Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-01

gressional contingent. but among the
most accomplished and attractive look
ing. In distinct contrast to Mrs. Cor
don. the recent chatelaine from Missis-
sfepi. Mrs. Percy is young and rather
inexperienced in official life. for until
Mr.. Percy was chosen to succeed the
venerable Gen. Gordon. she enjoyed the
freedom Of a non-off1cial existence in
delightful old southern city. She is
enjoying Washington to the ut
most. though this is not her first
visit to the capital But this is her
first taste of life from the standpoint
of one in the inner circle. and she is
enjoying everything cordially and un-
restrainedly.
II feel quite elated when 1 recognize
face said Mrs. Percy. land when L
can place face and name correctly l
feel as elated as girl at school when
when Washington officially and socially
is a world to be conquered it is quite
an impossible task for one who begins
at the end of one of the most active
been repaying. and really the occupa-
ton of learning names and faces and
the general trend of events from the
national viewpoint is more absorbing
than the most exciting novel But
| while 1 am Interested in conditions in
Washington, 1 find the greatest desire
among my acquaintance to hear about
life in the south. We have not re-
manned qutescent down there while the
remainder of the world has been pro-
crossing. l find that people still ex-
pect to hear Of the old south. made IA
nous in novels, when the planters had
their hundreds Of slaves and when
each plantation was a world in itself.
That condition passed away years ago.
and among the phases of American life
typical and delightful. none deserves a
more eloquent dirge than that or plan
tation life.
The whites of the south still own the
plantations, but generally they subdivide
! their land and rent. either to Italians,
| Greeks or the negroes. Few care for the
! trouble of trying to conduct the huge
| business of farming dependent on the
precarious labor conditions which now
prevail in all rural communities. AS
rule the owner divides his farm into as
many portions as he can and places all
under a manager. The word overseer IS
rather avoided under these new conditions
as suggestive of ante-bellum methods, and
everything which was done in former
DAYS seems to be avoided in these latter
times. The old quarters, those picturesque
outskirts about the stately mansion OF
the ante-bellum planter, are not in exist
ence now. OF course there are the small
houses for the hands on the plantations.
sometimes of logs. but oftener of rude
bricks since logs are getting scarcer and
higher in the south, as in every section.
Each small cottage has its garden patch.
but the laborers no longer make an
artistic-Iooking procession to the mansion
kitchen every Sunday morning TO get
1 their rations for the week-a little brown
sugar, molasses and salt pork and meal.
! The manager is called on for none OF
these duties, as the master in the old
days. and altogether the typical side Of
plantation life. the gathering in the quar-
I tiers, the twangle of the banjo. the dances
/ and the Joyous care-free amusements of
/ young and old. is no more.
| THE fine old mansions from which So
| cial life radiated are for the most aban-
doned or given over for use by managers
or tenants. Few OF the owners care to
live the isolated existence which the
plantation now means. With the freeing
of the slaves everything took on a new
| complexion and the old southrons sought
| a more replete life in their own cities or
even farther north. The servant question
certainly had much to do with the de-
serting of the old homes. But the isola-
ton also meant much. especially for
women. Some Of the troubles Of south
ern women on these great plantations,
surrounded only by blacks. have been
made the subject OF novels ssrious assays