The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-07-17
SARGE PLUNKETT.
The Many and Great Changes That Have
Come Upon the Country.
atlanta Constitution.

politics and IN rellgl0n.
I have seen the day when Jew had
to enter Georgia in the night time,
and dark night at that, and then he
had to be mighty careful. To-day the
Jew is "leader" in politics, model
in business, Justly proud Of his wo-
men, and the other creeds might find
an example worthy to follow in his de-
votion to the synagogue and his ortho-
dox simplicities.
I have seen the day that a stranger
would have been lynched if caught
among the negro quarters Of Georgia
with New York Tribune in his
pocket. To-day if Old Horace Gree
ley could appear the Georgia white
man would do more to his honor than
the negro.
So wags the world. Nations mingle
and intermingle without jar; tongues
jabber in whatever language they are
versed without q thought of comment
being created.
Our Fourth Of July occasion is
looked upon by half the population as
a great day for making money-that is
ali. The Italian trims up his fruit
stand, the German has ready his beer,
the Irishman his whiskey, the Jew
his cheap clothing, the Georgia
"cracker' is brimful Of patriotism,
but "think of his head in the morn
ingl"
These old ''crackers'' feel mighty
bad on the day after these national
jubilations, but it has resolved itself
that he dares not to curse single soul
save the lowly Chinaman. We can
curse the Chinaman yet, but that is
all, and predict that is only for
short while; even he will soon have SO
much prestige some way or other that
we will not dare to say a word about
him and he will take one Of the "e's"
off his name if he sees fit.
The young generation does not notice
such things as I have mentioned, but
your fathers and grandfathers can tell
you that there is none of the spirit of
an old-time Fourth of July occasion
to be found at this time in our cele-
brations. In old times it was purely
patriotic without thought Of profit.
A big barbecue was always certain.
It would be advertised at every cross
roads by tacking a notice to the big
trees, and talked of at the country
store, at church and around the FIRE
sides. For days before, the girls
would be hunting up their pretty rib
bons, starching their lace-bound pet
ticoats and bleaching their pretty
faces. The boys were singing all the
days and working like Trojans to get
the crops laid by for the occasion.
Even the negroes looked forward to an
old-time "Fourth" with feelings of
keenest pleasure. Especially did the
old carriage driver brush up his old
"stovepipe" hat and have the old car
riage, harness and horses a-shining,
that no other folks should be finer
than his folks. I doubtif ever a king
felt grander than did these old slave
carriage drivers as they sat on the
''box" outside, pulling the lines over
prancing steeds awaiting the orders to
20. These drivers were the envy of
the whole plantation. Droves of shirt
tail urchins planted themselves behind
the clay roots to see him as he passed
and his position seemed to them to be
the highest a negro could ever wish.
jerusalem! how things do change!
The young generation, brought up
to contemplate the spending Of mil:
lions in preparation for big fairs and
expositions, will laugh when l tell
them what ''great" preparations were
made for these old Fourth of July
celebrations. 1t meant the hauling
of 20 cords of wood, the digging Of a
long trench, the slaughter Of several
beeves, sheep and hogs. I know the
youngster smiles at the immensity OF
this expense, but never mind, there
was always plenty Of everything
good, good speakers to listen to and
shady slopes to lounge upon-there
was never a sound from the soda
founts, but from crystal springs we
drank and were satisfied.
Long befores daylight, on the morn
ings of thes occasions, meats were
smoking an2sabaking above the Goals
in the trenches, giving out an odor to
whet the appetite and tease the multi
tude. As the odor grew so grew the
numbers. Over the hills and down
the wales could be heard the tramp of
horses, the rumble Of wagons and the
echo Of songs as the people gathered
from 20 miles away. The roads in
every direction were full Of merry
people-some on horses, some in We
hicles and some a-foot. There you
saw the typical Georgia young man OF
the day, his coat on his arm, his red
bandanna about his neck, his hair
glistenipg from hogs fat and the story
Of George Washington and his hatchet
running through his brain. His strides
showed the consciousness of his strong
manhood, and as he scaled the fences
for "near cuts" al.1 "cooned" the
poles across the streams, he impressed
a confidence in young American hardi.
hood that can never be reached in all
the training of all the gymnasiums OF
the world.
A sweet part of these occasions was
that it gave the young man chance
to be with his sweetheart. The boys
had their sweethearts then, too, and
hand in hand pretty girl and her
beau kept in the middle Of the road,
only stopping now and then at streams
to pull off their shoes and wade through
up to their knees, or else, with the
innocence of the times. the young man
would gather the pretty miss in his
arms and safely land her upon the
other shore.
Some Of the girls and boys will gig
gle at this and think it was coarse,
but it was only the gallantry Of the
olden times, made necessary by the
absence of bridges and footlogs. In
these days young people do not walk
along hand in hand, nor the young
men do not carry their sweethearts in
their arms, but the young fellows catch
the girls by their arms in mighty
greedy way and they walk mighty close