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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Old Times in Dixie Land - A Southern Matron's Memories - -Author: Caroline E. Merrick - -Release Date: November 24, 2012 [EBook #41475] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD TIMES IN DIXIE LAND *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: Caroline E. Merrick] - - - - - OLD TIMES IN DIXIE LAND - - A Southern Matron's Memories - - - BY CAROLINE E. MERRICK - - - NEW YORK - THE GRAFTON PRESS - 1901 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1901, - BY CAROLINE ELIZABETH MERRICK - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. COTTAGE HALL 5 - - II. OLD TIMES 11 - - III. HOME LIFE 17 - - IV. RUMORS OF OUR CIVIL WAR 24 - - V. MY DAUGHTER LAURA'S DIARY 37 - - VI. WAR MEMORIES: HOW BECKY COLEMAN WASHED HESTER WHITEFIELD'S - FACE 48 - - VII. WAR MEMORIES: THE STORY OF PATSY'S GARDEN. 59 - - VIII. HOW WOMAN CAME TO THE RESCUE 69 - - IX. MISS VINE'S DINNER PARTY AND ITS ABRUPT CONCLUSION 83 - - X. OUR FEDERAL FRIENDS AND THE COLORED BROTHER 104 - - XI. LAURA'S DEATH IN THE EPIDEMIC OF '78 116 - - XII. A FIRST SPEECH AND SOME NOTED WOMEN 124 - - XIII. FRANCES WILLARD 141 - - XIV. SORROW AND SYMPATHY 153 - - XV. BECKY SPEAKS UP IN MEETING IN THE INTERESTS OF MORALITY 164 - - XVI. MRS. JULIA WARD HOWE AND THE BLESSED COLORED PEOPLE 171 - - XVII. NERVOUS PROSTRATION AND A VENERABLE COUSIN 186 - - XVIII. ENTER--AS AN EPISODE--MRS. COLUMBIANA PORTERFIELD 197 - - XIX. THE SOUTHERN WOMAN BECOMES A "CLUBABLE" BEING 212 - - XX. "THE BEST IS YET TO BE" 229 - - - - -OLD TIMES IN DIXIE LAND - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -COTTAGE HALL. - - -I have not written these memoirs entirely for the amusement or instruction -of my contemporaries; but I shall feel rewarded if I elicit thereby the -interest and sympathy which follows an honest effort to tell the truth in -the recollections of one's life--for, after all, truth is the chief virtue -of history. My ancestry may be of as little importance in itself as this -book is likely to be after the lapse of a few years; yet it is -satisfactory to know that your family is respectable,--even if you cannot -prove it to be so ancient that it has no beginning, and so worthy that it -ought to have no end. I am willing, however, that my genealogy should be -investigated; there are books giving the whole history; and it is surely -an innocent and praiseworthy pride--that of good pedigree. - -I was born November 24th, 1825, at our plantation home, called Cottage -Hall, in the parish of East Feliciana, in the State of Louisiana. My -father was a man of firmness and of courage amounting to stoicism. He -appeared calm and self-possessed under all circumstances. He ruled his own -house, but so judicious was his management that even his slaves loved him. - -Though I was very young when my mother died, I can remember her and the -great affection manifested for her by the entire family. While not -realizing the importance of my loss, I knew enough to resent the coming of -another to fill her place. My father said he wanted a good woman who could -see that his family of six children were properly brought up and educated. -His nephew, Dr. James Thomas, introduced him to Miss Susan Brewer, who he -thought would fill all these requirements. The marriage was soon arranged, -and I was brought home, to Cottage Hall, by my eldest sister, with whom I -had been living. The other children had laid aside their mourning and I -was informed that I also had new dresses; but I declined to wear them or -to call the new mistress of the household by the name of "Mother," which -had been freely given her by the rest of the family. When my father lifted -me from the carriage he said: "My child, I will now take you to your new -mother." As he kissed me affectionately I turned away and said: "I am not -your child, and I have no mother now." I have never forgotten the sad look -he gave me nor the tenderness he manifested toward my waywardness as he -took me in his arms and carried me into the house. I was a troublesome -little girl with an impetuous temper; perhaps it was on this account that -he often said: "This golden-haired darling is the dearest little one in -the house--and the most exacting." My father had a vein of quaint humor -and abounded in proverbial wisdom. I have heard him say, "Yes, I have a -very bad memory--I remember what should be forgotten." - -We often had friends and schoolmates to spend the day or night at Cottage -Hall; but when these visits were returned we were always accompanied by -our married sister or some equally responsible _chaperone_. We complained -much of this rigid rule, yet I now think it was a wise exaction that every -night should find us sheltered under the home roof. My father had no -patience with the innocent flirtations of young people; he thought such -conduct implied a lack of straight-forward honesty which was inexcusable. -Few men can understand the temptations of a young girl's environment, -which sometimes cause her to make promises in good faith that cannot be -carried out, and my father had no pity on one who so doted on general -admiration that she was unwilling to contract her life into a simple home -with one true, brave heart. Such an one, he thought, deserved to become a -lonely old maid and hold a pet dog in her arms, with never a child of her -own, because she had turned away from her highest vocation--and all for -pure vanity and folly. - -My stepmother was a gifted woman. She was born in Wilbraham, -Massachusetts, in 1790, and died July 25th, 1876. She had come South by -the advice of Dr. Wilbur Fisk, and was instrumental in bringing into -Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana over sixty accomplished teachers, she -herself having been at the head of successful schools in New York, -Baltimore, Tuscaloosa and Washington. The calling of teaching she gave up -when she married my father, but the cause of education in the South was -greatly promoted by her influence, for which reason she has been compared -to Mary Lyon of New England. - -On one occasion, when my stepmother had a large party of Northern people -at tea, they began praising the products of their own State and -depreciating those of Louisiana. My childish anger was stirred, and I -asked our guests why they had come down here if they had everything so -much nicer and better in Massachusetts? I said no more, for a maid was -called and I was sent to bed, retiring with indignation while the company -laughed spiritedly at my impertinence. One of my sisters wrote me later, -"Ma has no occasion to teach you how to manage, for you were born with a -talent for ruling--whether wisely or not time will show." - -Cottage Hall was five miles from Jackson, Louisiana. My father was for -many years trustee of the college there which afterward became Centenary -College of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. His death occurred in -1849, and I have preserved a eulogy delivered by President Augustus -Baldwin Longstreet during the Commencement exercises of the year. From -this I transcribe a few sentences: - - "A sad announcement will be anticipated by those who have been long in - the habit of attending these occasions when they cast their eyes over - the Board of Trustees and see that the seat of Captain David Thomas is - vacant. Never since the foundation of the College was it so before. - He was present at the birth of this institution; he saw it in all its - promising and dispiriting visitations; and while it had no peculiar - claims upon him, he watched over it with parental solicitude. At - length he rejoiced in its commitment to the care of his own church; - and under the management of my predecessor, he saw it assume an - honorable rank among the kindred institutions of our Southern clime. - His head, his heart and purse were all at its service. He was - anticipating the events of this week with hopeful gratification when, - within forty-eight hours of the time he expected to mingle his - counsels with his colleagues, it pleased God to cut him down. Were our - griefs always proportioned to our losses, his wife, his children, the - orphan, the poor, the church, the trustees, the faculty, and the - students would all have raised one wild shriek at the twang of the - archer's bow which laid him low. Were the joys of friendship - proportioned to the good fortune of a friend, we should all rejoice - and mingle our voices in loud hallelujahs that death had snatched him - away; for that he has gone direct from earth to heaven none can doubt - who knew him. I find it hard to restrain the starting tears; but this - is my weakness. We all should rejoice, but this our nature will not - permit; yet we must testify our respect for his memory." - -Then Judge Longstreet read the resolutions of the Board of Trustees of -Centenary College, which had been placed in his hands. This extraordinary -man was a dear friend of our family, and every child in the house enjoyed -his visits. He played on a glass flute for us, and it was a choice -privilege when we were allowed to hear him read from his "Georgia Scenes" -about the comical doings of Ned Brace and Cousin Patsy. His peculiarities -bordered on eccentricity and his wit was inimitable and irresistible. - -Mrs. Longstreet was a lovely woman of whose presence one never wearied. -She wore the daintiest of white caps, and seemed in the eyes of all like -the angel she was. Of Byron, Walter Scott, and historical literature she -could give pages from memory with great expression and in the sweetest -voice imaginable. She was ideally sweet even in her most advanced years--a -vision which once seen can never be forgotten. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -OLD TIMES. - - -On a clear spring morning more than fifty years ago, Cousin Antoinette and -I sat on the front porch of Cottage Hall ready for a ride and waiting for -the stable boy to bring up our ponies. We were in the act of mounting when -my father appeared and inquired where we were going. - -"We shall not take a long ride, papa. We are not going anywhere, and shall -return in good time for breakfast." - -"You will do nothing of the kind. You have no brother here to ride with -you, and it is improper for two young ladies to be seen on the public road -alone so early in the morning." He then ordered the horses back to the -lot. We were obliged to submit to his authority without protest, though I -was ready to say, "There is a word sweeter than 'mother, home, or heaven,' -and that word is 'liberty.'" Contrast this with the freedom of the modern -girl on her bicycle! - -Once when I left the schoolroom on account of a disagreement with the -governess, my stepmother thought my father should require me to return and -apologize. "No," he replied, "she elects her own life and must abide by -her choice; she shall not be coerced." I was never afterward a student in -any schoolroom, though at this time only in my thirteenth year. I had been -in class with girls three or four years older than myself, and was -considered quite mature in person and mental development. I early -ascertained that girls had a sphere wherein they were expected to remain -and that the despotic hand of some man was continually lifted to keep them -revolving in a certain prescribed and very restricted orbit. When mild -reproofs failed there were always other curbs for the idiot with eccentric -inclinations. - -Yet it was with my father's full consent, even by his advice, that at -fifteen years of age I married Edwin Thomas Merrick, for he thought I -could not enter too soon upon woman's exclusive path, and be marching -along towards woman's kingdom with a companion in the prime of a noble -manhood. I was indebted for my "bringing up" to the young man I married. -He was more than twice my age, and possessed many times over my amount of -wisdom. In one of Mr. Merrick's love-letters, written in 1839, alluding to -a remark of mine on the absurdity of a "young thing like me" being -companionable for a man of thirty years, he says: "Is it not 'ridiculously -absurd' for a young lady who talks seriously of moving an island in the -lake of Windermere to suppose she is not old enough to marry anybody? I -have been reared in the cold North where mind and person come to maturity -slowly; you in the sunny South where the flower bursts at once into full -luxuriance and beauty." Lover-like, he compliments me by continuing: "I -have never discovered in you anything to remind me of the disparity of our -ages; but, on the contrary, I have found a maturity of judgment, -correctness of taste and extent of accomplishments which cause me to feel -that you have every acquisition of a lady of twenty; and I have been -happier in your society than in that of any other human being." - -My husband, the nephew of my stepmother, was born July 9th, 1809, in -Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He was an advocate and jurist, served as -district judge of the Florida parishes, and was twice elected chief -justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana. - -The entire household at Cottage Hall was devoted to "Cousin Edwin," as he -was called after our Southern fashion of claiming kinship with those we -like. I remember that when Mrs. Lafayette Saunders heard that Mrs. Thomas -had made this match, she replied: "It is a pity she did not do the same -for all the family, for she surely has made a good one for Caroline!" For -a year and a half Mr. Merrick and I had seen much of each other and had -exchanged frequent letters, many of which have been sacredly preserved to -the present time. Bishop John C. Keener, who was his lifelong friend, said -of him at the time of his death: "Judge Merrick was always a bright, -delightful person in his family and with his acquaintances and friends. He -was a scholar, and was familiar with several modern languages, especially -French and German. He had an investigating mind, loved to explore the -recent wonders of science, and the doctrine of evolution he accepted. Few -men had rounded their career into a grander expression of all the high -qualities which concur in the useful citizen and the influential public -magistrate. He was an incorruptible and capable judge, which is the most -important and admirable character in the official constituency of -government." - -The Law Association of New Orleans, in their tribute to his memory, said -to him--using his own words at a like meeting in honor of Chief Justice -Eustis: "His judicial opinions show a comprehensive intellect, cultivated -by long study, and familiarized with the sentiments of the great writers -and expounders of the law. They were, as became them, more solid than -brilliant, more massive than showy. They are like granite masonry, and -will serve as guides and landmarks in years to come. He was domestic, -temperate and simple in his habits; modest, patient, punctual, and -exceedingly studious. In his family relations he was a good husband, a -wise and loving father. He loved his fellow-men and enjoyed the success of -others. He encouraged young men, and with his brethren of the bar he was -always considerate, courteous and generous." - -Thus he received a beautiful and eloquent tribute which dealt with both -his public and private life. - -In his home Mr. Merrick was always gentle and lovable without the least -apparent pride. He would entertain with the greatest simplicity the -youngest child in the house; and this fact reminds me of a little boy who -deposited with tears a bouquet at his lifeless feet. To the inquiry "Who -sent them?" he replied: "I brought them. For three years he has given me -money to buy all my school books, and I am so sorry he is dead!" In a -letter my daughter-in-law had written me while we were in Virginia during -one of his last summers on earth, she asked: "Does father still roam over -the hills gathering flowers for you to wear as he used to do?" Even in his -old age his cheerfulness, his equipoise and sweetness never deserted him. - -In regard to early marriages, I cannot, in view of my own experience and -long life of contentment and domestic happiness, say aught unfavorable, -though there is another side to the question and modern custom tends -increasingly towards marriage at a later period. As it is true that the -progeny of immature plants and animals do not equal in vigor and capacity -for endurance the offspring of fully developed specimens, so human beings -who desire to establish a home and intend to bring up a family, should not -be children, but full-grown, matured men and women; yet, all things else -being equal, it is surely better they should unite to make up a perfect -life before the season of youth has passed away, and the man became -_blasé_, the woman warped. Men are much concerned about our sex and the -duties and peculiar functions belonging thereto. It is my opinion that -they too need some instruction in regard to the exercise and regulation of -their own relations and responsibilities toward the future welfare of the -race. They have decided that brain work is detrimental to the full -development of the organization of the female; but they do not worry over -the effects of tobacco, whisky and certain vile habits upon the congenital -vigor of both boys and girls. Fathers and medical men ought to look well -to the hygienic duties of their own sex; then both sexes would be born -with better capacity for life and growth, and the poor mother would not be -obliged to spend so much care and trouble in rearing the offspring of -debilitated manhood. Nature does not work in a hurry. She is patient, -persistent and deliberate, never losing sight of her own great ends, and -inexorable as to her rights. - -If study could check and thwart a child's growth Margaret D'Ossoli would -have been a case of arrested development instead of a large-souled woman. -It was her father who kept her little head all day over Greek and Latin -exercises at the age of seven years, when she should have been playing -with her dolls and romping in the fresh outdoor air. It was her father, M. -Necker, who trained Madame de Stael into a woman whom the great Napoleon -hated and even feared so much that he insulted her childless wifehood by -telling her that what France needed was mothers, and sent her into -banishment. - -It is useless to get up a lamentation that the race will die out and -children be neglected because woman is going to college and becoming -informed and intellectual. Nature will take care that she keeps to her -principal business, which is to become a willing (or unwilling) medium to -continue the species. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -HOME LIFE. - - -My home during my early married life was in the town of Clinton, La. While -I never coveted the ownership of many slaves, my comfort was greatly -promoted by the possession of some who had been carefully trained to be -good domestics, and who were given to me by my father on my marriage. I -always liked to go into the kitchen, but sometimes my cook, who had been -for twelve years in training, scorned my inexperienced youth, would say -emphatically, "_Go_ inter de _house_, Miss Carrie! Yer ain't no manner er -use heah only ter git yer face red wid de heat. I'll have dinner like yer -wants it. Jes' read yer book an' res' easy till I sen's it ter de -dining-room." I like just as much to go into the kitchen to-day, and am -accounted a "born cook," by my family, being accredited with a genius for -giving those delicious and elusive flavors that are inspirations and -cannot be taught. The artist cook burns neither food nor fingers, is never -hurried or flurried, and does not reveal in appearance or manner that the -table is indebted to her handicraft. - -The common idea of tyranny and ill-usage of slaves was often reversed in -my case, and I was subject at times to exactions and dictations of the -black people who belonged to me, which now seem almost too extraordinary -and incredible to relate. I made periodical visits to our plantation in -Point Coupe parish, over fifty miles distant from Clinton. _En route_ I -would often desire my coachman to drive faster, and he would do so for the -moment, then would fall back into the old pace. If I remonstrated he would -say: "I's 'sponsible fer dese yeah horses, an' dey got ter fotch us back -home, an' I ain't er gwine ter kill 'em gettin' ter whar we gwine ter; an' -I'd tell Marse Edwin de same thing if he was heah." - -Gardening has always greatly claimed my heart and time. I have taken -prizes at horticultural exhibits, and have been no little vainglorious in -this last year of the century to be able to show the public the only -blooming century-plant in New Orleans, or indeed in the State, so far as I -know, and for whose blossoming I have been waiting thirty years. There is -a "mild and gentle" but indissoluble sympathy between the human soul and -the brown earth from which we have sprung, and to which we shall return. -There is no outward influence that can be compared to that of living, -growing, blooming things. The resurrections of the springtime cause an -epidemic of gardening fever that prevails until intenser sunshine -discourages exertions. When buds are bursting and color begins to glow on -every bush and trellis I do not see how any one can be wholly miserable. -The great season of hope and promise stirs into fruitfulness of some sort -the blood that has been marking time for many years. This ever renewed, -undiscouraged passion of making the earth produce seems a proof that -man's natural occupation is husbandry. He keeps at it through love as well -as necessity, and every springtime he, as little subdued as nature, renews -the contest. It is his destiny. - -Therefore it is hardly a matter for surprise that my first-born child -appealed so strongly to my love of growing things that the office of my -nurse was a mere sinecure, for my boy was always in my arms--perhaps the -more that I had been cut off prematurely from my dolls. With every moment -devoted to his interests he became such a precocious wonder that all the -servants prophesied: "Dat chile's not long for _dis_ worl', Miss -Cal_line_!" I was not disturbed, however, by these mournful predictions, -knowing how much time and patience had been invested in his baby -education. When I look back on this period I excuse myself on account of -my youth, yet at the same time I pity myself for my ignorance. The -experience I bought was high-priced. - -The heavy and exacting responsibilities of a slaveholder did not rest upon -me with a lightness commensurate with my years. During my annual visits to -the plantation I was not sure of uninterrupted rest even at night, for I -never could refuse an interview to any of the negroes who called upon me. -I observe that my diaries of those days are full of notes of my attendance -upon sick servants. When President Lincoln issued his proclamation of -freedom to our slaves I exclaimed: "Thank heaven! I too shall be free at -last!"--forgetful of the legal disabilities to which white women of these -United States are yet in bondage. - -In the year 1851 I made my first trip to the North. - -While visiting in Ohio, my husband said: "I think a little longer stay -here will cure you of your anti-slavery principles;" but I rejected with -scorn the idea that I would allow my personal comfort to bias my judgment; -though I had to admit that one of my own trained "darkies" was superior -"help" to any that I had, so far, encountered. My diary of the day -records: "I find the children here are set to work as soon as they are -able 'to do a turn' or go on an errand, and are kept steadily at it until -they grow up, run away, or die. Dear little 'Sis Daisy' in this house is -running constantly all day long and her little fat hands are broader than -mine, from grasping things too large and heavy for so small a child to -handle. She drops to sleep sometimes in the big chair or on the lounge in -my room. I cover her with my dress and don't know anything about her when -she is called--happy to be sure she is getting some rest. Night must be a -blissful time for the overworked hired girls of the North, as they know -nothing of the many restful stops our self-protected blacks allow -themselves 'between times.'" - -Slavery had many aspects. On the occasion of my sister Ellen's marriage I -was visiting at my father's home. Julia, my nurse, was of course deeply -interested in the preparations; and at one time when she wished to be a -spectator, my nine-months-old baby declined to oblige her by going to -sleep. I happened to follow her into a darkened room where she had taken -the child to be rocked, and was just in time to witness a heavy blow -administered in anger to the little creature. In an instant the child was -in my arms. "Go out of my sight," I said, "you shall never touch her -again. You are _free_ from this hour!" At the end of the week I was seated -in the carriage with the baby on my lap, about to return home. Julia stood -awaiting orders. I gave her none. "Shall I get in?" she finally asked. -"You are free," said I, "do as you please." She hesitated until the -coachman peremptorily ordered her to get in and let him drive on. - -I held the child during the long drive to Clinton, though I was very -tired, and installed another nurse as soon as I reached home, ignoring -Julia's existence. She had her home in the yard and her meals from my -table as before. One of the other servants finally came to me saying: "I -declare, Miss Cal_line_, Julia goin' to die if you doan' giv' her -somethin' ter do. She doan' eat nothin'. Can't yo set her ter washin'?" -"She may wash for herself or for you if she wishes," I replied; "she is -free!" At the end of two weeks Julia threw herself at my feet in a deluge -of tears begging to be forgiven and to be allowed to nurse her baby again. -I gave it back to her; but the child had turned against her, and it was -several days before the old relations were restored. There were afterward -no similar ruptures, but Julia always resented the slightest reproof or -adverse criticism administered to that child by parent or teachers. - -At twenty I was the mother of three children, born in Clinton, Louisiana. -My last and youngest came twelve years later. When my friends remarked -upon the late arrival I informed them that he had come in answer to -special prayer, like Hannah's of old, so that my husband might have a -child to comfort his old age when the others were all settled in homes of -their own. - -Children are our treasure-idols; we are joined to them by our -heartstrings. We spend anxious days and sleepless nights soothing their -cries and comforting their wailings, and we rejoice in our power to -cherish and nourish them into a full and happy life by any sacrifice of -ourselves. God pity the desolate little ones who come into the world -unwelcomed, and grow up in loveless homes! When in the great yellow fever -epidemic of 1878 I lost my eldest daughter, my good children, David and -Lula, gave me their baby Bessie to comfort my sorrow. She was my own for -four years. I was in the habit of inviting my cousin, Miss Carrie Brewer, -to come regularly to instruct and play with her, making the visits a -recreation for both. In this manner one of the most successful teachers of -the kindergartens of this city began her development, and thus my interest -in systematic child culture was inaugurated. - -Various children certainly require various management. Their education -cannot begin too soon. The Froebel system of kindergarten teaching has -usually a salutary influence on troublesome little folks, and is deserving -of the increasing attention it is receiving. It is only in these latest -days of the century that the initiatory period before school-life begins -has had any worthy recognition. - -Mr. Merrick and I belonged to the New Orleans Educational Society. I was -chairman of a committee which was requested to make a report of its views -on the meeting of June 4th, 1884. Shortly after handing in this -report--which it had been thought proper a man should read--we attended a -special meeting for the annual election of officers. When the balloting -began, I found I was not to be allowed any part in this matter, though -paying the same dues ($5.00) as the men, and a working member of a -committee. In my disgust I said: "I always thought that a vote in -political affairs was withheld from woman because it is not desirable for -her to come in contact with the common rabble lest her purity be soiled. -She should never descend into the foul, dusty arena of the polling booth; -but here in Tulane Hall where we are specially invited, in the respectable -presence of many good men--some of them our 'natural protectors'--it is -not fair; it is as unjust as it would be for me to invite a party to -dinner and then to summon half of them to the table while the other half -are required to remain as spectators only of the feast to which all had -had the same call." After that I attended no other meeting of the -Educational Society, and requested my husband to discontinue paying my -dues. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -RUMORS OF OUR CIVIL WAR. - - -Mr. Merrick was elected chief-justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana in -the year of 1855. I went with him to New Orleans for that winter and lived -at the old St. Louis hotel, taking my maid with me, but leaving my -children at home in the care of their grandmother. In a letter dated May -11th, 1856, my husband writes: "I bought a house yesterday, at public -auction, which I think will do very well for us, but it will cost a good -deal to make it as comfortable as our home at Clinton. The property is in -Bouligny, a little out of the city, where we can keep our horses. There is -a plank road to the city and the railroad station will be near the door. -It is an old-fashioned French house built upon brick walls and pillars, -with a gallery in front and rear. I send you a plan of it and a sketch of -the situation. You will surely be pleased with the place after it is -arranged. I dined with Mr. Christian Roselius yesterday and he -congratulated me on the purchase; says it is delightful to live out of -town. Bouligny is in the city of Jefferson, almost half a mile above -Washington Street. There are six fireplaces in the house, and if Aunt -Susan does not like any of those large rooms below we will finish off one -above or build one for her. The girls will go to school in the city by -the cars." - -We had done some house-hunting the winter before, and I was by no means -sure I should like living out of town. In his next letter Mr. Merrick -said: "I do not think you had better come down until you have somewhat -recovered from your disappointment. I have read your letter while my -colleagues are reading opinions, and now I take some of the precious time -of the State to try to console you. The more I see of the house and its -neighborhood the better I like it. You think it is an isolated place -up-town, still uninhabited. Well, in twenty years everything will be -different, and while I have you and the children in the house, it will be -all right. Therefore, you must dry up your tears and be happy." - -It is evident that the home chosen was not such as I should have selected; -but a residence in it for nearly half a century has made it very dear, -filled as it is with precious memories of those I have loved and lost. So -extensive are the surrounding grounds, abounding in flowers, fruit-trees -and gardens, that it has been called "the Merrick Farm." Now that Napoleon -Avenue is built up with elegant residences, this large square with its -spacious, old-fashioned, double French cottage presents a comfortable, -unique appearance in the midst of its modern environment. - -So, in November, 1856, I removed from Clinton to New Orleans. In a letter -written to Mr. Merrick during the distresses of dismantling the old home, -I said: "If it please heaven to give us a long life I hope it may never -be our misfortune to move many times." Heaven seemed to have been -propitious to my wish, for here I am in the same loved home, chosen -without my consent, but where I expect to fold my willing hands and be -made ready for my final resting place. - -I do not enter upon the subject of the civil war with a disposition either -to justify or condemn; and it is with reluctance that I revert to a -question that has been settled forever by fire and blood, and whose -adjustment has been accepted even by the vanquished. But as this period -came so vitally into my life, these recollections would be incomplete -without it; besides, personal records are the side-lights of history and, -in their measure, the truest pictures of the times. Years enough have -elapsed to make a trustworthy historical perspective, and intelligent -Americans should now be able to look upon the saddest war that ever -desolated a land without favor or prejudice and to use conditions so -severely cleared of the great evil of slavery as stepping-stones to our -freedom from all further national mischief. - -It must be remembered that the South was not a unit in regard to -secession. The Southwest was largely a Whig area, and in the election of -1860 this element voted for Bell and Everett under the standard: "The -Union, the Constitution and the Enforcement of Law." It has always been a -question whether secession would have carried could it have been put to -the test of a popular vote in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and -Tennessee; for whatever may have been personally believed respecting the -right of secession, it is probable the majority of Whigs and some -Democrats doubted its expediency. The most solemn, heart-breaking hour in -the history of the States was that in which men, shaken with sobs, signed -the ordinance which severed them from the Union. Up to that hour the fight -by the press had been bitter. But when the fate of the State was sealed, -the Stars and Stripes lowered and the State flag run up in its place, -almost every man, irrespective of opinions, accepted its destinies, -shouldered his musket and marched to the front--where he stayed until a -bullet, sickness or starvation emptied his place in the ranks, or until -the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. - -Many Southern men said: "Never give up the United States flag; let us -settle our difficulties under it." On a Fourth of July one of our -neighbors illuminated his house and decorated it with that flag. He was -entirely unmolested. We were kinder in that instance to Union people among -us than the Yankees sometimes were to "copperhead traitors" at the North. -A very few Union men among us went over the other side of the Mason and -Dixon line; a few more remained quietly at home, under great stress of -public opinion, but gave of their substance, and usually their sons, to -the Confederate cause. General Banks said, in his occupation of the city, -"I could put all the Union men in New Orleans in one omnibus." - -This was a season of great anxiety and perplexity. After the war became -inevitable it may be said that no woman wavered in her allegiance to the -Southern cause. Our boys clamored to be allowed to enlist. From Northern -relatives came letters wailing: "The war cry is abroad; blood is to be -spilled, the nation is to be involved in the bitterest of all wars. It may -be that your son, David, and one of my boys may meet in deadly conflict. -And when we have cut each other's throats, destroyed commerce, ruined -cities, demoralized the people, outraged humanity, what have we gained? -Nothing! nothing! Would to God that some Washington might arise and stay -the deadly strife, save the country from shame and disgrace in the eyes of -the world." - -On the other side was asserted: "We have nothing else to do but to fight. -No door is open to us. Our position as freemen, our all is at stake. -Without slavery the best sugar plantation in Louisiana would be worthless. -The British thought our forefathers were wrong. We have ten times the -cause for revolt which they had. Constitutional rights are invaded. We -shall and _must_ succeed." - -Our son David, then in his seventeenth year, was at Centenary College, -La., when hostilities began. As he saw his comrades leaving in order to -join the army he became very impatient to do likewise. In a letter of -April 26, 1861, replying to his urgings, I wrote: "I know you will not -think us unkind in asking you to continue your college duties. You have -ever been true and filial without having it exacted. Persist in these -relations, my dear boy. Write us freely and tell us in perfect confidence -whatever you think and feel. Do not act hastily. We do not refuse your -request but wish you to wait for further advice. You have no wife and -children, but you have parents and sisters to fight for (I don't count -little Eddie). I know you are patriotic and are willing to make sacrifices -for the sake of your country, but you must learn much before you go into -the army. - -"27th, afternoon.--Father has come in and says Vice-President Alexander -Stephens writes to President Davis that there are plenty of men--as many -soldiers as are now wanted; and this is good news. With Virginia added to -the Southern Confederacy we ought to carry the day. It is a pity the -border States are so dilatory. Try to be content where you are until your -turn comes. Your father says it will come, sure and fast, and you know his -judgment is infallible. Last night I went to the Military Fair for the -benefit of the soldiers." - -War is the same the world over, and the women are always heroically -bearing their share of its responsibilities. I see it announced in this -morning's paper (January 1st, 1900) that Adelina Patti and the Duchess of -Marlborough are to appear at an entertainment at Covent Garden in aid of -the English fund for officers' wives and families, called for by the -present war in South Africa. It has been noted that after the States -seceded a Union woman could not be found in the entire South. However that -may be, I am told on authority that while Jackson, Miss., was burning and -being pillaged by troops whose horses were festooned with women's clothes, -General Sherman was appealed to by a Southern woman. "Well, madam," said -he, "don't you know that the Southern women and the Methodist Church North -are keeping up this war?" - -On June 1st, 1861, I find in one of my letters to my brother: "David is at -home. We are willing to give him to our country. His father spares no -trouble or expense to fit him for a soldier's duty. He has a drill-master -who instructs him in military science during the day, and drills him with -the 'State Rights Guards' every night. This Frenchman, whose name I cannot -spell, says in two weeks more he will be equal to a captain's duties; but -his father says he must understand the movements of a brigade, battalion -and regiment, as well as that of company drill; he must know something and -become qualified for everything; so I think he wishes him to have a -commission. He is the sole representative of our immediate family. I fear -for him, his youth is against him--he should be twenty-one instead of -seventeen--though this will not disqualify him in the volunteer service if -he is competent. He will go whenever called." - -Thus my young son left me for the army in Virginia where he served until -incapacitated by an extraordinary wound through the head received at Seven -Pines while a member of the staff of Gen. Leroy Stafford. - -After this my brother went into an artillery company as first lieutenant, -and I went to the Myrtle Grove plantation to take leave of him. It was -during my temporary absence that New Orleans fell into Federal possession, -which fact caused me to spend the whole period of the war with my family -on the Atchafalaya river at this plantation, having only occasional visits -from my husband, who found it necessary to take the greater portion of his -slaves to a safer place in another part of the state. His own liberty was -also threatened, and since one of his colleagues, Judge Voorhies, had been -taken prisoner and detained away from his family and official business, it -was desirable that Judge Merrick should incur no such risk. - -When Louisiana seceded from the Union many thought that no blood would be -spilled; that the Yankees would not fight, and would never learn to bear -arms. But this was not Mr. Merrick's opinion, nor that of many others. The -men we called Yankees had fought bravely for their own independence and -gained it, and they would fight if necessary again; we should see our soil -dug up and earthworks made on our own secluded plantations. - -I left my New Orleans home furnished with every comfort, but have never -since seen it in that perfect condition. Under General Ben Butler, a -public sale was made of the contents of the dwelling, stables and -outhouses for the benefit of the United States. Mrs. J. Q. A. Fellows told -me she counted thirteen wagon loads of furniture taken out, and had she -known me then as she afterwards did, she would have saved many valuable -things for me. I owned an excellent miscellaneous library, a new piano, -valuable carriages, pictures, china and cut glass--the acquisition of -twenty-five years, belonging to me personally who had done nothing to -bring on the hostilities between the sections. I was informed that my -carriage was appropriated by a Federal officer for his own use. - -It was not long before the predictions of my husband were realized by -General Banks' invading our retreat with the purpose of investing Port -Hudson in the rear, Farragut meanwhile was trying to force a passage past -its guns on the Mississippi river. While Gen. Banks' command was in -transit we were in daily and hourly contact with the troops. When -Brig.