The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-11-17
IN THE "OLD DOMlNIOT."
The Loyalty of Virginia to the AIothe err
Country The Drinking Habits Of
Other Days.

The Loyalty of Virginia to the aIothe err
Country- The Drinking Habits of
Other Days.
Many Of the old soldiers who campod
and fought III the "RapiGau while
in the army Of Northern Virginia will
read the following article by Rev. Dr..
j.. g. Hiden, of Richmond, Va, with
peculiar interest
The Piedmont region of Virginia is
q notable country from many points OF
view but one OF the most striking
things in iCs history is it's pronounced
loyalty to the mother country during
the colonial days of the "O,d Domin.
ion" The very names OF it's rivers at
test this loyalty. In accordance with
popular custom, | write "Rapidan y;
but the Hon. b. johnson Barbour, who
was excellent authority in such mat
ters, used TO say that this was Il cor
ruption of the Rapid Anne" The
river was named for Queen Anne. O..e
of the counties along whose borders it
flows is named Orange, for William,
.'rin"" ~Ho""Hge,.a D not o n account
OF the red color Cl i.5 >il." ~Iu~,.
Aune must have been highly popular
hcre in the colonial days fer in this
region we have not only the Rapid
Anne river but the North Anna, the
South Anna, and the Rivanna, and one
Of the counties is called F~luvanna.
Why so many rivers should have been
named Anna" " "Annc," for a queen
who was VIGOROUSLY not fond Of water
buS decidedly preferred something
stronger, is Il question with which my
antiquarian lore is not strong enough
to grapple, and L must leave it to those
who are curious and expert in such
matters.
In the days of Queen Anne, how
ever, temperance had not been in.
vented. Nearly every one Of the
~biosraphcrs OF that excellent map,
Addison, mentions the fact that this
great writer was foud OF his glass, and
sometimes drank too freely. But, as
fault, in that day, and even among
serious people, was regarded rs one OF
the smallest OF peccadilloes !; aud he
q d that 1T was almost as common for
a gentiemans' to drink too much as
1T was Tor him to wear Il wig and a
sword. Really, and in spite OF the
y pesslmists,' it does seem that in our
tine we have reformed hal indil-
fcrentIy ;" nor do we think it altogeth-
or wild to hope that we shall, in Time,
reform IL altogether" Certainly IL
is now no part Of the character of q
line gentleman to get drunk. To
any American statesman it is now Il
decided disadvantage to be known as q
hard drinker. Fifty years ago, quite
y considerable number Of tho aDiest
party leaders, Whigs ard Democrats.
were motor iOusly and shamelessly in
temperate in their habits, and several
of them were known to appca as
speakers in the Senate, in the House."
and on the stump SO far gone 10
drink as to be scarcely able 10 stand.
Nowadays we seldom hear OF the mel
ancholy exhibitions. Public scnti-
ment on this subject is growing heulthi.
er, and it Is now very generally desired
that our Legislators, judges, aud other
public officials should be sober men.
Some forty years ago, at a county
courthouse in Virginia, q friend Of
NINE was requested TO use his in.
hnence to release IL prisoner who bad
reen committed to jail on the charge,
"Drunk and d~isorderly." My friend
undertook the task. In performing it,
he had to do with the committing
Justice" the sheriff, tho clerk OF cOu Il.
The commemorative attorney, and the
Jailer and every one Of these officials
was found to be drunk, a ID, upon
reaching the Jail, he found the prisoner
druDk. do not believe that this case
could now be matched anywhere in
Virginia.