The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-02-15
ISAAC I'M sOLE vIRGINNY.'
Historical, Social, Educational and Agri-
cultural Features.


who was born and brought up 10
the north and whose father was
perhaps Union soldier during the
civil war, as mine was, has many
peculiar ideas of the south and es-
pecially of the state of Virginia. To
his historic knowledge has been
added the stories of parents and
friends of this "hot bed of seces-
sion, 2 as they may have termed it,
where cotton, tobacco, corn and
''niggers" were raised. The two
first products for export, the third
for food and the last to be sold in
New Orleans and other southern
points where slaves were needed
for the cane and cotton fields, and
also for service on the Virginia
plantations. He has also been told
in his youth, that it was not safe
| for northerner to go down south,
and as he has grown to manhood
these stories, which were all true
at the time, and the ideas resulting
therefrom have not been removed
from his mind, and for this reason:
The early history of the Old Domin-
ion is rich and complete. The north
ern boy or girl is familiar with it
from the jamestown settlement,
with Capt. John Smith as the hero
and Pocohontas the heroine. He
| knows that the state was one of the
original thirteen colonies and also
one of the first to assert it's rights
as colony OF Great Britain and de-
clare for independence through the
eloquence of Patrick Henry. The
names of Washington, Jefferson,
Madison, Monroe, Tyler, Benjamin
Harrison, Francis Lightfoot Lee,
and many other notable men in the
history of our country are associat
ed with it. The siege of Yorktown
,, and surrender of CORVALLIS are
familiar to every student of Ameri
can history, as are also the facts
that Richmond was the capital of
the confederacy and around it took
place many famous battles and cam
paigns of the war of the rebellion.
Virginia comes in for more than the
ordinary notice in the history of
the United States up to the termin
ion of the reconstruction period,
but after that there is very little in
the average school history about
the ''Od State" for the reason that
her people have been trying to re-
cover, and everything has been at a
standstill Consequently, people
who live in a distant state know
Virginia as she was better than as
she is.
1t is not my purpose to give here
anything of the history of Virginia
during the past forty years, but
simply to give very brief descrip-
ton OF existing social conditions,
and the natural features of the
state with reference to soil, pro-
ducts, etc., at the present time. In
order to be the better enabled to do
this, | have delayed the writing of
this letter for several weeks that |
might observe and learn for my
self, as we'll as learn by inquiry,
about those things which have in
terested me and may be interesting
to readers of THE GAZETTE.
During my brief sojourn here
have been in eleven of the one hun
dred counties in the state, and have
visited three of the important cities
among which was the capital, anC
have found the people-am referring
to native born Virginians-in the
main intelligent, always friendly
hospitable and very polite. | shoul(
divide society into three classes, az
follows: the IF. F. v" or ''Firs
families OF Virginia, as they tern
themselves; the poor white trash,
who make no claims to position OIL
account of ancestry; and the ne
groes. To this l might add fourth
class which would include resident
who come here from other states
The first mentioned may all hay
been wealthy sometime in the pas
and many of them are still in com
Portable circumstances, and eye
wealthy, but there is no dividing
line between the rich and the poor
They are all educated and refine