-Gen. Grover ascertained that my household consisted of women alone, -he had his tent pitched very near the dwelling, informing me himself that -he did this to secure our safety, and assuring me that we should be -unmolested inside the enclosure of our dooryard and the lawn bordering in -front on the Atchafalaya river. To this end three men were detailed to act -as a guard. I had then a family consisting of two daughters, Laura and -Clara, their baby brother Edwin and the two Misses Chalfant and Miss -Little, who were my guests for a long time. - -We were abundantly furnished with the necessaries of life, and had a -bountiful supply of vegetables besides the products of our dairy and -poultry yard. Lacking new books to read and mail to bring us letters, -newspapers or magazines, there yet came into our lives an intenser -interest in what was before us so constantly--this war between the North -and the South; and in one way or another everybody, white and black, man, -woman and child, took a more or less active part in carrying it on. - -A letter from Mrs. Mary Wall gives the following: "I hear my son Benjamin -has gone to the war, Willie too, and Bowman has joined the 'Hunter -Rifles.' There is nothing talked of here but war. God help me, but it is -hard! I nursed these boys and they are part of myself; life would be -utterly barren without them. But I cannot keep them, nor say a word to -stay them from defending their country; but I think it will kill me. I -should be better off without children in this extremity. - -"What do you think the North intends? Is it to be a war of extermination? -Have you read Helper's book? He says, 'Go out of the Union to-day and we -will scourge you back to-morrow, and make the banks of the Mississippi one -vast sepulchre, but you shall give up your slaves.' - -"Christians ought to pray constantly that the great Omnipotent may help -us. We cannot fathom God's plans. I am ready to let my negroes go if the -way opens, but I do not see that it is my duty to set them free right here -and now, though the time may be approaching for them to emerge from their -captivity. God's will is just and good. Oh for perfect reliance on His -promises to all who love and serve Him!" - -Those who were a part of ante-bellum affairs will remember how earnestly -serious-minded and conscientious slaveholders discussed the possibility of -gradual emancipation as advocated by Henry Clay. The negroes were in their -possession by inheritance and by the customs and laws of the land in which -they were born. The slaves were not only a property which had come to them -as a birthright, but also a responsibility which could not be laid aside -except in a manner that would secure the future good of the slave, with -proper consideration for what was justly due the master and his posterity -in the settlement of the great question. If politicians on both sides, who -cared more for party control and for the money value of a negro than for -the nation's good, could have been ordered to the rear, there is little -doubt but that slaveholder and abolitionist and the great American people -could have been brought to weigh the subject together on its own merits, -and slavery might have been abolished to the satisfaction of North and -South by law instead of in a cataclysm of blood. - -Those were anxious days when families were left without their male -protectors and we women had only ourselves and our young children in our -disquieted homes. Yet we were cheerful and marvelously comforted, drawing -nearer day by day to the Almighty Father, and sleeping the sleep of the -just, though often awakened by the sound of guns and to the sight of -Federal blue-coats drawn up in battle-line with gleaming bayonets. There -was fasting and prayer everywhere during all the long struggle. The most -pathetic sight was thousands of women, children and slaves, with the few -non-combatant men the army had spared, on their knees in daily union -prayer-meetings, at sunrise or sunset, before the God of Battles. - -Each of us sympathized with the words of Lizzie Dowdell, writing in May, -1861: "I do believe the Lord is on our side. If we fail, God have mercy on -the world--for the semblance of human liberty will have fled. The enemy -has men, money, horses and chariots; they are strong and boastful. Our -sins may be flagrant, and we may need to be scourged with scorpions; but -will God permit us to be overwhelmed?" Both sides referred their case to -the Court of Heaven--as the assaulted Boers are doing to-day. If they -sink beneath the unlimited resources of the British, will the triumph of -might now be the triumph of right and of human liberties? Three and -one-half decades have softened the shadow of prejudice and the high lights -of self-interest. It is well for the whole nation that slavery has been -abolished and the Union preserved. How much loss will be revealed by time -in the sacrifices of the rights of States against Federal encroachment, is -a problem for future statesmanship. But it is certain to-day that the -moral loss to the United States by the civil war will not be recovered in -fifty years; while the baneful corruption of public sentiment and the -ruling Administration, by reason of the late Spanish-American conflict, is -sufficiently apparent to send every Christian to his knees, or to the -ballot-box--the only worldly corrector of political wrongs. - -We set a second table for our guard. One middle-aged man named Peter, a -very young German and another--all foreigners--made up the trio. I had -every delicacy within my reach provided for them, and insisted that my -young ladies should see that the table was arranged tastefully, enjoining -it on them that they should respond politely whenever they were spoken to. -The young German on entering the yard stooped and pulled a rose which he -gaily pinned on his coat. "See," said one of the girls at the window, -"that mean Yankee is taking our flowers!" "It is a good sign," I replied, -"that he will never do us any greater harm. He has a kind expression on -his blond young face and in his honest blue eyes;" and this fair-faced -boy proved a valuable protector on many occasions. He had learned his -English in the army and to our horror was terribly addicted to profanity. -Instead of the ordinary response to one of our remarks he would come out -with "The hell, you say!" even when spoken to by one of the girls. -Nevertheless when at last these faithful enemy-friends took up their line -of march, we were friendly enemies, and regretfully saw them depart. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -MY DAUGHTER LAURA'S DIARY. - - -From my daughter Laura's diary, May 21st, 1863, let me quote: "The Yankees -have been passing this house all day, regiment after regiment on their way -to attack Port Hudson. Two transports have also gone by on the river -crowded with soldiers. Heaven protect our beleaguered men--so few against -so many! A Lieutenant Francis was perfectly radiant this morning because a -boat was waiting to take his regiment (the 6th New York) North, as their -time is out. He was very cordial, perhaps because he has a brother in the -Confederate army. - -"A Dutch cavalry sergeant lingered, and for half an hour stood guard, with -his drawn sword keeping away many of the vandals. He claimed to belong to -the regular United States army and said his time would be up in four -months when he should return 'to de faderland,' but he thought they would -'vip' us at Port Hudson. When a negro and a white man came together -through the backyard for water from the cistern, with horrible oaths and -imprecations he drew his sword and with the back of it struck the negro -and ordered them both to leave. 'You nigger,' said he, 'you hab no peesnis -to enter de blantation! ve don' vant you! you steals eberyting!' I am -sorry for the poor deluded negroes who flock after this army. - -"We were all in the parlor this evening when five Yankee quartermasters -came in out of the rain. 'Old Specs,' as we call him, was among the -number. They introduced each other and then very pressingly requested me -to play the 'Bonnie Blue Flag.' At last I complied and began to sing, -though it nearly kills me to be polite to the Yanks: - - "'As long as the union was faithful to her trust, - Like friends and like brothers we were kind, we were just, - But now that Northern treachery----' - -"Here I broke down, and bursting into tears, left the room with my -handkerchief to my eyes. They then expressed sorrow that my feelings -should have been so disturbed and sent Clara to ask me to come back. She -begged so, I dried my tears and returned. Two of them engaged in a -discussion with me. One said: 'The secession vote in Louisiana was -controlled and indicated nothing.' 'In all true republican governments,' I -answered, 'the voice of the people is the voice of God; we do not live -under an aristocracy or a monarchy.' 'But,' said the man, 'two-thirds of -the people were not permitted to vote; your negroes did not go to the -polls.' 'They are not freemen,' I replied--'but being a woman I know -nothing'--and again the tears rushed to my eyes. Thereupon, one of them, -Capt. Ives, joined in, saying: 'The masters voted for the negroes of -course, and,' he continued, 'it is not fair--two gentlemen against one -lady. I take the lady's part.' Then in a lower tone, but a perfectly -audible one, he said: 'For God's sake talk of something else besides the -Union and the Confederacy. I'm sick of both.' - -"Mrs. Phillips, with Mrs. French, our neighbor, went down to headquarters -to ask Gen. Banks for a guard. She reports that he said he would give her -none, for it was the women who had brought on and now encouraged the war. -Mrs. French said she only wished to be protected from insult, and from -hearing such frightful profanity. 'Madam,' said he, 'this war is enough to -make any man swear. I swear myself.' 'But,' said she, 'I wish to spare my -Christian mother, who is aged and infirm.' 'Well,' said Gen. Banks, 'I -can't make her young.' When she told us about it I replied: 'Banks is -nearly as much of a brute as Butler himself.' - -"Tues. May 22, 1863.--Capt. Callender of Weitzel's staff and Capt. Hall of -Emory's came last night to inquire if the soldiers troubled us. They were -very polite and spoke so kindly that they reminded us of Southerners. It -is a pity to see such perfect gentlemen in such an army. They offered us a -guard which I declined, telling them we were Southerners, so not afraid; -for it galls me to be obliged to have Yankee protection. Mother has been -so worried since, and Clara reproached me so severely for refusing the -guard that I have wished I had done differently, and I was glad when the -overseer's big dog came and lay down before our door. I thought it was a -special providence. We have always heard Gen. Weitzel well spoken of; he -evidently has men like himself on his staff. - -"Monday, May 25, 1863.--Saturday evening our hopes of Gen. Kirby Smith -being able to detain Gen. Weitzel were dashed to the ground. Two Yankees -said they were all safe at Simmsport except two hundred cavalry captured -by our boys; but their rear had been much worried. One of these Yankees -was sick and asked permission to lie on our front gallery. Mother brought -him some cold mint-tea which he at first declined, but when he saw her -taste it he changed his mind and drank it. The man said afterward he was -afraid she wanted to poison him till he saw her take a spoonful. Then she -brought out a big arm-chair and pillows and made him as comfortable as she -could. He was grateful, and stated that he was only doing his duty -fighting for the old flag. - -"One afternoon Sallie Miller rode past, with a Yankee officer. Shame on -her! Two young lady guests on their way to Bayou Goula saw her and were -indignant with any Southern girl who would ride with a Yankee in the -presence of their army. - -"Yesterday a quartermaster drove into the lot, breaking the gate which was -locked, and going to the corn-crib. At the instance of the Missouri -Yankee, propped up in the rocking-chair, we all ran out to the lot, and -mother talked so to him, Clara and I assisting volubly, that he agreed to -take only two wagon loads of the corn. He seemed actually ashamed for -breaking our fence, and we were just in time to save the crib door by -giving him the key. - -"We saw some soldiers driving our cattle and milch cows and calves from a -field. 'What a shame!' said I. A chaplain I suppose, dressed in a fine -black suit, who had come in to get water, replied: 'Our object, miss, is -to starve you out so that your brothers, husbands and sons will quit -fighting and come home to provide bread for you. On what ground can you -expect protection?' he asked my mother. 'Is your husband a Union man?' -'No, indeed!' I struck in, 'he is a true Southerner.' He saw a spur -hanging up, and remarked that there was a man about. Clara answered: 'It -belongs to my brother.' Then the man said: 'I won't ask where he is, for -you might be afraid to tell.' 'I am not afraid,' replied Clara. 'You may -know as well as I that he is not here. He is in Virginia.' - -"Mother remonstrated about her cows being driven off to be slaughtered; -but seeing that it was useless exclaimed at last, 'Well, take them all!' -This was too much for Asa Peabody, who seemed to be a friend to our sick -soldier; he informed the lieutenant in command that he was on guard by -Gen. Weitzel's orders, and intended nothing should be taken off the place; -and he turned two of our best cows back into our front yard. - -"The men came continually to the cistern for drinking water. Mother said: -'Let the water be free, I am glad to have protection for some things, but -the heavens will send down more rain if the last drop is used.' One of -them observing some of the girls at the window, drained his cup and taking -off his cap to them shouted: 'Success to our cause!' 'To ours!' I called -back. 'No,' he said, 'I drink to the Union. I hope to get to Port Hudson -before it falls!' One impertinent fellow asked: 'Will you answer me one -question, miss! Who have destroyed most of your property, Yankees or -Rebels?' 'The Yankees, of course,' I said. 'Well, yours is an exceptional -case,' he retorted. Oh! I never saw so many soldiers and so many cannon! - -"Asa Peabody was reproved by our Missourian for using profane language in -the presence of ladies. He answered very contritely, 'I'll be damned if I -will do so any more! You are right.' He was a brave, good man. We heard of -his kindness to many women along the march, and I hope our guerillas whom -he so dreaded--as anybody in the world would--did not get him, for he -vowed he should 'keep his eyes peeled' for them. - -"In a recent bombardment at Port Hudson--when the spectacle was -sublime--an old negro woman said she knew the world was coming to an end -'becaze de white folks dun got so dey kin make lightnin'.' - -"May 26, 1863.--A Yankee officer called yesterday evening; said he -belonged to the famous (infamous, I say) Billy Wilson Zouaves, whose bad -character is now wholly undeserved. We were still in the parlor when Col. -Irwin, Asst.-Ad.-Gen., called, another officer with him. We tried to be -civil, but I deeply feel the humiliation of enforced association with this -invading enemy. However, Gen. Grover has been very considerate since he -knew we are a household of women. Two wagon-masters came for corn and took -what they wanted, breaking open the crib. A chaplain, Mr. Whiteman, very -kindly took a note from mother to Gen. Grover, and promised to intercede -for her. The General came immediately, and said nothing more should be -taken unless it was paid for. Mother declared she would beg her bread -before she would buy it with their money; but I told her she had begged -the bread of the family, which already belonged to us, by prayers and -intercessions and tears enough to make it very bitter food. Some of the -quartermasters have since given her statements of what has been taken from -Myrtle Grove. 'Corn we must have,' said one man, 'but I will leave this -untouched if you will tell me where I can procure more on some other -plantation.' Mother then directed him to Tanglewood where father had an -immense quantity stored, and from which place the hands had all been moved -into the interior, after the large crop of cotton had been burned by our -own people. When this cotton on Tanglewood was burning the negroes stood -around crying bitterly; and father and mother both call it 'suicidal -policy of the Confederates' to destroy the only 'sinew of the war' we have -which will bring outside cash to purchase arms and other military -supplies." - -It should be related that when we heard of General Banks' being at -Simmsport my daughter Clara thought we ought to send or go at once to his -headquarters and ask for protection. I find the following copy of a letter -which partly explains the safety accorded us by the Federal army during -the period recounted. - - "To Major General Banks, in Command of U. S. Troops at Simmsport, La. - - "DEAR SIR: - - "I reside near the head of the Atchafalaya where it first flows out of - Old River, and our male friends are all absent. We are all natives of - Louisiana, and, though we cannot bid you welcome, we hope and trust we - may confide in your protection and in the generosity and honor which - belongs to United States officers. - - "We have no valuable information to give, nor do we think you would - ask or require us to betray our own people if we had it in our power. - But we can promise to act fairly and honorably, and to do nothing - unworthy the high character of Judge Merrick, who is the head of this - family. Therefore, we expect to prove ourselves worthy of any generous - forbearance you may find it in your power to extend toward defenseless - women and children, who appeal thus to your sympathy and manhood; for - - "'No ceremony that to great one 'longs, - Not the King's crown, nor the deputed sword, - The marshal's truncheon, nor the judge's robe, - Become them with one-half so good a grace - As mercy does.' - - "Very respectfully, - "CAROLINE E. MERRICK." - -The result of this letter, which I presented in person, was the following -pass: - - "Headquarters, Department of the Gulf, - 19th Army Corps, - Simmes' Plantation, May 19, 1863. - - "Guards and Patriots: - - "Pass Mr. Chalfant, Mrs. Merrick, and party, with their carriages and - drivers, to their homes, near the head of the Atchafalaya. - - "RICHD. B. IRWIN, - "A. A. General." - -"Camp Clara, Jackson, Miss., May 31, 1863.--We have good water and our men -are improving, but many are ill with typhoid fever"--thus my brother -wrote. "The sickness enlists my deepest sympathy. The number of soldiers' -graves is astonishing. From morning until night negroes are constantly -digging them for instant use. General Lovell inspected our battery the -other day and said he wanted it down on the river; so just as soon as our -horses arrive we are to go to work. The men are well drilled, but we lack -horses and ammunition. I hear David's regiment is at Petersburg, Va." - - * * * * * - -In Confederate times the people were patient under the sickness in camp, -and never a complaint was sent to Richmond about poor food and bad water -which caused as many fatalities as powder and ball. Increased knowledge -and improved methods of camp sanitation seem almost to justify the -indignant protests against embalmed beef and typhoid-breeding water that -have been heaped upon Congress and officers of the War Department in the -late Spanish-American war. One out of the four of my father's -great-grandsons who enlisted for the Spanish-American struggle lost his -life in an unhealthy Florida camp before he could be sent to Cuba. It is -plain to every fair-minded investigator that many of these fatalities were -due to a lack of those essentials in which every housekeeping woman, by -nature and training, is especially qualified. It was a relief to the minds -of the mothers of the nation to learn that near the close of the late -Cuban conflict a woman had been appointed on the National Military Medical -Commission. It is a woman's proper vocation to care for the sick. Men who -would exclude women from the ballot-box on the plea that they only who -fight ought to vote, should remember Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale -who have served armies so effectually. - -Elizabeth Barrett Browning said: "The nursing movement is a revival of old -virtues. Since the siege of Troy and earlier we have had princesses -binding wounds with their hands. It is strictly the woman's part, and men -understand it so. Every man is on his knees before ladies carrying lint; -whereas if they stir an inch as thinkers or artists from the beaten line -(involving more good to general humanity than is involved in lint), the -very same men would condemn the audacity of the very same women." - -A young naval officer, at my dinner table, once dissented from such views -which I had expressed, and of which Bishop Warren of the M. E. Church had -heartily approved. "Until women," said this young officer, "furnish this -government for its defense with soldiers and sailors from their own ranks -they should be prohibited from voting." "Dear sir," I replied, "how many -soldiers and sailors does this country now possess in its active service -whom the women have not already furnished from their own ranks?" - -The young man yielded but was not convinced, even when an eminent -physician remarked that he had heard many a young mother say that she -would rather march up to the cannon's mouth than to lie down to meet her -peculiar trial. He further stated that when their hour came they were -always full of courage, and, in his opinion, their maternity ought to -count for something to them of great value in the government. - -All men in an army do not fight. No more important branch of the military -service existed during the civil war than that which the women of the -Confederacy controlled. They planted and gathered and shipped the crops -which fed the children and slaves at home and the armies in the field; -they raised the wool and cotton that clothed the soldiers and the hogs and -cattle that made their meat; they spun and wove the crude product into -cloth for the home and the army; their knitting needles clicked until the -great surrender, manufacturing all the socks and "sweaters" and comforters -which the Confederate soldier-boys possessed--our nearly naked boys toward -the last, so often on the march called "Ragged Rebels." - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -WAR-MEMORIES: HOW BECKY COLEMAN WASHED HESTER WHITEFIELD'S FACE. - - -Among the Federal vessels stationed at Red River Landing was the -Manhattan, commanded by Captain Grafton, a high-minded officer as the -following incident proves. A letter from Laura Ellen to her brother David, -dated at Myrtle Grove, records: "Stephen Brown, mother's head manager on -this place, has been very sick. Dr. Archer, who was stopping with us all -night, went to see him, and after an examination, reported that he could -do nothing to relieve him without chloroform and surgical instruments, -both of which were inaccessible and out of the question; and he candidly -told mother Stephen could not live twenty-four hours without an operation. -Mother, heart-broken and in tears, begged the doctor to tell her to what -means she could resort to save so faithful a servant. The doctor said they -had everything needful on the Federal gunboats. Mother instantly -determined to go to Red River Landing and appeal for help; but she wished -Dr. Archer to go with her and explain the case. He objected, saying he had -never held any communication with the enemy, and he did not wish to spoil -his record with the Confederates. But mother finally induced him to -accompany her. - -"It seemed to us a forlorn hope. When she started off with Dr. Archer, -mother enjoined it upon us to have the best dinner that we could prepare -for the officers who were to come back with her, which suggestion we took -the liberty of overlooking, as we did not dream she could succeed in such -an unheard-of undertaking. When she reached the Mississippi and waved her -handkerchief, a tug came from the gunboat to the shore and she asked to -see the commanding officer. The tug offered to take mother to the gunboat, -but at first objected to the doctor going with her. Finally both went, and -were received on the deck of the big warship. Captain Grafton said he -feared that any surgeon or officer might be captured, and that he must -have a written guarantee against that possibility before he could run such -a risk. Mother told him that Captain Collins and his scouts were thirty -miles distant; she could only assure him that none who came to her aid -would be molested. Dr. Archer supported her opinion; but the captain -declined the adventure; whereupon mother burst into tears. 'Captain -Grafton,' she said, 'I did not come here to teach you your duty; but I -came to perform mine. Now if the negro's life is not saved, his death will -lie at your door, not mine.' Capt. Grafton replied: 'Madam, I don't like -you to put it that way!' Moved by that view or her tears--he sent the tug -for the captains of two other gunboats, and the three held a council of -war, finally consenting that a surgeon with his assistants and the -necessary equipments should have leave to go provided he would himself -assume the responsibility for his absence from the boat, for the military -authorities would make no order about it. Thus Dr. Mitchell first came to -Myrtle Grove on an errand of mercy. - -"None was more surprised than mother herself when Dr. H. W. Mitchell, -surgeon of the Manhattan, offered to go with her. It had been eight months -since these Federal naval attachés had set foot on land, and apparently -they greatly enjoyed the long drive with only a handkerchief for a flag of -truce floating from the carriage window. The doctor went to the 'Quarters' -to see Stephen, and mother flew to the kitchen and dining-room to put -forth her rare culinary skill in compensation for our negligence. After -dinner we had music, and Dr. Mitchell sang us many new songs, and proved -to be very intelligent, entertaining and agreeable. I treated him well, -too, as I was bound to do after his kindness. At dinner I had on a -homespun dress trimmed with black velvet and Pelican buttons: when they -went away I even gave the doctor my hand, 'though always before I had -refused to shake hands with a single one of them. Not for anything on -earth 'would I have done as much previously.'" - -During the many months that the U. S. gunboat Manhattan remained at Red -River Landing, I saw the officers from time to time, and once a crevasse -detained Dr. Mitchell for three days in our home. The friendship thus -established has outlived the war and proved a source of great pleasure to -me; while the sympathy the doctor so kindly extended later, during the -bitter reconstruction days, was a solid satisfaction and comfort, for his -cultured and experienced mind comprehended both sides of the situation. -Devoted to the Union, he yet expressed no inordinate desire to exterminate -the South, and never said he would be glad to hang Jefferson Davis. He -writes July 30, 1865: "We are all Americans. We speak one language; our -flag is the same; we are citizens of the United States. It is the right -spirit to recognize no section. If all should uphold the Government -faithfully under which we enjoy so many blessings, internal strife in the -future will be impossible." - -"Mother says," the diary continues, "let an army be friend or foe, it -takes everything it needs for its subsistence on the march, and starvation -is in its track. Brig.-Gen. Grover's Division camped for two weeks on this -plantation, and the General's own tent was pitched next to our side gate. -When some of his staff were here visiting, one of them took baby Edwin in -his arms and kissed him. After they had gone I scolded him for kissing a -Yankee, and said I was going to tell his 'Marse Dadles!' He began to cry -and sobbed out, 'O Sissy, he was a good Yankee!' They rob the corn-cribs, -so it is well they carry off the negroes too. Ours, however, will not go; -they have made no preparation to depart, and mother interviews them daily -on the subject, but leaves them to decide whether they will 'silently -steal away,' which is their method of disappearing. Mr. Barbre's negroes -have all gone except two, and Mr. Chalfant's and Mrs. French's are -preparing to go, so our neighbors are generally upset." - -In a letter of an earlier date Laura Ellen gives an account of Mr. -Chalfant coming to me and asking advice as to how the slaves could be -prevented from following the army. I had wanted to know of my neighbor if -his negroes would take his word on the subject. If so, he might state to -them that they might be free just where they were--that it was not -necessary they should leave their homes, their little children, their -household effects, tools and other "belongings" which could not be carried -on the march (to say nothing of the hogs-head of sugar nearly all of them -had in their cabins), their poultry, dogs, cows and horses. If it were -candidly explained to them that their freedom was to be a certainty, and -that they might be hired to work by their old owners, doubtless many would -be convinced of the wisdom of remaining at home and taking their -chances--all would depend on the confidence the negro had in the -master--but they should, in all cases, be left to make their own -decision--whether to go or stay. Some of the people who could read should -be shown the newspapers, _left by the Yankees_, wherein it is urged upon -the government to put the black men into the army. This should be read to -them by one of their own color. - -After hearing these views Mr. Chalfant was reported having said: "Mrs. -Merrick has more sense about managing the negroes than any man on the -river." - -However that may have been, our slaves remained on the place, and many of -them and their descendants are yet in the employ of the family. It was -considered by some persons to be treason to the Confederacy to speak of -the freedom of the slaves in their presence, as if refusal to acknowledge -the emancipation act would avert its going into effect. - -This attitude towards their liberty destroyed all confidence in the -master's advice, and so his negroes left him. It was several years before -the emancipation of the slave was universally effected, there being -secluded places into which the news of freedom percolated slowly, and -where slavery existed for some time uninterrupted. In following the army -parents often abandoned young children. These were given to anybody who -would burden themselves with their care. In many cases the natural -guardian never again appeared, and these abandoned ones were practically -bond-servants until they learned how to be free of themselves. - -Careworn and anxious as we were waiting news of our loved ones in the -field and of the cause in which we had risked our all, we were too busy to -be sad. Telegraphic communication with the center of war was often cut off -for many days. During these agonizing, silent seasons the women drew -nearer together, and kept busy scraping lint for the hospitals and -converting every woolen dress and every yard of carpet left in the house -into shirts and bedding for our boys at the front. We varied the labor of -managing plantations with every species of bazaar, supper, candy-pulling -and tableaux that would raise a dollar for the army. Then we got all the -entertainment we could out of our daily domestic round, as I did out of -Becky Coleman, one of my old servants who occasionally relieved the -monotony of her "daily round" by coming "to 'nquire 'bout de white -folks." It was October when she made one of these visits, but summer -reigned in earth and sky. A noble avenue of black walnuts completely -shaded one side of my Myrtle Grove house. The large green nuts were -beginning to ripen, for when a branch swayed in the wind one would drop -from time to time with such a resounding thump upon the ground that it was -a matter for satisfaction when Becky seated herself on the steps of the -porch without having encountered a thwack on her head from the -missile-dealing trees. - -"I hear singing over in the woods," said I to Becky. "Why are you not at -the meeting this evening?" - -"Who? me? eh--eh--but may be yo don' kno' I dun got my satisfacshun down -dar a while ago. I'm better off at home. Hester done got me convinced. -Lemme tell you how 'twas. One Sunday ebenin' I heard tell dar wurs gwine -to be er sort er 'sperience praar-meeting down to ole Unk Spencer's house, -en es 'twan't fer, I jes' tuk my foot in my han'! I did, en I went dar. - -"Well, ev'rything was gwine on reg'lar, en peaceable, widout no kin' er -animosity, plum till dey riz up to sing de very las' _hime_. De preacher -who wus er leadin' got up den en tuk up de _hime_ book en gin out: - - "'Ermazin' grace how sweet de soun' - In de beleever's year!' - -"Now, yo knows yo'sef dey ain't nothin' tall incitin' 'bout dat ar' chune: -you knows it; en as fer me, I was jes' dar er stanin' up wid de res', wid -my mouf open, jes' er singin' fer dear life, never dreamin' 'bout nothin' -happ'nin', when heah cum Hester Whitfiel'--coming catter-corner 'cross -from de yuther side er de house, wid her han' h'isted up in de aar, en I -'clar fo' de Lawd, she hit me er clip rite in my lef' eye, en mos' busted -it clean outen my haid. It cum so onexpectedlike dat leetle mo'en I would -er drap in de flo'. I jes' felt like I wus shot! Den she had er pa'cel er -big brass rings on her han', en dey cut rite inter my meat! - -"I tell yo', ma'am, I was hurted, I jes' seed stars, I did! so I up en -tole her: ''Oman, ef yo got ennything 'g'inst me, why don't you come out -in de big road en gimme er fair fight? Fer Gawd-elmighty's sake don' go en -make 'ten' like yo happy, en bus' my eye open dis heah way.' Says I, -''Ligion ain't got nuthin' ter do wid no sich 'havoir; I don' see no Holy -Sperit 'bout it,' says I. ''Twas jes' de nachul ole saturn what mak' yo' -do dat, en I jes knows it,' says I. ''Ligion don' make nobody hurt -nothin',' says I. Yo reads de Book, Miss Calline, en yo knows I'm speakin' -de salvashun trufe, now ain't I? - -"Den all de folks cum crowdin' 'roun' en gethered a holt uv us, en ef dey -hadn't, I lay I woulder stretched her out dar in de flo', fer I'm de bes' -'oman--er long ways--en I would er had _her_ convinced in no time. But dey -all tu'ned in en baig me ter look over it, bein' es how it happen in -meetin'-time; but I tell yo, ma-am, I never look nowhars wid dat eye fer -mor'n free weeks. Why, it wus so swole up en sore, I jes' had ter bandage -it wid sassyfras peth and wid slippery ellum poultices day en night, en my -eye wus dat red, en bloodshottened, dat I never 'spected to see daylight -outen it no mo'; en I clar' fo' de Lawd it ain't, got rite na'chul till -yit! - -"No longer'n dis very ebenin' my ole man, Tom, says ter me: 'I dun seed -nuff trouble wid yo, Beck. You needs dem big pop eyes er yone to patch my -close, en wuk wid, en I ain't er gwine to hev no bline 'oman rown' me,' -says he; 'en I let yo know frum dis out yo don't go ter no mo' -praar-meetin's, 'zaminashuns er what-cher-callums; dat's de long en short -uv it!' says he. 'Ef you ain' got sense nuff ter stay away frum dar,' says -he, 'I'll insense yo wid my fis'.' I knows de weight er dat han' er hisen, -en I'm gwine min' him _dis_ time, ennyhow;" and Becky pointed toward the -cabin from whence the sound of singing was wafted on the breeze, saying, -"Yes'um, I'm gwine stay away frum dar, fer er fac'!" - -"Becky, is such an incident common at your prayer-meetings?" I inquired. - -"Why, no, ma'am, nuthin' like dat never happen to me befo'; yit, I -'members mighty well when Betsy Washin'ton cum thoo'--'fo' she jined de -chu'ch. 'Twas in de meetin'-house, but yo couldn't onerstan' one single -wud de preacher wus er sayin', fer she wus jes' er shoutin' es loud es she -could fer who las' de longes'--en I onertuk, fool like, to hole her; fer -she wus in sich a swivit, we wus feared she'd brek loose en go inter a -reg'lar hard fit, so I jes' grabbed good holt er de 'oman, 'roun' de -wais', es she wus er hollerin', en er jumpin'; en when she felt de grip I -fotch on her, she tu'n 'roun', she did, en gethered my sleeve in 'tween -her fingers (en she is jes' es strong es enny mule), en shore's yore -settin' dar in dat air big cheer, en I'm er stannin' heah, talkin' ter -yer, she gin me one single jerk, en I 'clar ter Gawd, she tore my whole -sleeve outen de arm-hole, en ripped er big slit clean 'cross my coat body! -Why I jes' thought de 'oman wus gwine ter strip me start naiked, rite dar -in de meetin'-house! I got dat shame I jes' let er go, I did, en den went -perusin' roun' 'mongst de wimmin en borryd er shawl ter kiver me up; en -den I moved on todes home. - -"But I mus' let yo know de nex' time I met up wid Betsy, I washed her face -good wid what she dun. I jes' tole her de nex' time she got ter shoutin' -'roun' me she mout bre'k her neck--I wan't gwine hole her, I wan't gwine -tech her; 'fer,' says I, 'yo done gone en 'stroyed de bes' Sunday dress I -got, yo is dat,' says I, 'fer er fac'!' - -"Den Betsy 'lowed she didn't keer, en dat she didn't know what she wus er -doin', but I tuk mighty good notice she never made no motion to grab onter -Aunt Sally Brown's co'se homespun gown when _she_ tuk er tu'n er hol'in uv -her. But uv co'se, I heap ruther hev my close tore dan to hev my eye -busted out. But dey ain't no need er airy one bein' done; en I tole her -so, I did dat. 'Sholey Christians,' say I, 'kin 'joy dersef widout hurtin' -nobody, neither tarin' der close!' I up en axed her ef she eber knowed de -white folks in de big house karyin' on datterway, en ef she eber seed Miss -Marthy er Miss Reeny er cuttin' up like dat in de white folks' -meetin'-house? Well, she jes' bust out er laffiin' in my face at dat, en -she 'lowed niggahs wan't like white folks nohow. - -"'I knows better'n dat,' says I. 'Fer Gawd made us all outen de dus' er de -groun', bofe de white en de black;' en, Miss Calline, yo' ma uster tell me -ef I 'haved mysef, en kep' mysef clean, en never tole no lies, ner 'sturb -yuther folks' things, I wus good es ennybody, en I b'lieves it till yit; -dat's de salvashun trufe, I'm tellin', white 'oman, it sholey is! - -"But _den_ Betsy got mad, she did, en gin me er push,--we wus walkin' -'long de top er de levee--en I wus so aggervated dat I cum back at 'er wid -er knock dat made her roll down smack inter de gully. Den she hollered so -de men fishin' unner de river bank cum er runnin'. She had don' sprain her -wris', en ef her arm had been broke she cudn't er made no mo' fuss. Lemme -tell yo de trufe! de very nex' Sunday dey tu'ned us bofe outen de chu'ch -case we fit, en I cayn't go to praar-meetin' tell I done jine ergin." - -"Well, Becky, you've made me forget there is a war and Yankee raids, and I -reckon I'll have to give you a cup of store-coffee for doing it." - -"Thanky, Miss Calline! I'll be powerful 'bliged ter yo'; en I mus' be er -movin', en pa'ch dis heah coffee fer my ole mammy's supper, fer she's -gittin' monshus tired of tea off dem tater chips what we has ter drink -dese days." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -WAR MEMORIES: THE STORY OF PATSY'S GARDEN. - - -Our vision of the outside world of human affairs was very narrow and -circumscribed in those war-times, and my seminary of five young girls was -often a victim to _ennui_. No weekly mail, no books, no music, no new -gowns from one year's end to another. - -The only vital question was: "What is the war news?" There were also no -coffee, no loaf-sugar, no lemons in the house. However, with plenty of -milk, eggs and butter, fresh fruit and vegetables, to say nothing of fowls -galore, we survived. The girls made cake and candy, so with the abundance -of open-kettle brown sugar, we diversified our daily _menu_ with many -sweet compounds. - -The one unfailing source of pleasure was the garden. True, the army at -Morganza would send out a raid every fortnight, when fences were broken -down and destroyed: then the cows and other cattle would get in and -partake of our lettuce and cabbages. But we never gave up; the negroes -would drive the marauding cattle out and rebuild the fences every time -they were destroyed. On one of these occasions I heard Miss Emma Chalfant -say to Uncle Primus: "I shall tell on you when your people come back here; -I heard you curse and swear at Mrs. Merrick's cows this morning--and you -call yourself a preacher, too!" "Dese cows and dese Yankees is 'nuff to -make ennybody cuss, Miss Emma," said the negro, as he went along snapping -his long whip as he drove the poor animals away from the garden. - -Here I am tempted to give the true story of Martha Benton. This girl -became positively exhilarated under the influence of perfume and flowers. -The delectable odor of Sweet Olive--a mingled essence of peach, pineapple, -and orange-flower--produced in her a frenzy of delight. She had been -introduced to the exotic floral world by the proprietor of a fine garden -where she frequently visited. - -Her father could not understand his daughter's delight in the -contemplation of Nature's beauty; for, as far as these things were -concerned, he was afflicted with a total blindness worse than a loss of -actual sight. Mr. Benton was fond of fruit but he never noticed or admired -the flowers from which the fruit was formed. Nevertheless, he seemed -pleased that his neighbor, Mr. Thornton, should be interested in his -daughter, and take pleasure in talking with her about his rare plants. - -"Miss Patsy," said Mr. Thornton, "it requires tact and perseverance to -grow a perfect lily." - -"I could do it if I had the bulbs," said the girl. - -At the close of the interview, a dozen bulbs and an extensive package of -plants were put in the carriage for the young lady to take home, as a -compliment to her interest in his favorite pursuit. - -Mr. Benton's front door-yard was given over to his horses, and sometimes -the calves were allowed to share in the rich pasturage it furnished. -Several ancient cedar trees, ragged and untrimmed, and two thrifty oaks -stood on what should have been a lawn, and a straggling row of -pomegranates grew along the line of fence on one side, apparently in -defiance of cattle and all other exterminating influences. - -On her return home, Patsy displayed her treasures to her mother, and was -enthusiastic over her floral prospects. - -"Papa," said she, "you must give me space in the vegetable garden for the -present, and Tom must prepare the ground." - -"It is perfect foolishness," said Mr. Benton. "Old Thornton is such a -stuck-up old goose that I hated to make him mad, otherwise I should not -have brought these things home with me. The truth is I would not swap a -row of cotton-plants in my field for everything that old man has got in -all his grounds and greenhouses put together." - -"O father, everything he has is so beautiful!" said Patsy. "The -summer-houses are like fairy-land, all covered over with roses and vines." - -"You keep cool, Pat, and don't set your head on having a flower-garden. -Your mother was just like you when I married her. The first thing she did -was to set out some rose bushes in the front yard. Soon after she took -sick and they all died, and she herself came mighty near doing the same -thing; so she gave up the whole business, like a sensible woman. Tom is -hoeing potatoes just now, and you must not call him from his work to -plant this truck, which is of no account anyway. You'd better fling it all -in the river. It would be far better than to go out on the damp ground -wasting your time and labor." - -"No, indeed," said Patsy, who had the dauntless energy of a true gardener; -"I shall plant them myself--every one!" - -She did so, and her treasures made themselves at home in the rich, mellow -soil, and throve wonderfully in response to her careful tending. In a -short time she gathered roses and violets, and her golden-banded lilies -shot up several tall stems crowned with slender, shapely buds, which were -watched with great solicitude. Every morning Patsy would say: "They will -bloom to-morrow." - -Mr. Benton refused to "consider the lilies" of his daughter except in the -light of a nuisance. Only the evening before, he had seen her standing in -the bean-arbor with Walter Jones, who seemed lost in his admiration of the -girl while she devoured the beauty of the flowers; and Mr. Benton was not -happy at the sight. - -"It just beats the devil," he said to himself, "how there is always a -serpent getting into a man's garden to beguile a foolish girl. It ain't no -suitable place anyhow for girls to be dodging around in with their beaux. -My mind's made up," said he, striking his closed right hand into the open -palm of the left. "I'll wipe out that flower-bed." - -Early the next morning, before the family had risen, Mr. Benton marched -into the garden armed with a hoe. He went to the lily-bed and began the -work of destruction. Aunt Cindy, the cook, was surprised as she took a -view from the kitchen window. - -"I 'clar to gracious, de boss is a-workin' Miss Patsy's garden!" said she -to the housemaid. - -"He's workin' nuthin'. He's jes' a-cuttin' an' choppin' up everything," -said the more observant girl. - -"Ef dat ole vilyun is spilen' dat chile's gyardin'," said the cook, "when -she fines it out, little Patsy'll tar up de whole plantation. You listen -out when she gits up en comes down-stairs. He ain't done no payin' job dis -time, I let you know he ain't dat. Great Gawd," said she, "Patsy'll be -mad!