Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-07-12

when my enthusiasm received check
that came near causing me to throw
up my assignment, which would have
done without hesitation had not fear
ed It would mean summary dismlS-
sal from the paper as well. On COM
ing in from the factory district one aft
ernoon I found q letter from the man.
aging editor. It said:
We want facts Your letter mailed On
the train found useless and has been
thrown In the wastebasket. II true.
was a very good editorial. but we do not
want editorials from you. II you still
have my order read Il over and you Will
find in It nothing about the racial Ques-
ton or political problems. Study the
white people, especially the families Of
the old regime, and bear In mind always
that whatever you write will be copied
there Your letters. therefore should b
just and truthful. whatever else there
may be- X you were an artist with the
brush should say paint q picture OF some
old colonial homesteads and antebellum
plantations. Since you can't paint. write
OF them a. they are. Bring the scenes b
Georgia wildly before the people OF Boo.
ton. They can draw their own cunc1u.
sions Let your pictures be OF people and
places only ~ you see them.
That was all, but it was sufficient b
shatter my hopes and discourage ail
further attempts to make sure OF the
electoral vote OF New England. Dis
consulate and With a vague sense Of
my own ignorance. boarded train
that night bound somewhere In .
southerly direction-l did not know
and did not care where.
When I awoke the next morning the
odor which filled every crevice OF the
car told me that had entered the pine
belt Of Georgia during my sleep !
threw up my window and inhaled great
drafts Of fresh air. felt invigorat'
ed and ready to carry out my assign
nent, no matter where II leo me. the
farther into the pine forests and out
Of the reach at managing edltorsI ! !
thought, the better. Later In the day
I left the main road and took the mar.
row gauge line which was told fol-
lowed the bed Of the Savannah rivee
and passed through several Of the
most historic counties Of the state. rich
in memories Of the past and people4
mostly by remnants of the old colonial
and antebellum families. who had y
the past made them the most infusn-
tial centers Of the state.
The railroad wended its way through
Z beautiful rolling country studded
with pines and eedars. The Wild dog.
ers grew up to the very tracks. and
the earth seemed carpeted with SOFT
yelvety moss. Through the pines
caught glimpses occasionally Of state.
y old residences, with their gardens
unkempt and the weeds growing n
Wild profusion- Where the fences had
fallen they had been left to decay. but
the fields were plowed and showe1
signs OF cultivation At cost Of great
labor.
We stopped at several stations. and
around each there was an air Of happy
incidence that lent . charm to the a.
lapidated wooden sheds which stood
for depots, and IN front OF these thss6
was always to b seen some antiquat.
Cd wagon or carryall. These latter
were invariably nlled with half grown
hovs ana cirla laurhinr and chatterine
ike = lot of mn rnise a the trnin mil.
cd up. They were there presumably
"a ret the mail INIT !. thonrht more
nkelv 10 evchane. lit. of roeain ~
20 And ont what IN. ..roinr onv down
the road \ cnve mv.elf m "a listen.
inc 70 their chstter. ana / found ~.
.elf wonderinr a fha train vould stark
aeain On it, slov tourney how many
Of thea bright ana innocent facea
there would be ~ the next station g
greet ma. Il would indeed take .orne
time. l thought. to get Z proper esti,
mate OF these people. whose clothes
would indicate that they belonged =
the farming ana laboFine classes. but
whose eonversatioo. accent and aram-
matical phrasing would lead one to ~
lieve they represented class bettsr
educated ana with more culture than
one u likely to discover IN such out Of
the way counties a. those through
which we were now passing.
By degrees the few passengers who
had taken this train got Oh. and 10
ward the end Of the journey there was
no one In the coach but q venerable
looking old gentleman and myself. He
wore long frock coat and an old
fashioned silk hat He represented Z
type ] had begun to know and recoc