The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-07-06

tull.
Evca negroes used TO welcome the
coming Of harvest as time OF feasting
and fun. No man would have pre-
tended TO eat his oaa wheat in Geor-
gia before the war. Neighbors joined
their forces then ard made the whole
harvest season frolic rather than as
now, with pleoty good to eat and
something to drink also-it was great
to be the "tender to the jug" in those
days.
They don't cut wheat wheat in this
way now, bu. if they did whiskey as it
used to be would not be in it-there
would have to be several kinds of
things 60 take the place of the old
wheat harvest jug. Some would want
morphine now, some opium or lauda-
mum, some cocaine, and few would
only claim to want water publicly, but
down in the bushes they would swig o
little privately. Anyhow, when you
shake the hypooricy out of crowd Of
present day harvest hands, they all
want something more than what they
have every day, and this shows that
it was right to make the occasion o
frolio just as We did in the olden
times. The customs as they used to
be kept up friendlier intercourse be-.
tween neighbors, till I believe in my
heart there Was the least selfshness
among the old plantation people Of the
South than has ever been since or will
ever be again.
The truth is that the commercial
idea ths: has sway .o.day can never
produce the same affeotionate regard
between neighbors 90 did the customs
Of fore the war. There was no such
thing as abjeot poverty then as known
now. IL sickness or bad luck came
upon q Family, then neighbors gather
ed together and helped them out and
made frolio Of the day just as the
days of harvest were made frolic.
1t did SO happen q few times in my
memory that stricken family's crop
would have to be prepared, planted
and worked through to the finish, hut
this made no difference, every neigh
Dor would appear on the appointed
day and the work was performed in a
cheerful frolio. The unfortunate
family for whom this work was neces-
sary were never disturbed by these
work days. The crowds carried their
dinners and their stock feed to the
place and at noon. hour they. yould
gather under the shades at the spring
and q happy time it was, both for
whites and for blacks. In this day
and time there would have to be va
rious and sundry societies and organi-
cations to accomplish what was .tSsa
accomplished without the least bit Of
display and without o single hypocsite
getting himself made large by tie
matter. ssa' :, 4SsA
But in looking back at old time har-
vest occasions there are other things
that impress me favorably wher COM
pared with some OF the oeoasions 60
precious nov. am NOT going 70 cast
any reflections against baseball or any
Of the athletic sports as vse now have
il, 1 kat I desire to tell these
athletes that handling che cradle in
an old-time harvest contest was Che
greatest mpspla, developer eyer known
from3thep FsilI aolH, Stand yonugN 3 men
thenad adotad upoa being good oiadlsr.
just 'as they dote on being agood
pitcher or batter now, and T$lsaYais
to common sense to asy which seems
the best. $ tSsss s Il s.. ~ I,
How delightful il used 20 be 70 d, Gee a
the cradles swing in an old.tims har-
vest feld. There nse 60 De fun and
trials OF strensths al log-rolliBga Sot
choppings, and theao / think were
more sensible chan any Of the present
sads for the development Of manhood,
but shs harvest Asl2 was shc ideal
place for the Test Of muscles. There
was no boasting there. Every man
would take his Through !" and it stood
for itself. Not sWord 1as necessary
and The ''swiss" Of the cradle as, II
swung through the grain MAS al That
was heard from the start at the, Jug
and water clear around back 70 the
water and the ing -tae ing was In IL.
As the blades wera being Hhetted and
the ing was passing round s merry
timeswas had by the vrestlers. Tho
jumpers, tr. maybe, the dancers.
After 8 littl s'Wstting of their Hhia.
ties and q rest ail full Of fun, the
eratllaa Sv,i,t s. atsstf 81 q, t9st