Year: 1865

1
! GOod-fellowship and companie


He doth maintain and keep alwaies."


Our march was only change of camp, bu
it took me away from the mysterious mansio
of the McAlpines. 1t brought me to dwel
ling of more humble pretensions and not quit
so suggestive of romantic ideas, or of the ele
gance and luxury attending Southern aristoc
racy and wealth. II the materials I have col
lected may be considered valuable to any c
the contributors of the New York LEDGER
or "Mecury," announce myself ready to dis
pose of them cheap.


The rice culture in America was first initia
ted at Savannah. The lands within q circui
of thirty miles radius from here are probabl
the best adapted for the cultivation of thi


cereal of any on our continent. The natur
of the grain is such as to require that th
ground be frequently overhowed by water dur
ing its growth. For this reason only the very
low fiat lands can be used. The numerous is
lands of the Savannah are admirably adapted
for this purpose, being always accessible to th,
tide water.


The process of growing the rice is not more
curious than the method Of hulIing it. EacE
grain is enclosed in a strong, raspy h1sk, which
clings firmly and is difficult to remove. After
the grain is separated from the straw by thresh.
ing, the husk still remains upon it and is taker
off by special process. This is simply pound
ing, and may be done by manual labor or by
machinery. In the first instance the rice is
merely placed in a stone or wooden trough
and pounded with pestle until the hulls are
loosened. This method is only used by the
negroes, or on minor plantations. The large
and well organized establishments use ma
chinery driven by horsepower or steam. In
this case a series of immense wooden pestles
are arranged is such way as to be raised al
ternatey by a tcothed cylinder, and let fall iu
the stone basins filed with rice. In this way
an effectual hammering is kept up, which rap
idly separates the husk from the grain But
the process does not end here The grain after
being hulled must be Winnowed and cleaned,
the broken grains separated from the whole
ones. the good from the bad. This requires
additional machinery, which it is not necessary
to describe. Apparatus for grinding the rice
into -four is also frequently attached to the
hulling mills, the whole being conjoined in the
same building. The rice-mills are usually
worked by negroes, mostly females. Il is sur
prising to observe how much of the labor
which properly belongs to the steam-engine is
performed by the slaves, simply for want of
the ingenuity or the enterprise necessary for
making some triaing additions to the ma
chinery. For instance, il train of negro wo-
men is kept constantly employed in carrying
rice in baskets from the first to the second
floor when the whole of this labor might and
ought to be done by pair of elevators
Such thing iu ihe North would be laughed
at. But such is Southern enterprise. Men
who would surreptitiously deprive New Eng
land man of the benefits of his patent of the
would not be likely to have the en-
terprise to invent anything which would rem
der the great Southern principle of slave labor
any the less necessary. The truth is that so
are the wealthy people of this
country imbued with the idea that labor is de-
grading and that negroes are designed by ma
ture to perform the drudgery Of white men
for nothing, that their minds are rarely
awakened by the necessity for eneour-
aging labor. Nor is there anything which
these negro-drivers hate with more hearty ha-
red than that very inventive genius of the
~
pie that it is right and honorable to labor has
given life and animation. Said a buxom She
.raitor in my presence, during a conversation
about the destruction of the Georgia railroads,
well, we'll have some n Northern Yankees de-
ailed to come down here after the war and re-
pair cur railroads" A friend of mine remark
ID to lady in Savannah the other day that
n the North the people all labered, consider
ng it honorable to sustain themselves in tbs
way. "Do you think, said she unfolding
pair of jewelled hands, which would scorn the
tain of industrious toll, but which for long,
ong years have kept back from the aborer his |
lire "do you think l could earn a living with |
hose hands ?" All, people of the North, did
you but realize how strong and unreasonable |
his contempt, not only for labor but for you
IS laborers, has grown here, you would say it |
s time this lazy, worthless Southern aristoc- |
'acy were overthrown.


1 have often remarked, and it has given me |
infinite pleasure to do so, the frank, manly ap- |
1earance of our soldiers There is scarcely a |
nan among them whose countenance does not |
beam with intelligence and whose whole phys
que does not denote well developed man
AOOu' Ol4 NtO OtuCl Dautg tLC ICDCl sOluiGIo |
ire spare, sallow, and cadaverous, as though |
ile had been stinted in its growth and devel-
,pment. Why this difference? 1t is because
Northern boys are taught to labor and to
tudy, to work with hand and brain, while
southern boys are taught to despise labor, to
owe dissipation, and to cultivate passion
ather than intellect. God bless our noble,
ugged, healthy, manly, intelligent Northern
oldiers. Theirs is the true nobility with
he stamp of nature upon it.


The splendid Army of Georgia is already
preparing for a new campaign. The weather
continues mild and pleasant. Much of the
ime it is hardly cold enough to be comfort
be Now is the time to strike for the Uunion


"for our affairs and our fires,


For the green graves of eur sres,


God, and our native land.''


A. Z. SECHAND.