The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-25

greater than I could at first realize. The
night or the day on which 1 landed l at
tended a Fremont meeting in the old
Academy of Music, at which the Hutchin-
son family sang songs about freedom,
which were rapturously applauded. in the
intervals between speeches that astounded
me by their heat and extravaganza. But
in a few days l became aware that themes
were under popular discussion which had
never before been discussed popularly-the
rights and wrongs OF slavery, the equality
OF man, the provisions of a written Con-
stitution. the position of leading public
men on questions which were half moral
and only half political or legal
The Times had signalized itself by pub
fishing Frederick Law Olmsted's letters
from the South, since more widely known
in book form. These / read with intense
interest. all the greater because 1 was con-
templating journey Of two or three
months on horseback in the South that
winter myself. The three narratives en-
titled, respectively, Journey in the Sea-
board Slave States Journey in the Back
Country and Journey through Texas are,
like Arthur Young's travels in France ana
In ireland, pictures Of vanished society,
and will therefore grow in value as the
years roll by. But Olmsted's work in vivid
ness Of description and in Photographic
minuteness far surpasses Youngs, and II
the society he describes had been better
known to the literary and intellectual
world it would be considered already far
more valuable. l took the three books
with me when / went South, followed very
most instructive guide. I stopped at night
at the best planters house / happened to
meet with | was compelled to discuss
slavery round the fire, but my views, as
those of an lll-infOrmed foreigner, were
treated with great civility and indulgence.
THE PECULIAR INSTITUTION"
II saw nothing of the peculiar institu-
ton which Olmsted had not already re-
corded. but two incidents made deep i'm
preston on my memory. One night, in
respectable planters house in Mississippi
some visitors from the neighborhood came
in for a chat The talk turned upon the
speaking at a recent political meeting near
by. and particular mention was made of
very ferocious attack on some one by one
of the orators. A young Presbyterian min
lister was among the visitors. and his re-
mark was on hearing the language in
question, II any man talked that way
about me, 1 should lie in wait for him and
kill him. / should have been Mortified by
this, even If II had come from layman
but by the rest OF the company 1t was evil
IDENTIFY considered not unnatural obiter
dictum. and passed without notice. The
other incident occurred in Arkansas. at the
house of a young doctor, who had recently
come from Baltimore. Md, to settle there
and practice his profession. He was
warned from the first that he had much to
fear from an old doctor, long resident in
the place, and he Gas accordingly very
careful TO have nothing to do with the old
gentlemans patients At length, however
he yielded to the agonzed entreaties of a
father to attend a sick child in whom the
Old doctor had failed 10 effect any i'm
provement. The neighborhood then con-
sidered his fate as sealed, and advised him
either TO keep out of his confrere's way
or to meet him in arms. 1t was what Pres
ident Roosevelt would call strenuous
society, and IL was evidently considered but
natural that the old doctor should shoot
his Young rival on sight. Not long after
wards, however, the latter saw the elderly
physician coming on a lonely road and
got his gun ready for action. To his sur
prise and delight, the old gentleman met
him with outstretched hand, and after a
cordial shake, wished him success and
prosperity. But the general expectation
by the neighborhood of a totally different
result shows how easily even Christian
community becomes familiarized with the
idea of removing obnoxious persons by
murder"