The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1901-06-05


human pen. Let us pass them by
let lis rather recall the lesser trials 81
the times and tell the girls Of to.da,
how we girls Of the war managed t
meet our wlnts at home, and how oul
mothers taugh. us TO provide fer th.
comforts Of our "b ,ys in grey" whom
all alike, yhitc.haired sircs, doting
mothers and loving wives, and sisters
had hurried with the widest enthu.
siasm to the front ranks. Vainly ah
80 vainly dreaming of their carly re.
turn crowned with victory and free
dom.
HOW TIE GIRLS KEPT UpAppEARANCEs
When our ports were first blockad-
cd, and we found ourselves cut off from
all resources, it seemed like pasGime
to exercise our ingenuity in dcvising
suitable articles of wear for the girls
in the family. AS look back now it
seems strange that wardrobes should
have bee" sc speedily exhausted.
think the only solution Of the mys-
terry, however, will be found in the
fact that girls in their teens will grow,
and, almost before the full import Of
blockadcd ports was realized, girls
dresses were growing 50 unfashiona
bly, short as to create no small con
Germ about the whcrcwithal TO renew
them. At frs. old trunks and bureau
drawers, top shelves in out of the way
closets were ransackcd, and antiquatcd
garments, long since cast aside as
worthless, or laid away as relics of our
mothers. and granGmothcrs younger
days, were brought to light.
Yes, even tho treasured articles
were uncarthcd, which in our child
hood VIC had only been permitted to
see and not handle as we stood tiptoe
with eager eyes aud curiosity peering
into the depths of drawer beside our
mother knee and watched her as she
laid them back with sigh aud said,
"These were my poor mothers. "
Each feeling of regret was hushed and
swallowed up in the necessity of the
hour as they we're lifted from their
various hiding places, and then with
right good will and perseverance rip
ped -p, sponged and pressed, turned
inside out, upside down, and twisted
and stretched and pieced. and finally
converted into most respectable arti-
cles Of apparel. None Of your "shab
by gentcel" affairs either, for we
would have the girls of the day under
stand from the outset that, sorely
pressed as ve then were, we felt quite
as much appreciation of the neat and
tidy girl as they who now have every
material to supply their needs and
money wherewith to buy it,
MAKING CLOTHES FOR THE SOLDIERS.
Money was almost as unavailable as
material with us for time. ''Unole
Sam 8" treasury was not accessible to
"Rebels." Our government was
young, and Confederate bonds and
money yet in their infancy. We could
do nothing more than await develop.
ments, and try to meet emergencies as
they trooped up before us. In the
meantime, children grew apace. Our
village stores were emptied and de-
serted. Our armies in the field be-
came grand realities. All resources
were cat off. Our government could
poorly provide food and clothing and
ammunition for its armies. Then it
was our mothers wit was tested, and
did in no sort disarpoint our expecta-
tions. Spinning wheels, looms and
dye pots were soon brought into re-
QUESTION. Wool Of home production
was speedily converted, by loving
hands, into warm fannels and heavy
garments, with soft scarfs and snugly-
fitted leggings, to shield our dear boys
from Virginia 8 wintry blasts and fast
falling sn ows. Later on, when the
wants aud privations of the army
grew more pressing, societies were
formed to provide supplies for the gen.
cral demand. Southern homes with
held nothing that could AID to the
soldiers comfort. Every available
fragment Of material was converted in
to some kind of garment. After the
stores Of blankets in each home had
been cheerfully given, carpets were
utilized in their stead, aud portioned
out to the suffering soldiers. Wool
mattresses were ripped open, REGARDED
and woven into coverings and clothing.
Bits Of new wooden fabrics, left from
former garments, were ravclled, carded,