The record-union., 1896-05-03
IN THE SUNNY SOUTH.
ReY. R. N. Stevenson in a South Carolina
Town.
The Consequences Of the Civil War and
the Changes in the New
South.

| CHERAW Is. CO, April Zi.-Qualnl
old place, this, with it's broad streets,
lOO feet wide, each containing three
rows of trees, one on either side and
one in the middle. Many of these oaks
and elms are of great size with wide
| spreading branches and must cast a
grateful shade during the hot summer
days.
The houses are in many instances
large and suggest commodiousness and
| they have great freplaces in well-nigh
every room, but too often they are un-
painted and in an otherwise unkempt
condition. This does not so much arise
| from lack of taste as a lack of means.
| The war swept away vast wealth from
| this region, and just as the people had
wealth they were the more unprepared
| to adjust themselves to the changed
condition of things. They were used to
having work done for them and it was
hard for them to do work themselves.
There were reasons why this particu-
lar place should be an object of peculiar
| hatred. Here lived the man who drew
up the ordinance of secession, and here
were centered some of the most ardent
| advocates of the now lost cause. Here
the bridge over the Great Pedee was
| burned by the retreating Confederates,
when the river was too much swollen
for the ardent Sherman to follow. Prob
ably less destruction would have taken
place here had that bridge not been
| burned and he compelled to remain
here for nearly a week.
But after many weary years of pow
erty and struggle a new and more pros
| ;- Il f0-,
| land. Northern capital finds invest
ment in cotton mills, and that so rap
idly that New England begins to ac-
knowledge the inevitable, viz, that the
South is destined not only to raise cot
ton, but convert it into cloth. AS the
mills are springing UP the more plenti-
fully the acreage planted expands.
The steer is a great institution in this
country. You see him drawing the plow
while the darky holds the handles.
You see him between the shafts of the
cart, being the poor mans driving
horse" Or you may see him hitched to
the harrow and his boss" astride his
back. have seen him driven singly al
most universally.
After the steer, comes the mule, for
common use, and L see a few good
| horses.
l never saw a contrast so striking
between two classes Of white people, as
| that which I have seen here. The one
| class saw on the street Of a Saturday
| afternoon; the other in the church on
Sabbath. Those on the street were from
| the country. Their language, their
| dress, their movements, their whole ap-
pearance was grotesque and ludicrous,
indicating few advantages of school or
| society. But the people in church gave
as decided evidence IN manner, in con-
versation, in dress and in their whole
bearing of education and culture as
| could be found in any assemblage of
| people Indeed, I must say that for
urbanity, courtesy and grace of manner
they are far away and ahead of the
Northern people as class.
The dispensary is South Carolina's s
attempt at solving the saloon question
I visited 1t and looked upon the blank
application which the purchaser must
| fill out. He must sign his true name,
with date of purchase, amount desired.
residence, ETC., etc. Many men who
otherwise would take a drink are not
anxious enough to do all this to get it,
| anu ilS QIllk II Oh CHc premises
after he does get it, and he cannot get
| 1t after 6 o'clock in the evening. There
| are no evening carousals and the traffic
is SO hedged about that there is much
less consumption of liquor, and a state
CT things much preferable to the open
saloon.
All through this part of the world the
colored man is prominent factor and
it is confessed that he Is doing we'll He
| Is ambitious to get an education, to ac-
quire property,in short, to make himself
the equal of the white man. He is get
ting his little home and tract of land
and he pays for them in small periodic
sums. He is the happiest and most
| fully contented of human beings He
never has the dumps, nor gets dfscour-
aged, but sings with d joy and a sweet
ness that is an inspiration.
l am being entertained by the Mayor
OF this little city of the Sunny South"
He is a lawyer Of fine practice and my
first cousin. Some Of these mornings
have had about as much snap in them
as the sharpest of our winter mornings,
but the ample fireplace may glow with
wood at 81 so a cord.
r. NJ. STEVENSON
|