The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-11-20
SARGE PLUNKETT.
Watching the "Signs" and the Temper
of the People.
atlanta Constitution.


know that we would be laughed at and
Brown says that he is tired Of being
made sport Of. I could call attention
to the comets, the strange seasons and
the "dry" storms that all old people
remember just before the war, but by
Browns advice I will not, and will be
contented by remarking that smarter
men than him and me both put to-
gether have believed in "signs" and
lived to see their interpretations vcri-
fed. ,
7 knew when old John Brown raised
thunder at Harper's Ferry that it was
"sign," and 1 knew when they stop
ped slavery from going into the terri
tories that it was "sign," but L
never thought for once but what our
great men in office could manage the
matter. We had such great confidence
in such men as Toombs aud Brown,
the Cobbs and Stephens, jeff Davis
and Yancy-such as these-that we
paid no attention to "signs" nor to
the warnings of some older common
people. Such men as were then
''leaders" said they could manage the
thing and we believed them, and the
most of them said there would be no
blood split and we believed them,
though the "sigus' were all against
what they did say. When these
memories come up in mind | am in
doubt whether it is best to depend
upon the utterances of "leaders" or
to take the ''signs'' as shadows Of
troubulous coming events.
''Signs" are not confined to war
matters, nor do they manifest them
selves altogether through the stars. or
through seasons and storms. The
temper of the people, the stress of the
times -restlessness, anxiety, a loose
morality-such as this I take as the
very best Of "signs." Such as this
speaks stronger than words-it shows
us palmer than look through tele-
scope that something is wrong; that
something must happen; that we are
on the wrong track. A few there may
be who will disagree with this, but a
great majority will agree, and the most
Of mankind, when they ind they are
on the wrong track, are willing to
switch back if they only know how.
To know "how" is great thing.
If we could all agree upon causes then
we could know ''how''-the cause
must first be found before we can ap-
ply the remedy. [ have my notion as
to the cause Of our present unrest.
The neglect Of rural pursuits is where
T take the blight to be, and return
to rural pursuits is the remady in my
notion. It is not sufficient that men
almost beggars drift into the country
seeking work. The men of brains and
of capital must turn their attention in
this direction. Give up the planning
of great enterprises, such as the build
ing of canals, of great cities, great
railroads and great whatnots, and the
of great syndicates for
scientific research and for the heath
ems in Africa. Such as this must
divide it's brain, its energy, it's capital
with agricultural development: Rural
pursuits must be magnifed. Country
homes must be made inviting and the
common people educated by precept
and by example that in country life
there is the least to trouble and the
most I'm he desired. It did not take
long for a custom of disparagement
and doleful tunes of the countryman's
littleness to turn the current toward
the towns. 1t will not take long un-
der present conditions to turn that
current back if we will all cry out the
and can get brains and capital
to join in the matter. Mothers and
fathers can soon instill into the minds
of their children that farming is the
very best pursuit if they wish to, and
can tell them that they had better,
for all the ''signs'' say that contented
country life is all the hope. The pro-
fessions. the mechanics, commerce
and industries everything in the
towns is crowded, crowded into dis
tress. In a few years more we must
see our land land of confusion, or
else we must see the country gentle
man. the man of all men. 1t has
been SO in Georgia once; it must be SO
again.
Such a train of thought naturally
brings to an old man s mind the coun-
try homes of the South before the war,
and we can but remember the dignity,
the culture, the hospitality that pre-
sided in these homes. A few, just
few, of them old country gentlemen
are yet living. But there are many
yet living who can remember these
grand old homes and the old masters
and old mistresses. The most Of them
gave way under the new era Of after
the war and many Of them died in
They could never learn the
new ways-never accept the changed
conditions. What a pity that they
did not settle down on the old home
stead and there await death. They
did not, though they fed to the towns
and their children went with them,
and those children, in many instances,
are the poor people of to-day. Some
poor widows and broke-down soldiers,
who could not fee, remained upon the
Farms, and they have fought greater
fight than was the fight between the
States, and the day is dawning that
shall praise to them a victory, greater
than Appomattox, heroism worthy
the noblcst praise.
In discussing the much visiting that
has been going on during the exposi-
tion, Brown and I caught ourselves
drawing comparisons between the old
time Southern homes and the homes
of this day and time. There was
nothing thought Of seeing eight or ten
carriages and buggies and horseback
riders in proportions drawn up any
Sunday at the old homes. They were
all fed with ease and sumptuously.
I know that some will be ready to say
that slavery gave these old homes
their abundance. This is not alto
gether so. The negro cost just about
as much in those days as he does now,
&c aot ,,oro hut tbau xUora MANAGED