The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-11-15
"REMINISCENCES OF SOUTH.
Pictures Of the Old Regime by u Con-
fetlerate Veteran.

remember well my mothers attl.
tude toward our slaves. She had q
school where all the young ones were
taught Contrary to law She taught
them herself, and her Sunday school
was always full, writes Maj. A. r. H.
Ranson, in the Sew.>nee Review.
All our young slaves could read and
some of them could write. My old
Nanny always wrote to my mothei
when she was away from home. When
we (the children) gathered around the
table to study our lessons at night, she
always took her place at the table
with pen, ink and paper. Now, chill
dren," she would say. Il am going to
write to your ma, and 1 don't want to
give bad account of any Of you" /
can remember the times 1 laid my
weary head in Mammy's lap and said
my sleepy prayers and remember
her sitting nodding by my bedside un-
til l should fall asleep. And re-
member Mammy's funeral. for I wa,
almost a man then. We we're living
In Charleston, and Nanny was olcl
and lived in a cabin at the bottom
or the garden walk and never came
to the house. On good days she sat
IN her door in the sun with her Biblo
on her knees. My mother was old and
feeble. but on good days she would
walk down to the cabin, while in bad
weather she would 60 on the back
porch and look down the walk until
the two saw each other, and then
they would wave their hands at each
other.
When Nanny died. my father de.
termined to bury her in the Episcopal
graveyard at Zion church. Although
q vestryman, he could not get permis-
sion. but the procession moved up the
back street. about half a mile in the
August sun. the coffin. carried by eight
strong men, my father, with hat of,
walking Immediately behind it. When
we came to the gates they were locked,
but after a little delay they were
opened somehow. and Memmy, the
old negro, lies buried in Zion church.
yard with the white folks, and some
day she will rise as white as any
there.
The most remarkable feature of the
situation in our section was that re-
fnement and even elegance could ex.
LIST on such very small means. A man
with a small farm (say 800 acres),
worth about $4,000, and q Few slaves
was really prince--a prince Of the
kind that no millionaire of the prc :
ent day can emulate. A. had lc' ure
to think, to read, to cultivate. mis- mind
and manners. and to indulge himself
In social pleasure. He was a better
educated man, better read man in
current and ancient literatures, and
he was better-mannered man than
the man of the present age; freed
from little worries. his temper was
better, his heart was softer, and his
disposition more sunny and renial. So
ciai intercourse. therefore. was on u
plane which Is now unknown. There
was little attempt at grandeur or ex-
travagant display: beautiful sim
plicity pervaded life and gave it its
greatest charm.
And the women-the macrOns and
the maids of that time-their soft
voices and their gentle ways! They
did not belong to women's clubs; they
did not ride bicycles and horses
astride. and they did not drive auto
mobiles or lecture on platforms. They
were brought up without coming in
contact with the rude outer world.
They were generally educated al home
by governesses. Every girl had her
maid, who waited on her, and she
was stranger to drudgery. One
would suppose from this that they
would be useless toys as wives and
poor companions for educated and
stirring men, but the supposition
would be wrong.