The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
LIFE AT BLEST EDISTO.
AN ISLAND UNLIKE ANY OTHER ON
THE SOUTH CAROLINA COAST.
The Generations Of Planters Before and since
the War-where Lafayette visited h
Lad who Would Build a C~hurch-Fsmily
lies Arr SfrnnE ON the EdIsin River.

the war Whefe Lafayette visited Inc
Lady who would Build a Church-Fsmiiy
Ties Are strong on the Edisto River.
Edisto Island lies within the two arms OF the
Edisto River, hand and glove with the sea,
choicest Of all the family connection Of sea is
ands that belong 10 South Carolina 1t is as
though away back in the creation of things
the big Edisto water coming down slowly
through the low country after It's many vagaries
further up the state encountered this fair bit
Of land aud deemed II worth while to make
yet another depression In order to circle II
round and give tO It emphasis and a name, call
ing in half "A dozen creeks and inlets a. witnesses
TO the transaction. Then the river went further
and emptied Its divided currents into the ocean
at points far enough apart TO provide an ample
beach front for its Rodchild. Thus the island
is sufficient unto itself. Every plantation has
it's own home creek which affords a boatway
to the sources without, and the winds and the
tides ara the public housekeepers. sweeping
and securing free for all with a methodical
up-at- break -of-day vigilance that would Danish
the stolte t.hearted germ or microbe which
eyer worried a board OF health.
The island soil Il, rich enough TO raise the
finest cotton that grows. and the finest thistles
Us we'll, aud e~veryGod knows that the ground
that will grow good thlstles will produce most
Of the things that are good for man to look
upon and feast upon and take futures upon.
II the vegetables and fruits tail on Edisto there
are tie products Of the creeks and the deep
sea TO draw on, and game In abundance,
both feathered and furrod In fact the pe.
culiar flavor and relish Of de wild turkey stun
wild de oyster" To be had commonly pan tap
Edisto" has passed into an adage. And this
delectable dish can bo secured Ia almost as
good advantage in the humble lean-to or mud
chimney cabin OF the poor as in the dwelling
Of the rich and instructed. There may be
wild turkeys In other places. and oysters also.
but the two can never be brought together
In as happy combination as pan tap Edlsto,"
Geographically the island IL In the same
place IL always was on any map of south Carolina
ever printed, but politically it is apt to slip
about, being now In Colleton county, now In
Charleston, again In C%olleton. or. mayhap, n
Beaufort, according to neeu. For all IFS seventy
five square miles, heavy timbers and colonial
homes II can seemingly be moved 10 a night
when occasion arises in a Congressional district.
just now it is In Charleston county and its
voters. white and black. must carry their af-
fairs 10 the old court house In Charleston town
TO be settled. Six thousand blacks TO fewer
than two hundred whites is the present ratio
OF population, many OF the former white resi-
dents having sought other homes and other
occupations than planting slnce the Civil War,
EdistO always raised tine negroes. The climate
agreed with them, they multiplied rapidly
and were 1.-the, vigorous and healthy, u fact
which went far in accounting for the great
wealth OF their owners. And In no other place
In all the South to-day are there so few Jars
and disgruntlements between tho races, the
negroes being habitually civil and good hui
Inored looking to the whites as their best friends
and taking their word in all matters requiring
adj udlcation The things which shock and
startls other communities never happen here.
Not a few negroes are prosperous and lnde-
pendent in homes of their own, managing
their farm lands after methods learned rom
the whites and using "old marster's' sayings
and principles az a pattern 10 go by.
Always locally famous. twice at least EdistO
has had the worlds eyes upon II. once was
when 1t was ordered 10 be abandoned during
the civil VA the better 70 facilitate military
strategy, and again when the remarkable
storm of 1898 invoked national sympathy. Vt
the time of this caanity a literary lion OF wide
sasspe' and re aRed| He vas from New Yora,
young and prepossessing, and was taken to a
house whose home creek had behaved hand
sOinely and committed no outragesa AT the winds
instigation, The lion bided for days by this
place and imbIbed glimpses OF the inner life
and mel shborhood interests OF Ms entertain
En-. The tamiy Thidhi NIX nHe most most t EdiItS an.
Importance. They had nothing TO measure
It by. They treated hin with the same un;
have treated sir. Nobody from Now here who
had come among them and who had the ear
"%aHiy don't come Of you write up this charm.
ing life of yoursI" the lion IN NoDody's cloth
ing said to the eldest dalgAttr one evening
people who had dropped in and he had listened
and looked on from a quiet corner.
Write it up2 How, what do you mean'
thn alHazf HulIyhtnF asked MItn Wide omen eyes
And although the stranger was a. some pains
% explain that he thought the Edistonians a
ideal, their ways OF doing so simple and de-
llghtful, dc.. she never understood his mean
lng Never having lived IN a Big metropolis
no key to his text.
That night she recounted his words 10 her
younger sister and 10 he next youngest and
liz one next to her, but they did not under
stand either. -And the Distinguished guest
took himseli of without any Gear idea OF what
to write concerning these people. They were
too subtle. Only he llkened them in his mind
10 their creeks and inlets, as having run along
for 80 many generations IN the same channel
unmixed with other channels, meeting only
with the same obstacles or encoufagementS
under the same conditions that they had a
way and meaning Of their own the place max
ing them what they were aud they making II
So Edisto has never had a Chronicler. Peo-
pie time and again have been there and felt
It's charm and gone away consumed ina, some
thing ought 10 be said about H. but me feeling
never Vbbh NOlN'. "iH '".''' - -
home-stayers have also demonstrated this
feeling by Jotting down bits OF verse and frag'
ments OF family history in private diaries.
There is scarcely Il house IN the community
Of plantations In which somebody al some
time has not written down things for the sake
Of writing them, for every home-place has
been lived in by the same family OF lelsurely
people for successive generations, and some
OF these were bound to be people OF reflective
or romantic turn, atiame with patriotism ana
n tender, very tender feeling for old Edisto.
Lafayette VISITED the island once ana went
OF with so lively a sense OF the quality OF the
people and their .yllic surroun ings that
later his French fTien : mace pilgrimage there,
ami a nobleman, really noble, we Gei the daugh-
Ter Of the very households which the MARQUIS
VISITED Tn house is there yet, kept fresh
and unimpairei by a yearly thought for the
roof an the nee 3 Of weather boarding that
was built to withstand the wear OF centuries.
fl is owne now by "a lawyer. not a planter.
OF brick, with marble faCings and the foun ers
crest over the colonial porch, the mansion
stan $ with its back TO the boatway an facing
n great avenue Of live oaks bowel with beauty,
IL was through such another carpeted arch
wav that Lafayette W . 10 from the boat
Ian ling, ant there was feasting and dancing
an much music from plantation singers he
pleasures OF the hunt. OF canoeing gaming
and visits 20 n score Of homes as hospitable
ms this nllei the visitor with Celight at this
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