--eh--eh!" - -Jeff Davis, Patsy's little brother, who was out at the front gate, spied -Walter Jones riding past, and called out at the top of his voice, "Come -in, old fellow, and take breakfast. Sissy's asleep yet, but we have killed -a chicken, and churned, and opened a keg of nails, and there are three -fine cantaloupes in the ice-box." - -Walter could not resist this invitation. He dismounted and joined Mr. -Benton on the porch, where that gentleman was sipping a cup of black -morning coffee after his labor in the garden. - -The dense fog was clearing away, and the sun began to show in the eastern -horizon. Patsy came down, and was working up the golden butter, printing -it with her prettiest molds. She knew Walter was there. She set on the -breakfast table a vase filled with water, and ran out into the garden to -get the lilies for a center-piece of beauty and color--for they had -actually opened at last. - -In a moment everybody was electrified by a terrific scream. The whole -family rushed out to see what was the matter. Patsy was wringing her hands -and crying. She pointed to the ruined flower-beds, sobbing: "Some wretch -has cut up and destroyed all my beautiful flowers!" - -"Well," said Jeff Davis, "it won't do any good to bellow over it like -that, Sis. Breakfast is ready, I tell you. Come to breakfast." - -But Patsy continued weeping and bewailing her loss, regardless of -entreaties. She called down some anathemas on the perpetrator of the -outrage, which were not pleasant to Mr. Benton's ears. - -"Dry up this minute!" said he. "_I_ cut out those confounded things, and -don't let me hear any more about it. Dry up," said he, sternly, "and eat -your breakfast." - -Neither Patsy nor her mother ate anything, however. They looked through -their tears at each other, and were silent, while rebellious indignation -filled their hearts. Mr. Benton was angry. - -"It is beyond all reason," said he, "for you to act so because I did as I -pleased with my own. Anyhow, I would not give one boy," looking at Jeff, -"for a whole cow-pen full of girls like you," glancing at Patsy. - -Walter was an indignant spectator of this scene, and he wished he could -take his sweetheart and fly away with her forever. He took a hasty leave, -and Mr. Benton went earlier than usual on his daily round of plantation -business. - -Her mother soothed Patsy's feelings as well as she could and counseled -patience. - -"I hate him, if he _is_ my father," said the girl. - -The mother reminded her of the filial respect due the author of her being. - -"I wish I had no father," she answered perversely. - -Mr. Benton rode back of the fields to the woods where the "hands" were -cutting timber to complete a fence around the peach orchard. Tom had -started in the spring wagon to go three miles down the river for some -young trees. Jeff sat on the seat beside Tom. When Mr. Benton returned to -go with them to select the trees at the nursery, the horses were -apparently restive and rather unmanageable. - -"Get down, Jeff," said Mr. Benton, "and ride my horse, while I show Tom -how to drive these horses." - -A moment after, Jeff and his father had exchanged places, and before Mr. -Benton had fully grasped the reins, the ponies took fright and ran out of -the road. Coming suddenly to a tree which had fallen, they bounded over -it, and the vehicle was upset, and Tom and Mr. Benton were violently -thrown out. Tom escaped with a few bruises, but Mr. Benton was seriously -injured, his arm being dislocated and his leg broken. Jeff went off for -the doctor, and Mr. Benton was carried home insensible. - -When Patsy saw the men bringing him into the house in this condition, she -thought he had been killed, and was filled with heart-breaking grief and -remorse. "Poor father!" she cried, "this is my punishment for wishing I -had no father this morning. O Lord, forgive me!" - -Mr. Benton, however, was not dead. After his injured limbs were set to -rights by the surgeon, he was soon in a fair way to recovery. In the -meanwhile, Patsy and her mother devoted themselves wholly to ministering -to his wants and ameliorating the tedium of his confinement to the house. - -"Pat," said he one day, "you have been a great trouble and expense to me, -but when a man is suffering with a lame arm and a broken leg, women are -certainly useful to have in the house. You and your mother have waited on -me and taken good care of me for many weeks." He glanced at his spliced -leg and his swollen arm, and continued: "I could not do much cutting up -things in the garden at this time, Pat, could I? I wish I had let your -flower-beds alone. Great Cæsar! didn't you make a fuss over those lilies, -and your mother, too! You both actually cried over that morning's work." - -"Never mind, father," said Patsy, reassuringly, "we don't care now," and -she smiled sweetly and lovingly upon the hard-featured invalid. - -He was almost well when he said to her: "You are a good child, and let me -tell you, my doctor has fallen in love with you. He told me so. Yes, Pat, -he is mashed on you, and intends to ask you to marry him, and you had -better give up any foolish notion you may have taken to Walter Jones, and -take the doctor. He is the best chance you will ever have. He is doing -well in his profession, and besides having a good home to take you to, he -belongs to an influential family. All I ask of you is to promise me you -won't refuse the doctor. You would be a fool to reject such a man." - -"O father!" said the girl, "don't ask me to promise anything." - -"I am going to be obeyed in my own house," said Mr. Benton, flying into a -rage, "and if you don't mind me, I will put you out of doors." - -Patsy was struck with consternation. - -The invalid was now able to move around without assistance. Patsy's heart -was full of fear and trembling. - -The next morning she did not come down to print the butter or bring her -father his early morning coffee. The girl had eloped with Walter Jones. - -"This is worse than breaking my leg," said Mr. Benton, after his first -indignation had subsided. - -When he could speak calmly about his trouble to his wife, he wondered what -made Patsy so thoughtless and undutiful, when she was an only daughter and -had everything she wanted. - -"She is very much like her father," said Mrs. Benton, "and she thought -marriage would set her free--emancipate her." - -"That's pure folly," said Mr. Benton, "for all females are and ought to be -always controlled by their male relations. Nothing on God's earth can -emancipate a woman. She only changes masters when she marries and leaves -her father's house." - -"Patsy, then, has changed masters," said his wife, "and she seems to be -very happy--in her own little home." - -"Old woman, don't get saucy, and I will tell you something," said he. "I -have sent to the city for some flower-garden truck, and Maitre has sent me -up fifty dollars' worth of what he calls first-class stuff on the last -boat, and I am going over to give it to Pat to plant. Tom shall do the -work for her, too. To tell you the real downright truth, you all made me -feel cheap about chopping up her things, and I am going to replace them." - -"Oh, I am so glad!" said Mrs. Benton. - -"Yes," said Mr. Benton, "I am perfectly willing to restore forty times as -much as I destroyed. Pat's a trump, anyhow, and I shall never go back on -her for anything she has ever done. You can rely on that for a fact." - -Mr. Benton was a good neighbor of ours and assumed some authority over my -household. He never failed to come over immediately whenever we had a -visit from one of the gunboats, and to reprove me sharply for having any -friendly interviews or even civilities with our "kidney-footed enemies," -as he called them, yet at the same time he would seize upon all the -newspapers which these gentlemanly officers had given us, and carry them -off for his own delectation, regardless of all objections and -expostulations. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -HOW WOMAN CAME TO THE RESCUE. - - -Mary Wall's letter from Clinton, Louisiana, December 27th, 1863, contains -some strong expressions showing the feeling and suffering among women at -that period: "You must keep in good heart, my dearest friend, about your -son David. I heard he was killed, but I have just seen Mr. Holmes, who has -read in a Yankee paper: 'Capt. Merrick, of Gen. Stafford's staff, slightly -wounded.' When I heard your boy was killed I felt the blow, and groaned -under it, for I know just how the iron hoof of Death tears when it settles -down among the heart-strings. When my mother died last year I did not weep -so bitterly, for my only disinterested friend was taken from the evil to -come; but when my gifted, first-born soldier-boy, Willie--my pride and -joy--was laid in a lonely grave, after a mortal gunshot wound, on the -Atchafalaya, at Bute la Rose, _that_ was my hardest trial. I could not get -to him; yet he was decently buried; but of my brother, shot in the fight -in Tennessee, we only know that he was killed on the battlefield at -Franklin. My son Wesley was reported missing after the fight at -Chickamauga; he may be a prisoner. I have heard nothing more, and my -heart stands still when I think he too may have been killed, and his body -thrown in some ravine or creek, as the Texans are said sometimes to do -when they 'lose' their Yankee prisoners on the march. God knows, this is a -wicked war! And there is Bowman, my third son; he may be dead, too, for I -do not hear a word from him. I try to steady my aching heart, and go my -way, and do my work with a quiet face; but often when I am alone I sink -down, and the waves go over me. I can pour out my heart to you. I do hope -your boy is but 'slightly wounded,' so that he may be sent home to stay -with you for a long time. May God in mercy spare his life; but do not set -your heart on him." - -General Leroy Stafford, on his last visit to his family, stopped at Myrtle -Grove and gave me the particulars of the engagement at Payne's Farm, -Virginia, where David was shot, the ball entering his head above the ear -and going out on the other side below the ear. He fell from his horse, it -was supposed, mortally wounded. By careful medical attention he survived -with the loss of the sight of one eye and power of hearing, the drum of -one ear being perforated. He suffered temporarily much disfigurement from -paralysis of the facial nerve. - -When I saw my handsome boy in this condition my distress will not tax the -imagination. "O mother," he said, "you ought not to feel in this way! So -many mothers' boys can never come back to them, and I am alive and getting -better every day. If you have felt cramped in expression, or anybody has -ever done anything to you which rubbed you up the wrong way, throw down -your gauntlet and I'll fight your battles for you. Don't shed tears over -me!" - -Judge Avery said, referring to David's own letter from the hospital: "It -is the letter of a hero--not one word of complaint in the whole of it." -The surgeon attributed my son's extraordinary recovery to the purity of -blood uncorrupted by the use of tea, coffee, tobacco or alcoholic drinks. - -My brother Milton was surrendered with Port Hudson. July 25, 1863, he -wrote as follows from Custom House Prison, No. 6, in New Orleans: "About -2,000 of us are confined here. Many have called to see me but only one has -succeeded--a young lady who announced herself as my cousin; said she was -determined to have some relative here. I never saw her before. The ladies -are very kind and contribute to all our wants. Hundreds of them promenade -daily before our windows; they look very sweet and lovely to us. Their -hearts are all right, but when they motion to us with their fans, or wave -their handkerchiefs, the guards take them away. The whole city is overrun -with Yankee soldiers, and the citizens have a subdued look. We have no -reason to complain of our treatment, and we are not wholly discouraged. -General Lee's successes are favorable to our cause, and I now feel hopeful -of a speedy termination of our troubles, though I see no prospect of our -release. - -"I learn that the Yankees took everything from Mr. Palmer's near -Clinton--negroes, mules, horses, made the old man dig up his buried -silver, and so alarmed the old lady that she died of fright. I wish to -got back into the field--feel more and more the necessity to establish our -independence, for we can never again live at peace with our hated enemy." - -Notwithstanding these things, and that this brother was confined for two -years at Johnson's Island until after the surrender, he has been for years -a loyal Republican, and is now an office-holder under Mr. McKinley. - -The jayhawkers were a terror in the neighborhood of our Pleasant Hill -plantation, where Mr. Merrick spent much of the war period. These guerilla -ruffians gave many peaceable families much anxiety even when dwelling -hundreds of miles from the seat of war. They were sometimes deserters and -always outlaws, but wore the uniform of either army as fitted their -purpose, and had no scruples about doing the most lawless and violent -deed. At one time it was unsafe to let it be known when the head of the -family would go or return, or to allow any plans to leak out, lest a -descent should be made on the unprotected home or the equally unprotected -absentee. A careful servant, closing the window-blinds at night, would -caution Mr. Merrick to keep out of the range of wandering shots which were -often fired by these desperadoes at unoffending persons. It has been -asserted that the guerillas were a part of the regular Confederate -service, whereas they were outlawed by the army and subject to summary -discipline if caught. - -When the Confederates were about us we enjoyed immunity from terrors. For -ten months General Walker's Division of our army camped on my land. It is -true we divided our stores with them, but the sense of protection was an -unspeakable comfort. I had rooms near my house furnished as a hospital, -where I nursed friend or foe who came to me sick. Medicines were treasured -more than gold; a whole neighborhood felt safer if it were known there was -a bottle of quinine in it; drugs were kept buried like silver. - -There was much delightful association with the officers and our other -friends in the army. Every family had stored away for times of illness or -extra occasions little remnants of our former luxuries--wine, tea, coffee. -General Dick Taylor was once my guest. While sipping his champagne at -dinner he exclaimed: "I'm astonished, madam, that in these times you can -be living in such luxury!" I explained that it was the birthday of my -daughter Laura for which we had long prepared, and that to honor it I had -drawn on my last bottle of wine saved for sickness. I made him laugh by -relating that every time there was a raid I got out a bottle of wine, and -we all drank in solemn state to keep it from falling into the hands of the -Yankees. - -General Richard Taylor was the only son of President Zachary Taylor. He -married a Louisiana lady and made his home in this State. He won -conspicuous success as a brigade commander under Stonewall Jackson, and -being placed in command of the Department of Mississippi and Alabama, his -brilliant record culminated in the victories of Mansfield and Pleasant -Hill. Having beaten General Banks one day at the former place, he pursued -him to Pleasant Hill--where my husband was during the whole period of -active warfare--and defeated him again. He was the idol of the -Trans-Mississippi Department--and well he might be, for he alone had -redeemed it from utter hopelessness.[1] - - [1] Southern Historical Society Papers. - -General Polignac was the brave Frenchman who set his men wild with -amusement and enthusiasm, by placing his hand on his heart and exclaiming -with _empressement_: "Soldiers, behold your Polignac!" They beheld him and -followed him ardently. While partaking of very early green peas and roast -lamb at my table, he asked: "Did you raise these peas under glass, madam?" -"Look at my broken windows," I answered, "all over this house, and tell -whether I can raise peas under glass when we can't keep ourselves under -it!" With such as we had everybody kept open house while the war lasted. -Nobody, high or low, was turned from the door; so long as there was -anything to divide, the division went on: all of which has confirmed me in -the belief that in proportion as artificial social conditions are removed -the divinity in man shines out; and that Bellamy's vision for humanity -need not be all a dream. - -The news of Lee's surrender fell with stunning force, although it had long -been feared that the Confederates were nearing the end of their resources. -Peace was welcomed by the class of men who had begun to desert the army, -because their little children were starving at home; it was also good news -to the broad-minded student of history who knew that surrender was the -only alternative for an army overpowered; that the victories of peace -embodied the only hope. But there were many who said: "Why not have fought -on until all were dead--man, woman and child? What is left to make life -worth the living?" - -An impression prevailed among the victors of the civil war, that the -Southern people were lying awake at night to curse the enemy that had -wrought their desolation and impoverishment. Nothing could have been -further from the truth. After the first stupefying effects of the -surrender, the altered social and domestic conditions engrossed every -energy. Every home mourned its dead. Those were counted happy who could -lay tear-dewed flowers upon the graves of their soldier-slain--so many -never looked again, even upon the dead face of him who had smiled back at -them as the boys marched away to the strains of Dixie. The shadow of a -mutual sorrow drew Southern women in sympathy and tenderness toward -weeping Northern mothers and wives. True men who have bravely fought out -their differences cherish no animosities--though still unconvinced. - -The women in every community seemed to far outnumber the men; and the -empty sleeve and the crutch made men who had unflinchingly faced death in -battle impotent to face their future. Sadder still was it to follow to the -grave the army of men, of fifty years and over when the war began, whose -hearts broke with the loss of half a century's accumulations and -ambitions, and with the failure of the cause for which they had risked -everything. Communities were accustomed to lean upon these tried -advisers; it was almost like the slaughter of another army--so many such -sank beneath the shocks of reconstruction. - -It is folly to talk about the woman who stood in the breach in those -chaotic days, being the traditional Southern woman of the books, who sat -and rocked herself with a slave fanning her on both sides. She was -doubtless fanned when she wished to be; but the ante-bellum woman of -culture and position in the South was a woman of affairs; and in the care -of a large family--which most of them had--and of large interests, she was -trained to meet responsibilities. So in those days of awful uncertainties, -when men's hearts failed them, it was the woman who brought her greater -adaptability and elasticity to control circumstances, and to lay the -foundations of a new order. She sewed, she sold flowers, milk and -vegetables, and she taught school; sometimes even a negro school. She made -pies and corn-bread, and palmetto hats for the Federals in garrison; she -raised pigs, poultry and pigeons; and she cooked them when the darkey--who -was "never to wuk no mo'"--left her any to bless herself with; she washed, -often the mustered-out soldier of the house filling her tubs, rubbing -beside her and hanging out her clothes; and he did her swearing for her -when the Yankee soldier taunted over the fence: "Wall, it doo doo my eyes -good to see yer have to put yer lily-white hands in the wash-tub!" - -As soon as the war was over, my daughter went with her grandmother to -visit her father's relatives in Massachusetts. In letters to her, -beginning September 16, 1865, I thus described the conditions under which -we were living: "The war was prosperity to the state of things which peace -has wrought. Society is resolving itself into its original elements. Chaos -has come again. St. Domingo is a paradise to this part of the United -States, which is cut off from the benefits of government. The negroes who -have gained their liberty are more unhappy and dissatisfied than ever -before. Poor creatures! their weak brains are puzzling over the great -problem of their future. Care seems likely to eat up every pleasure in -their bewildered lives. They no longer dance and sing in the quarters at -night, but sit about in dejected groups; their chief dissipation is -prayer-meeting. It is a dire perplexity that they must pay their doctor's -bills; they resent it as a bitter injustice that 'Marster' does not 'find -them' in medicine and all the ordinary things of living as of old. They -say no provision is made for them. They are left to work for white folks -the same as ever, but for white folks who no longer care for them nor are -interested in their own joys and sorrows. Freedom meant to them the -abolition of work, liberty to rove uncontrolled, to drink liquor and to -carry firearms. As Rose recently said to me: "I don't crave fin'ry--jes -plenty er good close, en vittles, en I 'spects ter get dese widout -scrubbin' fer 'em,' 'Where is de gover'ment?' they ask anxiously, 'en de -forty acres er lan', en de mule?'--which each one of them was led to -reckon on. They expected a saturnalia of freedom; to be legislators, -judges and governors in the land, to live in the white folks' houses, and -to ride in their carriages. They cannot understand a freedom that -involves labor and care. They say they were deceived; that white folks -still have the upper hand, and ride while they walk. I pity them deeply. - -"You know I have never locked up anything. Now I am a slave to my keys. I -am robbed daily. Spoons, cups and all the utensils from the kitchen have -been carried off. I am now paying little black Jake to steal some of them -back for me, as he says he knows where they are. I cannot even set the -bread to rise without some of it being taken. All this, notwithstanding -the servants are paid wages. It is astonishing that those we have -considered most reliable are engaged in the universal dishonesty. I -understand they call it 'sp'ilin' de 'Gypshuns!' - -"The Mississippi river is open;--the boats ply daily up and down, but we -have no mail. We are surely treated like stepchildren of the great United -States. Already the tax-assessor has come to value our property; the -tax-gatherer has collected the national revenues; agents of the Freedman's -Bureau are taking the census of negro children preparatory to forming -schools, and Northern land buyers are looking out for bargains in -broken-up estates. Is it strange that we ask: 'Where is the postmaster?' -We have had already too much exclusion from the world in Confederate days. -Let us emerge from our former 'barbarous state of ignorance,'--and let me -hear from my absent child in Massachusetts! - -"Your father has written from New Orleans as follows: 'I have extricated -my Jefferson City property from the seizure of the Federals, and have -paid $800 to release it, though I think it will cost several hundred more. -They--the Federals--burnt the mill mortgaged to me by G. B. M.--and I -shall lose $5,000 on that. I think I have done remarkably well to have -paid off so many incumbrances, but I wish you to have for the present a -rigid management of all matters of expense. I am glad I have a prospect of -getting my law library into my possession again. I find four hundred and -fifty volumes of it in the quartermaster's department. - -"I can only extricate my affairs by economy on the part of all my family, -and am only asking that they show a little patience under our temporary -separation. I do not wish them to aid me by earning anything, except it be -David, for himself individually; but we shall all be in the city in our -own home the sooner by the exercise of present self-denial. - -"'I am glad to learn that the people of the South denounce the -assassination of Lincoln,' for it was a ruinous misfortune to us. - -"At present we are living at as little expense as possible with no -perceptible income. We are taxed according to the ante-bellum tax -lists--including our slaves and property swept off the earth by the -armies. A fine sugar estate, near us on the river, worth two hundred -thousand dollars, was sold last week for taxes, which were seven thousand -five hundred dollars. The whole estate--land, dwelling, sugar house, -stock--brought only four thousand dollars. There could scarcely be -completer confiscation than these unrighteous tax-sales under which -millions of dollars worth of property are advertised for sale. - -"I saw a late article in the _Chicago Times_ in which the writer said: -'You had better be a poor man's dog than a Southerner now.' If our negroes -are idle and impudent we are not allowed to send them away. If we have -crops waiting in the fields for gathering, the hands are all given by the -semi-military government 'passes to _go_,' though we pay wages; and -(weakly or humanely?) buy food, furnish doctors and wait on the sick, very -much in the old way, simply because nature refuses to snap the ties of a -lifetime on the authority of new conditions. I have it in mind to make -Myrtle Grove a very disagreeable place to some of the most trifling, so -that they will get into the humor to hunt a new home. - -"General Price said: 'We played for the negro, and the Yankees fairly won -the stake, with Cuffy's help.' Let them have him and _keep_ him! Your -father has just had a settlement with his freedmen. They are extremely -dissatisfied with the result. Though they acknowledge every item on their -accounts, furnished at New Orleans wholesale prices, it is a -disappointment not to have a large sum of money for their year's -labor--that, too, after an extravagance of living we have not dared to -allow ourselves, and an idleness for which we are like sufferers, as the -crop was planted on shares. I am convinced the negroes are too much like -children to understand or be content with the share system. - -"I have a good cook, but she has a _cavaliere servente_, besides her own -husband and children, to provide for out of my storeroom, which she does -in my presence very often--though it is not in the bond. I _am_ impatient -when she takes the butter given her for pastry and substitutes lard; yet I -cannot withhold my admiration when I see her double the recipe in order -that her own table may be graced with a soft-jumble as good as mine. -Somebody has said: 'By means of fire, blood, sword and sacrifice you have -been separated from your black idol.' It looks to me as if he is hung -around our necks like the Ancient Mariner's albatross. You ridicule -President Johnson's idea of loaning us farming implements. You must not -forget who burned ours. We need money, for we have to pay the four years' -taxes on our freed negroes! - -"There is bad blood between the races. Those familiar with conditions here -anticipate that the future may witness a servile war--a race war--result -of military drilling, arming and haranguing the negro for political ends. -Secession was a mistake for which you and I were not responsible. But even -if our country was wrong, and we knew it at the time--which we did not--we -were right in adhering to it. The best people in the South were true to -our cause; only the worthless and unprincipled, with rare exceptions, went -over to the enemy. We must bear our trials with what wisdom and patience -we may be able to summon until our status is fully defined. I cannot but -feel, however, that if war measures had ceased with the war, if United -States officers on duty here, and the Government at Washington, had shown -a friendly desire to bury past animosities and to start out on a real -basis of reunion, we should have become a revolutionized, reconstructed -people by this time. But certain it is that the enemy--authorities and -'scalawag'-friends, who now cruelly oppress the whites and elevate the -negro over us--are hated as the ravaging armies never were, and a true -union seems farther off than ever." - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -MISS VINE'S DINNER PARTY AND ITS ABRUPT CONCLUSION. - - -War is demoralizing, and ever since "our army swore terribly in Flanders," -profanity has been a military sin. In my neighborhood it extended to the -women and children who had never before violated the third commandment. I -knew a little girl who, having seen a regiment of Federal soldiers -marching along the public highway, ran to her mother crying, "The damned -Yankees are coming!" She was exempt from reproof on account of the -exciting nature of the news. She had doubtless heard the obnoxious word so -often in this connection that she deemed it a correct term. - -I tried to preserve my own household "pure and peaceable and of good -report," and I plead with my five girls to avoid all looseness of -expression. But Fannie Little asked: "Mrs. Merrick, may I not even tell -Rose to 'go to the devil' when she puts my nightgown where I can't find -it, and makes me wait so long for hot water?" - -"No, indeed, my child! Only Christian ministers can speak with propriety -of the devil, and use his name on common occasions." - -As a social side-light on these disordered secession war-times the -following sketch is a true picture. The characters and incidents are real, -but the names are assumed. The endeavor to embalm the events in words -diverted me in the midst of graver experience during those chaotic days. - - * * * * * - -Beechwood plantation has a frontage of two miles on the banks of a -navigable river. The tall dwelling-house was so surrounded by other -buildings, all well constructed and painted white, that the first glance -suggested the idea of a village embowered in trees. The proprietorship of -a noble estate implies a certain distinction, and in fact the owner of -this property had for many years represented his district in Congress. In -past as well as present times people manifest a disposition to bestow -political honors upon men of prosperity and affluence. - -Mr. Templeton, notwithstanding the fact that he possessed an uncommonly -large amount of property in land and slaves, was not a giant either in -body or in mind. He surely had spoken once in the national Capitol, for -was he not known to have sent a printed copy of a speech to every one of -the Democratic constituents in the State? In this pamphlet were set forth -eloquent and powerful arguments against the unjust discrimination of the -specific duties on silk, which he thought operated to the disadvantage and -serious injustice of the poor man. He asserted confidently that the poor -people would purchase only the heavy, serviceable silken goods, while the -rich preferred the lighter and flimsier fabrics, thus paying -proportionately a much smaller revenue to the Government. This proved -conclusively that Mr. Templeton never consulted his wife, whose rich -dresses were always paid for as the tariff was arranged--ad valorem. His -patriotic soul was harrowed and filled with sympathy and sorrow on account -of the injustice and hardship thus dealt out to his needy and indigent -constituents. We cannot follow this interesting man's public career, and -probably it is customary for great statesmen "to study the people's -welfare" and to have the good of the poor men who vote for them very much -upon their disinterested minds. - -The Templeton family came originally from that State which furnished to -the South, in the hour of trial, some brave soldiers and a good -song--"Maryland, my Maryland." Lavinia, Mr. Templeton's only daughter, had -been educated at the Convent in Emmetsburg, and had returned home after -Fort Sumter was fired upon and other disturbances were anticipated. This -slender, delicate, little creature was very graceful and pretty, timid as -a fawn, and frisky as a young colt. At first she could not be induced to -sit at table if there was a young man in the dining-room. She said she -preferred to wait, and when she came in afterward for her dinner her -brother Frank testified that she always ate an extra quantity to make up -for the delay. - -Old Miss Eliza thought Vine so lovely and good that she always allowed her -to do as she pleased, only enjoining on her to "be a lady." Miss Eliza was -an old-maid cousin who lived in the family, shared the cares and anxieties -of the parents, and was greatly respected by everybody. She was not a -particularly religious person--there not being a church within ten -miles--but she was kind, courteous and gentle, and exhibited a great deal -of deportment of the very finest quality--as might have been expected from -her refined Virginia antecedents. She could not abide that the servants -should call Lavinia Templeton "Miss Vine," but they called her so all the -same. - -Beaux far and near contended for Lavinia's regard, and in less than six -months after leaving the convent she was married to a young captain newly -enlisted in the artillery of the Confederate service. A grand wedding came -off where many noteworthy men assembled. While the band played and the -giddy dance went on, groups of these consulted about the portentous war -clouds. One great man said: "There will be no war; I will promise to drink -every drop of blood shed in this quarrel!" - -But soon there was a military uprising everywhere. As men enlisted they -went into a camp situated less than an hour's drive from Beechwood. Vine -and her lover-husband refused to be separated, so she virtually lived in -the encampment. The spotless new tents, with bright flags flying, the -young men thronging around the carriages which brought their mothers and -sisters as daily visitors, made this camp in the woods a bewitching spot. - -Every luxury the country afforded was poured out with lavish hands. -Friends, neighbors and loved ones at home skimmed the richest cream of the -land for the delectation and refreshment of their dear soldier boys. A -young schoolboy, who dined with his brother in camp on barbecued mutton -and roast wild turkey with all the accompaniments, wrote to his father -that he too was ready to enlist, having now had a perfect insight into -soldier life. As this gallant veteran to-day looks at his empty, dangling -coat-sleeve and is shown his boyish letter, he smiles a grim smile and -says: "Yes, I _was_ a fool in those days." Vine's husband had a noble -figure and was a picture of manly beauty in his new uniform with scarlet -facings. To the horror of her woman friends the devoted little wife cut up -a costly black velvet gown, and made it into a fatigue jacket for him to -wear in camp. - -Meanwhile the unexpected happened and we were in the midst of a real, -terrible war. Federal military operations extended over the whole country; -then appeared a gunboat with its formidable armament, striking a panic -into all the white inhabitants. Soldiers advanced to the front, while -citizens precipitately retreated to the rear. In trepidation and hot haste -planters gathered up their possessions for departure. Slaves, always -dearer and more precious to the average Southern heart than either silver -or gold, were first collected and assembled with the owners and their -families, and then formed large companies of refugees who went forth to -look for a temporary home in some less exposed part of the country. - -After much deliberation Mr. and Mrs. Templeton, with the little boys and -their cumbrous retinue of wagons, horses and slaves, went to Texas, -leaving their daughter Vine, Miss Eliza and two faithful servants as sole -tenants of Beechwood. The expected advance of Federal forces in the spring -seemed to justify the reduction of the place to such slender equipment. -Meanwhile, Captain Paul had been through a campaign in Virginia. On the -very day of the battle of Bethel, Vine clasped a new-born daughter in her -arms, and the father requested that its name should be Bethel in -commemoration of that engagement. This child was a year old before he saw -its face. The time came when Louisiana soil was to be plowed up with -military trenches and fortifications, and Captain Paul was ordered to Port -Hudson. The siege of that place soon followed. - -In the evenings Miss Eliza sat on the gallery holding Bethel in her arms, -while Vine rocked little Dan, the baby of seven months, and they would all -listen in wistful silence to the volleys of heavy guns sounding regularly -and dolefully far down the river. The regular boom of the thundering -volleys kept on day and night. The two servants, Becky and Monroe, would -occasionally join the group; "Never mind, Miss Vine, don't you fret," they -would say; "sure, Captain Paul's all right." After many weeks of painful -suspense and anxiety the shocking news came that Captain Paul had been -killed by the explosion of a shell. Vine's grief was wild. She wept and -raved by turn, until Miss Eliza feared she would die. Becky with womanly -instinct brought her the children and reminded her that she still had -these. "Take them away," cried Vine, "I loved them only for his sake; -children are nothing! Take them out of my sight! Oh! Lord," she cried, -"let us all die and be buried together! Why does anybody live when Paul is -dead?--dead, dead, forever!" - -Vine put on no mourning in her widowhood, for such a thing as crepe was -unattainable in those days. The girls in the neighborhood came and stayed -with her by turns, and did all they could to divert her mind from her -loss. - -In a short time even punctilious Miss Eliza rejoiced to perceive some -return of Vine's former cheerfulness. She said it was sad enough and bad -enough to have a horrible war raging and ravaging over the country, -without insisting that a delicate young thing like Lavinia should go on -forever moping herself to death in unavailing grief. There was no need of -anything of the kind. While wishing her niece to avoid "getting herself -talked about," Miss Eliza yet thought it needful, right and proper that -she should take some diversion and some healthy amusement. So it came to -pass after awhile that one day all the officers and soldiers who were -temporarily at home, and all the young ladies living on the river, were -invited to dine together at Beechwood. - -The day was cool and delightful, with just a tinge of winter in the air. -Extensive fields, where hundreds of bales of cotton and thousands of -barrels of corn had been grown annually, were now given up to weeds, -briars and snakes. Here and there in protected nooks and corners clusters -of tall golden-rod or blue and purple wild asters waved their heads. Only -one small patch of ripened corn near the dwelling indicated that the -inhabitants had not entirely forgotten seed-time and might possibly have -hope of even a tiny harvest later on. - -It was eleven o'clock before Vine had finished the work of decorating her -parlors. She felt weary from the unusual exertion, but remembering her -duties to her expected guests, she ran to the window overlooking the -kitchen and called, "Becky, Becky, you know who are to be here; now do -have everything all right for dinner; and, Becky, please keep the children -quiet, for I should like to take a nap before I dress." - -"Y'as'm," said the woman, while a shade of care came into her honest face, -as she regarded the two children playing in the corner of the kitchen. "I -'clar to Gawd, dat's jes' like Miss Vine, she's done got in de bed dis -minit and lef' me wid bofe dese chillun on my han's, en she knows, mitey -well, dat um got a heap to tend ter, dis day. She tole me dat she wus -gwine to he'p me, she did, en it's de Gawd's trufe dat she ain't done er -spec of er blessed thing ceppin gether dem bushes and flowers, en Captain -Prince he hope her at dat. Now, ef she had put her han' to de vegables, -dat would er ben sumpin. Flowers will do for purty and niceness, but you -cayent eat 'em, en you cayent drink 'em. Dey're des here to-day and gone -all to pieces to-morrow; whut good is dey anyhow? a whole kyart load of um -don't mount ter er hill er beans. Well," she continued, "I jes' won't -blame de young creetur, but Gawd ermitey only knows when all dem white -folks will set down ter dat ar dinner Miss Vine done 'vited 'em ter come -here en eat! Here, Beth," said she kindly to the little girl, "clam up on -dis stool, honey, by dis table; um gwine ter fix yo a nice roas' tater in -a minit. Yo, Dan," she called out sharply to the boy, "yo jes' stop -mashin' dat cat's tail wid dat cheer 'fo' he scratch yo to deff! Min', I -tell yer! It jes' looks like Miss Vine wouldn't keer ef I bust my brains -er wukin'; but I ain't er gwine to do dat fer nobody. Well, not fer -_strange_ white folks, anyhow." - -Here Beth with a mouthful of sweet potato asked for water. Becky promptly -dipped a gourd full and held it to her lips grumbling all the while, "Lamb -O' Gawd, how in de name er goodness is I gwine ter wait on dese chillun, -wash up dese dishes, put on dinner, en fetch all de wood from de wood -pile?" As she stood contemplating her manifold duties, she heard the clock -in the house striking the hour. "Lord, Gawd," said she, "ef it ain't -twelve o'clock er 'ready, en shore nuff here comes all dem white folks -jes' a gallopin' up de big road. Eh--eh--eh--well, dey'll wait twell em -ready fur 'em, dat's all. But I does wish Miss Vine was mo' like her mar. -Ole Mis' wouldn't never dremped 'bout 'viten a whole pasel er folks here, -widout havin' pigs, and po'try, pies and cakes, en sich, all ready, de day -befo'. She had plenty on all sides an' plenty ter do de work too. Now -here's Miss Vine she's after havin' her own fun. Well, she's right, you -hear me, niggahs!" - -"You ain't talkin' to me, Aunt Becky," said Beth; "I ain't no nigger." The -woman laughed, dropped her dishcloth on the unswept floor, grasped the -child and tossed her up several times over her head. "Gawd bless dis -smart chile! no, dat yo ain't! yo is a sweet, little, white angel outen -heaben, you is dat, you purty little white pig!" - -In the height of this performance Monroe came to the door and thrust in an -enormous turkey just killed. Seeing what was going on he exclaimed: "Why, -Aunt Becky, yo better stop playing wid dat white chile en pick dis turkey -'fo' Miss Eliza happen 'long here en ketch yer." - -"Shet yo mouf, en git out o' dis kitchen, boy; you cayent skeer me; I can -give you as good es you can sen' any day. De white folks knows I ain't got -but two han's and can't do a hundred things in a minit." She put the child -down, however, and resumed her dish washing. - -The girls in the meantime had retouched their disheveled curls and joined -the young men in the parlor, where for a time music, songs and dances made -the hours fly. Let us play "Straw," said Nelly Jones. - -"No, let Captain Prince lead and choose the game," said Arabella. - -So the captain seated the company in line. "Now," said he, "not one of you -must crack a smile on pain of forfeit, and when I say prepare to pucker, -you must all do so,"--drawing out as he spoke the extraordinary aperture -in his own good-natured face, extending his lips into an automatic, -gigantic, wooden smirk reaching almost from ear to ear. Everybody giggled -of course, but he went on: "I shall call out 'Pucker,' and you must -instantly face about with your mouths fixed this way"--and he drew up his -wonderful feature small enough to dine with the stork out of a jar. The -company shouted, but the game was never played, for reproof and entreaty, -joined to the captain's word of command, failed to get them beyond a -preparatory attempt which ended always in screams of laughter. - -The sun was getting low in the west when another want began to appeal to -the inner consciousness of these young persons. Some of them had ridden -for miles in the morning air; since then they had sung and danced and -laughed in unlimited fashion. Now they began to think of some other -refreshment. Arabella ventured to request that Captain Prince be sent to -the kitchen to reconnoiter and bring in a report from the commissary -department. The captain responded amiably, and said she was a sensible -young lady. "Vine, ain't you hungry?" asked Arabella. "Oh, I took some -luncheon before you came," replied she; "if you will go up-stairs and look -in the basket under my dressing table, you will find some sandwiches, but -not enough for all." The girl flew up-stairs. - -When Captain Prince returned the girls rushed forward and overpowered him -with questions. He threw up his hands deprecatingly and waved off his -noisy assailants. "Stop, stop, young ladies, I will make my report. I went -round to the kitchen and found Aunt Becky behind the chimney ripping off -the feathers of a turkey so big" (holding his hands nearly a yard apart). -"I got a coal o' fire to light my pipe, then I made a memorandum." Here he -pulled out an old empty pocketbook and pretended to read--"Item 1st, -'Fowl picking at three o'clock,' that means dinner at six. Can you wait -that long?" - -"Never!" cried the girls. - -"Well, we must then go into an election for a new housekeeper who will go -in person or send a strong committee who will whoop up the cook and -expedite the meal which is to refresh these fair ladies and brave -men,"--and he began to count them. - -"Don't number me in your impolite crowd," said Arabella, "for I am content -to wait until dinner is ready." Vine gave her a meaning smile and went up -pleadingly to the captain, rolling her fine eyes in the innocent, sweet -way characteristic of some of the most fascinating of her sex, and begging -him to continue to be the life and soul of her party, as he always was -everywhere he went: she said if he would "start something diverting," she -would go and stir Becky up and have dinner right off--she would, "honest -Indian." - -These girls were not sufficiently polite to keep up a pleased appearance -when bored. Such little artificialities of society belonged to the days of -peace. They flatly refused to dance, saying they were tired. One avowed -that she was sorry she had persuaded her mother to let her come to such a -poky affair, and another declared that she had never been anywhere in her -whole lifetime before where there was not cake, fruit, candy, popcorn, -pindars, or something handed round when dinner was as late as this. "Oh," -said Nelly Jones, "I wish I had a good stalk of sugar-cane." In fact a -cloud seemed to settle down in the parlors like smoke in murky weather. - -Captain Prince stroked his blond goatee affectionately and looked serious, -but brightening up in a moment he crossed the wide hall and entered the -library where Major Bee was writing. He captured the major, brought him -and introduced him to the ladies, and then seated him in a capacious -arm-chair, while he held a whispering conference with Nelly Jones. Nelly's -wardrobe was the envy and admiration of all the girls on the river. Being -the daughter of a cotton speculator, she wore that rare article, a new -dress. Unlike Arabella, whose jacket was cut from the best part of an old -piano cover, she was arrayed in fine purple cashmere trimmed with velvet -and gold buttons, and was otherwise ornamented with a heavy gold chain and -a little watch set with diamonds. Nelly took the captain's arm and made a -low bow to Major Bee, and the girls were once more on the _qui vive_ when -they heard the captain say in slow and measured tones, "I have come with -the free and full consent of this young lady to ask you to join us for -life in the bonds of matrimony." The amiable old major seemed ready to -take part in this dangerous pastime, for gentle dulness ever loves a joke. -"Bring me a prayer book," said he, "if you please." - -"I lent my mother's prayer book," said Vine, "to old Mrs. Simpson two -years ago, and she never returned it--the mean old thing!" - -The major next asked for a broom which he held down before the couple -saying, "Jump over." - -"Hold it lower," said Nelly, and they stepped over in a business-like -manner. - -"Now," said Major Bee, "I solemnly pronounce you husband and wife, and I -hope and trust that you will dwell together lovingly and peacefully until -you die. I have at your request tied this matrimonial knot as tight as I -possibly could, under the circumstances, and I hope you will neither of -you ever cause me to regret that I have had the pleasure of taking part in -this highly dignified and honorable ceremony." - -Then the old major kissed the bride, whom he had always petted from -childhood, and shook hands with Captain Prince, whom Nelly refused the -privilege accorded the major, for said she, "there was no kissing in the -bargain." The company crowded around with noisy congratulations; a sofa -was drawn forward, and the mock bridal couple sat in state and entertained -their guests. - -"My dear," remarked the bride, "I expected to make a tour when I was -married." - -"Yes, miss,"--he corrected himself quickly,--"yes, madam, I think as there -are no steamboats that we may take a little journey up the river on a -raft." - -"What kind of a raft, Captain?" asked Nelly. - -"My love, I mean a steam raft. I will take the steam along in a jug." - -Nelly made a terrible grimace of disgust and was silent for a moment, her -mind still dwelling on the bridal tour. "Captain, you know we must have -money for traveling expenses," said she. - -"Yes, darling, it takes that very thing, so I will spout your fine watch -and chain, and then we can find ourselves on wheels." - -Nelly drew down the corners of her pretty mouth, pouted her lips and -looked more disgusted than ever. To them it was all very funny. - -"My dearest, I fear when your mother hears the news she will say 'Poor -Nelly, she has thrown herself away!'" and the captain actually blushed at -this vision of Mrs. Jones's disapprobation. - -"Keep the ball rolling, Captain," said Billy Morris, "this sport is -splendid." - -The captain fixed his keen eye on Billy's large, standing collar and -asked, "Did you ever see a small dog trotting along in high oats? -Well,"--surveying his person--"I have." - -"Come now, Captain," replied Billy, "I'll allow you some privileges, being -just married, but you must pass your wit around. I've had enough. Don't -compare your single unmarried friend to a dog." - -Dinner was then announced and the party were soon seated at table. That -king of edible birds, the turkey savory and brown, was placed at one end, -and a fresh stuffed ham stood at the other, while the vegetables filled up -the intervening space. A large bunch of zinnias and amaranthus set in a -broken pitcher formed a gay center-piece. The dessert was egg-nogg, and -Confederate pound-cake made from bolted cornmeal. The dinner was concluded -with a cup of genuine coffee. Notwithstanding the late meal, never had -there been a merrier day at old Beechwood. Healths to the absent ones were -drunk from the single silver goblet of egg-nogg allowed for each guest. -The girls did not relish this mixture made of crude and fiery Louisiana -rum, but the soldiers were not so fastidious; they said they often had -occasion to repeat the remark of the Governor of North Carolina to the -Governor of South Carolina that "it was a long time between drinks." - -Monroe removed the dishes and retired to the kitchen while the guests -lingered over the dessert. The cook sat and looked down the river. The -window commanded a view for two miles. Her work was done and she -manifested her relief by breaking into singing these words: - - "John saw, J-o-h-n saw, - John saw de holy number - Settin' roun de golden altar. - Golden chariot come fer me, come fer me, - Golden chariot come fer me, - Childun didn't he rise?" - -She had commenced the second verse, "John saw," when suddenly her jaws -fell, and springing up she exclaimed: "Jesus marster! what's dat? Look! -Everybody! Here comes er gunboat, en Riley's house is er fire. Don't yer -see it bu'nin! Run, boy, run, en call Miss Vine! Tell Mis Lizer! Go dis -minit an' let 'em all know, I tell yer!" "Set right down, set down, Aunt -Becky! 