Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1921-03-15
DISTINGUISHED CARtINlAN|
Rice; Of South Carolina, is Cultured
and Talented Gentleman.
KR0Rs., THE HISTORY: OF HIS STATE

hNUh0f' FtlEt uk&t VhI UE hio oAnAL
Washington NeWspapcrl Interviews
Noted Southern Natlralist-Ta'ks of
Birds and, Books, and; Progress In.His
scetion.-H Has, Travelled Extensively,
la, South America and to the South
Seas. = :.
(By "F. w. G." in Washington Herald)s
Is. the old landed proprietor Of the
south wholly extinct and dQes he exist
only in books? Don't think it for a
moment, not so long as James Henry
Rice, Jr., of Virgins. S. c., is alive.
Riceica to Washihgton, as the per-
sonal representative .of Coy. Cooper of
South. Carolina at the Inauguration Of
President Harding.
Naturalist, author. lecturer, patriot,
all of these is Rice, but above all, we
must add gentleman There are some
who seem. to have that title by divine
right, and Rice may well be said to be
one of them. The title goes with the
man and his manner and you feel i'm
PEELED to write it after his name when
you have talked with; him and have felt
the charm Of his personality
There, are SO many interesting things
about the proprietor, Of 'Rrick House
Plantation''ithat one feels more like
: writing a book: about him than a col q.
uun. 1t is hard. 70 know just where to
.s.-s, =
begin. ~ -.
Under THE. spell:af his tales of the
old South: yon are Carried back to the
picturesque community. Of wealthy
planters whose slaves before. the war
titled the fertileae eres stu drained BY,
the. Combahees the sghee- -haw.- the Coo
saw and the: ::Ashepdo rivers.
You find yodrsalfs 5h tfeNhlte pillar
ed verandah OF. one Of the old planta-
ton houses. a part. Of the easy, TRANQUIL
existence and generous--hospitality thai
for 200 years characterized the lives OF
the men and women of the old regime
on the coast Of South Carolina
Thirty Course Dinner for 1863 conted-
crates.
Given this opulent background, you
listen on, until you, can easily credit the
tale Of the Gargan tnan feast, rendered
three. companies of confederate soldiers
and their officers during the Civil war
by Capt. Plowden ]. Weston, OF Hag-
lev, who on two hours notice enter
tained 1853 men and officers at a thirty
no
spread in his spacious plantation house
on the Waccams river: There was a
different wine for each course. all taken
from the hosts own cellars. and enough
silverware for all the guests.
Nor is It hard to. reconstruct in the
minds eye the fourishing.. docks. and
countinghouses of>Charieston, where
merchant p;ainniSss inias -sdach as Iohn t!sazea'
did business with the marts of the
world.
With equal facility one follows the
history of this territory. accounted in
the picturesque style of Rice, until 1t
has ceased. to be. what Thackery termed
on his visit to South Carolina the
daintiest bit Of earth that he had ever
peheld, and has been swept by the nor
rors OF civil war, from which it is still
trying 10 recover. i:
At this point might be mentioned the
cause to which Rice has given most OF
his life, the passage of'a stock law that
would protect the rich ten7milc strip OF
coast land from the marauding herds
and f1ocks Of poor whites, negroes ana
Indians who inhabit the back country
and thus. restore the pristine riches oi
this sect1on.>
Rice declares with great satisfaction
that, thanks 10 the, progressive polic!
of the new governor, Robert A. Cooper
and the efforts of .Assemblyman h. l.
Oliver. a statewide stock law has los
been passed by the Legislature whicf
will secure this land from invasion anc
will compel cattle owners to keep then
stock from running wild.
Takes High Rank As, Naturalist
But If ycu asked Rice what had beer
his most important work, he propaoi'
would not even mention the fact ina
he had worked long and, steadily u
keep alive the ideal of great ana glo
rious South, one that would surpas
even the pre-war South.
He might tell you any one Of severa
things. He was. one of the pioneers Il
the movement to protect and preserV
our native North American birds an
was one Of the early field agents OF III
Audubon society He is one of the lore
most naturalists Of the South ana
we'll yersed in the fauna OF that sectio
of the United States, as well as othe
norts of the North American contlnen
He has studied American and foreis
birds and animals for the last thirt
years.
Rice has travelled extensively !
South America and has visited the Is
lands of the South Seas on sclehl'l'
expeditions. In South America ne Wa
close friend Of E. H. Hudson Ut
Itch -. t,,rolist whose long res