
tears of young mothers leaving their old
settlements and the old folks SO
sad and lonely. Since the days
of railroads J. have watched the immI-
grant trains and there has been Il tear Tor
every puff of the engines that carried our
friends away. 1t is like burryinS a loved
one to take those too old to follow, to see
them start for Texas.
Especially shculo the Carolnas, Virginia
that has been taking their young people
away and seek remedy. Our young men
are predispoSed to go west, ana II Is
question that parents should ask them
selves, why this Is so? Brown and myself
have placed the blame at a strange door
we have placed it upon the fathers. This
Is a strange place to put the blame, for
we know that it is not intended. The "old
AN may not cry and take on like the
mother, but it wrings his heart just the
10 chi coin off n
west and he wonders why in the world
they can't rest satisfied at the old home
Brown had talk with his boy and one OF
his sons-in-law yesterday ana the matter
of opportunity Seems to DE weighing
on their minds. They want some land of
their own, and they think their oppor-
| tunity is in the west. Brown has enough
| land to give every child he has home,
| and he expects for them to have it, but he
| wants them to wait till the "old folks
| die before they get it, This waiting till
| father dies is the most unpleasant thing
| that could be put on child. a child does
| not like to contemplate the death of a
parent-they rather go west than for such
| an unpleasant thing to transpire, and
Brown and L have figured it out that a
| child would not be worthy did he not feel
thus.
1t is strange how the average 'old man.;
| does hate to divide up the old farm They
| know the children will eventually get 1t
| ALL and feel that this should satisfy. But
| it does not satisfy. Waiting is n hard
thing with the young. 1t seems so long
to wait ten years An old man can re-
member when he thought he never would
| get to be twenty-one, and the old women OF
! this day used to think that the time would
never arrive for them to put on long
| dresses and go with the boys and marry
| and keep house for themselves Time
| moves mighty slow with the young-a week
| is a month and a month is Il year with
| them. And all their young days they work
| lin common" to fill the fathers cribs AMI
! to keep up the old plantation. This is the
! fly in the lock-right here is where Brown
| and | place the blame. Every child Should
have something of its own from the very
| start of its working days. Just give your
| children little patch of their own. Give
| it to them separately and then let me know
! if you ever hear OF boy being tired wnen
his own patch is to work-neVer uld a boy
! complain of hare work in his own pdIcn,
even il it was just u Saturday evening
| holiday. Saturday evenings gwen to ne
| groes IN slavery times tor the purpose
| OF working theil own p2tches turned the
| old plantations into bowers OF smiling
| cheerfrlness and rompinS activity.
knowing this principle in human nature
| as we'll as ola folks know 1t. 1t IS strange
| that there is not more effort nadS ioi
every child to have his 'lndivldual IN
| terest. We know of two young men IN our
settlement just now arrived at the aSt
| OF twenly-one who are going 70 the West
| next fan. Either one of their fathers own
] as muCn as zoo acres OF lahd: venture
The assertion that if these fathers, ten
| wears ago had given these sons ten acres
| of land the ten acres would have now been
| rich and improved, the fathers would
have lost no more of these sons labor IMAM
| they have lost. and these young men would
| not now be packing their trunks to 30
| west AS it is, these fathers have several
len-acre plats on their places grown up
| i'm sedge and Enthusiastically to the eye
and useless to all. You Will never get me
! and Brown TO believe anything put what q
child should be encouraged in this way, ana
! Won will never make US believe that the
Harents lose any present benefits by such
| efncouragement We have watched two lit
| tie girls who had patches OF their own
| this year and they have not lost mo-
! ment TO their mother on this account. On
| the contrary they have more than gained
| the time by swifter work and have been
| happy all the year in anticipation OF their
| harvest. =, ux- ,,er,,Io
! discontented people and poor people, but
! to improve upon present conditions, | be-
! lieve an easy matter so far as the children
| are concerned. 1.-THE old man is the hard
est thing to manage in the matter; 1 nave
! ALWAYS been a defender of the old man
/ If faimiues and | would not have him lose
! an iota of his prestige, but | do thinK -.e
! majority of them are too tenacious In mold
! ing on till death. 1t is so nice to see
vonr children and grandchildren settled
! about on the old farm. a few might be
! ungrateful and brutes enough to forget
4 AIa.aNNs IN