The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-12-16
ANDERSON, S. c.. WEDNESDAY MORNING. DECEMBER l6 1896

Ing OF antl-SlaVery Journals. Inere
were many charms, and despite the
chains of slavery, which we ali de-
plore, uthere was as little Of sorrow
there as was ever found among the
same number Of people in any land.
But of all the charms, the greatest
charm and the most glorious blessing
of the South lay in the mistresses Of
these old homes and in the heavenly
influence she exerted there. They
were the queenliest women, the most
devoted wives and represented a code
of ethics for women which has seldom
been equaled and can never be sur
passed.
All the details of these old homes
we're watched over by these women.
A bunch of keys dangled from her
apron strings and she knew every item
that passed from under those keys
She watched with eagle eye every in
terest of her home, every interest Of
her husband, and [ cannot resist say
ing to the young women of to-day
Go thou and do likewise. To do so
would add to your charms, suicides
and divorces would grow less, and
every young man with any sense at all
would be breaking his neck to get him
wife.
There were no Mrs. Leases in those
days. No ''new woman idea" among
them: but. little below the angels,
they kept the houses, rocked the era
dies and queened it over man.
It tickles me to hear of these "new
idea women and to hear them talk
about woman's right. Why, God
bless you, these old Southern women
had all the rights and all the power.
Man always was and always will be
the slave Of such women. The modest
instinct that brought the crimson
blush, the glorious faith that made
them lean on man, the angelic chas-
tity which broached not suspicion,
these and charms like these exalted
the old-time woman as far above the
"new idea as heaven is above the
earth.
When I think Of these old time wo-
men I cannot but think Of how sad
would be the fate that could drag the
woman down to the same plane as
man. If ever it should be the woman
is lost, the home is lost and all that is
sacred to the human heart is lost.
Physically. man is bound to be strong
est, but under his arm woman will be
protected by him, next his heart she
will be loved by him, her strength is
in her womanly charms, and lose these
she will return to heathenism. The
trend of the times is my excuse for
these remarks. The 'new idea is to
make loafers out of boys andto put
the girls in the unnatural position of
supporting the family. You may turn
a girl into a competent bookkeeper or
handy clerk, butyou can never make
housekeepers out Of the boys. Unless
the houses are kept life is demoralized
and there is precious little to live for.
The old-time woman was far from
being hot-house plant. With a
heroism which almost pales the Spar
tans of old the women met the sacrif-
ces of the war. 1t was not their part
to charge batteries and run wild amid
the sound of the "rebel YELL" but in
the solitude of their homes they
watched the hungry children and heard
their cries for bread. This was the
greater suffering. Starving themselves
and their children almost starving
they always managed to send some
thing to the one far away whenever an
opportunity came. Those of them
who yet live should so engage the
hearts of the young generation till all
their paths are made smooth and the
highest monument yet built to the old
time Southern women.
SARGE PLUNKETT.