'tain't none er my business to tell nuthin'. Set right down, 'oman, -en let dem white folks 'lone," and the man seized her and pushed her with -all his force towards the chair. - -The woman turned fiercely upon him and planted a blow on the side of his -head which sent him headlong on the floor. "Look er-heah, boy, who is you -foolin' wid, anyhow? You think yerself a man, does yer when yous er born -fool! I let you know it tuck de tightest overseer ole marster ever had on -dis plantashun to rule me. No nigger like you better try ter tackle Becky. -I'll double you up an fling you outer dis winder in no time. You neenter -tell nuthin. I'll go tell 'em--I'll go ef Gawd spars me to git dar. I -nussed Miss Vine; dat gal used to suck dese yere"--and Becky eloquently -placed her hands on her round ebony bosom, as she broke into a full run -from the kitchen door. She entered the dining-room crying out in -breathless, agitated tones, "Look heah, people, thar's a big gunboat er -comin' up de river en Riley's house is er-fire!" - -In an instant confusion and utter consternation reigned. "Good God!" -exclaimed Vine, "and here's all mother's silver! Like a fool I dug it up -out of the garden this morning. Here, Aunt Becky, help me gather it up." -The woman soon rattled a pile of spoons and forks into a dishpan. "No, -no," screamed Vine, "don't wash them, let me hide them, quick, somewhere!" - -The officers and soldiers had disappeared, and in ten minutes the only -male creatures to be seen on the place were Monroe and the baby. The man -was in fine spirits while engaged in assisting the young ladies to mount -their horses. "Take kere, Miss Em'ly, dis is a skittish little creole -pony, and you rides wid too loose a rein." To another he said, "'Fore -Gawd, Miss Jinnie, I hates to see a white lady like you a-riden' uv er -mule, I does dat, en er man's saddle too! Eh, eh!" "You never mind," the -girl replied; "my pony and both our side-saddles were carried off by the -last raid from Morganza, and I had no choice but to use my brother's -saddle and this mule or stay at home. Cut me a good stick, Monroe, and I -shall get along." "Well, you'll need a stick," said Monroe, "wid dat lazy -ole mule, ef you 'spects to see home dis night." - -One of the horses jerked away every time he was led up to the steps, but -the man was patient with him, only remarking, "Dis hoss been brutalized -'bout de head by somebody 'twel he's a plum fool. Jump quick, Miss Nelly, -while um er holdin' him fer ye." The girl sprang to her saddle, adjusted -her dress, and directed the man to spread a folded shawl for her sister to -ride behind. "Well, well," said he, "dis beats de bugs, to see white -ladies what's used to rollin' 'long in der carriages a-ridin' double like -dis!" "We don't care," said they, as the party started off gaily down the -road. - -After the last departure Monroe went to talk over the eventful day with -Becky. No allusion was made to such a small matter as a passing blow, and -the man sat down by the fire grinning with real enjoyment. - -"Didn't dem white folks scatter quick? I tell yer, Aunt Becky, it done me -good all over to see 'em so flustrated," and he burst into a loud guffaw. -"When sumpin don' go to suit de Templetons, dey'll paw dirt, dey'll do it, -every time, frum ole marster down to de baby one. Whut did Miss Vine say -about it?" - -"Well," said Becky, "lemme tell yer 'bout Miss Vine; de fust thing she -done arter I bounced in en tole de news--she gathered up de spoons en -forks, en dem silver tumblers, en sich, belonging to ole Mis', en den she -look 'roun' en seed de men wus all gone; den she clinched her teeth, en -des doubled up her fis', she did, en shuck it t'wards dat big ole boat es -she come puffin' en blowin' up de river, wid de great big cannons -a-sticken outen her sides, en des a-swarmin' all over wid de blue-coats, -en says she: 'Dern you infernal black souls! I wish to Gawd every one of -you was drownded in de bottom of de river.'" - -"Lord!" said Monroe, catching his breath, "now didn't she cuss?" - -"Yes, sirree! she did dat; en so would you, en me," said Becky. - -"But she's white," said the man. "I don't keer ef she is; ain't white -folks got feelin's same as we is?" asked Becky. "No," said Monroe, "dey -ain't; some of um is mighty mean, yes, a heap of 'em." - -"Yo cayn't set down here and 'buse Miss Vine," said Becky, "we're 'bleeged -to gib her de praise. Ef its 'fo' her face or 'hine her back, um boun' to -say it; she's de feelin'est creetur, de free-heartedest, de most -corndescendin'est young white 'oman, I ever seed in all my life,--fer a -fac'. But when she done _so_"--here Becky shook her fist in imitation of -Vine's passionate outbreak, en said dat I done tole yer, Miss Eliza put in -en spoke up she did, en says she, 'Laviney, yo must certinly forgit yo is -er lady!' Whew! Miss Vine never heerd her. 'Twan't no use fer nobody to -say nuthin'. I tell you dat white gal rared en pitched untwel she bust -into be bitteres' cry yo ever heerd in yo life. She said dem devils warn't -satisfied wid killin' her Paul, en makin' her a lonesome widder, but here -dey comes agin, jes' as she were joyin' herse'f, jes' es she were takin' -a little plesyure, here dey comes a knockin' uv it all in de haid, en -spillin' de fat in de fire. - -"I was sorry for de chile, fer it was de Gawd's trufe she spoke, so I -comes back in heah, I did, en got some of dat strong coffee I dun saved -for yo en me, en I het a cupful an brung it to her. 'Here, honey,' says I, -'drink dis fer yo Becky, en d-o-n't cry no mo', dat's my good baby!' She -wipe up her eyes, en stop cryin', she did, en drunk de coffee. Dar I was, -down on my knees, jes' facin' of her, and she handed back de cup. 'Twas -one er ole Mis' fine chaney cups. 'Dat's yo, honey,' says I, 'you musn't -grieve!' en I was er pattin' of her on de lap, when she tuck a sudden -freak, en I let yo know she ups wid dem little foots wid de silver shoes -on, en she kicked me spang over, broadcast, on de flo'. - -"Den ole Miss Lizer, she wall her eyes at Miss Vine, en say, 'Laviney, um -'stonished to see yo ax so.' She mout as well er hilt her mouf--fer it -didn't do dat much good," said Becky, snapping her fingers. "Den arter er -while, Miss Vine seed me layin' dar on de floor en she jumped up she did, -en gin me her two han's to pull me up. I des knowed I was too heavy for -her to lif, but I tuck a holt of her, en drug her down in my lap en hugged -her in my arms, pore young thing! Den I jes' put her down e-a-s-y on de -hath-rug, 'fo' de fire, en kiver her up wid a shawl. Den I run up-sta'rs -en fotch a piller, en right dar on de foot of de bed she had done laid out -dat spangly tawlton dress, en I des knowed she wus gwine to put it on, en -dance de Highlan' fling dis very ebenin'. Can't she out-dance de whole -river anyhow?" said Becky. - -"Oh!" said Monroe, "I don't 'spute dat. I love to see her in her brother -Frank's close a-jumpin' up to my fiddle! den she bangs a circus--dat she -do!" - -Becky continued her narration: "I comes back en lif's her head on de -piller, en pushed up the chunks to men' de fire, en lef' her dar sobbin' -herself down quiet." Becky sighed and went on: "I tell yo, man, when dat -little creetur dar in de house takes a good start--yo cayn't hole her, -nobody nee'n' to try; you cayn't phase her I tell you. En dar's Beth, -she's gwine be jes' sich er nother--I loves dat chile too! She don't -feature her mar neither, 'ceppen her curly head. - -"But dis won't do me. Less go up frum here, Monroe. Yo make up a light, en -less go to de hen-house en ketch a pasel of dem young chickens, en put 'em -in de coop. I wants to brile one soon in de mawnin' en take it to Miss -Vine wid some hot co'n cakes. She's used to eatin' when she fust wakes up, -en um gwine to have sumpen ready fer her, fer I give you my word, dey -ain't de fust Gawd's bit er nuthin 'tall lef' frum dat ar' dinner party." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -OUR FEDERAL FRIENDS AND THE COLORED BROTHER. - - -The bewilderment of the negroes in the great social upheaval that came -with peace was outdone by that of the white people. The conditions of the -war times had been peaceable and simple compared with the perplexities of -existence now precipitated upon us. The Confederacy's 175,000 surrendered -soldiers--and these included the last fifteen-year-old boy--were scattered -through the South, thousands of them disabled for work by wounds, and -thousands more by ill-health and ignorance of any other profession than -that of arms. The Federal soldiers garrisoned all important places. A -travesty of justice was meted out by a semi-civil military authority. -Every community maintained an active skirmish-line against the daily -aggressions of the freedmen and the oppressions of the military arm. Large -sums were paid by citizens to recover property held by the enemy; and, for -a time, the people paid a per cent. out of every dollar to the revenue -office for a permit to spend that dollar at stores opened by Yankees--our -only source of supply. - -Few persons had property readily convertible into greenbacks, and -Confederate money was being burned or used by the bale to paper rooms in -the home of its possessor. No man knew how to invest money that had -escaped the absorption of war, and when he did invest it he usually lost -it. For the next ten years what the sword had not devoured the "canker -worm" (cotton worm, with us) ate up. - -The people were in favor of reorganizing the States in accord with the -Union. But the iniquities of carpet-bag governments and the diabolisms of -"black and tan" conventions for a long time kept respectable men out of -politics. It was indeed too "filthy a pool" to be entered. At a longer -perspective this seems to have been a mistake. If the best men of the -country had gone into the people's service--as did General Longstreet with -most patriotic but futile purpose--they might have arrested incessant -lootings of the people's hard-wrested tax-money and the nefarious -legislation that enriched the despised carpet-bagger and -scalawag--present, like the vultures, only for the prey after the battle. -So many men, however, had been disfranchised by reason of Confederate -service that it is doubtful if enough respectability was eligible for -office, to have had any purifying effect on public affairs. - -In this crisis our Northern friends advised us after the following -fashion. Major A. L. Brewer, Mr. Merrick's uncle, who had belonged to -Sherman's army, sent me, in 1865, a letter from New Lisbon, Ohio: - - "MY DEAR CARRIE,--Your devotion to Edwin makes you very dear to me. - You know my attachment to him and that I regard him as a son. He was - always my favorite nephew. Since the war is over I trust that he will - now take the oath of allegiance, and should he need any aid I can - render it. The Secretary of War, Postmaster-General, Senators Nolle - and Sherman of Ohio, and many others, are my staunch friends. - - "As far as suffering is concerned you have had your share; but I would - gladly have endured it for you if I could have saved my dear boy - Charlie, who fell in battle. He was noble and brave, and my heart is - chilled with grief for his loss. - - "This was a foolish, unnatural war, and after four years of bloodshed - and destruction I rejoice that it is over, and that discord will never - again disturb the peace in our country. But the authors of the - rebellion have paid dearly for their folly and wickedness. When I - reflect upon the misery brought about by a few arch villains, I find - it hard to control my feelings;--I should feel differently had they - been the only sufferers. When I look upon the distress which has - fallen upon the masses in the South, I have no sympathy for the - instigators of the war. - - "But, my dear, you have fared better than many who came within my - observation; as I followed Sherman, I have seen whole plantations - utterly destroyed, houses burnt and women and children driven into the - woods without warning. The torch was applied to everything. Sometimes - the women would save a few things, but in most cases they went forth - bareheaded to make the ground their bed and the sky their roof. The - next day when the hungry children came prowling around our camps in - search of something to eat, the Federal soldiers who left wives and - children at home, and who had the hearts of men, were sorry for them. - But such is the cruelty of war and military discipline." - -Captain Charles B. White, a West Point officer in the United States -service in New Orleans, wrote my daughter Clara, after his return to New -York, in this manner: "I find your experiences in the kitchen very -amusing. Our Northern ladies have an idea that you of the South know -nothing practically of housekeeping. Quite erroneous is it not? I have -been for some time in Boston and find the girls here prettier as a class, -than those of any other city I have visited, not excepting Baltimore. They -are so sensible and self-assisting. You see that army people look at the -practical side of life. As our salaries are not large it is essential that -our domestic establishments should be as good as possible with the least -outlay of cash. We are therefore compelled to think of our future life -companions in the light of these considerations. - -"It is very agreeable to be here with those in full accord on social and -political subjects,--not that I am a politician; but since we are the -victors, I hold that we cannot ignore the principles for which we fought. -I think that it behooves Wade Hampton, Toombs, Cobb and Robert Ould to -hold their tongues, and to be thankful that they are not punished for -their evil deeds, rather than be so blatant of their own shame. I am sorry -to find you in favor of Mr. Seymour. He is from my own State, but he is a -blot upon it; personally he is a gentleman,--as far as a dough-face and a -copper-head can be one. A few Northern politicians may, for -self-interest, humble themselves and praise traitors, but the masses are -as much disposed as ever to make treason odious. The South ought not again -to fall into the error of 1860, and estrange their real friends, and -irritate the Northern masses. We have undisguised admiration for General -Longstreet and his class who became reconstructed and attend to business. - -"I do not admire Mr. S. W. Conway nor other adventurers in Louisiana, but -their opponents are still more unreasonable and unprincipled. It will take -me some time to become convinced that plantation negroes will make good -legislators. I have not been in favor of negro suffrage, but now it seems -the only expedient left us for the reconstruction of the turbulent South. -All sorts of lies are trumped up by the Democrats about Grant and Colfax. -I always object to personal abuse in a political controversy. - -"I see my services will be no longer required in Louisiana, and my leave -expires next month. I see with equal clearness that beyond my immediate -circle of friends I shall scarcely be missed. How humbling to a conceited -man, who thinks himself essential, to return and find the household going -on just as well without him!" - -With such amenities of intercourse between the conquered and the -conquerors it may not seem to some observers extraordinary that -reconstruction progressed so slowly. Mr. Richard Grant White said in the -_North American Review_ respecting the great struggle of the Sections: -"The South had fought to maintain an inequality of personal rights and an -aristocratic form of society. The North had fought, not in a crusade for -equality and against aristocracy, but for _money_--after the first flush -of enthusiasm caused by 'firing on the flag' had subsided. The Federal -Government was victorious simply because it had the most men and the most -money. The Confederate cause failed simply because its men and its money -were exhausted; for no other reason. Inequality came to an end in the -South; equality was established throughout the Union; but the real victors -were the money-makers, merchants, bankers, manufacturers, railwaymen, -monopolists and speculators. It was their cause that had triumphed under -the banners of freedom." - -Words cannot give so strong a confirmation of the above as the fact of the -South's pitiful 175,000 men against the 1,000,000 men of the North -mustered out of service after the surrender. But it is not my purpose to -enter upon the history of the civil war farther than it touched my own -life. - - "Write our story as you may, - ----------------but even you, - With your pen, could never write - Half the story of our land---- - -------------- - "Warrior words--but even they - Fail as failed our men in gray;---- - Fail to tell the story grand - Of our cause and of our land." - -A pretty young creature said to her aged relative: "Why, money can never -make people happy!" - -"No, my child," replied the old lady, "but it can make them very -comfortable." The South learned in the direst way--through the want of -it--the comfort of money. It has learned also through the aggressions of -trusts and monopolies how comfortable and dangerous a thing money may -prove to be to the liberties of a people. It was during the war and soon -after it that vast fortunes were made at the North. - -The South has long ago accepted its destiny as an integral element of the -United States and the great American people. It has set its face -resolutely forward with historic purpose. It clings to its past only as -its traditions and practices safe-guarded constitutional rights and the -integrity of a true republic. Its simpler social structure has enabled it -to keep a clearer vision of the purposes of our forefathers in government -than the North, with its tremendous infiltration of foreigners ingrained -with monarchical antecedents, and with the complex interests of many -classes. Never, perhaps, so much as now has a "solid South" been needed to -help to keep alive the principles of true democracy. But "old, sore -cankering wounds that pierced and stung,--throb no longer." - -Money is comfort, but love is happiness. The love of one God and a common -country "has welded fast the links which war had broken." - -The negro question of the South has become the problem of the nation. This -is retributive justice; for the North introduced slavery into the colonial -provinces, and sold the slaves to the South when they had ceased to be -profitable in Massachusetts. The South found them renumerative and kept -them. This branch of the subject may be dismissed with the reflection that -it is a disposition common to humanity to use any sort of sophistry to -excuse or palliate bias of feeling and departures in conduct from the -right way. Everybody--North and South--is equally glad that slavery is now -abolished, notwithstanding differences of opinion as to the methods by -which it was accomplished. - -Judge Tourgee, in his "Fool's Errand," said: "The negroes were brought -here against their will. They have learned in two hundred years the -rudiments of civilization, the alphabet of religion, law, mechanic arts, -husbandry. Freed without any great exertion upon their part, enfranchised -without any intelligent or independent cooperation--no wonder they deem -themselves the special pets of Providence." Seven years ago when cotton -was selling for four cents a pound and starvation was staring in the face -alike the planter and the negro tenant, the owner of a large plantation -said to one of her old slaves: "Oh, these are dreadful times, Maria! How -are we to live through them! I'm distressed for the people on the place. I -fear they will suffer this winter!" "Lor, Miss Annie," Maria replied, "I -ain't 'sturbin' my mine 'bout it. White folks dun tuk keer me all my life -an' I spec's they gwine ter keep on ter the eend!" The negro Providence is -"white folks." If they seem a bit slow in doling out to their desire they -know how to help themselves, and it is well they do. - -The sudden freedom of the black man as a war measure and his -enfranchisement as a political necessity of the Republican party was a -social earthquake for the South and a sort of moral cataclysm for the -North. The one was too stunned by the shock, the other too delirious with -success to be able to grasp the portent of such an event in the national -life. The North approached it with abolition, fanaticism, and expected the -liberated slave to be an ally of freedom of which he had no true -conception. The South was an instinctive and hereditary ruler, and the -freedman was overrunning its daily life and traditions. It is not -wonderful that the negro has suffered in this conflict of antagonistic -ideas. - -The enfranchisement of the old slave has set back the development of the -South for a generation, because it has been compelled to gauge all its -movements on the race line. It has hindered the North for an equal time -because the political value of the colored brother to the Republican party -has seemed to overshadow every other phase of his development. But -schooling and training can remodel even the prejudices of intelligent -minds and sincere natures. Thirty-five years of mistakes have convinced -both North and South that the negro has been long enough sacrificed to -political interests. - -Those only who have long lived where the negro equals or outnumbers the -white population can understand his character, and the grave problem now -confronting this nation. - -The danger of enfranchising a large class uninstructed in the duties of -citizenship and totally ignorant of any principles of government, will -prove an experiment not in vain if it enforces on the people of the -United States the necessity to restrict suffrage to those who are trained -in the knowledge and spirit of American institutions. It should serve to -emphasize the unwisdom and injustice of denying the ballot because of sex -to one half of its American born citizens who, by education and -patriotism, are qualified for the highest citizenship. Our government will -never become truly democratic until it lives up to its own principles, "No -taxation without representation, no government without the consent of the -governed." Suffrage should be the privilege of those only who have -acquired a right to it by educating themselves for its responsibilities. A -proper educational qualification for the ballot, without sex or color -lines, would actualize our vision of "a government for the people, of the -people and by the people," and would eliminate the ignorant foreigner of -all nationalities and colors, as well as the white American who is too -indolent or unintelligent to fit himself for the duties of citizenship. - -Happily the true friend of the Afro-Americans, North and South, begins to -distinguish between their accidental and their permanent well-being. The -negro himself is coming to realize that he must make the people with whom -he lives his best friends; that the conditions which are for the good of -the whites of his community are good for him; that his development must be -economic instead of political; that only as he learns to cope with the -Anglo-Saxon as a breadwinner will he become truly a freed man. - -The African in the South is better off than any laboring class on earth. -His industrial conditions have less stress in them. He is seldom out of -work unless by his own choice or inefficiency. The climate is in his -favor. In the agricultural districts land is cheap for purchase or rent. -Gardens, stock, poultry and fruit are easily at his command. For little -effort he is well clothed and well fed. Fuel costs him only the gathering. -The soil responds freely to his careless cultivation. In the trades no -distinctions are made between the white and the colored mechanic as to -wages or opportunity. There is no economic prejudice against him; he is -freely employed by the whites even as a contractor. But the Southern white -will "ride alone"--even in a hearse--rather than ride with the negro -socially outside the electric cars. Otherwise his old master is the -negro's best friend. A study of the State Report of Education will -convince the most skeptical that the public school fund is divided -proportionally with the colored schools, though the whites pay nearly the -whole tax. Besides, while Ohio, and perhaps other Northern States, -prohibit negro teachers in the public schools, the South, with a view to -rewarding as well as stimulating the ambition of the student, gives the -preference to colored teachers for their own schools. - -Removed from the arena of politics the black man has no real enemy but -himself. It will not do to judge the masses by the few who have been able -to lift themselves above their fellows. Their religion is emotional, often -without moral standards. Some of them are indolent, improvident and -shiftless to a degree that largely affects white prosperity. But though -they have faults which do not even "lean to virtue's side," they are -good-natured, teachable, forgiving, loving and lovable. - -[Illustration: BECKY COLEMAN] - -The nation should look with encouragement and gratitude to Booker T. -Washington as the real Moses who, by industrial education, proposes to -lead his people out of their real bondage. Only by making themselves -worthy will they be able to exist on kindly terms with the white race. The -same slow process of the ages which has wrought out Anglo Saxon -civilization will elevate this race. Nature's law of growth for them, as -for white people, is struggle. The fittest will survive. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -LAURA'S DEATH IN THE EPIDEMIC OF '78. - - -The war fully ended and our city home recovered, we removed to New -Orleans. I devoted myself wholly to my family and to domestic affairs. -Friends gathered about us and some delightful people made our neighborhood -very pleasant. It was in my present home that my daughter Laura was -married to Louis J. Bright, and soon after, Clara was united to James B. -Guthrie; both young men were settled in New Orleans, so that I was spared -the pain of total separation. My son David established himself on his own -plantation in Point Coupe, and soon after married Miss Lula Dowdell of -Alabama. Our summers were spent alternately in Myrtle Grove and the North, -or the Virginia Springs. - -Mothers are usually held responsible for the shortcomings of their -children. Sometimes this is just, but children often cruelly misrepresent -good parents. It should never be forgotten that mothers and children are -very human, and that the vocation upon which young people enter with least -training is parenthood. Children and parents get their training together. -It takes love and wisdom and proper environment to bring both to their -best; but sometimes evil hereditary and vicious social institutions prove -stronger than all of these combined forces of the home. The nation can -never know the power and beauty of the mother until it evolves a true -protective tenderness for the child, and encompasses it with safest -conditions for its development. It is a growing wonder that women have -borne so long in silence the existence of establishments which the State -fosters to the debasement of their sons. Only the habit of subjection--the -legacy of the ages--could have produced this pathetic stoicism. If a horse -knew his strength, no man could control him. When women realize their -God-given power, the community in which their children are born will not -tempt them to their death by the open saloon, the gambling den and the -haunt of shame. Until that happy time the inexhaustible supply of love and -sympathy which goes out from the mother-heart is the child's chiefest -shelter. Obedience is what parents should exact from infants if they -expect it from grown children. The slaves of the severer masters stayed -with them during the war, when those of indulgent ones ran away. It is the -petted, spoiled darlings whose ultimate "ingratitude is sharper than the -serpent's tooth." - -When friends were won by my daughters it was gratifying to me, for it -proved that the womanly accomplishment of making themselves beloved was a -lesson they had laid to heart--and they had learned it by their own -fireside where love ruled and reigned. I was glad in all my children, and -a devoted mother is sure of her ultimate reward. I was very proud when -Clara replied to a friend who expressed surprise that she should visit me -on my reception day: "I should be happy to claim a half-hour of my -mother's society if she were not related to me." I was very content with -my two daughters happily married and settled near me--doubly mine by the -tie of congenial tastes and pursuits. - -In 1878 my household had gone North for the summer. On September 1st a -telegram reached me at Wilbraham, Mass., saying, "Laura died at 12 -o'clock, M." I had plead with her to leave New Orleans with me, but in her -self-sacrificing devotion to her husband, who was never willing that she -should be absent from him, she remained at home and fell a victim in the -great yellow fever epidemic. - -Previous to her marriage she had spent all her summers in the country or -in travel, and was wholly unacclimated. Clara wrote thus to Captain S. M. -Thomas from Sewanee, Tenn., in September of that dreadful year: "The pity -of it, Uncle Milton! You will understand how it is with us at this time. -Mother is broken-hearted. You have ever been a large figure in Laura's and -my girlhood recollections, and mother asks me to write to you. Laura -Ellen's death was just as painful as it could be. Father and mother were -in Wilbraham, and every one of us gone but dear, good cousin Louise -Brewer, and Louis--her husband. Oh! he made a terrible mistake in -remaining in that doomed city. I have an added pang that I shall carry -with me till I too go away--that I was not with her in her supreme hour. - -"The dear girl wrote daily to mother, David, and me, until death snatched -away her pen. 'Fear not for me, dearest mother,' was on her last postal -card. 'My trust is in God.' It were enough to make an angel weep if the -true history of this awful summer could be written. Our grief is without -any alleviation--unless in sister's beautiful character and Christian -life. If I had been there I should have tried with superhuman efforts to -hold her back from death. It was Sunday--and Dr. Walker dismissed his -congregation at Felicity church to go, at her request, to her deathbed. He -has told us of her great faith, her willingness to go, the perfect -clearness of her mind, and the calm fortitude she manifested even when she -kissed her children good-by. Breathing softly she went to sleep and closed -her sweet blue eyes on this world--forever. - -"Cousin Louise says Louis was nearly frantic. It is a terrible blow, and -he has the added pain of knowing it might have been different but for the -fatal mistake of judgment which brought such awful results. I have to -school myself, and fight every day a new battle for calmness and -resignation. I shall never grow accustomed to the hard fact that her -bright and heavenly presence must be forever wanting in her own home, and -shall never again grace mine. She died saying, 'Jesus is with me!' Well He -might be, for she died, as He, sacrificing herself for others." - -There was no one too old or too poor, or too uninteresting to receive -Laura's attention. Sometimes this disposition annoyed me; but though I did -not always recognize it, she was always living out the divine altruism of -Christ. She was ever active in charities and a useful director of St. -Ann's Asylum. - -Among many others I gather the following expressions in letters from those -who had known her intimately: "Nobody feared her, everybody loved her. She -was an angel for forgiving. The brightness in her life came from the -angelic cheerfulness of her own soul, which would not yield to outward -conditions. She had an infinite capacity for getting joy out of barren -places."--"I do not hope to know again a nature so blended in sweetness -and strength. It is no common chance that takes away a noble mind--so full -of meekness yet with so much to justify self-assertion. There was an -atmosphere of grace, mercy and peace floating about her, edifying and -delighting all who came near." - -Coming from a long line of tender, gentle, saintly women--the Brewers on -the Merrick side--she belonged to that type celebrated in story and -embalmed in song, of which nearly every generation of Brewers has produced -at least one representative human angel. - -A more than full measure of days has convinced me that among our permanent -joys are the friends who have drifted with our own life current. In -addition to the pleasure of communion with lofty and sympathetic spirits -such friendships have the "tendency to bring the character into finer -life." "A new friend," says Emerson, "entering our house is an era in our -true history." Our friends illustrate the course of our conduct. It is the -progress of our character that draws them about us. Among those friends -whom the struggling years after the war brought to me was Mrs. Anita -Waugh, a Boston woman; a sojourner in Europe while her father was U. S. -Minister to Greece, a long-time resident of Cuba, and, during the period -in which I made her acquaintance, a teacher in New Orleans. In an old -letter to one of my children I find: "Mrs. Waugh makes much of your -mother. She is happier for having known me. I have been helped by her to -some knowledge from the vast store-house which may never be taken account -of--still I here make the acknowledgment." - -Frances Willard said of her, "She is rarely gifted, and I enjoy her -thought--so different from my own practical life. She is a seer (see-er)!" - -Her wide acquaintance with remarkable people invested her with rare -interest. In one of her many letters to me, dated in 1873, she says with -fine catholicity of spirit and exceptional insight: "I think the so-called -religious world lays too much stress on the infidelity of such men as -Tyndall and Huxley and Spencer. They have not reached the point in their -spiritual growth where knowledge opens the domain of real, pure worship; -they are in a transition period, are still groping about in a world of -effects, living in a world of results of which they have not yet found the -cause. Spencer has given the most masterly exposition of the nervous -system which has yet been made. The next step would have been into the -domain of the spiritual. Here he stopped, because his mind has not yet -reached the degree of development in which the utterances of truth -perceived becomes the highest duty. When he shall have rounded and brought -up all of his studies to a point equally advanced with his Psychology then -he will be obliged to say, 'My God and my Lord!' I hope he may soon, as -Longfellow said, 'Touch God's right hand in the darkness.'" - -Science--and the Church--did not long have to wait for the Wallace and -Henry Drummond of Mrs. Waugh's intuition. - -During repeated visits to the Yellow Sulphur Springs in Virginia, Mr. -Merrick and I were seated at table with the famous Confederate Commanders, -General Jubal Early and General G. T. Beauregard, who had become -additionally conspicuous by their connection with the Louisiana lottery. -General Beauregard called frequently upon us, and I met him also at -Waukesha, in Wisconsin. He was very kind to me, and greatly enjoyed -hearing some of my nonsensical dialect readings. At the latter place the -women were much impressed by his handsome and distinguished appearance and -manners. When he called at my hotel many of them were eager in their -entreaties to be introduced; our gallant general would bow graciously, but -they were not to be satisfied unless he would also take them by the hand. - -On February 24, 1893, General Beauregard was lying in state on his bier in -the City Hall of New Orleans, and I was holding a convention of the -Louisiana W. C. T. U. I could not help alluding to the death of this -beloved old soldier, and I asked the women to go and look upon his -handsome face for the last time. He was a perfect type of his -class--courtly, generous, chivalrous. He had been in the Mexican war, and -was the only general of the old Confederacy who belonged in New Orleans. -The hearts of the people were touched, and when the meeting adjourned -many groups of W. C. T. U. women were added to the crowds who went to look -their last upon the face of the dead. Miss Points was pleased to say in -the _New Orleans Picayune_: "It was a beautiful act on the part of our -women; and it acquired a new significance and beauty in that it was the -outgrowth of the strong friendship and appreciation of the wife of the -distinguished man who was our Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the -days of the Confederacy." This was a tribute which she reminded them to -offer to one of the dead heroes of our late war between the states! - -"The great effort of courage I have made in my life was going in a skiff -in an overflow, with Stephen and Allen, two inexperienced negro rowers, to -Red River Landing in order to reach a steamboat for New Orleans, where, at -the close of the war, I wanted to get supplies for my family and for my -neighbors, who were in extremities by reason of the crevasse. That was an -act of bravery--hunger forced it--which astonished into exclamation the -captain of a Federal gunboat, Capt. Edward P. Lull, who made me take the -oath of allegiance before I could leave. You know how afraid I am of water -and of any _little_ boat; but give men or women a sufficiently powerful -motive and they can do anything." - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A FIRST SPEECH AND SOME NOTED WOMEN. - - -In those broken-hearted days Clara said with a pathetic earnestness: "Now -I must try to be two daughters to you. You have not lost all your -children--only your best child." We drew nearer and more mutually -dependent as time passed, each trying to fill the awful void for the -other. How could I dream that the insatiable archer was only waiting, with -fatal dart in rest, to claim another victim? We made common joy as well as -sorrow, and tried to lead each other out into the sunlit places, the -simple pleasures of home and social life. - -Early in the year 1897 a State Constitutional Convention was assembled in -New Orleans. The legal inequality of woman in Louisiana had already -challenged the notice of some women, and a recent incident was outraging -the hearts of a few who had the vision of seers. The Board of Control of -St. Ann's Asylum--an institution in New Orleans for the relief of -destitute women and children--was composed entirely of women. A German -inmate on her deathbed revealed that she had $1,000 in bank, and by a -will, witnessed by members of the Board, she bequeathed it to the -institution which had sheltered her. On submission of the will to -probate, the ladies were informed that it was invalid, because a woman was -not a legal witness to a will. The bequest went to the State--and the -women went to thinking and agitating. - -Mrs. Elizabeth L. Saxon urged that we should appear before the Convention -with our grievances. I did not feel equal to such an effort, but Mrs. -Saxon said: "Instead of grieving yourself to death for your daughter who -is gone, rise up out of the ashes and do something for the other women who -are left!" My husband insisted that, having always wanted to do something -for women, now was my opportunity. Mrs. Saxon and I drew up the following -petition: - -"To the Honorable President and Members of the Convention of the State of -Louisiana, convened for the purpose of framing a new Constitution: - -"Petition of the undersigned, citizens of the State of Louisiana, -respectfully represents: - -"That up to the present time, all women, of whatever age or capacity, have -been debarred from the right of representation, notwithstanding the -burdensome taxes which they have paid. - -"They have been excluded from holding office save in cases of special -tutorship in limited degree--or of administration only in specified cases. - -"They have been debarred from being witnesses in wills or notarial acts, -even when executed by their own sex. - -"They look upon this condition of things as a grievance proper to be -brought before your honorable body for consideration and relief. - -"As a question of civilization, we look upon the enfranchisement of women -as an all important one. In Wyoming, where it has been tried for ten -years, the Lawmakers and Clergy unite in declaring that this influx of -women voters has done more to promote law, morality and order, than -thousands of armed men could have accomplished. - -"Should the entire franchise seem too extended a privilege, we most -earnestly urge the adoption of a property qualification, and that women -may also be allowed a vote on school and educational matters, involving as -they do the interests of women and children in a great degree. - -"So large a proportion of the taxes of Louisiana is paid by women, many of -them without male representatives, that in granting consideration and -relief for grievances herein complained of, the people will recognize -Justice and Equity; that to woman as well as man 'taxation without -representation is tyranny,' she being 'a person, a citizen, a freeholder, -a taxpayer,' the same as man, only the government has never held out the -same fostering, protecting hand to all alike, nor ever will, until women -are directly represented. - -"Wherefore, we, your petitioners, pray that some suitable provision -remedying these evils be incorporated in the Constitution you are about to -frame." - -Four hundred influential names were secured to the petition, Mrs. Saxon, -almost unaided, having gained three hundred of them. It was sent to the -Convention and referred to the Committee on Suffrage, which on May 7 -invited the ladies to a conference at the St. Charles Hotel. Mrs. Mollie -Moore Davis, Colonel and Mrs. John M. Sandige, Mr. and Mrs. Saxon were -present. Dr. Harriette C. Keating, a representative woman in professional -life, Mrs. Elizabeth L. Saxon, already a well-known and fearless reformer, -and Caroline E. Merrick, as the voice of home, were chosen to appear -before the Convention on the evening of June 16, 1879. Eighty-six members -of the Convention were present; a half hundred representatives of "lovely -woman" were there. Mrs. Myra Clark Gaines, the celebrated litigant, with a -few other notables, occupied the middle of the floor, and youth and beauty -retired into a corner. Mr. Poche, chairman of the Suffrage Committee, and -afterward a member of the Supreme Court of the State, asked me if I were -afraid. "Afraid," I said, "is not the word. I'm scared almost to death!" -He tried to encourage me by recounting the terrors of many men similarly -placed. - -Mrs. Keating was first introduced, and, at the Secretary's desk, in a -clear voice, with dignified self-possession set forth the capabilities of -women for mastering political science sufficiently to vote intelligently -on questions of the day. Mrs. Saxon following, was greeted with an -outburst of welcome. She reviewed the customs of various nations to which -women were required to conform, and called attention to the fact that the -party which favored woman suffrage would poll twelve million votes. She -made clear that the fact of sex could not qualify or disqualify for an -intelligent vote: she mentioned that numbers of women had told her they -wanted to be present that night, but their husbands would not permit them -to come. - -Mrs. Elizabeth Lyle Saxon is a woman possessed of fine intellect and an -uncommonly warm and generous nature. She was a pioneer in the Suffrage -Cause in the South, and has ably represented its interests in National -gatherings. She was sent as delegate from this State to the International -Suffrage Association of the World's Auxiliary Congress in 1893. All along -the way she has given of her best with whole-hearted zeal to further the -cause of women, and should claim the undying gratitude of those for whom -she has helped to build the bridges of human equality. - -Mr. Robertson, of St. Landry, then offered the resolution: "Resolved, That -the Committee on elective franchise be directed to embody in the articles -upon suffrage reported to this Convention, a provision giving the right of -suffrage to women upon the same terms as to men." - -Under the rules this resolution had to lie over. - -Fearing that I could not be heard, I had proposed that Mr. Jas. B. -Guthrie, my son-in-law, should read my speech. But Mrs. Saxon said: "You -do not wish a man to represent you at the polls; represent yourself now, -if you only stand up and move your lips." "I will," I said. "You are -right." The following is my address in part: - -"Mr. President and Delegates of the Convention: - -"When we remember the persistent and aggressive efforts which our -energetic sisters of the North have exerted for so many years in their -struggle before they could obtain a hearing from any legislative assembly, -we find ourselves lost in a pleasing astonishment at the graciousness -which beams upon us here from all quarters. Should we even now be remanded -to our places, and our petition meet with an utter refusal, we should be -grieved to the heart, we should be sorely disappointed, but we never could -cherish the least feeling of rebellious spite toward this convention of -men, who have shown themselves so respectful and considerate toward the -women of Louisiana. - -"Perhaps some of the gentlemen thought we did not possess the moral -courage to venture even thus far from the retirement in which we have -always preferred to dwell. Be assured that a resolute and conscientious -woman can put aside her individual preferences at the call of duty, and -act unselfishly for the good of others. - -"The ladies who have already addressed you have given you unanswerable -arguments, and in eloquent language have made their appeal, to which you -could not have been insensible or indifferent. It only remains for me to -give you some of my own individual views in the few words which are to -conclude this interview. - -"The laws on the statute books permit us to own property and enjoy its -revenues, but do not permit us to say who shall collect the taxes. We are -thus compelled to assist in the support of the State in an enforced way, -when we ourselves would greatly prefer to do the same thing with our own -intelligent, free consent. - -"We know this Republic has been lauded in the old times of the Fourth of -July orations as the freest, best government the world ever saw. If women, -the better half of humanity, were allowed a voice and influence in its -councils, I believe it would be restored to its purity and ancient glory; -and a nobler patriotism would be brought to life in the heart of this -nation. - -"It seems to me that there ought to be a time, to which we may look -forward with satisfaction, when we shall cease to be minors, when the -sympathy and assistance we are so capable of furnishing in the domestic -relation, may in a smaller degree be available for the good and economical -management of public affairs. It really appears strange to us, after we -have brought up children and regulated our houses, where often we have the -entire responsibility, with money and valuables placed in our charge, that -a man can be found who would humiliate us by expressing an absolute fear -to trust us with the ballot. - -"In many nations there is an army of earnest, thoughtful, large-hearted -women, working day and night to elevate their sex; for their higher -education; to open new avenues for their industrious hands; trying to make -women helpers to man, instead of millstones round his neck to sink him in -his life struggle. - -"Ah, if we could only infuse into your souls the courage which we, -constitutionally timid as we are, now feel on this subject, you would not -only dare but hasten to perform this act of justice and inaugurate the -beginning of the end which all but the blind can see is surely and -steadily approaching. We are willing to accept anything. We have always -been in the position of beggars, as now, and cannot be choosers if we -wished. We shall gladly accept the franchise on any terms, provided they -be wholly and entirely honorable. If you should see proper to subject us -to an educational test, even of a high order, we would try to attain it; -if you require a considerable property qualification, we would not -complain. We would be only too grateful for any amelioration of our legal -disabilities. Allow me to ask, are we less prepared for the intelligent -exercise of the right of suffrage than were the freedmen when it was -suddenly conferred upon them? - -"Perhaps you think only a few of us desire the ballot. Even if this were -true, we think it would not be any sufficient reason for withholding it. -In old times most of our slaves were happy and contented. Under the rule -of good and humane masters, they gave themselves no trouble to grasp after -the unattainable freedom which was beyond their reach. So it is with us -to-day. We are happy and kindly treated (as witness our reception -to-night), and in the enjoyment of the numerous privileges which our -chivalrous gentlemen are so ready to accord; many of us who feel a wish -for freedom do not venture even to whisper a single word about our rights. -For the last twenty-five years I have occasionally expressed a wish to -vote, and it was always received with surprise; but the sort of effect -produced was as different as the characters of the individuals with whom I -conversed. I cannot see how the simple act of voting can hurt or injure a -true and noble woman any more than it degrades the brave and honorable -man. - -"Gentlemen of the Convention, we now leave our cause in your hands, and -commend it to your favorable consideration. We have pointed out to you the -signs of the dawning of a better day for woman, which are so plain before -our eyes, and implore you to reach out your hands and help us to establish -that free and equal companionship which God ordained in the beginning in -the Garden of Eden before the serpent came and curses fell." - -Mrs. Sarah A. Dorsey was prevented by illness, which terminated fatally, -from appearing personally, but sent a letter which was read before the -Convention by Col. John M. Sandige. She advanced, among others, the -following ideas: "Being left by the fiat of God entirely alone in the -world, with no man to represent me; having large interests in the State, -and no voice either in representation or taxation, while hundreds of my -negro lessees vote and control my life and property, I feel that I ought -to say one word that may aid many other women whom fate has left equally -destitute. I ask representation for taxation--for my sisters and for the -future race. We do not expect to do men's work, we can never pass the -limits which nature herself has set. But we ask for justice; we ask for -the removal of unnatural restrictions that are contrary to the elemental -spirit of the civil law; we do not ask for rights, but for permission to -assume our natural responsibilities." - -Mrs. Dorsey was a native of Mississippi, and became widely conspicuous by -reason of the bequest of her home, Beauvoir, and other personal property, -to Mr. Jefferson Davis. She made this will because, as mentioned in the -document, "I do not intend to share in the ingratitude of my country -toward the man who is, in my eyes, the highest and noblest in existence." -Mrs. Elisha Warfield, of Kentucky, was the aunt of Mrs. Dorsey, and the -author of the novel "Beauvoir," from which the plantation was named, and -which estate Mrs. Dorsey devoted to the cultivation of oranges. She was a -rarely gifted woman. Besides the usual accomplishments of women of her -day, she possessed remarkable musical skill, and was a pupil of Bochsa, -owning the harp which he had taught her to handle as a master. She was a -writer of power and had studied law and book-keeping. A friend who was -present in her last illness wrote me: "She appeared to greater advantage -in her home than anywhere else. She was of those whom one comes to know -soon and to love; and is one of the many who have passed on, with whom the -meeting again is looked forward to with true delight." - -When the new Constitution was promulgated it contained but one little -concession to women: "Art. 232.--Women twenty-one years of age and upwards -shall be eligible to any office of control or management under the school -laws of the State." - -The women of Louisiana have realized no advantage from this law. Their -first demand was for a place on the school board of New Orleans, in 1885. -The governor fills by appointment all school offices. Gov. McEnery ruled -that Art. 232 of the Constitution was inoperative until there should be -legislation to enforce it, the existing statutes of Louisiana barring a -woman from acting independent of her husband, and would make the husband -of a married woman a co-appointee to any public office; that a repeal of -this _in solido_ statute was necessary before he could place a woman on -the school board. - -Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton's seventieth birthday was on Nov. 12 of this -year. In her honor a special reception was held by the Woman's Club of New -Orleans. I here reviewed the action of the governor in a paper which set -forth the following points: First, that the Constitution is imperative; -that legislation for its self-acting and absolute provisions would be to -place the creature in control of the creator. Second, that the legislature -had no jurisdiction over the eligibility of women to appointment on school -boards, as the Constitution had explicitly declared that "women twenty-one -and upwards shall be eligible." Third, if the governor's objection against -married women were valid it had no force against unmarried women and -widows. - -Protest, however, proved futile. No succeeding governor appointed a woman, -so no test case was ever made, and the Constitutional Convention of 1898 -repealed this little shadow of justice to women, even in the face of the -fact that at the time the small concession was made one-half of the 80,000 -children in the public schools of New Orleans were girls, and 368 out of -the 389 teachers were women. - - * * * * * - -In 1880 I met General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, at a private reception -given at the home of Hon. Walker Fearn, in New Orleans. The General was a -handsome, soldierly man. I told him that we had mutual friends, and named -Bishop Simpson, whom, with his wife, I had entertained, and liked because -of his liberal views toward women. "That," said General Grant, "is what I -object to." "Oh, General," I answered, "I hope that you would not be -unwilling that we should have the ballot?" "No, Mrs. Merrick, I should not -be unwilling that you and Mrs. Grant should vote, but I should seriously -object to confer that responsibility on Bridget, your cook." I had always -heard that General Grant could not talk, and was surprised to find him so -genial and agreeable. Knowing me to be a Southern woman, he questioned me -keenly and intelligently about the people of my section. I had a half-hour -of delightful conversation with him, which he, equally with myself, seemed -to enjoy. - -During the year 1881 Miss Genevieve Ward was filling an engagement at the -Grand Opera House in New Orleans. This winning actress was a descendant of -Jonathan Edwards, the renowned Puritan preacher, and at that time was in -her prime. At the request of her husband's relatives in New York, my -daughter entertained this famous lady at a lunch party, where I was -present. We found her a dignified, modest woman, and, like Charlotte -Cushman, above reproach. She was an intimate friend of the great Ristori. -Among our twelve guests was Geo. W. Cable, already become famous. His last -book, with all of our autographs in it, was given to Miss Ward as a -souvenir of the occasion. - -My daughter had known Mr. Cable in his early literary ventures. He -sometimes brought chapters of his manuscript to read to her. The South -realized at once that a new literary artist had arisen out of its sea of -ruin. That he wounded the feelings of some of his people is largely -attributable to the fact that he spoke inopportunely; his work was cast -upon the tolerance of public opinion when every nerve was bleeding and -every heart hypersensitive to suggestion or criticism. It was too early an -expression, and fell upon bristling points of indignant protest. But that -he deeply loved his own city and people the most prejudiced can scarcely -doubt, now that the perspective of three decades has softened the -asperities of judgment. Only a soul that had made it his own could picture -as he has done the silence, the weirdness, the majesty of the moss-draped -swamps of lower Louisiana, the crimson and purple of the sunsets mirrored -upon the glistening surface of her black, shallow bayous,--the sparse and -flitting presence of man and beast and bird across this still-life making -it but the more desolate. Cable was the first to see the rich types -afforded to literature in the character, condition and history of the -Creoles, and he has transformed them into immortals. Only love can create -"pictures of life so exquisitely clear, delicately tender or tragically -sorrowful" as he has made of the Latin-Americans. The South has already -forgiven his historical frankness in its pride in the artist who has -preserved for the future the romance, and color, and beauty of a race -that, like so much else lovable and poetic and inspiring in our early -history, by the end of another century will be blended indistinguishably -with the less picturesque but all-prevailing type that is determining an -American people. - -I had been so impressed by his genius that I could not withhold from him -my word of appreciation, and received in 1879 the following reply to my -note: "I want to say to you that you are the first Southerner who has -expressed gratitude to the author of 'Old Creole Days' for telling the -truth. That has been my ambition, and to be recognized as having done it a -little more faithfully than most Southern writers is a source of as hearty -satisfaction as I have ever enjoyed. How full our South is of the richest -material for the story writer! - - "G. W. Cable." - -About this time Clara and the author of "Innocents Abroad" were guests -together in the same home in Buffalo, New York, from which place she wrote -me: "He is a wonderfully liberal yet clever talker. I think I shall be -able to d-r-a-w-l like him by two o'clock to-morrow, when he leaves. He -has written in my Emerson birthday book. When he found the selection for -November 30th to be that high and severely noble type of an ideal -gentleman, he laughed at its inappropriateness, and said: 'With my -antecedents and associations it is impossible that I can be a gentleman, -as I often tell my wife--to her furious indignation;'--so he signs himself -'S. L. Clemens, née Mark Twain,' in allusion to his early career as a -pilot, and the name by which the world first knew him. I like him -immensely, and shall doubtless weary you some morning with a reproduction -of his numerous unfoldings." - -I also met Mr. Clemens socially at Mr. Cable's house. Many years before, -I had seen Charlotte Cushman in the White Mountains. We were one day -together in the same stage. An opportunity offering, with much delight -Miss Cushman mounted to the top. She made her first appearance as Lady -Macbeth in New Orleans. She looked the "Meg Merrilies" she had re-created -for the world,--a vigorous woman in mind, body and character, and a gifted -talker; nobody else was listened to when she was present. She bore in her -face the earnestness of her spirit, the tragedy of her struggles, the -intensity of her sympathy and the calm strength of her success. - -Not long before her death I met Mrs. Eliza Leslie in Philadelphia. I was -exceedingly glad of this opportunity, for she was one of the few premature -women who had a message to give, and who did give it, notwithstanding in -doing so she had to bear the disgrace of being a "blue-stocking." She was -a very quiet and dignified woman. I saw that she was quite bored by the -loud talking of some small literary pretenders who were endeavoring to -astonish her by their remarks on French drama. One offered to read to her -an original poem, and the others assured her that she alone of American -women was capable of rendering the true spirit of a French play. She -talked with me about the South. She said she was glad to know that she had -Southern readers and friends, and that if ever she visited the South it -would be without prejudices. I thought of her sweet dishes, and I longed -to ask her about the size of that "piece of butter as big as a -hickory-nut" which, along with a gill of rosewater, her cook-book -constantly recommended, to my as constant perplexity and amusement. -(Query--What sized hickory-nut?) - -The next year in February, 1882, I dined at Mrs. Guthrie's with Edwin -Booth and his daughter Edwina. He was then at his best, and forty-nine -years of age. I saw him at that time as Hamlet. He was a very modest man -and dreaded after-dinner speeches, saying they gave him a stage-fright, -and that he always tried to sit by a guest who would promise to take his -place when he could not say anything. He was shown a rare edition of -Shakespere, and a disputed point being introduced, he read several pages -aloud with remarkable effect, though reading in private was contrary to -his habit. The day was Sunday, and he mentioned how delightful it was to -him to be in a quiet Christian home during the sacred hours. Booth -acquired no mannerisms with age. His art so mastered him--or he mastered -it--that his simplicity of style increased with years, which implies that -his character grew with his fame. - -Without being a habitue of the theater, I have enjoyed it from time to -time all along my life-road. There is undoubtedly much to object to in the -modern stage. Its personnel, methods of presentation and the character of -many of the plays should call down just and strong censure. But it seems -to me no more wrong to act a drama than to write one. Faith in humanity -and in the ultimate triumph of good leads me to the conclusion that if the -better people directed patient, believing effort to the purification of -the stage, the time would come when histrionic genius would be recognized -and cherished to its full value; and the best people would control the -theater, and would crowd from it those debasing dramas which, as never -before in our day, are having the encouragement of the leading social -classes. It is time something were done--and the right thing--to make it -at least "bad form" that young men and women should witness together the -broadly immoral plays that have of late so much shocked all right-minded -people. If one generation tolerates the breaking down of moral barriers in -public thought, the next generation may witness in equal degree the -destruction of personal morality. The stage is but the expression of an -instinctive human passion to impersonate. Masquerading is the favorite -game of every nursery. It has been well said that "a great human activity -sustained through many decades always has some deep and vital impulse -behind it; misuse and abuse of every kind cannot hide that fact and ought -not to hide it." An instinct cannot be destroyed, but it may be -directed--and nature is never immoral. Will the church ever be able to -discriminate between that which is intrinsically wrong and that which is -wrong by use and misdirection, and will it set itself to study without -prejudice the whole question of public amusements as a human necessity, -bringing the divine law to their regeneration rather than to their -condemnation? The existence of any evil presupposes its remedy. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -FRANCES WILLARD. - - -In June, 1881, I spoke by invitation before the Alumnæ Association of -Whitworth College, at Brookhaven, Mississippi,--a venerable institution -under the care of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. I did not give -those young women strong doctrine, but I set before them the duty to - - "Learn the mystery of progression truly:-- - Nor dare to blame God's gifts for incompleteness." - -Bishop Keener, the well-known opponent of women's public work, sat beside -me on the platform. When the addresses were concluded, he pronounced them -"very good." "For women?" I asked. "No," he returned, "for _anybody_!" I -treated the gentlemen to some of the extemporaneous "sugar plums" which -for a half century they have been accustomed to shower from the rostrum -upon women--"just to let them see how it sounded." Though it was against -the rules, they applauded as if they were delighted. - -I said: "Lest they should feel overlooked and slighted, I will say a word -to the men--God bless them. Our hearts warm toward the manly angels--our -rulers, guides, and protectors, to whom we confide all our troubles and -on whom we lay all our burdens. Oh! what a noble being is an honest, -upright, fearless, generous, manly man! How such men endear our firesides, -and adorn and bless our homes. How sweet is their encouragement of our -timid efforts in every good word and work, and how grateful we are to be -loved by these noble comforters, and how utterly wretched and sad this -world would be, deprived of their honored and gracious presence. Again, I -say God bless the men." - -This occasion was of moment to me, because it led to one of the chief -events of my life--my friendship and work with Frances E. Willard. She had -seen in the New Orleans _Times_ the address I made at Brookhaven, and was -moved to ask me if I could get her an audience in my city, which she had -already visited without results. I had been invited to join the little -band enlisted by Mrs. Annie Wittenmeyer, the first president of the -National Woman's Christian Temperance Union; but I had declined, saying -that this temperance work was the most unpopular and hardest reform ever -attempted. However, I looked up the remnant of the first society, and went -with their good president, Mrs. Frances A. Lyons, to call on every -minister in town, requesting each to announce the date of Miss Willard's -address, and to urge upon their congregations that they should hear her -speak. We were uncommonly successful, even that princely Christian, Rev. -B. F. Palmer, D. D., departing from the usual Presbyterian conservatism. -The result was a large audience in Carondelet Methodist Church, of which -Rev. Felix R. Hill was the brave pastor;--for it required no little moral -courage at that time to introduce a woman to speak, and to do it in a -church, and on a subject upon which the public conscience was not only -asleep, but which affronted even many Christians' sense of personal -liberty. - -I remember that I remonstrated when Miss Willard removed her bonnet and -stood with uncovered head. But I could find no fault with the noble -expression of serene sadness on her clear-cut features and with the gentle -humility and sweetness which emanated from her entire personality. -Heavenly sentiments dropped in fitly chosen sentences with perfect -utterance, as she argued for the necessity of a clear brain and pure -habits in order to establish the Master's kingdom on earth. The hearts of -the people went out to her in spontaneous sympathy and admiration; and the -brethren were ready to bid her God-speed, for they felt that this public -appearance was due to an impelling conviction that would not let her be -silent. Thus the New Orleans Methodist Church, that indomitable pioneer of -reform, proclaimed "All hail! to Frances Willard and the glorious cause." - -Some effort had been made to attain this success. With Miss Willard's -telegram in hand, I had despatched a message to my son, Edwin T. Merrick, -jr., and to the W. C. T. U., but the train arriving ahead of time, a -carriage brought the expected guest and her companion, Miss Anna Gordon, -to my door, where I alone received and welcomed them. After weary travels -over thousands of miles and stoppages in as many towns, they were glad to -rest a week in my home. I had sent out hundreds of cards for a reception. -My house was thronged. Distinguished members of the bench, the bar, the -pulpit, the press and the literary world were present, and a large number -of young women and men. Frances Willard came to most of these as a -revelation--this unassuming, delicate, progressive woman, with her sweet, -intellectual face, her ready gaiety and her extraordinarily enlarged -sympathies, which seemed to put her spirit at once in touch with every one -who spoke to her. She wore, I remember, a black brocaded silk and point -lace fichu. She ever had the right word in the right place as she greeted -each one who was presented. - -She particularly desired to see Geo. W. Cable, who was present with his -wife. "This is our literary lion to-night," I said. "Oh, no!" he replied, -"I come nearer being your house cat!" at which sally Miss Willard laughed. -This visit was in March, 1882. - -I did not attend all of Miss Willard's meetings, and was greatly surprised -when on returning from one of them she informed me that I was the -president of the W. C. T. U. of New Orleans. I protested, and let her know -I did not even have a membership in that body of women, she herself being -for me the only object of interest in it. Finding that the source of power -in my family resided ultimately in the head of the house, she wisely -directed her persuasions in his direction. It was not long before I was -advised by Mr. Merrick to come to terms and do whatever Miss Willard -requested. This was the beginning of my work in the Woman's Christian -Temperance Union and of a friendship which lasted until God called this -lovely and gifted being to come up into a larger life. - -Mrs. Hannah Whitehall Smith aptly styled Frances Willard "one of God's -best gifts to the American womanhood of this century," having done more to -enlarge their sympathies, widen their outlook and develop their mental -aspirations, than any other individual of our time. She inspired purpose -and courage in every heart. She said: "Sisters, we have no more need to be -afraid of the step ahead of us than of the one we have just taken." Women -have been ridiculed for their confidence in this glorious leader. It has -been said that if Frances Willard had pushed a thin plank over a -precipice, and had stepped out on it and said: "Come!" the White Ribbon -host would have followed her to destruction. Yes, they certainly would -have gone after her, for they had unwavering faith that her planks were -safely lodged on solid foundations, plain to her clear sight, even when -invisible to the rest of the world. I once told her that she had the fatal -power attributed to the maelstrom which swallowed up ships caught in the -circle of its attractions; that the women whom she wished to enlist in her -work were equally powerless to resist her compelling force. She had a -genius for friendships. - -Nor were Miss Willard's powers of attraction confined to her own sex. Her -fascination for men of taste was evident to the end of her blessed life. -Their letters of late date to her proved that "age could not wither nor -custom stale her infinite variety." Gifted men loved to sit at her feet; -she was kindly disposed to the whole brotherhood. I have heard her say, -"If there is a spectacle more odious and distasteful to me than a man who -hates women it is a woman who hates men." She also said: "If there is -anything on earth I covet that pertains to men it is their self-respect." -She combined in her work a wonderful grasp on details and all the -attributes of a great general, and in her temperament the intellectual and -the emotional qualities. This woman was capable of sympathy toward every -human being; she possessed the rare "fellowship of humanity," and while -she called out the best and noblest aspirations in others, she was herself -the gentlest and humblest and most ready to take reproof. She seemed -incapable of envy and jealousy, and it used to be said at National -Headquarters: "If you want a great kindness from Miss Willard it is only -necessary to persecute her a little." With all her discriminating insight -into human nature, her social relations were simply her human relations; -she had no time for "society"--only for humanity. She proved to the world -that a woman can be strong-minded, gentle-mannered and sweet-hearted at -the same time, and that the noblest are the simplest souls. - -No truthful pen picture can be given of Miss Willard which does not -include some account of the woman she loved best in the world. Lady Henry -Somerset, whom she had long admired in the distance, she loved at first -sight when this titled lady came to the World's and National W. C. T. U. -Conventions, at Boston, in 1891. The rank and file of her old friends were -startled and sore to discover that the queen of their affections, always -before so easy of access, was much absent after business hour in the -Convention, from her headquarters at the Revere House, and was with Lady -Henry at the Parker House. This emulation of the first place in their -leader's regard for a time somewhat threatened the unity and peace of the -White Ribbon Army in the United States. But Lady Somerset so swiftly made -her own way into American hearts that the littleness of jealousy was -discarded, and the women shared with Miss Willard high regard for this -noble Englishwoman--the daughter of the Earl of Somers. The _Review of -Reviews_ styled her "a romance adorning English life." She had only now -come to believe that if the world's woes are to be lessened, women must -grapple bravely with their causes and range themselves on the side of -those who struggle for justice; and that the heart and instinct and -intellect of woman must be felt in the councils of nations. Thus she -became the foremost woman in English reforms. - -I sent a word to Lady Henry asking if she objected to being mentioned in -these pages, and received the following characteristic reply: - - "EASTOR CASTLE, LEDBURY, Sept. 28, 1899. - - "MRS. C. E. MERRICK: - - "My dear friend, I thank you very much indeed for your letter. The - words you write about Frances touched my heart. She is indeed the - woman of the century who has done more than any other to give woman - her place, and yet retain her womanliness. Anything you care to say - about me and my poor little efforts belongs to you. Believe me yours - in our best and truest bond, - - "ISABEL SOMERSET." - -While the love I cherish for Frances Willard was shared, in such degree, -with Lady Henry, making a common bond between us, it was Mrs. Hannah -Whitehall Smith who introduced me to her in Boston. Writing afterward to -Mrs. Harriet B. Kells, in Chicago, at National W. C. T. U. Headquarters in -the Temple, I said: "Give my love to our peerless Frances, God bless her! -You say she is happy in the enjoyment of the delectable society of Lady -Henry Somerset. I would say God bless Lady Henry too! only she doesn't -need any blessing, having already everything on earth any one can wish -for, with our chieftain's heart superadded." - -Mrs. Kells repeated this to Lady Henry, who seemed much amused, but did -not reveal whether there were yet any unsatisfied longings in her life. -Many American hearts to-day say tenderly, "God bless Lady Henry!" for she -is a sweet spirit, a brave soul, a true woman. It is no exaggeration to -say that these two heroic women are chief historic figures in the records -of their sex, and while they were needful to each other their united labor -was more important for the world's reforms. - -So many arc-lights have been thrown on Miss Willard's character that it -may not be possible to add more to the world's knowledge of her. Still I -should like to make known a little of her self-revealings in letters to -me, on points that illustrate her simple greatness. When the Red Cross was -making its first essays in America, a postal card came which showed her -friendliness to all worthy organizations: "The Red Cross is _royal_. No -grander plan for 'We, Us & Co.' of North and South. If not in W. C. T. U. -I should give myself to it. The noblest spirits of all civilized lands -are enlisted. Princes in the old world are its sponsors." - -Again, she wrote: "How do you like dear Miss Cobbe's book, 'Duties of -Women'? I had a letter from her the other day and the creature said, to my -astonishment and delight, that she was just as familiar with my name as I -was with hers! And she the biggest woman of the age!" - -No censure, abuse or disappointment seemed ever to destroy the sweet -hopefulness of her spirit. At one time she wrote: "Somebody's strictures -in the _New Orleans Picayune_ gave me many thoughts. I may come under -criticism not only in these regards, but in others concerning which there -may not have been expression. I sincerely desire to be a true and a -growing Christian woman. Some friends can hold the mirror to our faults." - -All the world knows how her soul was moved that the church of God should -uphold our Christian cause, and that the M. E. Conference should seat its -women delegates. At that time her word came to me: "If the M. E. pastors -don't endorse our blessed gospel, so much the worse for them--in history, -that's all! 'This train is going through; clear the track!' I want you in -a delegation to the General Conference in May. Will Mrs. Bishop Parker -allow her name added? It is a blessed chance to put a blessed name to a -most blessed use. Oh that he may see this for the sake of God and Home and -Humanity!" - -Frances Willard's fearless mind threw a searchlight into any new thought -that seemed worthy of exploration. She investigated Swedenborgianism, -Faith-healing, Psychic and Christian Science--if perchance she might find -the soul of truth which is ever at the origin of all error. She was not -afraid of the evolution of man, for she early realized that the works and -word of God must harmonize; that when science and religion should better -understand themselves and each other there could be no real conflict,--and -she joyed in this larger vision. After a visit to my house, in 1896, she -wrote thus to Judge Merrick: "Christ and His gospel are loyally loved, -believed in and cherished by me, and have been all along the years; nor do -I feel them to be inconsistent with avowing one's position as an -evolutionist: 'When the mists have cleared away,' how beautiful it will be -to talk of the laws of the universe in our Father's house, and to find -again there those whom we have loved and lost--awhile. In this faith I am -ever yours. - - "FRANCES E. WILLARD." - -It is scarcely worth while to say that she often was the subject of the -doctrinaire. At one time a noted advocate of the faith cure was her guest, -and was using all diligence to lead Miss Willard to embrace her "higher -life." She said to this lady: "Come with me to-day to see a friend, a -lovely woman, who seems to me to walk the higher life of faith in great -beauty and peace and power for others. I think you will be kindred -spirits." The visit was made, and the two strangers fell into each other's -arms, as it were, in the intensity of their spiritual sympathy. On their -return to Rest Cottage, Miss Willard quietly said to her guest: "That -friend is one of the most noted Christian Science healers." Now this was -the chiefest of heterodoxies to the faith-healer. "How I did enjoy her -shocked astonishment," Miss Willard gleefully said to me, "and I told her -I was more than ever sure how truly _one_, in the depths of their natures -and their essential faiths, are those who are sincerely seeking to know -God." - -Frances Willard's spiritual life was too overflowing and comprehensive to -find expression in creeds. Her own new beatitude, "Blessed are the -inclusive, for they shall be included," is a fair statement of her -doctrine as it related to her human ties, and to all the household of -faith. Her whole law and gospel was "To love the Lord thy God with all thy -heart--and thy neighbor as thyself:" and she found God in His works as -well as in His Word, and His image in every beautiful soul that passed her -way--and always her spirit ascended unto the Father. She herself was -regenerate by love, and she expected love alone--enough of it--to -transform the world. She wrote me: "Be it known unto thee that I -believe--and _always_ did--that the fact of _life_ predicts the fact of -immortality. Lonesome would it be indeed for us yonder in Paradise were -not the trees and flowers and birds we loved alive, once more with us to -make heaven homelike to our tender hearts. How rich is life in -friendships, opportunity, loyalty, tenderness! To me these things -translate themselves in terms of Christ. Perhaps others speak oftener of -Him, and have more definite conceptions of Him as an entity; but in the -wishful sentiment of loyalty and a sincere intention of a life that shall -confess Him by the spirit of its deeds I believe I am _genuine_." - -Just after the Boston World's and National Conventions of 1891, Lilian -Whiting--that keen analyzer of motive and character--wrote: "Frances -Willard is a born leader; but with this genius for direction and -leadership, she unites another quality utterly diverse from -leadership--that of the most impressionable, the most plastic, the most -sympathetic and responsive person that can possibly be imagined. Her -temperament is as delicately susceptible as that of an Aeolian harp; one -can hardly think in her presence without feeling that she intuitively -perceives the thought. She has the clairvoyance of high spirituality. - -"No woman of America has ever done so remarkable a work as that being done -by Frances Willard. There is no question of the fact that she was called -of the Lord to consecrate herself to this work. She is so simple, so -modest, so eager to put every one else in the best possible light, so -utterly forgetful of self, that it requires some attention to realize her -vast comprehensiveness of effort and achievement. If ever a woman were in -touch with the heavenly forces it is she. Frances Willard is the most -remarkable figure of her age." - -Some one else in a private letter writes: "Her strength was because she -could love as no one else has loved since the Son of Man walked the -earth." