The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1901-05-15
parkhurst is Called Down.

It is a sad thing that so many of our
own people, who ought to know better,
are continually exalting what they are
pleased to call the new south,'' at
the expense of the "old''. From the
account of the interview of DR.. Park
hurst by the reporter of the Constitu-
tion, we learn that the reverend gen.
tleman made the following remark:
From what hear the south was
dead at the time of the civil wars
From whom did he hear such
thing? Such knowledge is not obtain
ed from the official records of the
growth of our country, furnished by
the census reports of the United
States.
Although agriculture tstyled by
poets and philosophers of old 1.-THE
noblest avocation of man,'') was the
leading pursuit of our people the
thoughts of our enterprising business
men had long before the war been
turned to manufactures and commerce
as co-wcrkers with agriculture in the
development Of the fair domain inher-
tied by Us from noble sires. Many Of
the most influential men of the south,
some of whom were wealthy planters,
had large investments in railroads,
cotton and wooden factories, -four,
grist and saw mills, and in iron works,
tanneries, planning mills for making
doors, blinds, sashes and almost every
kind of carpentry. The rattle of looms
and whirl of spindles were heard not
only in our growing cities and towns,
but also in manufacturing villages
which were springing up like magic
near good water power, even in soil
tudes that had never been pierced by
the whistle of the locomotive.
Let US illustrate by our own state of
Georgia. In 1850 there were in Geor-
gia 1,522 manufacturing establish
ments, the total value Of whose pro-
ducts was s7,O82, ,075. In 1860 there
were 1880 such establishments and
the total value of their products was
s16, 925, 564, or more than double the
value of all the manufactures of the
state in 1850. Up to 1880 no decade
since the war has shown such progress.
We do not yet know what has been the
growth during the last decade.
Take the growth Of our cities.
From 1910 to 1850 Atlanta, the child
of railroads, manufactures and COM
merce, grew from nothing but wilder
ness to be town of 2,572 inhabitants,
and by 1850 had population of 1854.
No such growth as in these two de-
cades has ever since been shown by
even this young giant of the sonth.
Take next our chief seaport, Savan-
nah, whose growth from 1850 to 1880
was 45 per cent. Her greatest growth
in any decade since the war is 40 per
cent. The greatest growth of Georgia
in any decade before the war was 81
per cent. and the greatest in any de-
cade since the war is 80 per cent.
What need to multiply testimony?
Enough has been said to show that
not only was the south not dead, but
also that she was no laggard in the
march of progress, no slumberer by
the highwayside, whom the shrill
clarion of war aroused to sudden ac-
ton. A sleeper in the grand onward
march of nations could not upon
such quick summons have sent
the admiration of the world and the
deeds of heroism excited the
praise of foes and she'd on the starry
cross of the south luster which even
disaster could not DIM. The mighty
hosts that marched against US found
indeed enchanted ground, but not q
king asleep
And when all had been lost save
honor, the magic touch of the returned
Confederate soldier, under the guar
dian care of Almighty God, even in
his defeat, aroused from the ashes Of
desolation the glorious "old south, !"
who stepped forth once more in such
majesty and beauty that friend and
foe looked on with wonder and hailed
her as the new south".
Joseph T. Derry