The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-01-29
Selrft MisrrllunlJ.
An Old Virginia Turnpike.
BY A. G. BRADLEY.

The Bethel Pike, or, as it is some
times called, the ''old rock road" runs
right through what was once the black
est bit of the black belt of Virginia:
and this latter term, let me hasten to
explain, has no geological significance
whatever, but was merely used to in
dicate that middle region of the State
where, in former days, the negro was
most thick upon the land There
is probably no more pathetic sight of
the kind to be seen anywhere than that
presented by large districts, nay, whole
counties, in this same black belt of Nir-
ginia. In regions nearer home, it is
true, the deer may wander or the sheep
nibble over the vanished habitations of
an expatriated peasantry. But in such
eases it is rather the triumph of econo-
my-if in some eyes an undesirable
triumph-over sentimental poverty.
h> oSSul)ttlI IstN llN tl
perpetually upon the borderland of
want: their tOur-fOOted successors are
at least the symbol of wealth, and the
pastures they wander over are of great
er, not less, profit to their owner than
before. But here, over large districts
OF Virginia, everything has gone OF al
most everything,-squirearchy and
Peasantry alike,-and they were not
miserable and povcrty-stricken, but
happy and prosperous. Nor is there
here any stock to take their place, for
stock would starve upon the briars and
broomsedge that run riot over the de-
serted fields. And these people, let it
be remembered, lived here, not for
many centuries it is true, but for more
than two, and this for the purpose in
hand is much the same as twenty.
Tie leading cause of this desolatiQn;
it need hardly be said, was the civil
war and the collapse Of negro slavery.
But it was by no means the only one
The recent history of the south is, on
the whole, one of progress. Those dis
tricts that were naturally rich in soil
or mineral wealth have maintained OF
vastly improved their former position.
Those which are naturally poor have
retrograded with still greater rapidity,
and it was upon these latter that the
most patriarchal establishments in the
old slavery days were very largely to
be found. For the last few years it has
been all that the keen Yankee or thrift
ty German can do to hold his own UPON
the richest lands of America. .'Ehe
fight of the easy-going and somewhat
shittless gentry Of Virginia upon some
of the poorest ceased long ago, and
was foregonc conclusion, though hard
ly at the close of the sixties foresGen
one. For | remember very well about
that time how people in those parts
felt and spoke regarding the future. A
large number of the gentry and practi-
caily all the yoemen or middling class
remained upon their farms after the
war. They could not all 90 to Balti
more and become lawyers and insur-
ance agents, though so many Virgin
ians did fly to that then almost sole
harbor of refuge as to create a griev-
ance am-ng the natives not vet quite
forgotten. BY the close Of the decade
which saw the war, almost every land
owner remaining on his place, and these
were many, had contrivcd to collect
sufficient implements and stock where
with to cultivate his lands. , The latter,
carrying good houses and what local
custom considered gcol outbuil lnes.
were at least his own, if sometimes en-
numbered. The negroes had virtually
not moved and could be hired ut wages
which, compared to the rest ofthe con
tinent were very low. The southerners
are constitutionally sanguine people,
and the Nirginian, when he had recov-
cred from the shock of war and recon-