The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-05-17
OLD WHITE OF LONG AGO
TIMES M1RkED MUTsTIONS wv
IDLY REClLLED.
striking Contrasts Between the Customs
of the Early Days and Che Foibles
aud toliies OF Present Visitors.


their descendants. wen, the change
have been very great even within the
writer's recollection.
in the early days it was one Of the en-
ierant routes from Virginia to the West.
whose terminus was Guyandotte, now
Illumination, the terminus of the Ches-
apcake and Ohio railroad ON the Ohio
river. The first travellers by these Tar
famed waters were the hardy pioneers.
with their covered white-top wagons,
which held ali their earthly goods and
household gods. These were men from
Old virginia. who pushed westward and
helped 10 open NJ the fertile lands o.
ONO and Kentucky, now owned by their
cultured descendants. You may see IN
Imagination these men or stalwart mold
and their families grouped around their
camp fires. whose lurid light III up the
stately oaks OF the present lawn, as they
halted for ref, before another plunge
into the then almost wilderness. How
those old fellows would. could they once
more revisit their hauuts. rub their eyes.
and look with amazcment upon the gaily
dressed groups who now rcpcOple their
old camping ground.
4 STRIKING CONTRAST.
Think OF it with its strong contrasts,
the rough pioneer with his trusty rifle.
hunting knife. and powder horn at his
Sde: the homcspun garb, hardly conceal
ing the thews and sinews OF norm ath-
lete And the dude OF the present day.
with his spindle shanks, dazzling cos
tune. cane. and eyegiass. Then the wife
OF the pioneer with the old sun bonnet,
or mans hat. the bronzed face. and the
calico fr0ck with the modern matron or
belle Of "our set" with a costume glow
ing with colors. with laces and ribbons
festooned, and huttering IN the breeze
like a man-of-war on gala day. We
will not follow the cmicrant TO his goal.
but return 20 the lOg cabin days OF the
"Old White" when the Southern planter.
after his harvest. wendell his way with
carriage, riding horses, ana baggage
wagon. from the low countries. over hill
and dale. mountain and meadow, stop
ping when and where as fancy might die
tate. along the route. until reaching this
God-given fountain. he drank and hathed,
and was made whole Those were the
DAYS of Wholesome thought. courtly man
ners cnlivened ~ literary chat over the
old authors, politics. not practical so
called Of our days whore tho end gained
justnes the means the days When' III
man did a dishonorable act he could
never regain his station among his fell
short waist, and scant Hlrts or our
Srandmothers. who, whatever other
faults they had, coquetted not with other
women's husbands, and gave 10 scan
dalmouger's topics for talk over their
tea.
Then we have the era OF the stage
days when a trip across the mountains
made you better acquainted with your
fellow travellers than years Of ordinary
intercourse. when warm friendships
were formed that lasted for years ana
when the fright eyes OF some talr u"lliSel
sent home the shaft that ruled her aiieI
destiny How weary and dusty l near
,,ou saw these coach DAYS must have been;
obi no. they were culivcned 10y walks
nm the mountain ahead OF the coach, ac-
COMMANDED with gay laughter sparkling
sa,ies and quick repartce, through PRIME
val forests, sylvan elades, ana WIN oc-
casiouaI leaps over mountain streams
when the beau of the period could sno"
off his native eallantry, and sometimes
even after the manner Of paul az VT
Einia" spirit his composition over the
wider streams!
What appetites It gave you. and mine
host Of the inn grew not pale, but Johy
bv the attacks OF his yiands, for he wa
nature and hospitality
The "Old White had no Grand central
Hotel I'm those days; the ballroom was
empowered by that group OF oaks as You
60 to the spring. the dining-room was
to the left on the rising ground as you
left tho post-ofiice for the spring. ana
the cottapes made tho outer circle or
this amphithcatre formed by dame Ma
ture. and beautcOuf in every curve ana
outline. The evening walk 10 the spring
was the event of the day as gay groups
from each cottage wendell their way
conyereinr into one nuttering mass of
old and young grave and gay, bellies ana
beaux. not quite 50 gaudy as the crowd
at the DERBY" or the Grand PriX,
vet very picturesque, and perhaps a bet
Ter smile would be, like the flight ana
aliehting OF a flock of gay-plumdsed par
oQucttcs, making the air resonant with
their clattcr. We viii not dwell on the
cuisine Of those days; happy the man
and woman who got I'm 10 the first Ia
bic. tie late arrivals realized the empu-
ness OF earthly things. the restaurant
under the dining room, ana an occasional
purchase of game held up the old cnaps,
Tho YOUNGER fellows had food, ethereal
perhaps. but not lcss satisfying, In the
BRIGHT eyes before whose glanccs all mum
dame things fed. In the ballroom the
couuOu held sway: when some few cou-
pies whirled past ia waltz or redoWa, the
elder rratrons fr0wncd and the younger
ones blushed prctuly. for this was the
beeinuing Of these yaniiies; the old Nir-
gini3 reel always wound up the ball, IN
which Young and old chassezed, swung
around advanced and retreated, with
vim mat made the room shake, then
came adieus. good night. and sweet
dreams.
Great men OF those days sat under the
old oaks. and amid the sOftcning iniu-
encos 90 the hour forgot the hot conflicts
OF the political arena, ana with jest and
story. whiled the hours away Among
Them could he seen the face Of Martin
Van Buron and the tall form and intel
lectlal face OF Henry Clay with other
noted leaders of men and thought in their
day.
THE NEW IDEAS.
With the iron horse era, came the
Grand Central Hotel, built few years
before our civil war and with 1t came
"a change in the social life OF the place.
more formalty. less Of the OLD informal
intercourse and fomiiiar blending or the
company into ore harmonious "hole-
with Partisan costumes and diamonds,
tbo Increase of wealth and its lavish ex-
penditure the social but now shadowy
memories OF the past, TO some extent
vanish away, and the modern watering
Mace clique. for which the hearty re-
Spouse Of the litany. might well be used,
have changed most Of its old-time fca-
lures.
For some years after the war, under the
porch near the billiard-rOom, were ga
fhere1 many of the men who wore the