The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1907-1917, 1913-08-07

4 CuSCOmS ana manners which
are primitive and innocent.
In the matter of amusements,
this is primarily so, and usually the
amusements are most delightful and
enjoyable. The South has been I'M
usually fortunate in holding to many
OF these innocent customs, and the
pound party" whereby the min
listers wives and the ministers them
selvs are supposed to be grateful for
SIS worth of groceries, left by affec-
tionate Pensioners who eat twenty
i've dollars worth of hot supper-are
still more or less popular
Then, in some localities, the wo-
men Of a neighborhood will occa-
sionally gather to help a sister,
woman "sew up' her family for the
winter; this is survival of the old
quilting party, and the men will also
turn in and help one another with a
days blowing, or to help place the
frame of new house Or aid in some
other manner the man who needs
their aid. While all this was practi-
cal, it was also largely an amuse-
ment for those who took part-those
whose lives were isolated, and who
welcomed anything that brought
them in contact with their neighbors
and friends in the settlement.
But the South is changing now;
we have the card clubs, the teas, the
civic leagues, the advanced thought
gatherings, and it is to be supposed
natural that our amusements have
also undergone a change.
Tent shows will come to the small
town, and an aggregation Of near
actors, will reap money as long as
there is a cent to be had, by acting
it would be crime to class as
comedy, and that is often too pitiful
for tragedy
The societies and the clubs are
called on occasionally to raise funds
for this, that and the other, and i'm
mediately begins a series of efforts
to devise or develop something diff
ferent," and if the energy and the
expense could be Jumped and donated
to the object at the outset, said OBJ
ject would be several dollars to the
good, family jars and jangles would
be spared, and there would be a feel
ing of tranquility in the neighbor-
hood, which is NOT present when the
stunt in the shape of the entertain
ment is pulled off.
Of late there is tendency to
n AXE the very little children take
n ore prominent part in these af-
fairs; the painfulness of some of the
performances which some of the lit
tie tots go through, makes the true
lover of children Sunderland then
makes them wonder why the Lord
ever gave some people children,
when puppies would have served as
well.
There are M and women in the
business of travelling to these small
towns, and "getting up entertain
ments'' in which the town children
figure in various capacities. One of
these itinerant entertainments is
known variously as "The Lillipu-
tian Wedding" or the tom Thumb
Wedding" or any name that will fill
the bill And the babies of three,
four and five years are rugged up
like puppets to go through what
should be the most sacred and the
most solemn of all rites and ceremo-
MES.
1t isn't given to all of us to be
religious" and this is as good a
place as any to remark that some
people who bank most on their reli-
giousness, can forget that asset at
the most critical times-as when
they will lend themselves to making
a farce of a marriage ceremony.
What but a farce is it, to dress
these babies in caricatures of the
nIOthoc worn hv THAR o1dorc Of thic