Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-01-19
a GEORGIA Diary of I849
y OR the rare and delightful "Dfary Of

Georgia Student of 1S49," which was
reproduced in last Sundays magazine
section, The Journal is indebted to that ever
sparkling publication Of the University, the
GEORGIA CRACKER. inadvertently and to
our keen regret due credit was not given.
The GEORGIA CRACKER, launched few
years ago, is to college journalism OF the
South what the Harvard Lampoon is to that
of the East Before most enterprises OF the
kind could fairly have found themselves, this
richly humorous monthly OF Georgia boys
has become, in its field, classic.
Peculiarly happy was its presentation OF
the student diary. Many jaded publisher
would have given the apple OF MS eye Ior
that savoury transcript from college youth
AZ II was lived and laughed three and seventy
years ago. Pepys is not more quantity color-
full. nor Benvenuto himself, more na1vely en-
gaging than this luckily discovered mirror
of the gaieties and griefs OF an Elgnteen For-
ty-Niner When James Daniel FREDERICK the
young chronicler, who subsequently became
major in the Confederate army, was
Senior at Franklin college, the War Between
the States was more than decade future
ward and the pioneer beginnings OF Atlanta
still begirt with forests prlmeVal. Inc
Georgia railroad had but recently Deen COM
pIeted to it's western terminus; Dr. CraW-
<,
Athens. had discovered and applied, few
years before, the anaesthet1c power OF sui
-nnuric ether; Howell Cobb was presiding
over the national House of Representatives
in a stormily prophetic session; wesleyan
college at Macon wa7 about ten years old,
Emory about thirteen, Mercer at Penheld
about eleven while the first commencement
day Of the University itself lay well nigh hall
a century in the past.
That the maids Of Athens were as charm
full then as now, witness the following from
J. d. F.'s diary under date of Sunday, Sep
TENDER 80: cat night, having previously
engaged the company of Miss Jones for
church, went to fulfill. This was lovely
night The moon in full-orbed beauty seemed
to envelop all things in halo OF loneliness.
After returning from church, attracted by
the beauty of the night, we took seat upon
the steps of DR.. L. CDR. Leconte). Then for
three hours in the full tide Of enjoyment |
fingered, and at the lapse even or that
time was loath to leave. Tell me not that
woman's power to effect good is limited,
when / must write that I promised and tul-
filled the promise of reading chapter IN
the Bible every night. This night I slept but
four hours" Touching politics, which were
diversified as well stressful our diar1st
records: "Today the elections came OF. L
voted nv first ticket: for Governor, Towns
(Democrat). Senate, Clayton. Wing; Rep
(representatives) Morrison and Richardson,
(Whig). Badly split" Does human nature
ever change? Certainly not when college
youth lightly turns to thoughts OF lucre.
s'This day. runs an entry, received from
father two hundred dollars. Paid out i'm
mediately one hundred and seventy of 1t.
One is tempted to go on quoting indefinitely,
but final passage, richly characteristic, must
suffice: TUESDAY 80 October 40. Night
after night after writing the last few lines
of my journal did I visit the fair sex. Giving
loose rein to my ruling propensities almost
laid aside my studies heaping up against the
day of wrath. The examination came and
passed away almost like dream. On Tues
day night, the %, one week ago, freed from
the, cares of an examination, I had the Curl
osity to ask lady if she loved me, and upon
her telling me she didn't, and upon my telling
her that it was the promptings of curiosity
and that I had made bet that l would
address her and etc. a maddened beauty
spread her colors then before me, and for
near two hours essayed to calm the raging
storm that had so innocently raised"
Where are the songs of yesteryear, and
the roses of 'Forty-Nine? Not silent, not
faded, but vibrant and blooming from the
dust Of this yellowed annal, this legacy of
youth so finely careless and free. Our COM
pliments and gratitude to the GEORGIA
CRACKER for giving this glimpse into a
green. enchanted past. In so doing it has
served history and the Commonwealth. and
has proved its own heirship to the Univer-
sitys happiest traditions.