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -SORROW AND SYMPATHY. - - -Unwilling to be separated from me, Clara proposed in 1882 that she and her -two children should spend the summer in New England. Her Uncle William had -placed his furnished house at our disposal; so Mr. Merrick and I had the -novel experience of housekeeping in the land of the Pilgrims. We had the -social pleasure of entertaining most interesting people, among them Miss -Lucretia Noble, the author of "A Reverend Idol." - -After this visit Clara wrote a critique of this much-talked-of book, -published in the _New Orleans Times-Democrat_, in which these words occur: -"Miss Noble reminds one forcibly of that charming woman--Genevieve Ward. -The identity of the 'Idol' is supposed to be established in the character -of the worshiped and worshipful Phillips Brooks." Clara had at times been -a newspaper contributor, and often said a timely word for "the Cause that -needed assistance." She had addressed an open letter, just before leaving -the city, to Mr. Paul Tulane, the philanthropist whose monument is Tulane -University, urging vainly that this great institution should be -co-educational in its scope. It was said of her that while her intellect -and style were exquisitely womanly they possessed firm rationality and -searching analytical qualities. - -Rev. W. F. Warren, D. D., president of Boston University, came also with -his most attractive family to Wilbraham. The friendship and love of his -wife, Harriet Cornelia Merrick, proved a source of great comfort in that -season of sorrow, and a true satisfaction as long as she lived. Her -vigorous, wholesome, sympathetic nature was one on which everybody was -willing to ease off their own burdens. Her intellectual abilities ranked -high, for she had acquired the culture of seven years spent in Europe. She -was widely known for twenty-four years, as the editor of the _Heathen -Woman's Friend_--the organ of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of -the Methodist Episcopal Church. She was an artist in music and a master of -the French, German and Italian languages. A friend in Germany said: "Her -German is perfect. She is never taken for an American; for does she not -possess all the virtues of a German housewife? Does she not dearly love to -fill her chest with fine linen, and take the best care of her household? -And then she cultivates her flowers, makes fine embroideries, and last is -a good knitter. She cannot be an American lady!" Yet she was a model -mother after the American ideal; besides being a trustee of the New -England Conservatory of Music, and a leading officer of numerous other -boards. She had a breezy fashion of conversation, a fascinating smile, a -cheery word, a fun-sparkling eye and bright hair waving prettily from a -broad brow. When I confided to her the fact of my daughter's threatened -life by a latent disease, she gave such heartful sympathy that I have -never ceased to be grateful, and shed many tears when she too was called -away. - -I needed a close friend this sad summer, for though my daughter was not in -usual health when we left home, none knew of the presence of a fatal -malady. After a physician from Springfield had told us that she might -survive a year in a warmer climate, it was difficult to keep strong enough -to show her a cheerful face; but the medical orders were that Clara should -not be informed of her own danger if we expected to take her home alive. I -telegraphed for Mr. Guthrie. When he arrived and saw her looking as usual, -sitting by an open window, bright, and beautifully dressed, he sent an -immediate message to New Orleans allaying anxiety. But it was soon evident -that she had entered upon the beginning of the end. She drove out every -day and did not suffer: and we found her serenely conscious of her own -condition. She said: "It is all right, if I die. I have been as happy as -opportunities, and kindness, and attentions, and love can make a human -being. It is beautiful to die here in Wilbraham where every one is so -kind." Every day she was bright and cheerful, and looked her own sweet -self. One day her father assisted her into the carriage, and I knew it was -for her a last drive. Though almost prostrated with grief, I was able to -welcome her cheerfully when she returned. The next morning she got up as -usual, and calling for her children, took a tender leave of all of us. -"Don't grieve, mother dear, don't!" she said; "I am safe in God's -keeping." - -"Oh, my child, what can I do without you!" I cried. "Do as other bereaved -mothers have done and bear it bravely! and you will have both my little -children to rear; they are yours." When at the last she fixed her -beautiful eyes on me and said: "My mother!" her earthly word was silenced, -her life-work done. - -I find that I wrote thus to a dear friend at that time: "Here I -am--sitting in the chamber of my dead. The Marthas and the Marys are here -doing according to their natures. Mary sits in the quiet with me, Martha -writes of our loss to the absent, or prepares dinner. God help us! the -business of life must go on even in the presence of death. My Clara lies -on the lounge, wrapped in white cashmere, so still--so cold;--and this is -the last day she can so lie before she is buried from my sight. The wind -blows cool, as often in a New England August, but it drives pangs into my -sore heart, and the day seems different from any other day of my life. Why -does God leave us at such times set apart to suffer, as on some eminence? -The people pity us. Her father says the time is short and we shall soon go -to her. Yes--and then the air and the sunshine will take on a new nature -for some one else--for our sakes. But it is different to lay old frames in -the dust from putting under the daisies' bed the young in their glorious -prime. God knows best. It may be that she is taken from evil to come. She -lived happily, and has laid down all of earth bravely to go into the other -life. - -"The students stop in passing, and seeing our mourning door ask, 'Who is -dead?' My dead is nothing to them. They never saw Clara--nor me. It is -only an idle question. We are only two atoms among earth's millions. O -Lord, forget not these particles in Thy universe,--for we are being tossed -to and fro,--and bring us to a resting place somewhere in Thy eternal -kingdom! - -"I know the world must still go on, though it is stationary for me, and I -am honestly trying to have patience with its cheerful progress; but even -the playfulness of my two motherless little ones jars upon me. It is -useless for me to try to realize human sympathy from the lonely height -where I sit and weep over the untimely death of my two beautiful -daughters. They were God-given, and my very own by ties of blood, but more -by that happy responsiveness of soul which constitutes 'born friends.' -After being as the woman whose children rise up and call her blessed, I am -now like Rachel of old, refusing to be comforted because they are not. I -lie down in humble submission because I cannot help myself. I say over and -over, 'Thy will be done!'--but all the same I would have them back if I -could. None of us try to raise a controversy with the inevitable. We are -grateful for kind words and sympathy. They cannot change anything, but -they give just a drop of comfort to a desolate, disrupted life on the -human side of that gateway, through which the majority have gone down into -the silence where 'the dead praise not the Lord.'" - -Many testimonies to the character and worth of our child were written and -published. They shall speak for her and for the greatness of our loss. The -_Times-Democrat_ said: "Wherever she moved she was by the necessities of -her sweet nature a 'bright, particular star' among earth's shining ones. -Her conversation was a delight to all within sound of her voice. Her wit -was gentle, pure, generous and sincere. She ruled all hearts, and loved to -rule, for she ruled by love." - -Catharine Cole wrote: "Many men and women famous in the great world of art -and literature will pay the sweet tribute of tears to the memory of this -lovely woman; and here in our own home, where she was so beloved and -admired, her gentle, cheery presence will be missed and mourned for many -sad days. She shone like a jewel set amid dross." - -From Mrs. Mollie Moore Davis--widely known for her exquisitely delicate -love poems and quaint tales of real life--came this tender word: "I truly -appreciated her great gifts and greater loveliness. She is a star gone -from my sky." - -Mrs. Mary Ashley Townsend sent me these words: "Her constant and -determined intellectual development, her devotion to progress, her -literary tastes, her social charms, her reliability as a friend, her -loveliness as a wife and mother, formed a combination of qualities that -made her the realization of the poet's dream, - - "'Fair as a star when only one - Is shining in the sky.'" - -Mrs. Townsend is herself a rarely gifted poet, long and deeply homed in -the heart of New Orleans. With the exception of Longfellow and Cable, no -writer has so vividly mirrored the very atmosphere of lower Louisiana. In -"Down the Bayou" its "heroed past," its shrined memories find an eloquent -voice; there in everlasting tints are painted its dank luxuriance and -verdant solitudes; its red-tiled roofs and stucco walls, the "mud-built -towers of castled cray-fish," its sluggish, sinuous bayoux and secrets of -lily-laden lagoons, its odors of orange bloom and mossy swamps mingled -with flute-toned song and flitting color amid the solemn, dark-hued -live-oaks. Mary Ashley Townsend had three lovely daughters. One has passed -over the river, but she still has Adele, who resembles her gifted mother, -and Daisy, to comfort her life. - -James R. Randall, the gifted author of "My Maryland," said in his own -newspaper: "She was too radiantly dowered for this world she glorified. -She was all that poets have sung and men have wished daughter and wife to -be. Well may the bereaved father and husband wonder with poor Lear 'why so -many mean things live while she has ceased to be.'" Other expressions were -as follows: "It is something worth living for, to have been the mother of -such a being." "Outside of your mother-love the loss of the sweet -friendship and congeniality of your lives will create an awful void. But -that beautiful soul is yours still--growing and developing in Paradise." -"Amid all her charms what impressed me most was her admiration for her -mother. She addressed you often and fondly as 'dear,' as if you were the -child and she the mother." "Centuries of experience have not developed a -philosophy deeper or more comforting for the human race than that of -David: 'He shall not return to me but I shall go to him.' I thank God for -the great gift of death!" - -A minister of God wrote me, from Worcester, Mass., a word that may be as -great a light to some sitting in darkness as it was to me: "I must confess -that, for my own part, I take such sorrows with less heaviness of heart -than once, for the reason that every such loss seems to strengthen, rather -than weaken, my faith in immortality. In good and beautiful lives I see so -vividly a revelation of God--the Infinite Holiness and Beauty shining -through the human soul and the raiment of clay--that I cannot believe it -possible for death to extinguish their real life 'hidden with Christ in -God.' I cannot believe that they can be 'holden of the grave.' I feel -assured that theirs is a conscious life of progress and joy, and cannot -mourn for them as dead, but only as far away. More and more am I convinced -that this vivid feeling of the Divine Presence in beautiful human lives is -peculiarly the Christian's ground of hope in immortality. It was what the -apostle meant by 'Christ in you, the hope of glory,' and it gives us -gradually the clear vision of an immortal world. Only thus, as we gain -that 'knowledge of God' which is 'eternal life' _here and now_, can we -rise above the mist and smoke of this temporal world and lift our eyes -'unto the hills whence cometh our help.' Only thus as we live in the -eternal world, _here and now_, can we feel secure that nothing fair and -good in human life can perish." - -Mrs. Hannah Whitehall Smith wrote me thus from Philadelphia the sad -December of this year: - - "MY DEAR FRIEND: - - "Miss Willard wants to open the lines between your soul and mine. She - feels sure we can do each other good, and asks me to tell you about my - Ray who went home three years ago, because you, too, have lost a - daughter and will understand. My Ray died after five days' sickness. - As soon as she was taken ill, I began, as my custom is, to say, 'Thy - will be done.' I said it over and over constantly, and permitted no - other thought to enter my mind. I hid myself and my child in the - fortress of God's blessed will,--and there I met my sorrow and loss. - When she went out of my earthly life the peace of God which passes all - understanding came down upon me from above, and enwrapped me in an - impregnable hiding-place, where I have been hidden ever since. My - windows look out only on the unseen and divine side of things; and I - see my child in the presence of God, at rest forever, free from all - earth's trials. Whatever may be your experience I know that grief is - bitter anguish under any other conditions than these, and the mystery - of it is crushing. - - "Our blessed Frances gave me your letter to read, and I could echo - every word you said about her. She is queen among women and is doing a - glorious work, not the least of which is the emancipation of - women--coming out on every side. They have far more than they know for - which to thank Frances Willard." - -To that letter I replied: "If the Heavenly Father takes note of the -sparrow's fall, it may be that He put the thought in Miss Willard's mind -to ask you to help me; but, dear lady, you are many a day's journey ahead -of me in religious experience when, in the presence of the death of your -beloved, you can say, 'Thy will be done.' I wish I could, like you, will -whatever God wills. - -"I thank you for the account of your Ray, and I thank God that He created -such a Christian mother. Simeon said to Mary: 'Yea, a sword shall pierce -through thine own soul also.' Every one who has lost a child has been -pierced through and through. In this crisis of my life I am amazed and -stupefied by my own capacity for suffering, and actually look upon myself -with an awed pity, as I would upon a stranger. How can I yield everything? -I had already buried one lovely daughter in the bloom of life; and I had -only one left. I submit because I must. My heart cries out for my child; -God forgive me, but I would call her back to me if I could." - -When the time drew near for the annual convention of the Woman's Christian -Temperance Union, my husband and sons urged that I should go to Detroit, -hoping the change of scene and new responsibilities might arouse me from -depression. Miss Willard had already written: "My heart turns toward thee -in thy desolation. Remember thou hast doting sisters. I believe thy -beautiful Clara knows how we rally to thy side, and is glad." - -While I was in Detroit, Hannah Whitehall Smith called upon me several -times, and talked about my condition of mind, and so inspired me with -gratitude that I endeavored to obey every suggestion she made, regardless -of the pride and self-sufficiency which is so common with unsatisfied -souls. She seemed to have direct access to the Heavenly Father, and laid -my case before Him with such simplicity and faith that my heart was -deeply touched, and I gained a new knowledge of spiritual relations. When -I learned in these latter days, that she had been called to sorrow over -her husband "gone before," I wrote to her in loving memory of her former -goodness, and received a reply, from Eastnor Castle, where she and Lady -Henry Somerset had been engaged in preparing a memorial of Miss Willard, -which was issued to the people of Great Britain. - -The letter reads: "Your loving sympathy in my last great loss has been -most welcome. My dear husband had been a great sufferer for eighteen -months, and longed so eagerly to go that no one who loved him could be -anything but thankful when his release came. I have been enabled to -rejoice in his joy of having entered into the presence of the King. It -cannot be long for me at the longest before I shall join him, and until -then I am hidden in the Divine fortress of God's love and care. I love to -think that you too are hidden there, dear friend and sister, and that -together we may meet in the Divine Presence where there is fulness of joy -even in the midst of earthly sorrow. - -"Lady Henry joins me in love to you. She is, as we are, very sorry over -the loss of our beloved Frances Willard; but God still lives and reigns, -and in Him we can rest without anxiety. I have found Him a very present -help in many a time of trouble, and I rejoice to know I was permitted to -help you realize this in your hour of sore need." - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -BECKY SPEAKS UP IN MEETING IN THE INTERESTS OF MORALITY. - - -The incidents which once enlivened the lives of every family that was -served by the negro slave are fading from the minds of even many who were -centers of those episodes. But they are of legendary interest to the -younger generations. There are some things to be regretted in the negro -being poured into the mold of the white man's education. The only true -national music in the United States is that known as "the negro melody." -Will not so-called musical "cultivation" tend to destroy the charmingly -distinctive character of the negro's music? Art cannot supply or enhance -the quality of his genius. It will be a definite loss if the music of the -future shall lack the individualism of his songs, for with them will go -the wonderful power of improvisation--the relic of his unfettered -imagination, the voices of his native jungles struggling to translate -themselves into speech. His happy _insouciance_ is already fleeing before -the pressure of his growing responsibilities. Very much that constitutes -the picturesque and lovable in negro character will disappear with the -negro point of view,--for if he survives in this civilization his point of -view must merge into the Anglo-Saxon's. Only those who were "to the manor -born" can deftly interpret the idiosyncrasies of the plantation negro; so, -while a few of us who owned them are yet alive, it may be a service to the -future, as well as our duty and pleasure, to link their race peculiarities -to the yet unborn, by revealing and embalming them through the garrulous -pen. Becky Coleman's gifts as a _raconteuse_ deserve a record. It delights -me to remember her as I sat one day at the door of the porch facing the -wide river and the public road. Near by, through a path in the grounds, a -procession of colored people passed and repassed morning and evening, with -buckets on their well-cushioned heads, to the cisterns of water in the -rear of the house. Becky came along and greeted me with polite cordiality. -I invited her to stop and rest awhile, and filled her tin cup with iced -lemonade from a pitcher standing near. - -The woman seated herself on the steps, set down her pail beside her and -sipped the cool beverage. - -"Thanky, ma'am," said she. "I feels dat clean down in my foots. It's -mighty hot fer dis time er year. Ole Aunt Mary is spendin' to-day at my -house, en she hope me some, hoin' in my gyardin', en now um gwine to bile -er pot o' greens and stchew some greasy butter beans (fer de ole 'oman -don't never have nothin' but meat en brade at her house), en den she mus' -finish gittin' de grass en weeds outen my cabiges, for um bound to have a -fall gyardin', en ef yo wants turnips, en lettice, en redishes, yo knows -whar to fin' em." - -Becky lifted the lower flounce of my wrapper and inspected the embroidery, -looking at me sharply from head to foot. "Dat's a mighty purty dress yo -got on, Miss Carrie," said she, "yo mus' lem me have it when yo're done -wid it. Won't yo promise me?" - -"Now, Becky," I replied, "don't ask me to make a promise I might forget, -and you would be sure to remember; but you go on and tell me about your -protracted meeting at the Royal Oak Church yesterday." - -Becky squared her portly person into a comfortable position, her hand on -her hip, and with complacency and satisfaction beaming from her ebony -colored face she began: - -"Ya'as em I wuz dar; I was bleeged to be dar, fer um one uv de stchowerd -sisters. You knows we dresses in white en black. I had on dat black silk -dress yo sont me las' Chrimus. Dat is, I had on de tail uv it, wid er -white sack instead of er bass, en I jes' let yo know nun of dese niggers -roun' here can beat me er dressin', when I gits on de close yo gie me. I -had er starchy big white handkercher tied turbin fashin on my head, en -Miss Lula's big breas'-pin right yeah" (putting her hand to her throat), -"en I tell yo, mun, I jes' outlooked ennything in dat house. Yander comes -Aunt Loo, an' I bet she'll tell yo de same. 'Twas er feas' day--sackament -day--en all de stchowerd sisters was er settin' roun' on de front benches, -like dey does dem times, en dar wus Sis' Lizer Wright, who wus one of us, -all dressed up in pure white, en settin' side uv her was Peter Green, en -he wus fixed up too, mitely, even down to new shoes. - -"Dey hilt pra'ar, en den Bro' Primus Johnson ris en showed er piece up -paper 'en told us all 'twas er license fer to jine Peter Green and Lizer -Wright in de holy bonds o' mattermony; 'But,' sez he, 'fo' I go any furder -I want de bretherin to come for'ard en speak dey mines on de subjick.' - -"Well, at dat, I seed er good many nods 'en winks er passin' 'bout, but I -never knowd 'zacly whut wus gwine on 'till one of de elders ris 'en said -he dijected to havin' any ceremony said over dem folks, fer Sis' Lizer's -fust husband, ole Unk' Jake, wus yit er livin', 'ceppen he died sence I -lef' home dis mawin',' sez he. - -"His 'pinion wus dat ef de deacorns wan't 'lowed but one wife 'cordin' to -Scriptur, de stchowerd sisters mustn't have mor'n one man at de same time. - -"Dat fotch Bro. Primus ter his feet, en he tun roun' to de sisters, he -did, en 'lowed dat dey too mought git up en 'brace de multitude, en gie -dur unnerstandin' in dis case. 'Pon dat, Sis' Anderson ris, en sez she, -'Dis 'oman orten be casted outen de church, en I ain't afeard to say so -pine blank.' I tell yer she was in fer raisen uv a chune, en singin' her -right out den en dar, wid de Elder leadin' of her ter de do', for dat's de -way dey tu'ns em outen de church over here. 'Fer,' sez she, 'she's bent on -committen' 'dultery--ef she ain't done it befo'--en its gwine clean agin -whuts in dat ar volum on dat ar table,' en she p'inted her forefinger to -de Bible er layin' dar, en ses she, 'We cyant 'ford to let sich doin's as -dese to be gwine on in dis heah 'sciety.' - -"Dey all sided 'long Sis' Andersen mostly, ceppen me. I wus sorry fer de -'oman a settin' dar wid her arms hugged up on her breas' like a pore -crimi'al. I wuz mighty sorry fer her. So when Bro' Primus 'quired ef -ennybody felt able ter counterfeit Sis' Andersen's evidence, en looked all -roun', en nobody sed nuthin, when he axed 'em agin why, on dat second -'peal, I jes' riz up en tole 'em I knowed dat 'oman fo' de wah. To be -shore she had tuck up wid old Unk' Jake long 'fo' dat. He wus er ingeneer -in a big saw-mill on de Tucker place, en he had er son by his fust wife, -killed in de wah. He wus mighty ole when I fust seed him--he ollers wus a -heap too ole fer Sis' Lizer--but fer de las' six or seben year de ole -man's done failed so he ain't no service to nobody--mor'n er chile, siz I. -Bein' as he is, sez I, widout any owner fer to feed en clove en fine him -it comes powerful hard on Sis' Lizer to do all, fer I tell yer, he's des -like er chile, only wus, fer a chile kin he'p himself some, but Unk' Jake -cayn't do er Gawd's bit fer hisself, nor nobody else." - -"Is he too feeble to walk about?" I asked. - -"Well, ma'am, in 'bout er hour, he mought git as fer frum here as yo -gyardin gate yander--hoppin' long slow on his stick." - -Becky rose and very perfectly imitated the bowed figure and halting gait -of the poor old negro. Throwing down the stick she had used, she resumed -her seat and her subject, saying; "Sis' Lizer done er good part by dat ole -man. She has him to feed wid er spoon, fer his han' is dat shakey dat he -spills everyt'ing 'fo he gets it ter his mouf. When she goes ter de fiel' -she puts er baskit er co'n by him so he kin muse hisself feedin' de -chicken en ducks. - -"Ole folks, yo know, eats mighty often," said Becky, "en den he mus' be -fed thru de night. Ef she don't git up en gin him dat cake or some mush -en milk, why she cayn't sleep fer his cryin'--jes' like er chile." - -"You were telling me, Becky, what occurred at church; suppose you go on -with that story," said I. - -"Gawd bless yer soul, honey, dat wan't no story. I wish I may die dis -minit ef I didn't tell yo de Gawd's trufe. Oh, yas; I had ris en wus er -speakin' up fer de 'oman, how long I knowed her en so on, en den I -said----" she spoke louder, rising and gesticulating: "Brethren, you see -dat grass out yander en dat yaller spotted dog er wallerin' roun' on it? -Well den, yo sees it, en yo sees dat steer er standin' er little ways off; -now dat ox would be eatin' dat grass ef he warn't driv away by de dog. Ole -Unk' Jake ain't no dog. He ain't dat mean en low down. He done gie Sis' -Lizer er paper signifyin' his cornsent fer her to take 'nother pardner. - -"Een I jes' went on--'Bretherin,' says I, 'nobody nee'nter talk 'bout no -'dultery neither, fer yo all knows dere want no lawful marryin' nohow in -slave times en Reb times. De scan'lous can't be no wus en 'tis. Yo mus' -jes' sider dat Sis' Lizer wants ter marry, now fer de _fust time_, en live -like er Christon in her ole days. Nobody musn't hender her in de doin' of -er right t'ing, but let us pray fer de incomin' uv de Sperit.' - -"We mus' feel fer one another, sez I, 'en none de res' kin do no better'n -Sis' Lizer. De Word says ef yer right arm defend yo, cut it off, en ef yer -right eye ain't right, pull it out. 'Bretherin,' says I, 'dey ain't -nothin' 'tall gin dese folks bein' jined together in dat ar book dar, nor -nowhares else.' - -"Brudder Primus 'lowed, he did, dat Sis Coleman had thowed mo' light on -do case dan ennybody else, en perceeded ter ax Peter Green ef he wus -willin' en able to help Sis' Lizer take keer of ole Unk Jake, en he -signified he wus; en den everybody wus satisfied en de ceremony wus said -over 'em right den en dar, fo' de preacher tuk his tex' en preached his -sarmont. - -"But dis won't do me," said Becky. "I mus' go long en put on my dinner -'fo' de ole man come 'long en holler fer his vittles. Good-by, Miss -Carrie," said she, rising, "don't yo forgit yo promised me dat dress yo -got on. I wants to put it away 'ginst I die, to be berry'd in. Dat 'min's -me dat Aunt Patsey's sholey bad off. She cayn't las' much longer." - -"You've had that woman dying for a week, Becky." - -"No, ma'am, _I_ ain't had her dyin'! It's de Lord! If 'twas _me_ diff'unt -people would die fum dem dat _does_ die--I tell yer!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -MRS. JULIA WARD HOWE AND THE BLESSED COLORED PEOPLE. - - -As has been intimated, I became president of the New Orleans W. C. T. U. -not from deep conviction of duty on the temperance question, but because I -could not resist the inspirations of Frances Willard's convictions. Once -in the work I gave my heart and my conscience to it with such measure of -success that in January, 1883, a State convention was called to meet in -New Orleans in the hall of the Y. M. C. A. Miss Willard was again present, -and was my guest. Rev. W. C. Carter, D. D., pastor of Felicity Street M. -E. Church South, was the knightly brother who stood beside us in this hour -when we were without reputation, nobly doing his sworn duty as a soldier -of the Cross, to speak the truth and defend the weak. Miss Willard spoke -twice in his church. At a table where a number of dignitaries of the -church were dining, referring to this event, a friend remarked that Dr. -Carter had said the only time his church was full was on this occasion of -Miss Willard's address. "No," the doctor replied, "I did not say that. I -said the _first_ time it was full. It was full again--but she filled it!" - -There was a peculiar fitness in the time of Miss Willard's early visits -to the South. Women who had been fully occupied with the requirements of -society and the responsibilities of a dependency of slaves, were now -tossed to and fro amidst the exigencies and bewilderments of strange and -for the most part painful circumstances, and were eager that new -adjustments should relieve the strained situation, and that they might -find out what to do. Frances Willard gave to many of them a holy purpose, -directing it into broader fields of spiritual and philanthropic culture -than they had ever known. For the local and denominational she substituted -the vision of humanity. It seemed to me that when Miss Willard and Miss -Gordon bravely started out to find a new country they discovered -Louisiana, and like Columbus, they set up a religious standard and prayed -over it--and organized the W. C. T. U. I was one result of that voyage of -discovery. It immersed me in much trouble, care and business--sometimes it -seemed as if I had more than my head and hands could hold--unused was I to -plans and work and burdens. I prayed to be delivered from too much care -unless it might set forward the cause. I was willing "to spend and be -spent," but sometimes I felt as if I had mistaken my calling. I only knew -that I was on the right road, and tried to look to God to lead me. Doubts -might come to-morrow, but to-day I trusted. In ten years I saw the work -established in most of the chief towns of the State, and many men and -women afield who had learned the doctrine of total abstinence for the -individual and the gospel of prohibition for the commonwealth. - -During these years I gathered numerous delightful associations in my -State work and in my annual attendance upon the conventions of the -National W. C. T. U. Among the National workers who aided me greatly in my -early work was Mrs. Judith Ellen Foster who, with her husband, was for a -week my guest, and spoke in crowded churches. Although I did not wholly -sympathize with her when later she withdrew from the National W. C. T. U., -our friendly personal relations were never broken. Her brilliant abilities -as a temperance worker and as a pioneer woman-member of the bar commanded -my respect, and I have not ceased to be grateful for the sustaining power -of her inspirations and acts. For the first time in my life, at one of her -meetings in New Orleans, I sat in a pulpit--where Bishops Newman and -Simpson had officiated--and very peculiar were my feelings in such a -place. - -Besides Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Mary T. Lathrop, Mrs. Clara C. Hoffman and Mrs. -Hannah Whitehall Smith from National ranks did much to create sentiment -for our cause in Louisiana. No speaker in America has excelled Mrs. -Lathrop in the vigor and the statesmanlike majesty of her arguments for -the dethronement of the liquor traffic. A distinguished judge, who was not -in favor of our propaganda, said there were few men in Congress who had -equalled her in logic and eloquence. We mourn yet that in her death the -world has lost so much that time can never replace. - -One of the greatest victories won for our cause was the passage in 1888 of -a Scientific Temperance Instruction bill, by the State Legislature, for -the education of the youth in the public schools, on the nature of -alcohol and its effect upon the human system. Mrs. Mary Hunt of -Massachusetts, the originator of this movement for the safeguard of health -against the seductions and destructions of strong drink and narcotics, -spent a month at our legislature as the guest of Mrs. Mary Reade Goodale. -Daily I went with these two indefatigable workers, watched and manoeuvered -the progress of this bill, until one of the best statutes passed on this -subject by any State was secured. Such a work for the world's glory is -enough for any mortal, but we trust it has also placed Mrs. Hunt among the -immortals of earthly fame. - -I visited the Capital at this time and was active in the lobby, -interviewing members. I sent my card to a Senator Gage, and was more than -surprised when in response a tall, dignified black man presented himself. -It was difficult for a moment to determine whether to make him stand -during the interview, as is usual with his color, but I said: "Senator -Gage: The people have put you in this respectable and responsible -position, and as other senators have occupied this chair will you please -be seated?" He sat down, and he afterward voted for our bill. - -After this social intercourse with Mrs. Hunt and Mrs. Goodale great -impetus was given to the work in Louisiana by the establishment of a W. C. -T. U. booth at the World's Exposition in New Orleans in the year 1885. It -was artistically decorated and made as attractive as ingenuity could -devise. Here the world's great lights in the temperance cause were to be -heard daily--in pulpits and other public places in the city. In addition -to Miss Willard, Mrs. Lathrop, Mrs. Matilda B. Carse, Mrs. Caroline Buel, -Mary Allen West, Mrs. Josephine Nichols, Mrs. Mary A. Leavitt, Mrs. Sallie -F. Chapin of the National Guard, there were present from State work, Mrs. -Lide Merriwether of Tennessee, Mrs. I. C. de Veiling of Massachusetts, -Mrs. J. B. Hobbs and Mrs. Lucian Hagans of Illinois, Mrs. M. M. Snell of -Mississippi, and many others. Our Louisiana Prohibition militia were in -force all the time, and we had the pleasure and assistance of such -brotherly giants of the temperance reform as Geo. W. Bain, I. N. Stearn, -president of National Temperance Society, Jno. P. St. Johns, Hon. R. H. -McDonald of California, Rev. C. H. Mead, A. A. Hopkins, and hosts of other -loyal brethren who burnished our faith and fired our zeal. - -Miss Willard in the _Union Signal_ of this date said: "Mrs. Merrick speaks -of the W. C. T. U. Booth as a 'tabernacle.' I consult Webster and find -that a tabernacle is 'a place in which some holy or precious thing is -deposited.' Aye, the definition fits. Our hearts are there, our holy -cause, our blessed bonds. Again, it is a 'reliquary,' says the redoubtable -Noah, 'a place for the preservation of relics.' Yea, verily. The women of -Israel never turned over their relics more keenly than have W. C. T. U. -women rifled their jewelry boxes for the 'Souvenir Fund,' which has gone -into the Tabernacle. It is 'a niche' too 'for the image of a saint.' -Accurate to a nicety. Heaven keeps a niche to hold our treasures, and so -does the World's Exposition. Our saints are there in person and in -spirit--the right hand of our power." - -Mrs. Julia Ward Howe had been called by the Exposition management to -preside over the Woman's Department. There was much criticism of the -authorities that this honor had not been given to a Southern woman; -notwithstanding that this world-renowned Bostonian was not a stranger to -our people--they fully appreciated the power of her "Battle Hymn of the -Republic"--it seemed unnecessary to seek so far for a head of the Exhibit. -If Southern women could create it, some one of them was surely able to -direct it. Mrs. Howe came and performed this duty with marked ability, and -displayed a force of character which commanded respect though it did not -always win for her acquiescence in her decisions or affectionate regard -from all her colleagues. I myself had much expense to incur, and received -nothing, and individually I had naught special to excite my gratitude, -though from the first I was willing to welcome this distinguished lady, -and extend to her my co-operation and hospitality. My subsequent relations -to her though transient have been pleasant, and doubtless her memory of -her Exposition coadjutors matches our recollection of her own regal self. -Miss Isabel Greely was her secretary--a very useful and estimable woman. - -Some interesting exercises took place during one afternoon of the -Exposition. Mrs. Julia Ward Howe addressed the colored people in a gallery -devoted to their exhibit. There was a satisfactory audience, chiefly of -the better classes of the race. Mrs. Howe had asked me to accompany her, -and when I assented some one said: "Well, you are probably the only -Southern woman here who would risk public censure by speaking to a negro -assembly." Mrs. Howe told them how their Northern friends had labored to -put the colored people on a higher plane of civilization, and how Garrison -had been dragged about the streets of Boston for their sake, and urged -that they show themselves worthy of the great anti-slavery leaders who had -fought their battles. Her address was extremely well received. I was then -invited to speak. I told them: "The first kindly face I ever looked into -was one of this race who called forth the sympathy of the world in their -days of bondage. Among the people you once called masters you have still -as warm, appreciative friends as any in the world. Some of us were -nurtured at your breasts, and most of us when weaned took the first -willing spoonful of food from your gentle, persuasive hands; and when our -natural protectors cast us off for a fault, for reproof, for punishment, -you always took us up and comforted us. Can we ever forget it? - -"Have you not borne the burdens of our lives through many a long year? -When troubles came did you not take always a full share? Well do I -remember, as a little child, when I saw my beloved mother die at the old -plantation home. The faithful hands from the fields assembled around the -door, and at her request Uncle Caleb Harris knelt by her bedside and -prayed for her recovery--if it was God's will. How the men and women and -children wept! And after she was laid in the earth my infant brother, six -months old, was given entirely to the care of Aunt Rachel, who loved him -as her own life even into his young manhood, and to the day of her death. -And who can measure your faithfulness during the late war when all our men -had gone to the front to fight for their country? Your protection of the -women and children of the South in those years of privation and -desolation; your cultivation of our fields that fed us and our army; your -care of our soldier boys on the field of battle, in camp and hospital, and -the tender loyalty with which you--often alone--brought home their dead -bodies so that they might be laid to sleep with their fathers, has bound -to you the hearts of those who once owned you, in undying remembrance and -love. - -"I do not ask you to withhold any regard you may have for those who -labored to make you free. Be as grateful as you can to the descendants of -the people who first brought you from Africa--and then sold you 'down -South' when your labor was no longer profitable to themselves. But -remember, now you are free, whenever you count up your friends never to -count out the women of the South. They too rejoice in your emancipation -and have no grudges about it; and would help you to march with the world -in education and true progress. As we have together mourned our dead on -earth let us rejoice together in all the great resurrections now and -hereafter." At the close, many colored people with tearful eyes extended a -friendly hand, and Mrs. Howe too did the same. - -Hon. R. H. McDonald, the California philanthropist, had been my guest -during Exposition days and had won our hearts by a face that reflected the -nobility of his deeds. In 1890 he sent me $150 to be used for prizes -offered in the public schools of New Orleans for the best essays written -on temperance. The school board and Mr. Easton, the able superintendent, -accepted the offer, and the presentation of the prizes was made a great -public occasion in an assemblage at Grunewald Hall. - -There was a small contingent of Southern women whose platform services -were invaluable to me, and whose loving sympathy helped me over many -otherwise rough places. The first of these was Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin of -South Carolina. Both in appearance and speech she was intense, tragic, and -pathetic.--Her fiery eloquence captured the imagination and dragooned -convictions in battalions. She did splendid pioneer platform services as -superintendent of Southern Work, which place she filled until it was -abolished by the National Convention of 1889, at the request of the -Southern States, because the existence of that office misrepresented them -in their organic relations to the National W. C. T. U. and had a trend -toward violation of a platform principle against sectionalism. Mrs. Chapin -lived and died an "unreconstructed Rebel." The bogey of secession of the -Southern States from the National seemed to haunt her brain; but I have -never been able to discover any other woman who believed that such a -phantom existed; it must have been but a queer instance of reflex action -from her over-stimulated Southern sentiment. Mrs. Chapin had extraordinary -ability and was a marvel of endurance when her temperament is taken into -the reckoning. Her heroic service deserves a lasting place in our annals. - -Another Southern woman of large brain and larger heart who helped me in my -days of inexperience was Mrs. Mary McGee Snell (now Hall) of Mississippi. -Like the war-horse of Scripture she scented battle afar off and gloried in -combat. She was never so happy as in the heat of struggle. Her impetuous -nature took her into all sorts of unusual situations, and she did not seem -to be out of place--as did many other delegates--when, during a National -W. C. T. U. convention, she was seen in the streets of Chicago parading at -the head of a Salvation Army procession. She is essentially "a soldier of -the Cross," and has carried her gifts of eloquence and the most vibrant, -persuasive of voices into the Evangelistic department of our National -organization. Her love of rescuing souls has kept her exclusively in -evangelistic work; in her power as a gospel worker she is a Sam Jones and -D. L. Moody boiled down. - -The most original of our National staff-workers who came to my rescue was -another full-blooded Southerner--Miss Frances E. Griffin of Alabama. She -is gifted with an inimitable humor. An audience room is quickly filled -when it is known that she is to be the speaker of an occasion. Though a -woman of presence and dignity and a manner that befits the best, her -appearance as soon as she speaks a word is a promise of fun, and her -audience has begun to laugh before the time. Wit of tongue is rare with -women, but Miss Griffin's equals in quality or rank the best of our -American humorists. At the same time that she enlivens the seriousness of -the public work which women have in hand, she is an intelligent reformer -and also a true woman of the home--having for many years been the -responsible bread-winner of her family, and has reared orphan children. - -Miss Belle Kearney was too young during my term of office to be classed -with the workers already mentioned, for she had just begun to consecrate -her life to the service of humanity. At my request she brought her fresh -enthusiasm and great gifts to organize the Young Woman's Temperance Union -of Louisiana. Repeated and most effective work in this State has made -Louisianians feel that they have an endearing right in this -Dixie-born-and-reared young woman; nor have they less pride than her -native Mississippi in her present national fame as a first-class platform -speaker and progressive reformer. - -Hindrances and heartaches, however, were sandwiched between our helps and -happiness liberally enough to cause us to realize that she--as well as -he--who wins must fight. We were not strong swimmers accustomed to breast -the waves of an uneducated public disapproval; but we knew we must -encounter it and nerve ourselves for the shock, putting ourselves at war -against the liquor traffic and its political allies. Everywhere we found -the W. C. T. U. the underpinning (not one would have dared to think of -herself as a "pillar") of the church. Very many of them had in tow the -whole church structure--missionary societies, pastor's salary, the choir, -the parsonage, and the debt on the church. Most of them were mothers too; -some, God help them! sad-eyed and broken-hearted because of the ravage of -their own firesides which the open saloon had caused. We read our Bibles -and prayed, and the word of the Lord came to us that the mother-heart in -Christ's people must protest against further slaying of the innocents at -the open doorways of the dram shops! - -We went to our brethren in the church (to whom else should we go?) with -the Lord's message. Some of them--not the dignitaries usually, but the -humble-minded, prayerful men, God bless them! who went about their work -unheralded--believed our report: but it was too hard a saying for the many -that God ever spake except by the word of mouth of a man. They forgot Anna -and Deborah, and practically sided with the "higher criticism" respecting -the errancy of the Scripture in its statement about woman's relation to -the church. And so, after a while, I said at one of our conventions that I -could count upon one hand all the ministers in New Orleans who had come -forward to pray over one of our meetings. - -We had to defend ourselves on the charge of being Sabbath-breakers, -because after doing the Lord's work six days in the week, a W. C. T. U. -woman was said to have slept--"rested," according to the commandment--on -Sunday. On this charge, and because a speaker in returning to my house -after a Sunday address took a ride in the last half hour of the day in a -street-car, a resolution of endorsement of the W. C. T. U. failed to pass -in a Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and we -were cruelly hurt by the tone of the discussion. - -General Conference lifted us out of despair by noble resolutions against -licensing the liquor traffic, and thereafter clerical dignitaries broke -our hearts by a masterly inactivity--or took a scourge of small cords and -proceeded, as it were, to drive us out with the hue and cry of "women's -rights," lest, should a woman vote, her natural function should cease, and -the sound of the lullaby and sewing machine be no longer heard in the -land. It was comical sometimes to see how the bishops and politicians -moved on the same line and for the same reason. But like some of our good -bishops of slaveholding times, these certainly will not shine with lustre -in the sky of history. Humbler ministerial brethren endured reproach with -us and fought our battles; then we had sometimes the sorrow of seeing them -removed from places of influence to obscure points in the service of the -church. At last we and they tacitly understood that a preacher who wrought -valiantly for prohibition jeoparded his "prospects." So it came that some -who had led us "went back" in the holy cause, and "standing afar off," -justified themselves, saying, "I'm as good a prohibitionist as you are, -but I'm more practical." Desperation seizes the soul of women in reform -work when a preacher or politician uses the word "practical"; we know we -shall get his "sympathy" but never his influence or his vote. And the -diplomatic brother who has to _explain_ that he is a temperance man, may -hold clear qualifications for a citizenship in heaven, but is of no -account whatever as a citizen of the militant kingdom Of God on earth, -that must fight against "principalities and powers" if it would win the -world to the principles of Christ. - -It should be clearly understood that the legitimate work of the Woman's -Christian Temperance Union is to close the open saloon, and not, as many -mistake, to interfere with personal liberty by forcing total abstinence -upon the individual. The members of the organization in the interests of -consistency must be total abstainers; and because science pronounces -alcohol a poison and an active peril in the human body, a vigorous -educational propaganda is kept up in order that future generations may be -protected by knowledge against the dangers of alcoholic drinks. The main -point at issue is that the State has no right to license an institution -which is a corrupter of public morals and a menace to social life. The -Supreme Court of the United States has so interpreted. It is the sole duty -of the State to protect and develop citizens; to protect their lives, -their property, their morals and their rights; to develop the highest type -of citizen that education by law and schoolhouse can produce. The saloon -hazards the well-being of every citizen that is born to a State; it annuls -the work of the church and the college; it disintegrates, degrades and -destroys family life--the unit of the State; it impoverishes the home, -pauperizes the child and debases manhood; it fills almshouses, jails and -insane asylums; it lays the burden of the support of these institutions on -the State; the taxes which all the people have paid for their mutual -protection and development are unrighteously diverted to the sustenance of -the victims of the saloon; the State protects a small class of citizens -in doing injury to the interests of all other classes. For revenue, and -for revenue only, it gives a right and a power to the saloon to make an -unending army of criminals, paupers and lunatics out of the sons and -daughters which every mother has gone down into the shadow of death to -deliver into the keeping of her country. - -The motherhood of the enlightened world is arousing against this treachery -of the commonwealth to her sacred trust. The State has no right to sell -her sons even unto righteousness; still less to deliver them into the -bonds of iniquity for a price. It is incredible that the mother's revolt -did not begin long ago, for even the brute will fight for its young. But -now they have begun to understand their duty and their power, and "so long -as boys are ruined and mothers weep; so long as homes are wrecked and the -sob of unsheltered children finds the ear of God; so long as the Gospel -lets in the light for the lost, and Christ is King, there will be a -contest on the temperance question until victory. So long as this -Christian nation sanctions the destruction of its sons for revenue, and -sets on a legalized throne 'that sum of all villainies,' the saloon; so -long as 'the wicked are justified for reward' and cities are built with -blood, there will be a prohibition issue, and one day the right will -triumph." