The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-02-12

The sad results of the war that wreck
ed the fortunes of southern men has
tened thousands Of them to untlmely
graves, but their widows still dot the
land from Virginia to Texas. The
mothers of these daughters endured
more hardships and privations than
their husbands and sons who were IN
the army, but they never complained.
Goldsmith wrote:
/ .sMan wants but little here below,
Nor wants that little long,
But some cynical old bachelor para
phrased it:
Man wants but little here below,
For so the poets say,
But woman wants it all, you know,
And wants it right away"
| Well, she does want all she can get,
and wants it as soon as she can get 1t,
if not sooner, but if she can't have 1t
she surrenders cheerfully and accomo-
dates herself to the situation. During
th wear they actually smiled at their
own pitiful and distressed condition.
They boiled down the dirt from the
smoke house that had long been satu-
rated with the dripplings Of the hang
ing meat and made pretty good salt of
it and divided with their neighbors.
They parched rye and goobers for
coffee and sweentend it with sorghum
and Dragged how good it was. They
cut up their old garments and made
clothes for their children. Indeed 1t
is always an amusing entertainment to
listen to these good old mothers as
they recite their makeshifts and their
trials after Sherman had passed
through on his march to the sea. Not
long ago four or five Of these matrons
by chance met at our house and it was
nip and tuck between them as they
told of the most amusing experiences.
One told how her two boys and
little girl had worn out their shoes
until they would not hold shucks
much less feet and she found an old
calf skin that had long been hanging
in the barn and she soaked it in lime
and red oak bark and got about half
tie hair off and took it to an old shoe
cobbler, and he made three pair OF
shoes that would hold shucks, and
they 6t the childen pretty we'll, but
the red hair stuck out in little patches
all over them, and she laughed and
laughed until the children did not
want to wear them, because she laugh
ed so much. That was the origin OF
tan shoes, though these were MADE OF
untanned leather. Another told how
two of her children never saw a raisin
until they were and years old, and
were afraid to eat them, and said they
were bugs. Another told how she and
her boys built a fence around the
garden by boring holes in the plank
and the posts with an old brace and
bit that her husband left when he
went off. And they made pegs and
drove them in for there wasn't nail
in the county. But good old Mother
Akin, whom everybody loves and
likes to listen to, told how three of
her neighbors got out of meal and had
somehow got hold of three bushels OF
corn, and they rugged up a little rickety
wagon and blind army mule and all
three started to the nearest mill,
which was Z mites away. They start
ed early and got to the creek, and the
creek was up, but they drove in, and
sure enough the wagon came uncou-
pied right in the middle Of it and let
them all down where it was knee
deep, and let the corn down, too, and
the mule went on with the fore wheels
and stopped when be got over. But
thea never gave up the ship nor the
corn. Il took them about al hour to
~
again, and with dripping garments
they hurried on to the mill. a photo
graph of the scene would sell as the
champion picture of the women OF the
war. The good miller gave them dry
meal for the vet corn, and by sundown
they were all at home again and
laughed over it and everybody laughed
who heard of it. Almost every family
within Sherman's belt have freside
stories to tell that would fill a book.
They are curious medley Of the sad,
the pathetic and the amusing, and
excite more fun than sorrow. How
blessed are they who still live, and
how sweet are the memories OF those
who are dead. for it is the mothers
of the confederacy who have perpetu-
ated the love of truth and the love Of
southern patriotism in the hearts of
the children and inspired these prin-
ciples that have in recent years de-
veloped that grand organization
known as the Daughters of the Con-
federacy. Our northern brethren may
boast of the Grand Army Of the Re
public, but our mothers smile and say
81 don't see where the grand comes
in, for ali who came this way were
lew Dutch and hungry Irish who fear
ed not God nor regarded women" :"
Well, it is all over now, and we are
at peace, that blessed peace that hath
her victories more renowned than
gar. And thrice blessed is the woman
whom tie dark ages kept subdued for
centuries, but has come to the front and
now stands side by side with man and is
always first in every good word and
work For two thousand years she was
called by name but twice in the Bible.
Mother Eve, and next came Sarah, the
wife of Abraham, and for another two
thousand years was mentioned by name
only few times, but at last she was