The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1910-08-05
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danger of conflict between the two.
In fact there should be, an1 I would
urge, active cooperation between this
society and the State institution. The
smaller the unit about which we have
definite historical knowledge, the more
exact will be our knowledge of a given
whole. With all Difference to those
who have attempted to write histories
of Mississippi-we shall never have a
real history of the State until we shall
have done great deal more local his
torical work than has thus far been
| accomplished. Then too, along GER
tain important lines the history of a
county, or of a county group, or of
institutions within a county, may cpl
tomize the history of an entire State
or section. And this brings me back
to what I had in mind, in saying that
this county afforded fine field for the
study of certain concrete subjects local
In character, but of much more than
local concern. 1t was in connection
with the growing interest in economic
history, and / had particularly in view
the development of the distinctive as
pect of Southern economic life known
as the plantation system. A history
of the opening, developing, operation,
successes and failures of the planta-
tions of this county would throw
flood of light upon the history of the
South We have been surfeited with
politics and wars. The world would
like to know how we lived when we
were not fighting or running for Of
flee. series of papers, telling with
accuracy and care the whole story of
our plantation life, would be con
tribution of distinct value to -Ameri.
can history--for it would help to close
gap in the history of the nation.
There need be no fear of exhausting
the subject Such papers as I have
IN mind would tell us how and why the
original and subsequent planters came
to this territory; how their property
here was acquired; of what sized tracts
it was composed; how it was cleared
for cultivation; all the details of its
operation. This would cover the en-
tire range Of the economic and social
history of slave prices, of how slaves
were handled and cared for, of the mum
Der required to carry on plantation
operations, of the extent and nature
of their domestic and in 1ustrial train
ing, of the differences between house
servants and field hands, of their
housing, their dress, their education,
their amusements, discipline and relig-
ious life. 1t would trace the origin,
development and ramifications of the
factorage system of financing planta-
tion operations and of handling plan
tation products-a system which identi-
fed the Southern colonies much more
closely with the West Indies, in their
economic life, than with the American
colonies in New England, and which
has influenced Southern history to a
degree not dreamed of by those who
have not investigated it. Nor should
such history stop with the outbreak
of the Civil War. One of the most
difficult phases of our history is that
which deals with the domestic life of
our people during the war. We know
all about the battles that were fought
and good deal about the political ad
ministration of the State and Confed
crate governments. But, save for
few recently published diaries AMI re-
miniscensces, we know little or nothing
about the intimate, daily life of those
who lived at home during the pro
gress Of the struggle And the same
is true of the early post bellum period,
say 1865 to 1880 We have been so
much absorbed with the political side
of reconstruction that we have forgot
ten that people did not live on politics
alone during that period. 1t is today
practical impossibility for the stu
dent of history to lay his hands on a
single collection of material which will
Continued on Page Eight.)