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -NERVOUS PROSTRATION AND A VENERABLE COUSIN. - - -I once heard a woman say that she had lived half a lifetime before she -realized that the commandments were written for her. In a vague sort of -way she had appropriated, "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not bear -false witness;" but she did not intend to do these things--the -commandments must be for those who did. Her dumb amazement may be imagined -on hearing a venerable and saintly soul state that she was so grateful to -God that in her long life she had had no temptation to be a Magdalen. It -was unthinkable that she should have had. - -But the stress of life grew to agony; disappointments and wrongs heaped -upon my friend; and one day she stood bare-souled and alone before God, -confronting the commandment: "_Thou_ shalt not kill!" In her struggle back -to the Divine she learned that all of the commandments were written for -her. Ever since, her heart has been pierced with tenderest sympathy for -every man or woman who has fallen before temptation, and the despair of -the suicide seems her own. - -Unvarying good health and steady nerves were my inheritance, and my -husband's fine, calm judgment helped to increase my nervous vigor. I am -afraid I had once a quiet disdain for nervous women, and was supercilious -towards what I deemed a lack of moral fiber, believing that with it health -conditions would not have become "all at loose ends." But a time came when -I too was going from sofa to easy chair, and dropping back into bed limp -and trembling; when the banging of a door or the rustling of a paper "set -me wild;" when I was being a means of grace to all my family through -giving them an opportunity to "let patience have its perfect work"--and -all with no justifying cause, except that the iron of sorrow had entered -my soul, the color had been taken from my life, and I had not yet found my -readjustments. Nevertheless I denied my condition, and so one day the -doctor tried to explain it to me. "A person," he began, "is said to be -nervous when presenting a special susceptibility to pain, or exhibiting an -undue mobility of the nervous system, as when one starts, or shakes on the -occasion of abrupt or intense sensorial impressions, thus showing an -exalted emotional susceptibility. The heart itself under the influence of -nervous stimulation may in a moment change its customary order and rate of -action, and in extreme cases cease to beat. The whole mental processes, as -well as the functions of organic life, may be seriously involved. Now in -your case, madam----" - -"Stop, doctor. I take in the fact," said I, "which is evident in your -high-sounding phrases, that nervous prostration is a killing complaint and -you are going to treat me for it." - -"Perhaps so," said the doctor. "It often happens that an exaltation or -diminution of activity in some one portion of the nervous system causes -perverted action in another part, as when any unusual strain has been -thrown upon you." - -"For instance," said I, "when a friend came last Sunday and allowed me to -carry up-stairs her grip-sack with books in it?" - -"Politeness should never require you to do such a thing," said the doctor, -"but the strain may not be any physical exertion or overwork; deficient -sleep, any sudden shock of joy or fear, especially terror, might prove -fatal." - -"I was much frightened last summer," said I, "by a stroke of lightning -which destroyed an immense oak tree in front of the door. It was a worse -panic than that which seizes one on seeing one's husband bringing three -gentlemen to dinner, when there is only one good little porter-house steak -in the house." - -"Allow me to say," continued the doctor, "nervousness characterizes women -more than men. It sometimes comes on as a sequence of severe illness, some -grave anxiety, some physical or moral shock, like the unexpected discovery -of perfidy or disloyalty on the part of a friend. Then, too, nervous -prostration is brought on by unremitting or monotonous duties, which keep -the same paths of action from day to day." - -"I was told," said I, "of a lawyer who entering his office the other day -read upon his slate the statement that he would be back in half an hour; -in a fit of absence of mind he took a seat and waited for himself, and it -was some time before he realized that he was in his own office, and that -he was not one of his own clients." - -"That," replied the doctor, "was no worse than the case of the reverend -gentleman who on going out one morning gathered up an ordinary business -coat and carried it around the whole day, thinking it was his overcoat, -and was more surprised than anybody else when informed of his mistake. -These examples are evidences and symptoms of nervous disorder. I never -knew a man to hurt himself by mere bodily labor; but excessive mental toil -is certainly capable of damaging the nervous tissues. Any calamity, -misfortune, pecuniary loss, or accident is liable to bring on nervous -prostration. What are the symptoms? Loss of sleeping power, incapacity and -aversion to work, lassitude, headache, an anxious and cross expression of -countenance, heart disturbance, cramp--all these may be indications of -local nervous exhaustion." - -"Doctor, how do you propose to exterminate this formidable enemy?" - -"For the treatment of nervous diseases," said he, "we have at our disposal -invaluable remedies whose action is more or less special. There is -strychnine, bromide of potassium, possessing the opposite properties of -increasing and diminishing the reflex excitability of the nervous system, -in addition to other beneficial modes of action. Then we have chloral and -morphine, acting directly and indirectly as hypnotics, thus allowing the -curative action of rest to come into play. For pain, we have opium, Indian -hemp, subcutaneous injections of morphia, and the galvanic current. We -have any number of drugs for influencing, relaxing, mitigating pain, -reinforcing the nutrition of wasted muscles. Then there are nervine -tonics, preparations of zinc, arsenic, iron, quinine, phosphorus, -cod-liver oil, to say nothing of cold or tepid douches, and the massage -treatment." - -"Good gracious!" I exclaimed, "am I to swallow all these poisonous -things?" - -"There is no occasion for alarm, madam. I don't propose to prescribe all -these things at once. The first thing I shall order is very important--it -is a simple but nutritious diet. Eat plenty of ripe fruit; drink pure, -distilled water; take plenty of gentle but regular exercise, and sleep as -much as possible. You must be surrounded by agreeable society, have plenty -of fresh air and excellent food, and with temperance, avoiding all -excitement and mental exertion, I hope you will soon be well." - -"But, doctor, suppose baby Laura falls down-stairs or the house takes -fire?" - -"You are to be kept ignorant of all such things. The medicine you need is -perfect rest, for after all it is the most powerful therapeutic agent when -you understand its nature and the indications for its use. You rest your -body in sleep, you rest your mind by looking on beautiful things, hearing -good music, and thinking of nothing. Sleep is a preventive of disease, and -the want of it, if carried too far, causes death. Sleep is balm to the -careworn mind and over-wrought brain. In these days of emulation and -worry, the waste of nerve force must be repaired by sleeping and cessation -from all work. Now is the time to stop, lest you come to the door of the -insane asylum. I repeat, absolute rest," said the doctor, striking his -cane on the floor, "and no stimulants to excite rapid circulation. The -brain recovers slowly and resents too early demands on it after any -injury. The general health must be maintained at the highest possible -standard, and you must not worry. You must be a philosopher." - -"Doctor," said I, "I can do better than that; I can be a Christian. I can -say, 'Yes, Lord,' to whatever God sends. That is the philosophy of Hannah -Whitall Smith, and I have tested its efficacy." - -"Yes, madam, I too," said the doctor, "would recommend anything of a -soothing, tranquilizing character. I shall call to-morrow; good morning." - -I have reflected somewhat since those days, and when a woman tells me now -that she is suffering from nervous prostration I know that she is -struggling with a disease--a mournful, painful, destructive actuality. -Emerson says, "when one is ill something the devil's the matter." I know -it is so with a woman, for all the peace and joy of life go out of her -with sickness. I believe, too, that she would be subject to less nervous -prostration if she had greater part in the more enlarging and ennobling -human activities. But as mother earth reinvigorated him who touched her, -so what life we have comes from God, and indwelling with the Divine ought -to renew us body and soul. Christ Himself may not have revealed the -miracle of health to the apostles, but He taught them to use it. Mankind -soon lost connection with the spiritual dynamo of revitalization--except -most intermittingly. But has this been so through necessity or by reason -of gross materialism? Among "the greater things than these" of the -promise, may not highly spiritualized natures already be refinding the -natural laws of healthful living through emphasizing the rightful -dominance of man's spiritual being? "All my fresh springs are in Thee!" "I -will arise in newness of life" cannot refer to the soul without including -the body, for the greater includes the less. The tendency to give less and -less medicine; the declaration of the medical world that drugs are not -curative; the healing of the body by the invisible forces of nature, as is -being done every day--all these things electrify with the hope that the -world is about to discover "the miracles in which we are nourished." The -revelation of the 20th century may be how to pull out that "nail of pain" -which, according to Plato, fastens the mind to the body; and the joy of -simple, harmonious existence may become a reasonable hope to suffering -mortals. - -After this experience of illness I made a trip through Canada and the -East. With new vigor and the old interest I resumed my home duties and was -preparing to enjoy our New Orleans carnival season, when one morning the -housemaid announced: "Mis' Cal_line_, I do b'lieve Rex is come, fur dar's -er ole man at de do' wid er shabby umbril an' de _ole-es'_ han'bag--an' he -say he's you' cousin!" I hastened to meet him, and knew at once who it -was; but the old man was in an exhausted condition. He said: "I have some -brandy with me, and I need it. I have been very sick, but I thought I was -well enough to come to see you once more before I die." I administered a -stimulant to old cousin Jimmie, and in a cheerful strain he continued: -"Oh, you're so like your ma, cousin. She was an angel, and your -worldly-minded old pa gave her lots of trouble, for your ma was pious, and -she had a hard time to get him into the church. Cousin David was a fine -man, too, and he had to give in at last to the blessed persuasion of -cousin Betsey, your angel-mother." - -The next day I observed cousin Jimmie was holding a wooden whistle in his -hand, and blowing softly into it. I inquired what it was. "This whistle," -he said, "is older than your old spinning-wheel and the ancient chiny in -the corner cupboard." "But, I enquired, what is the use of it?" Cousin -Jimmie replied: "They called up the crows with it, so they could shoot -'em." "I always regarded crows as harmless creatures whose inky blackness -of color was very useful as a comparison," I replied. "Well, you never -knowed anything at all about crows," said cousin Jimmie. "I tell you, when -a crow lights on a year o' corn, they eats every single grain before they -stop; and I tell you they are suspicious critters, too--these crows! I -used to thread a horsehair into a needle and stick it in a grain o' corn, -and draw the hair through, and tie it, and throw it around, and they would -pick it up and swallow the corn. Then I would stand off and watch the -rascals scratchin' their beaks tryin' to get rid o' the hair, until they -got so bothered they would quit that field and never come back. I was a -little boy, them days." "Yes," said I, "and boys are so cruel." "Maybe -so," said cousin Jimmie; "but I wa'n't 'lowed to have a gun to shoot -'em--crows nor nuthin' else. Boys was boys them days, not undersized men -struttin' 'round with a cigyar in their mouths, too grand to lay holt of a -plow handle. Why, some big boys, sixteen years old, can't ketch a horse -and saddle him, let alone put him to a buggy all right. I know that for a -fact!" - -"Do you like roast lamb and green peas, cousin Jimmie?--for that is what -we have for dinner to-day; but I can order anything else you like better?" -"I'm not hard to please, cousin," he answered. "I like good fat -mutton--and turnips; but cousin, them turnips must be biled good and -_done_. _Done_ turnips never hurt nobody. Why, when I had the pneumony -last winter I sent and got a bagful--and I had 'em cooked all right; and -way in the night, whilst I had a fever, I would retch out and get a turnip -and eat it. Bile 'em good and done and they can't hurt nobody--_sick_ or -well." - -"I never heard of sick people eating turnips," said I. - -"But you see I have, and has eat 'em, and am here to tell you about 'em." - -"General Grant is nominated for President," said I, looking over the -morning paper. "Grant, did you say? I'll never vote for him! He wasn't -satisfied with $25,000 for salary, but wanted $50,000; and nex' time he'll -want a hundred thousand. Do you know, cousin," said the old man, "that -them Yankees robbed me of one hundred and fifty niggers? The government -ought to pay me for 'em. They had no more right to take them niggers than -they had to steal my horses and mules--which they stole at the same time. -I tell you, they must _pay_ me for my property!" and cousin Jimmie came -down with a heavy blow of his walking cane on the rug. "Ef they don't pay -me they are the grandest set o' villyuns on top o' earth! When the -blue-coated raskils was goin' up the Cheneyville road they met up with two -runaways old Mr. Ironton had caught and hobbled with a chain. A Yankee -said it was a shame for a human bein' to be treated so. Mrs. Ironton flung -back at 'em: 'I don't care! you may show them to the President himself, -and hang them round his neck, if you like.' The old woman was so sassy -that the man simmered down. I heard another officer inquire very perlite, -ef it was customary to sarve the niggers this way, and I said we had to do -something to keep 'em down in their places; and, no matter how bad a -nigger was, he was too valuable to kill, so we punished 'em in other ways. - -"To-morrow is my birthday," sighed cousin Jimmie, "and I'll be -eighty-eight years old." I celebrated the day for him and made him some -presents; and I asked him to tell me bravely and truly whether or not he -would be willing to live his life over, to accumulate all the money and -estate he once possessed, to become a second time sick and old and -destitute. Cousin Jimmie was silent a moment; then his aged eyes twinkled, -and a smile spread over his still handsome old face: "I would try it over; -life is mighty sweet; I'm not ready to give it up, cousin." "But you must -before long relinquish all there is in this life." "Well," said he, "I've -made pervision. I gave my niece Mary all my silver and my red satin -furniture, and my brother has promised to bury me with my people in -Mississippi. I'm all right there." - -"I've heard, cousin Jimmie, that you denied the globular shape of the -earth. How is that?" - -"Why, I _know_ the earth is flat. 'Tain't fashionable to say so, but it -don't stand to reason that the world is round and flyin' in the air, like -folks say. 'Tain't no sech thing--else eyes ain't no account." - -Two years more of this life, and then old cousin Jimmie--who was my -father's first cousin on his mother's side--was able from some other -planet, we hope, to investigate the shape of this one to which he had -clung so loyally. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -ENTER--AS AN EPISODE--MRS. COLUMBIANA PORTERFIELD. - - -There are characters of such marked and peculiar individuality that they -loom upon one's consciousness like Stonehenge, or any other magnificent -ruin, as Charles Lamb says of Mrs. Conrady's ugliness; and their discovery -"is an era in one's existence." In this way one of my intimate associates, -Mrs. Columbiana Porterfield, stands preeminent in my early and later -recollections; but I was sorry to see into her. Every time we were -together it impressed me more vividly than before, that self was the great -center about which everything revolved for her. All her sympathies were -related to that idol. No small human creature interested her large mind, -except as connected with herself. She was devoted to her church, -especially to its ministers, but it was a sanctuary where she worshiped -self in the guise of godliness, and her own honor and glory was what she -worked for in the name of the Master. At one time the sense of her -colossal selfishness so ate into my spirit of charity that I tried to work -it off by writing out, to one of my intimates, the following letters which -embrace actual incidents and individual experiences through which are -revealed Columbiana's inordinate ambitions and desires for -distinction--"her mark, her token; that by which she was known." Perhaps -she may stand like a lighthouse to warn off other women from the same -shoals. - - -NUMBER 1. - -Miss Columbiana Porterfield was fat, fair, and almost forty years old when -she became a winter visitor at Colonel Johnson's plantation home in the -far South. She was so much respected and admired by the Colonel that when -his wife died he urgently invited her to fill the void in his heart and -home. - -The position seemed advantageous, and the lady accepted the situation, -entering confidently upon the duties involved, resolving to adapt herself -to her surroundings when she could not bend circumstances to her own -strong will. She was a sensible woman, and her good husband loved her with -a doting, foolish fondness which he had never exhibited to the departed -wife of his youth. - -The family servants did not hesitate in giving her the allegiance due to -power and place, and they were careful to pay all deference to the new -mistress; therefore Mrs. Johnson was surprised to overhear the housewoman -saying to the cook: "I tell yer dat ar white 'oman from de Norf ain't got -dem keen eyes in dat big head o' hern for nuthin'; I'm afeered of her, I -is dat." The lady was wisely deaf to these remarks, but they rankled in -her mind several days. - -One of the neighbors thought Mrs. Johnson was not a good housekeeper, -because she had apple fritters for dinner, when there was ample time to -make floating-island and even Charlotte Russe before that meal was served. -Yet with all this talk it was easy to see that the newly-adopted head of -the household had completely identified herself with her family. - -There are Americans who go to Europe, and after a short stay no longer -regard the United States as a fit dwelling-place for civilized beings; who -indulge themselves in the abuse of scenery, climate, customs and -government of their own native land as freely as any hostile-minded -foreigner. Therefore it is not strange that Northerners who come to live -in the South should become attached to their surroundings, and even prefer -them to all others which they ever knew. - -Mrs. Johnson loved her stepchildren, Harry and Lucy. She taught them to -call her "aunt," but their own mother could not have been more devoted to -the children of the father who had lain down and died amidst the great -conflict which was a horror to the whole country. Mrs. Johnson was greatly -agitated by the war and its results, and as soon as possible after this -cruel strife was over, she took Lucy with her on a visit to her Northern -home, leaving Harry behind. Among the first letters sent back was the -following, dated October 15th, 1867: - -MY DEAREST HARRY,--My sister was rejoiced to see me alive once more; but I -feel like a stranger, for when I look at your sister I cannot realize that -she is here where she does not belong. It is a visible contrast of two -extremes, my family representing one, and Lucy, the other. The North and -South will breakfast together to-morrow morning on buckwheat cakes and -codfish balls. Everybody loves your little rebel sister. Even the girl in -the kitchen dotes on her, and looks lovingly on the dear girl while she is -demolishing the dainty dishes she has compounded for her delectation. I -don't mean fish-balls, for she hates them. - -I know she thinks Lucy is an angel, while I suspect I am thought to be -exactly the reverse, judging by the disagreeable, reluctant way she has of -serving me. A woman who had been teaching the freedmen down in South -Carolina came here last week to collect money for them. Everybody went to -hear her speak, and Lucy just went along with the rest. It was a highly -improper thing for a Southern girl to do. I knew it, but could not put my -veto on it and make myself odious to the family, so I held my peace and -let her go, though I should have been ashamed to be seen in such a place. -She told me all about it, however, and you have a right to be proud of -your noble sister. She conquered her nerves and sat perched on a front -seat and listened with great attention, and almost repeated the whole -thing for me when she came home. - -The woman dilated eloquently upon the awful sin of caste prejudice -existing among the abominable South Carolina aristocrats, who, while they -would accost and speak to the colored pupils, were so stuck up that they -regarded the white teachers as no better than the dirt under their feet. -After the speech was over, they took up a collection, and when my sister -told me she saw Lucy put in five dollars, I was just too provoked to say -a word. To do this foolish thing after all our losses was too much--when -she has ordered a new pelisse from New York, too! I could scarcely sleep -for thinking of this folly. The cold weather gives me a despondency -anyhow. It makes me think of my own home in the South, with all its -comforts and the beautiful wood fires, now mine no longer. True, the house -is mine, the dear Colonel gave me that, and the land, and the stock. There -is the old family carriage and the horses; but it is bitter as wormwood -and gall to have no one here to drive me out or do the smallest thing for -me unless I pay out money which I no longer possess. It was a wicked thing -to ruin and break up our homes like this, but, my dear boy, we must try to -be content with what God sends. Our portion is not money, but water; an -overflow of it in the river, and too many caterpillars in the cotton -fields eating up our crops. You must be prepared to suffer poverty and -affliction without slaves to polish your boots and rub down your horses. -You may even be obliged to chop kindling for me to cook with, before you -are done. - -The old purposes, habits and customs cannot be carried out any longer. You -must not think of matrimony. You ought now to wait until you are thirty -years old before you attempt to make a shipwreck of your life by marriage. -But I do know a perfect Hebe who would suit you exactly. She comes here -often. Oh! she is a dainty warbler, not quite full-fledged, but superior, -noble, magnificent in design, able to soar higher than any of those -finiky, twittering little canaries you love to play with. A splendid -ancestry, too, as ever lived, solid, wealthy men, though some of them are -deteriorated by having married wives who were nobody. Some women dwarf -men's souls by their own littleness. I hope you will not fall a victim to -any such. - -You must keep up the family prestige; your talents and associations demand -a foremost place, and you must refuse to commonize yourself with that low, -ignorant, profane, dram-drinking set of young men around you. I do -heartily despise them all, and have never received them in my house when I -could help it. They would gladly drag you down to their own level if they -could. - -How these good New Englanders rejoice in the emancipation of the slaves! -All my friends and relations chuckle over it, so that it looks to me like -malice triumphant. Lucy came out last Sunday in a beautiful new hat and -pelisse from New York, looking like the daughter of a duchess; and old -cousin Althea said that she did not look that day as much like ruin as she -had expected when she saw me and Lucy getting out of the carriage in our -shabby old war clothes. That old thing is perfectly hateful and always -was. - -If our old servants are still with you, say "howdie" to them for me. I -hope Chloe has not run off with her freedom anywhere. She does make such -nice waffles and French rolls. You must contrive some way to keep Chloe if -I am expected to spend much time with you. - - Your loving aunt, - COLUMBIANA. - - -NUMBER 2. - -MY DEAR HARRY,--Lucy has a beau. She denies the fact, but there is a -gentleman here from New York who is an intimate friend of my brother, and -he looks at your sister and watches her so eagerly, and does so many -things to please her and to promote my comfort, that I am dead sure it is -an elaborate case of love. I do not think him a suitable match for Lucy in -every respect, but he is very useful to accompany us on excursions and he -manages a pair of horses admirably, and it is convenient to have such a -man around. We went to cousin Sabina Suns' yesterday, where we were all -invited to dine and to meet the Bishop and Prof. Elliott. I made occasion -to pass through the dining-room. Heaps of red currants in lovely cut-glass -bowls, golden cream in abundance, white mountain cake and luscious peaches -were set out for dessert, instead of the everlasting doughnuts and -perpetual pie which you see everywhere. Not that I care for dessert. I -knew we should have oyster soup and a pair of roasted fowls and all -accompaniments of a regular dinner, for Sabina Suns' girl is the best cook -I have found anywhere. - -We were all sitting in the west drawing-room, and the Bishop had not yet -arrived, when somehow we got upon the subject of the late unpleasantness, -and Sabina Suns blurted out that Jefferson Davis was a traitor, and ought -to be hanged. Tears came to Lucy's eyes and the blood mounted to her -temples. She suddenly disappeared. I saw the fire in the child's eyes and -felt the bitterness in her heart, though I said nothing to her, but I -begged Sabina to spare our feelings, for I saw she had gone too far. In a -few moments Lucy appeared with her hat and gloves and bade cousin Sabina -Suns good-by, and went away before our astonishment had subsided. - -I wanted Lucy to meet the Bishop and the young college professor of -entomology. I had been telling her what a fine young man he was, of such a -wealthy family, and it now became her to be on the lookout for some better -establishment than any poor Southerner could offer. She is young and pays -little attention to what I say. Sabina was rude and unkind, but the Bishop -and Professor were coming, and then there was the dinner, so I remained -and really had a splendid time, except for this unpleasant episode. - -I intended to scold Lucy, but when I reached my sister's house I found it -was no use. Lucy's fiery indignation would brook no reproof. She opened -the flood-gates of her wrath upon Sabina without mercy. She said the woman -had elevated one of her enormous feet upon the other as though such cruel -language must inevitably be accompanied by some vulgar action, and her two -feet so elevated seemed high enough for a common gallows post. To be -candid, I was almost scared to death to see your sister so angry and -spiteful. But I like a woman of spirit; it is not best, however, to run -off on a tangent in the face of good company and a first-class dinner. My -dear Harry, I think you are better trained, and would have shown more -common sense under the same circumstances. - -The Hightowers, who have so often entertained me in New York, want their -son Howard to come to the mountains or go somewhere to rest after he is -graduated, and I have invited him to come up here as a sort of return -hospitality for a long visit I made with them. The New York _beau_ is soon -to leave. I could not understand that Lucy promoted his departure in any -way, but I thought Howard would be useful. Not that I think he would be a -more desirable _parti_ than the other, but it is handy to have a young -fellow around to wait upon us or take us to different places. He will come -next week, but I shall not apprise my sister, who might object at the last -moment, though I am sure she will treat him well, as she does all my -friends. - -Lucy dressed herself with great elegance this evening. I did not think it -was worth while to be wasting her best dry goods and her dear self on the -people she was going to visit; and as I sat in her dressing-room and saw -her laced up in her new lavender silk, which is supremely becoming to her -lovely complexion, and then pin on a rich Brussels lace collar, I could -not help reproving her by reminding her of her long deceased elder sister, -who, I said, doubtless was looking down from heaven in sorrow and -disapprobation of such vanities. "Oh, Aunt Columbia!" said she, "Nanny -Jones was right when she said you had such a terrible way of throwing up a -girl's dead kinfolks to her; please don't make me cry; I don't want to go -to the party with red eyes." Henry, that Jones girl ought never to have -been invited to your uncle Joseph's house. She was an incorrigible piece, -and was a great trial to me that month she spent with me. - -I do hope you go regularly to church. It looks beautiful to see a -high-bred young gentleman sitting in his father's pew. The desecration of -the Sabbath in our Southern country is perfectly awful. I never could bear -to see it. You know your uncle Joe, Christian as he proposes to be, will -say to his wife: "Julia, if you must have a cold dinner once a week, get -it in on a week day; on Sunday I must have something better than usual, -and it must be fresh and hot." I frequently stopped there after church and -dined with him, so I was well aware of this bad example, right in our own -family, as it were. - -One would think, after fighting through such a long, bloody war, that our -young men would have done with all private killing and murdering, and -would settle down at home and be industrious and peaceful; so I was all -the more shocked to hear that young Joe McDonald had shot and killed Billy -Whitfield, and all about a trifling little Texas pony. Joe actually had -the impertinence to write to Lucy explaining that he only acted in -self-defense, and begging her not to refuse to speak to him when she -returned. She shall never answer his letter or look at him again with my -consent. I tremble for you, my dear boy, subject as you are to such -dreadful associations, and I pray that you may be kept in safety from -every evil-influence. - -Make Chloe look after the poultry. If she sets some hens now, they (the -chickens) will be ready for broiling by Christmas. You know how fond I am -of young chickens for supper. I have eaten enough cold bread up here to -last a lifetime. It may be good for dyspeptics, but I am not one. - - Your loving aunt, - COLUMBIANA. - - -NUMBER 3. - -MY DEAR HARRY,--I do miss the New York man. He was a quiet, sensible -gentleman, and if you happened to utter an idea above the average he was -always able to respond and keep the ball of conversation passing agreeably -around the table and fireside. There are so many men who will not take the -trouble to answer a lady's question with any serious thoughtfulness. This -boy Howard is not a goose by any means, but he is full of animal spirits -and all sorts of pranks. He has kept Lucy racing about over the country so -that she has no time for anything else. Two weeks ago I ripped up my old -black satin dress which did not set right in the back, and there it lies -waiting for Lucy to put it together--for I do hate dressmakers' bills, and -your sister learned the whole science of remodeling old clothes during the -war, when she could not buy any cloth to save her life. - -Lucy can embroider and do all kinds of needlework, but she is letting the -needle lie idle and putting out all her own sewing, which I cannot allow -her to do with a good conscience. - -I noticed the other day that Howard had Lucy's diamond ring on his little -finger, and now she tells me he lost one of the stones out of it when he -went after pond lilies yesterday. The boy was plagued and worried over it -and said he would replace it; but that is nonsense, for the Hightowers -would never have sent Howard here on my invitation if they had money to -buy diamonds. I made Lucy put away the ring in her trunk, and told her -jewels were unbecoming to a Christian girl and her father ought never have -given her any diamonds. - -We are going to visit a mountain to-morrow. Lucy is wild after such -things, and no wonder, living so long in a flat country which can boast of -nothing which constitutes scenery, not even a pebble or a brook of clear -water. These hills are perfectly heavenly with their grassy slopes -ornamented by noble trees, and then the meadows so fragrant with new-mown -hay; I am lost in admiration myself, so I cannot blame the raptures of -this unsophisticated child of nature, who sees it all for the first time. - -My sister's horses are high-spirited creatures, and Howard, who has had no -experience in driving, insisted upon taking the reins, when they ran away -and Lucy was thrown out; and the funniest thing happened to her in a -wonderful and providential manner; she was landed upon a bed a farmer's -wife had put out to sun before her door. She fell right in on the feathers -and not a bone was broken. But my heart failed me when Howard came home at -a late hour, with the side of his face scratched and bruised, and helped -Lucy out of the battered carriage, which had to be repaired before it -could be driven home. - -I shall greatly rejoice when that boy takes his leave, for I am in hourly -dread of his impetuosity in getting us into trouble. - -Still, he is a bright, noble spirit, and is so penitent when he does -anything wrong that I must needs forgive him. I really fear my sister is -beginning to weary of my young friend. I think the broken phaeton has some -influence on her feelings. - -I have no time to write a long letter, so I enclose one which I have just -read from your cousin Maria which contains a great lesson for a young man -setting out in life--one which I hope you will lay to heart. - - * * * * * - -DEAR AUNTIE,--Tell Lucy to have the lilac silk dress made up, which she is -commissioned to buy for me. We are the same size almost, so it can be -fitted to her shape, and I want it trimmed with real lace. I never saw any -lace while the war went on and I long to feel once more like a lady. I -think a liberal quantity of fine applique or real Brussels lace would help -me to realize the Union is truly restored. So Lucy must reserve one-half -the money I send for the dress to be invested in this trimming. - -But I must tell you, Auntie, such a strange thing happened night before -last. It was after midnight and everybody was in bed when a loud knocking -at the hall door waked us all up, and father went down to see who it was. -What was our surprise to see our neighbor's wife, Mrs. McAlpine, all wet -with rain, without any hat or shawl, her long black hair hanging down her -back, the very picture of a forlorn and despairing creature. She begged my -father to take her in and conceal her, for she said she had run away from -home, for her husband was going to kill her if he could find her. My -mother asked her what she had done to awaken such wrath and vengeance, and -she replied: "Nothing at all; Mr. McAlpine had been drinking and was wild -from the effects of liquor." Mother gave the poor lady the guest chamber -and sent me to her room with dry clothing, and I assisted her to undress. -Auntie, when I pulled her wet dress down from her white shoulders what was -my horror to see them all bruised and seamed in every direction as by the -marks of whip or cowhide. "Oh, my God," said I, "what a shame!" She -quickly covered herself with the gown I brought, while tears silently -flowed down her pale cheeks. My own blood boiled with indignation and I -resolved that I never would speak to the handsome, gentlemanly brute who -had committed this outrage upon his patient and gentle wife. I told mother -what I had seen and she turned pale and told me to say nothing to anyone, -but try to contribute in every way to the comfort of the unhappy guest who -had come to us in such a singular way. The next day about ten o'clock Mr. -McAlpine came and asked to see father. When Mrs. McAlpine found her -husband was in the house she seemed crazed with a mortal terror and begged -mother to lock her up in the closet and "save" her. Mother tried to -reassure her, but in vain; nor did she draw an easy breath until she saw -him driving down the avenue after his long interview with father was over. -Late that evening father called mother and me into the library and -informed us that we must not feel so hostile toward the man whose unhappy -wife we were entertaining, for he was entitled to our sympathy and pity, -and he was sorry to tell us that Colonel McAlpine was the wretched victim -of an intemperate wife, whom he had tried in vain to reform and restrain -and in fact he had resorted to everything else before using the lash and -my father was convinced of the truth of his version of the miserable -story. - -The Colonel begged us to keep the lady quiet for a day or two and then -bring her home. It seemed to me nothing could excuse such brutality, and -when mother grew somewhat reserved to her unbidden guest, I never varied -in my conduct, and she was quick to appreciate my kindness. When two days -had passed, to my surprise she herself proposed to return and asked me to -drive over with her to her home. I was reluctant to leave her then, but -the Colonel received her with such an apparent kindness and cordiality -that I was entirely reassured and I tried to banish the recollection of -those dreadful marks on his wife's shoulders. But what could I do under -the circumstances? The woman said she must go home--to her child. - -You will think this is enough of tragedy, but wait, dear Auntie, until you -hear the end. Last night Mr. McAlpine shot his wife through the heart, -then blew out his own brains, and the whole country is perfectly -horrified, and the wildest rumors are going around. Father has written to -their friends in New York, and mother has agreed to take care of the baby -until they come for it. - -It seems really frivolous for me to go back to the dress question after -these horrors, but tell Lucy to have our dresses made open a little in the -neck, as they are for evening. - - Yours devotedly, - MARIA. