The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-12

ness Of her civilization and to the main
tenanCe of her domestic and political
honor.
The old South maintained degree
Of humane responsibility between en-
ployer and employee which would be
derided in this soulless commercial age.
when in the clashes between capital
and labor big business" sometimes
finds 1t expedent TO shoot down helpless
women and children. The individual
humanitarianism which distinguished
the ante-bellum South was partially due
to the care necessary to slaves as
valuable property But 1t would have
formed the poetry and grace OF the
Southern Confederacy, under the regime
of which the tremendous force of "A
brave and magnanimous people would
have measured men and honorcd them
by the standards Of justice and gener-
oslty.
In this day of pitiless competition.
when the eagle upon Liberty's shield
one time symbol Of our nationality.
has given place to the dollar mark,
a page from the old South reads like
an Arabian Nights dream.
Ten years before the civil war there
came to the picturesque mountain
from Verm mt He was employed by
a rich planter of that region to erect
a small building, and upon presenting
his bill the planter said:
Why, my good man, this bill is not
correct"
Il have done my best" the contractor
said Il have charged as little as
could. | don't see how l can make my
bill any less"
The Southern planter took up the
bill and carefully going over the items
showed the contractor where he had
charged less than living wages.
You cannot" he said To the aston
ished contractor. live in this COM
munity at your occupation unless you
charge more FIR your work." and he
promptly paid what he knew to he a
fair price to the contractor.
This honorable gentleman, who Illus
trated the civilization of the old South.
held himself accountable for the SUI
perior business sagaCity and experience
with which he had been favored 10y di-
vine power, and he used his ability mot
to gather superintendent wealth to him
self, but TO aid all who came under his
direction to attain what was theirs by
right of occupation. or ability.
In the same romantic mountain re-
sion, which "A fw years later was
sodden with Americas richest life
blood, there lived "A young physician in
the decade preceding the civil war. His
neighbor. rich farmer. warned tn
doctor from day to day that his crop
was going t. ruin. The doctors pa
TENTS seemed of superior importance
and the crops of corn and cotton were
Ill. Inn l.f ina OIL nv
! a luXuriant growth of grass.
Driving home from the bedside of
patient tne balmy May morning the
young doctor beheld the slaves of his
rich nelghbor at work in his fields; nor
did their labors cease until the crops
were safely garnered. There was never
ANY thought of charge for this good act
oi nelghborly kindness; only the
frmer establishment in the community
of standards of generosity which dis
tinguished the softer civilization of a
gentler day. which would be dcr!ded
| in this money mad age
on the slopes of Lookout Mountain
not long ago a soft voiced woman whose
home on the Georgia hills was in the
path of Sherman's march to the sea
talked of the good old days before the
| slopes to where the shadows of Ten
nessce's mountains rest in the valleys
| Of Georgia, ! said:
How beautiful it is No wonder the
. southern armies could fight and win
/ here"
| She answered softly: "You should
| have seen east Tennessee before the
war"
In the before the war days" in Ten
ncssec a poor white girl was arraigncd
| before Judge Keith, "A distinguished
| lurist, charged with the theft of grocer
| les. The merchant who made the charge
was a rich man and he complained Bit
terly of the theft. The girl had no
| lawyer
Judge Keith examined the witness
and learned that the girls mother was
a widow and confined TO her bed with
serious illness and that the girl had
| stolen the provisions t save her mother
from starving. The judge charged the
| jury that for "A wealthy man To allow
such want TO exist with his knowledge
and sanction was a crime against hui
mainly. A verdict was rendered against
the merchant upon whom a heavy fine
was imposed for brutal and inhuman
| persecution II a defenCeless widow and
orphan, and the money was turned
over To the young girl for the relief of
/ her mother.
IL Is worthy 0f note that the Judge
and merchant We're warm personal
/ friends and the episode did not break
! the relationship. Such was the spirit
| Of brave and generous people whose
stainless flag was furled over the great
| lost cause Of American history in the
gloom and glory Of AppomattoX.
Under the Southern Confederacy the
art of Italy, the progress Of France,
tn. spirit Of the Latin races would
! have predominated over the colder COM