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE SOUTHERN WOMAN BECOMES A "CLUBABLE" BEING. - - -In every individual life there enter events which in their enlarged -influence are analogous to epoch-making periods in the nation's history. -Such, surely, was my meeting with Susan B. Anthony, when she visited the -New Orleans Exposition in 1885. I had long kept a vivid and dear picture -of her in the inner sanctuary of my mind; had become acquainted through -the press with the vigor of her intellect and the native independence and -integrity of her character; had known she was a woman "born out of due -season," who had already spent fifty years of her life trying to make "the -rank and file" of women and men see that the human race in all its social -relations is in bondage, while woman occupies a position less than free. I -had so long been one with her in spirit and principles that I was not -prepared to feel so like a little chicken looking into the shell out of -which it has just stepped, as I did feel on coming face to face with all -the expansiveness her many years of service for women had wrought her own -justice-loving personality. - -New Orleans stretched out a friendly hand to Miss Anthony. The surprise of -finding her a simple, motherly, gentle-mannered woman instead of the -typical woman's-rights exponent, disarmed and warmed their hearts, so that -press and people received her cordially. She was invited to address the -city public schools, and spoke to many appreciative audiences during the -few weeks New Orleans had the uplift of her presence. In a private letter -of that date she said to me: "I remember my visit to the Crescent City -with a great deal of pleasure, and cherish the friendships I made there. -We are finding out quite a good many fine things about women in the Gulf -States, so that I think you may feel proud that so much true growth went -on--even while that other problem of freedom was being settled. - - "SUSAN B. ANTHONY." - -Miss Anthony's work here made a permanent impression on public thought; -the personal hospitality of the people meant a certain sort of receptivity -of her cause, for which the war era and the more trying decade following -it was a period of incubation; for unquestionably all times of stress and -effort and experience of soul are seasons of enlargement, of suggestion, -and form the matrix of a new life. If movement be once started in original -cell structures, reforming is sure, and the new species depends on the -character of the environment. Heart-rending and irremediable as were the -personal effects of the war to thousands, there is little doubt but that -it has resulted in definite gain to the whole people, by establishing a -system of self-reliance in place of reliance upon the labor of others; and -even more through the liberation of the general mind from captivity to -the belief in the ethical rectitude of human slavery. - -But it takes the North a long time to come to any true understanding of -the Southern people. Certain transient, exterior features--which are as -impermanent as the conditions that created them--have been mistaken for -their real character, which depends upon indwelling ideals--and these have -always been thoroughly American. The leisure for thought and study which -ante-bellum ease allowed to many molded a high-thinking type that was true -to the best intellectual and Christian models, as the character of -Southern public men has evidenced. The simple integrity of the Southern -ideal has had no match in national life except in the rigid standard of -New England. Puritan and Huguenot--far apart as they seem--were like -founders of the rugged righteousness of American principles; and in so far -as we have forgotten our origin, has the national character lost its -purity. - -The love of freedom is ingrained in the ideals of the South. Its apparent -conservatism is not hostility to the new nor intense devotion to the old; -it is more an inevitable result of thin population scattered over wide -areas, with little opportunity for the frequent and direct contact which -is indispensable to the rapid and general development of a common idea. It -is not true that Southern men are more opposed than others to the freedom -of women. The several Codes show that the Southern States were the first -to remove the inequality of women as to property rights. It must also be -remembered that a vigorous propaganda for the enfranchisement of women -has been conducted for fifty years, at great expense of time and talent, -all over the North, while it may be said to have just begun in the South. - -If in 1890 any effort had been made by the National American Woman -Suffrage Association to influence the Constitutional Convention then in -session in Mississippi, the woman's ballot on an educational basis might -have been secured. Henry Blackwell was the only prominent Northern -suffragist who seemed to have a wide-open eye on that convention. What he -could he did, gratis, to help the cause, and won the friendship and -gratitude of many in that State. The leading women who were applied to -offered not one word of appreciation of the situation--doubtless because -they were accustomed to expecting nothing good out of Nazareth; perhaps -also because they would not aid what seemed an unrighteous effort to -eliminate the negro vote. - -It is not the first time in suffrage history that the white woman has been -sacrificed to the brother in black. A political necessity brought within a -few votes the political equality of woman. If Mississippi had then settled -the race question on the only statesmanlike and just plan--by -enfranchising intelligence and disfranchising ignorance--other States -would have followed; for the South generally desires a model for a just -and legal white supremacy--without the patent subterfuge of "grandfather -clauses." The heartbreak of any human soul or cause is not to have been -equal to its opportunity. The whole woman's movement is yet bearing the -consequences of that eclipse of vision ten years ago. - -The first ground broken in the cultivation of greater privileges for -Louisiana women was the organization of the Woman's Club of New Orleans. -In 1884--as narrated in its history prepared for the World's Columbian -Exposition--in response to a notice in the _New Orleans Times-Democrat_, -twelve women met in the parlor of the Young Men's Christian Association -and organized the first Woman's Club in the South. - -Miss Elizabeth Bisland, now Mrs. Charles W. Wetmore of New York, was its -first president. Miss Bisland had already earned fair fame in literature, -and the South was justly proud of her. She afterwards challenged the -world's notice by her swift girdling of the globe in the interest of the -_Cosmopolitan Magazine_. The charter members of the pioneer club were of -the heroic type, and amid fluctuations of hope and despair, forced on by -the irresistible spirit of the age, founded a society which numbered its -members by hundreds, and which secured and retained the sympathy and -respect of the people. - -The Constitution provided at first only for working women, but afterward -eliminated this restriction. It stated that, evolved as it was from a -progressive civilization, its movements must be elastic, its work -versatile and comprehensive. It estimated its own scope as follows: "The -vital and influential work of our club must always be along sociological -lines. The term embraces pursuits of study and pastime, our labors and -relaxations. In the aggregate we are breaking down and removing barriers -of local prejudice; we are assisting intellectual growth and spiritual -ambition in the community of which we are a dignified and effective -body--for the immense economy of moral force made possible by a permanent -organization such as ours, is well understood by the thoughtful." It -extended hospitality in the public recognition of extraordinary -achievements by women, and helped to bring aspirants in art, literature -and sociology before appreciative audiences, and introduced to New Orleans -many world-renowned women and men. - -Being the first woman's club in the South it was the subject of peculiar -interest and attention from other organizations of women, and was wise -enough, from the beginning, to ally itself with the general movement. Its -delegate was a conspicuous part of the National Convention of Women's -Clubs, held in New York in 1889, under the auspices of Sorosis; in 1892 it -was represented in the Convention of Federated Clubs, in Chicago, by its -president and delegate, and was present in the General Federation of -Women's Clubs in 1894. It was the host, in connection with Portia Club, in -1895, of the "Association for the Advancement of Women," which enjoyed for -a week the novelty of the Crescent City and its environs. - -Through its initiation, matrons were placed in station houses and a bed -was furnished in the "Women's and Children's Hospital." It petitioned for -a revocation of Mrs. Maybrick's sentence, and distributed rations to the -sufferers in the great overflows of the Mississippi and Texas rivers. It -is clearly manifest from the foregoing that the Woman's Club was the -initial step of whatever progression women have made through subsequent -organizations. - -Following the enlarging influence of the New Orleans Exposition in -1885-86, there came the great contest to overthrow the Louisiana State -Lottery. The whole energy of the church and every citizen was called into -action all over the State. Women's Lottery Leagues were formed in every -town,--that in New Orleans numbering 900 members; it was denominated "the -crowning influence that resulted in victory." It is impossible to -overestimate the liberative value for woman of this struggle brought to a -successful issue; or to reckon how far back into inertia she would have -been thrown by defeat; for the first time in our post-bellum history it -united women of all classes and ages in a common moral and political -battle-ground. The federal anti-lottery law which has secured the results -of this victory may prove to be an invaluable precedent for anti-trust -legislation. - -In 1892, in response to my invitation, some of the strong, progressive and -intellectual women of New Orleans were ready to meet at my house and -organize the first suffrage association in Louisiana. It was formed with -nine members, and was called the "Portia Club." The officers were Mrs. -Caroline E. Merrick, president; Mrs. Jas. M. Ferguson, vice-president; -Mrs. Evelyn Ordway, treasurer. Through its influence Governor Foster -appointed four women on the school boards of some of the Northern parishes -of Louisiana. It has done excellent educational work by the discussion of -such subjects as "Is the Woman in the Wage-earning World a Benefit to -Civilization?" "Is Organization Beneficial to Labor?" "Has the State of -Wyoming been Benefited by Woman Suffrage?" "Would Municipal Suffrage for -Women be a Benefit in New Orleans?" "The Initiative and Referendum;" "The -Republic of Venice;" "Disabilities of Women in Louisiana." The Portias -have maintained a leading part in all public causes that have enlisted -women, and in the interests of full suffrage were heard by the Suffrage -Committee of the Constitutional Convention of 1898. - -On the occasion of Miss Susan B. Anthony's seventieth birthday, a -reception at my house brought together not only those favorable to our -undertaking but many whom it was desirable to enlist. When that -gentle-faced, lion-hearted pioneer, Lucy Stone, yielded up her beautiful, -self-effacing life, the Portia Club held a fitting memorial service. Mrs. -Clara C. Hoffman made a most memorable suffrage address for the Portias in -this city, which aroused tremendous enthusiasm. She lectured extensively -elsewhere in the State, and wrote to me as follows after her visit here: -"It is generally claimed that Southern people are conservative and -bitterly opposed to any mention of equal suffrage. In my recent tour I -found them not only willing but anxious to hear the subject discussed. I -came into Louisiana at the request of the Woman's Christian Temperance -Union Convention, and had been informed that I must not say anything about -suffrage, as the people would not bear it. In my first address I reviewed -the hindering causes that delay and prevent the establishment of needed -reforms, and showed the danger of enfranchising all the vice and ignorance -in the land without seeking to counteract it; but I said not a word about -what the counteractant might be. The convention closed with Sunday -services; but before the day was gone I received an invitation from -leading citizens--professional and business men--to speak in the Opera -House in Shreveport at their expense, on Monday night, on woman suffrage. -A packed audience greeted me when I was cordially introduced by a -prominent lawyer. I presented arguments, answered objections. Round after -round of applause interrupted, and many crowded about at the close, -expressing themselves with utmost warmth. How is that for Shreveport, and -Louisiana?" - -Later Mrs. Hoffman spoke at Monroe and Lake Charles with equal acceptance. -One of our city papers said of her: "Mrs. Hoffman entered bravely upon her -subject, interspersing her remarks with delicious bits of witticism. She -is a forcible and brilliant speaker, a radical of the radicals, but -disarms by her clear, genial manner of presenting truth." - -Besides the women's societies in the various churches, which have done so -much to widen the field of woman's thought and endeavor, the Arena Club of -New Orleans, under the leadership of Mrs. James M. Ferguson, has been a -vital force. While tacitly endorsing suffrage, it advances social, -political and economic questions of the day. Its latest efforts have been -to create sentiment for anti-trust legislation. - -There has been a valuable period of training through Auxiliaries. Every -great movement, social and religious, had its Woman's Auxiliary. These -helped to reveal to woman her own capacities and her utter want of power. -But the day of the Auxiliary is done. If some of the auxiliary women have -not yet found out what woman ought to do, they have discovered the next -best thing--what not to do! - -In 1895 an amicable division of the Portia Club was made, the offshoot -becoming the Era Club--Equal Rights Association. It was a vigorous child, -full of progressive energy, and soon outgrew its mother. Its original -members, like the Portia, were nine, as follows: Mmes. Ferguson, Ordway, -Hereford, Pierce, Misses Brewer, Brown, Koppel, Nobles, Van Horn. At this -juncture Miss Anthony, accompanied by Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, -strengthened our hearts and cause by her presence. It was again my -privilege to entertain her in my home. She spoke to an enthusiastic -audience and Mrs. Catt was complimented in the same way. The next morning -the following letter from a leading member of the New Orleans bar was -brought to Miss Anthony by a member of the Portia Club: "That was a great -meeting last night. When people are willing to stand for three long hours -and listen to speakers it means something. There were ten or twelve men -and a score of women standing within ten feet of me, and not one of them -who did not remain to the end. There are few men who can hold an audience -in that way. I looked around the Assembly Hall and counted near me eight -of my legal confrères. One of the most distinguished lawyers in the State -told me in court this morning that Mrs. Catt's argument was one of the -finest speeches he had ever listened to. Yesterday I was asked at dinner -to define the word 'oratory.' Mrs. Catt is an exponent of 'the art of -moving human hearts to beat in unison with her own'--which is the end and -aim of oratory,--and was that quality which made the Athenians who heard -Demosthenes declare that they would 'fight Philip.' Give the speaker a -lawyer's compliments." - -Miss Anthony was much moved by this letter. "All this," she said, "is so -much sweeter than the ridicule that used to come to me in those early days -when I stood alone." - -Committees from the Portia and Era Clubs met in November, 1896, in the -parlors of the Woman's Club, and organized a State Woman Suffrage -Association, with Mrs. Caroline E. Merrick, president; Mrs. Eveleyn -Ordway, vice-president; Miss Matilda P. Hero, corresponding secretary; -Miss Belle Van Horn, recording secretary; Mrs. Boseley, treasurer; Mrs. -Helen Behrens, an ardent and able pioneer and present worker in the cause, -being made our first delegate to a National Convention. - -In 1898, the Era Club, in the name of Louisiana women, presented to the -Suffrage Committee of the Constitutional Convention, then in session in -New Orleans, the following petition: "In view of the fact that one of the -purposes of this Convention is to provide an educational qualification for -the exercise of the franchise by which to guard more carefully the welfare -of the State, we, the undersigned, believing that still another change -would likewise conduce greatly to the welfare of our people, pray that -your honorable body will, after deciding upon the qualifications deemed -necessary, extend the franchise with the same qualifications to the women -of this State." - -Mrs. Evelyn Ordway, one of the most efficient and public-spirited women of -New Orleans, as president of the Era Club, wisely and bravely led the -women's campaign. Owing to a rain which flooded the city, the most of the -woman's contingent were prisoners in their homes on the day the petition -was procured. Mrs. Lewis S. Graham, and Misses Katharine Nobles, Kate and -Jennie Gordon alone were able to cross the submerged streets to the -Committee room. Mrs. Graham made the leading address, and was ably -supported by her colleagues. Mrs. Carrie Chapman-Catt, aided by Misses -Laura Clay, Mary Hay and Frances Griffin, had been busy creating public -sentiment by means of brilliant addresses both in and out of the -Convention. Dr. Dickson Bruns should be ever held in grateful memory for -his constant and unflinching efforts in behalf of the woman's petition, -which was presented in Convention by the Hon. Anthony W. Faulkner of -Monroe. - -There were many women and a few noble men who were deeply stirred over the -fate of our memorial. I wrote to Miss Belle Kearney just after this -hearing: "You are needed right here, this very day, to speak what the -women want said for them now that the other speakers are gone away. I am -so dead tired and heart-sore that I almost wish I were lying quiet in my -grave waiting for the resurrection! God help all women, young and old! -They are a man-neglected, God-forgotten lot, here in Louisiana, when they -ask simply for a reasonable recognition, and justice under the -Constitution now being constructed, and under which they must be governed -and pay taxes. We pray in vain, work always in vain. How that grand old -martyr, Susan Anthony, can still hold out is a marvel. The Convention has -apparently forgotten the women. They discuss the needs of every man and -his qualification for the ballot. Yet, good women brought such men into -the world to keep other women in subjection and minority forever!--still, -they love that sinner, man, better than their own souls--and I know they -will continue that way to the end. But it is hard lines to be kept -waiting. The dead can wait, but we cannot! Oh, Lord, how long!" - -Once again, however, it was proven that nothing is ever quite so bad as it -seems, for the convention did give the right to vote to all taxpaying -women--a mere crumb--but a prophetic-crumb. This much being gained led, in -1899, to the organization, through the initiative of the Era Club, of the -"Woman's League for Sewerage and Drainage." That variable and imponderable -quantity, "influence," now had added to its much invoked "womanly -sweetness"--_power_--a power which could not only be felt but which would -have to be counted. - -Mrs. Ordway tells in a little review of the movement, that several months -previous to the election many of those who voted would have scouted the -idea that they should do so unwomanly a deed;--voting belonged to men. -Many did not even know that they had a right to vote. The question -proposed to them was one affecting the health and prosperity of New -Orleans--whether or not they were willing to be additionally taxed in -order to secure pure water and an effective system of drainage. There were -about 10,000 taxpaying women in the city, many of them small householders, -owning the little homes in which they dwelt. Owing to New Orleans being -peculiarly situated below the level of the Mississippi river, and to the -fact that there is no underground drainage, many parts of the city are -inundated during heavy rains. There was much at stake. No wonder the women -were interested, and that parlor and mass meetings were held, in which -women were not only invited but urged--even by the mayor and other -prominent men--to come forward with their votes. When election day -arrived, women found that they did want the franchise, one-third of the -votes cast being contributed by them. After months of hard work and a -house-to-house canvass for signatures of taxpaying women, who would vote -personally or by proxy, the battle was won, as was universally conceded, -by the energy of the woman's ballot. - -Very many men and women soon realized the need of full suffrage for women, -in a quickly succeeding campaign for the election of municipal officers -who would properly carry out the people's intent for sewerage and -drainage. Though they could not vote every courtesy and respect was -accorded the women, and their influence was appealed to by the respective -sides. The day has dawned for woman's full enfranchisement in Louisiana. - -In her farewell address after the victory the president of the Woman's -League, Miss Kate M. Gordon,--president of the Era Club,--who had led the -women's forces with an intelligent courage and dignity that won universal -admiration, stated as follows: "At one time the success of this great work -was seriously threatened by an element of conservatism raising the cry, -'It is simply suffrage movement!' While it is hard to disassociate -suffrage from any work which depends on a vote for success, and while the -word, defined by Worcester, means 'a vote, the act of voting,' yet it -seems a poor commentary on the intelligence, patriotism and even sagacity -of that conservatism to raise the question when the life of a city was -trembling in the balance, and that city their home. - -"In justice to women holding suffrage views, I ask are they to be treated -as a class apart because they believe intelligence and not sex should be -the determining power in government? Is there any wrong in believing that -power added to influence would be a factor in creating and enforcing laws -for a higher moral standard? Where is the woman, who, holding the power, -would not use it to enforce the laws for the protection of minors, and to -give to character at least the same protection given to property? Where is -the woman who would withhold her power from creating and enforcing a law -to read; 'Equal pay for equal work'? Is it unwomanly to believe the wife's -wages should belong to the wife who earned them? Is it unnatural to resent -being classed with idiots, insane, criminal and minors--and so on, _ad -infinitum_? - -"The Woman's League contributed with no sacrifice of womanliness, but with -a sacrifice of personal comfort, to an education against apathy and -indifference, to the Godlike charity of helping men to help -themselves--the keynote of physical as well as moral regeneration. As -women throw the power of your influence against the dangers of proxies. -The proxy vote is not a personal expression; it is giving manifold power -into the hands of one individual, and therefore un-American." - -This wide-awake Era Club has now a petition before the trustees of Tulane -University praying that this progressive institution will no longer refuse -to open its Medical School to women. It also memorialized its last -legislature for the right to be accorded to women to witness a legal -document; for, incredible as it may seem, there still remains among -Louisiana statutes, as a survival of the French habit of thought, toward -females, the disability of a woman to sign a paper as a witness. - -Soon after the New Orleans Exposition, Miss Susan B. Anthony wrote me, -while I was president of the Louisiana Woman's Christian Temperance Union: -"I long to see the grand hosts of the Temperance women of this nation -standing as a unit demanding the one and only weapon that can smite to the -heart the liquor-traffic. The Kansas women's first vote has sent worse -terror to the soul of the whisky alliance of the nation than it ever knew -before." The temperance hosts through bitter defeats long ago learned that -they cannot carry their cause without the ballot, and "as a unit" they may -be said to desire it and to work for it. They know Miss Anthony spoke -words of soberness and experience. The first day there was a great debate, -in the Constitutional Convention of our neighbor State, on methods of -suffrage, about the middle of the day some one met a pale, haggard prince -of liquor dealers rushing excitedly from the gates of the Capital. "My -God!" he exclaimed, "if they let the women in our business is dead! We -must do something!"--and he hurried to convene his partners in iniquity. -What they did is not proclaimed; but immediately nearly every newspaper in -the State began to pour in gatling-gun volleys against enfranchising -women. - -About the time Miss Anthony wrote me respecting Mrs. Elizabeth Cady -Stanton coming to lecture. "I do not want her," she said, "to be -translated before all of your splendid New Orleans women have seen and -heard her." And so I feel about Miss Anthony, I do not want her "to be -translated" until she has seen the Louisiana woman vote as unrestrictedly -as the Louisiana man. - -But I should like to ask this question of those men and women--and there -are many such--who are convinced of the righteousness of the women's -ballot, but who do not come forward and strengthen the struggling vanguard -of a great movement,-- - - "Why is it that you choose to blow - Your bugle in the rear? - The helper is the man divine - Who tells us something new;-- - The man who tells us something new - And points the road ahead; - Whose tent is with the forward few-- - And not among the dead. - You spy not what the future holds, - A-bugling in the rear. - You're harking back to times outworn, - A-bugling in the rear." - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -"THE BEST IS YET TO BE." - - -Why should women regret the golden period of youth? There are things finer -and more precious than inexperience and a fair face. When a friend of -Petrarch bemoaned the age revealed in his white temples, he replied: "Nay, -be sorry rather that ever I was young, to be a fool." Joyous and lovely as -youth is--and it always seems a pity to be old in the springtime when -everything else is young--how many of us would be willing to be again in -the bonds of crudities, the embarrassments, the unreasoning agonies, and -to the false values youth ever sets upon life? Youth longs for and cries -out after happiness; it would wrest it from the world as its divine -birthright; it does not understand itself or anybody else; and the pity of -it all is that youth is gone before it has grasped the fact that its chief -concern is not to be loved but to be lovely. - -Age is content with comfort. "Content," did I say? Nay, old folks are -always wanting more and more comfort, until they seem out of harmony with -surrounding objects and circumstances. I think it is Ruskin who says that -there are "much sadder days than the early ones; not sadder in a noble, -deep way, but in a dim, wearied way--the way of _ennui_ and jaded -intellect. The Romans had their life interwoven with white and purple; -the life of the aged is one seamless stuff of brown." And this is true, so -far as beauty of existence is expressed by variety. - -Perhaps there are few periods of keener suffering to any one than when he -first realizes that he is growing old. This experience is none the less -sharp for being universal; but it comes with peculiar poignancy to a -woman, because of the fictitious estimate that has always been placed upon -her good looks. They are her highest stock in the market, not through her -own valuation but by man's. If she has never had beauty, still less can -she afford to lose any charm which youth alone confers. This pain of loss -with the majority of women is not an expression of mere vanity, but--as -with a man--it arises from a fear of waning power, the dread of inability -any longer to be a factor in the world's value; from the horror of having -no longer an aptness to attract, of being no more desired, of filling no -true place in life--any or all of which is enough to make a soul cry out -for death. - -That there is something wrong with our social structure is not more surely -indicated than by the present demand in all fields of labor for only the -young man or woman. The span of life is perceptibly lengthening for most -civilized peoples; yet, with increase of days, old age is set forward -instead of being proportionally postponed. Thirty years ago it was -considered that a man must make his success by fifty years of age, if he -made it at all; now it is said that unless a man has made his mark at -thirty he is already written down "a back number." No profession to-day, -perhaps, chronicles so many tragedies as that of the teacher; for school -and college give the preference to the young applicant who has yet to -prove if he have the making of a teacher in him, while rejected experience -dies of a broken heart. Not long since, it was stated in _The Outlook_, in -reference to the ministry, that a man over forty years old was not wanted -to fill important charges. Last year I heard a conversation between a -young missionary from China and a woman of superior attainments, a wide -knowledge of life, high spiritual culture, and who was not yet old; who, -moreover, was one of the sort who never grow old. They talked of the -advisability of older women entering the foreign mission field. The -missionary advised that the other make application to the Board, but -frankly stated that the missionaries abroad did not wish anybody of her -age because she would have established opinions which might conflict with -the younger members' control of the mission. The church no doubt can well -account for its preference for young people; but it has seemed to me -rather hard on the heathen that they must be the subjects of untested -enthusiasm, however "consecrated" and zealous it may be. - -The tendency to fasten old age prematurely on our people by the rejection -of practical knowledge for the brawn of youth, seems to find an -explanation mainly in the all-prevailing commercialism of the day. The -herding of productive industries in syndicates and trusts has destroyed -the individual in the industrial world: it is not the man who is employed, -but "the hand"--so many hands in the office, so many at the machine; and -these are "put on or knocked off" according to the sum totals of the -ledger. Manhood is the football of the dividend, and grows less and less -as the latter grows more and more. Everywhere it is the same; the young -with few ties and responsibilities are most plastic to the interests of -the business; pawns have widest range of movement, and whoever can cover -the most ground for the least money is the person in demand. - - "Trade! is thy heart all dead, all dead? - And hast thou nothing but a head?---- - O Trade! O Trade! would thou wert dead! - The time needs heart--'tis tired of head." - -It is more than shocking to think of the effects on the English-speaking -people--ever inclined to sadness--of saddening them still more by pushing -into the background those who have passed the first flush of youthful -vigor. It is even worse to reflect upon the over-confidence, the -over-consciousness and the irreverence of youth increased by a preference -which does not point to intrinsic value. Whoever has lost his reverence is -already degenerate; that soul which has lost hope and courage is dead to -achievement, and is unproductive for himself and his country. Let us give -to youth all its due for its keen curiosity, its vivid expectation, its -unreflecting daring, its joy of pure existence, its all-the-world-is-mine -spirit, and let us give it opportunity and ever growing privilege; but, as -we value reverence, as we honor knowledge, as we cherish a well-tried -faith, as we trust a noble courage born of proof, let our customs teach -that "Youth ended--what survives is gold." - -While so much that is beautiful and attractive inheres in youth, it is -maturity that possesses perfect charm. Women should remember this and -begin early to cultivate faith in their power to grow. They should -endeavor to learn to live along a line of steady development; to keep -themselves in the forefront of thought and endeavor; to repudiate old age -as more a matter of want of will than of necessity--and so abjure a -statement I have recently heard from a young physician--that the only -disease for which there is no remedy is old age. There is a remedy in -living _en rapport_ with the subtle forces of growth. Learn the laws of -life and dwell in them; persevere in helping one's self instead of being -helped, and it will astonish the world how long one may live with "natural -force unabated"--yes, and with beauty and power. It is unnatural to grow -old and die; though everybody seems to do it, the bitter protest against -it is a proof that it is against nature. There must be a better way out -than by failure and decay. Live as an immortal here and now, and in -fulness of time the fetters of the flesh will simply drop off, like the -shell of a locust, and life will go on--from glory to glory. - -I have grown old myself, but I could have kept younger if my attention had -early enough been turned that way. All that I can do now is to tell other -women to be wiser than I have been--and I wish to tell them, for: - - "The best things any mortal hath - Are those which every mortal shares." - -Perhaps all women do not know that the menopause of life is not a signal -for old age. Released from her child-bearing functions, a new lease of -life is taken out; intellectual power is greatly increased; women should -then, in the ripeness of experience, the mellowness of judgment and the -opportunity for comparison which the years have conferred, do their best -brain-work; besides, there is usually an added beauty of person, a renewal -of vigor of every kind. At the same time--just as then the look of some -ancestor we have not before been thought to resemble begins to crop out in -our faces--is there a tendency toward the return of natural defects of -character; faults of youth long deemed dead rise up and defy us. As never -before should women be aware that now their charms must be those of an -inner grace, a spiritual beauty; as they have received during all the long -past, so now must they give out fully, freely--keeping back not one jot or -tittle of life's riches for self; so will they get very close to the other -world before they get in it. - -Women have always interested me. I have studied them deeply. They have -virtues and foibles which are equally a surprise--"and still the wonder -grows." After a long lifetime of comparison, however, I am persuaded that -men and women are by nature neither better nor worse the one than the -other. How often do we find some boy to be the sweetest-souled child in -the house and the timidest, while his sister is the strongest, most -unmanageable, and the leading spirit. We are our father's daughters and -our mother's sons; and superiority of either--in mind, person or -morals--is as it happens and not by reason of sex. Many differences are -but the results of education and would disappear should the two sexes be -treated under identical influences. Many so-called virtues of women and -vices of men are but the fruits of environment and of the tone of the -public thought. - -The shielded, subject position of woman has originated as many weaknesses -in her as excellences. She is the victim of her own devotion, as well as -of her necessity to please the one on whom she and her children are -dependent. If she is illogical, as is claimed, it is only because her -deductions have not generally been made the rule of action in private or -public. It were futile to run down a proposition to its legitimate -conclusion when somebody else's conclusions are to be in force. A man's -deductions have to stand the test of actual practice, and not only he but -all dependent on him must sink or swim by their correctness. The logic of -the condition is simply that of the trained and the untrained--as may be -proven by the fact that proportionally as many women as men who have been -thrown into business or professional life succeed. If women are not frank, -as is sometimes charged, let me ask how any one can cultivate the high -grace of ingenuousness who in all the ages past had to gain her ends by -indirection, and who may utter not her own thought and opinion and will -but that which shall be pleasing to another? The irresponsibility of her -position in great things has created a corresponding irresponsibility in -other scarcely less serious matters; for instance, in a freedom of -expression about persons that a man would not dare to indulge in, because -he knows he must be prepared to defend, with his life, if need be, the -accuracy of his statement. I have sometimes thought the two most -irresponsible of creatures in speech are a college boy and a woman; and -for the same reason--that both hold a position of minority which never -involves a strict accountability. - -A distinguished physician once lavished upon a lady, both of them my -guests at the time, such a superfluity of flattery that I afterward -expostulated with him. "Oh, madam," he answered, "I give her compliments -as I would give a beggar a dime. It is what she baits and angles for, so I -hand her out what she wants!" It is a human merit to desire to please; it -is equally human to like to hear when we have succeeded; but excess of -merit ceases to be meritorious. I have often wondered if woman's -subjection has developed such a slavish spirit in her as sometimes -deserves the contempt conveyed in the above incident? - -On the other hand the chief vices of a man are the result of his ruling -attitude as head of the race. Where there is absolute power there is -always abuse of power. The tyrant must be the chief sufferer for his -tyranny. His absolutism has caused him to fix in law and custom the -expression of his own desires and ideals without due regard to the -interests of the rest of humanity--womanhood and childhood. Thereby, great -vices inhere in social life of which man is the direct victim. He has not -given himself a proper chance to develop into his best, because in the -exercise of his unfettered rights he has fastened upon the social organism -institutions, temptations and habits which start him out handicapped, and -even with congenital obstructions to his legitimate evolution. This will -be the case so long as it is considered proper that the little boy at his -mother's knee may hear and see and do things which it is wrong that his -little sister may not hear and see and do. - -But slowly, slowly, this misinterpretation for the race is correcting. We -are told that in 1827 (while I was yet in my infancy) "Von Baer discovered -the ovule--the reproductive cell of the maternal organism--and -demonstrated that its protoplasm contributed at least one half to the -embryo child. Before this time man was said to be 'the seed and woman the -soil.' The establishment of equal physical responsibility opened the -question of the extent of the mother's mental and moral -responsibility."--Like as the vegetable and animal kingdom are -indistinguishable in their lower orders, so boys and girls differ little -in their natural characteristics until they enter upon the period which -marks their differentiation in function. There is nothing rudimentary in -the formation of the female body; it possesses two entire organs--the -uterus and the breast--which are wanting or rudimentary in the male. These -organs, according to Webster, are "the seat of the passions, the -affections and operations of the mind." Their functions constitute woman's -special domain, her exclusive kingdom, where man cannot intrude, which he -may not share. - -Nature recognizes the importance of the mother by restricting the exercise -of her peculiar office to the meridian of life--her ripest maturity--in -order that the race may be protected in full vigor. Other parts of her -being, which may have lain dormant or in partial disuse through -over-estimated activity in other directions, now awake, and late in years -women may perform wonders in an intellectual and business way. I recently -heard a wise and brilliant speaker--a man--say, "I never try to make a man -over forty years old grasp new ideas of action. He cannot. There's -something the matter with him--whether pride of opinion or rigidity of -brain I know not; but I do know that it is different with a woman. She -seems to be always receptive." - -The twentieth century begins with a reconstructed mental state toward the -race. It does not believe in woman's natural inferiority, nor in man's -exclusive ideals. It recognizes that the wellbeing of both man and woman -consists in a whole humanity, and that there can be no whole humanity with -anything less than perfect freedom for both halves of it. The right to -freedom of thought and liberty of speech is established for a woman nearly -as fully as for a man; but the past stretches out a ghastly finger, and -looking back to precedent, delays full freedom of action; hereditary -inertia, the chains of ancient prejudice and the strength of present -customs are obstacles to be reckoned with in the rapidity of future -development. But women and men are now both thinking, are both educating -for the battle of life, are beginning to tramp side by side in the march -of ideas and endeavor. Mothers realize intensely that if they had known -how better to rear their sons there would already be a better race; but -they have been so held down during all the ages that they have not -understood how to make a free, noble son, and a daughter fit to mate with -him. - -Sometimes the way seems long and devious, and human apprehension is so -dull that our hearts faint. There is so much to correct in creatures as -well as in conditions that we wonder why even Divine patience does not -despair. But there is to me logical encouragement in the reflection that -actually up to the date of my own birth, girls were admitted into the -public schools of Boston only during the summer months when there were not -boys enough in attendance to fill the desks; science and all but -rudimentary mathematics were considered beyond their faculties. Not only -high schools but the chief colleges of the world are now open to women, -and co-education is a growing determination. Women are now admitted--as -reported by the Commissioner of Education--to one hundred and fifty -colleges and universities in America. Of these one hundred and five are -denominational--notwithstanding that the liberty wherewith Christ maketh -free has been the root of woman's emancipation. To-day all the professions -except the ministry are open to women; yet there are many women -evangelists, and others who have taken the course in theological schools. -Woman has learned the power of organization, and her full political -liberty is now in sight. Some persons are afraid that the activity in -woman's interests exhibited during the last quarter of a century will -experience a reaction. Well, religious revivals, like showers on earth, -are always followed by a dry spell. Still--let us have rain! We should -not be disheartened because history always moves in spirals, and not by -direct ascent. - -The new century begins with a radiant idea which now seems a new-born -impulse of the present day; yet nineteen hundred years ago it haunted the -heart of the divine Judean philosopher and prophet. This hoary new idea is -that love alone can - - "Follow Time's dying melodies through, - And never lose the old in the new,-- - And ever solve the discords true." - -The true keynote of human harmonies is struck at last. Little by little -the ages have caught the vibration until the listening heart can already -discern the great anthem of the future--the "Hallelujah Chorus" of -Equality, Brotherhood. Standing as we do midway between two centuries, -to-day the music of the past and of the future is ringing in our souls. A -new world looms into view. Along its bright and shining way we see a -humanity ennobled because well-born, of a free and willing mother and a -self-controlled, justice-loving father, and because in all its systems and -customs it is "Thinking God's thoughts after Him." If I did not believe -this I could not have written out my little life-story. Now in the sunset -of my days I wish to sound out to all women full and clear the note of -hope that is growing every day in sweetness and power in my own spirit: -"_It is daybreak everywhere_." - -As a last word I know no more heartening comfort than Rabbi Ben Ezra's: - - "Grow old along me! - The best is yet to be, - The last of life for which the first was made; - Youth shows but half; trust God; - See all, nor be afraid. - - * * * * * - - Let age speak the truth and give us peace at last." - - -THE END. - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Old Times in Dixie Land, by Caroline E. 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Merrick—A Project Gutenberg eBook @@ -46,46 +46,7 @@ </style> </head> <body> - - -<pre> - -Project Gutenberg's Old Times in Dixie Land, by Caroline E. Merrick - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Old Times in Dixie Land - A Southern Matron's Memories - -Author: Caroline E. Merrick - -Release Date: November 24, 2012 [EBook #41475] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD TIMES IN DIXIE LAND *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41475 ***</div> <p class="figcenter"><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="" /></p> @@ -6178,382 +6139,6 @@ Let age speak the truth and give us peace at last.â€</p> <p> </p> <p class="center">THE END.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Old Times in Dixie Land, by Caroline E. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Old Times in Dixie Land - A Southern Matron's Memories - -Author: Caroline E. Merrick - -Release Date: November 24, 2012 [EBook #41475] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD TIMES IN DIXIE LAND *** - - - - -Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive.) - - - - - - - - - -[Illustration: Caroline E. Merrick] - - - - - OLD TIMES IN DIXIE LAND - - A Southern Matron's Memories - - - BY CAROLINE E. MERRICK - - - NEW YORK - THE GRAFTON PRESS - 1901 - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1901, - BY CAROLINE ELIZABETH MERRICK - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. COTTAGE HALL 5 - - II. OLD TIMES 11 - - III. HOME LIFE 17 - - IV. RUMORS OF OUR CIVIL WAR 24 - - V. MY DAUGHTER LAURA'S DIARY 37 - - VI. WAR MEMORIES: HOW BECKY COLEMAN WASHED HESTER WHITEFIELD'S - FACE 48 - - VII. WAR MEMORIES: THE STORY OF PATSY'S GARDEN. 59 - - VIII. HOW WOMAN CAME TO THE RESCUE 69 - - IX. MISS VINE'S DINNER PARTY AND ITS ABRUPT CONCLUSION 83 - - X. OUR FEDERAL FRIENDS AND THE COLORED BROTHER 104 - - XI. LAURA'S DEATH IN THE EPIDEMIC OF '78 116 - - XII. A FIRST SPEECH AND SOME NOTED WOMEN 124 - - XIII. FRANCES WILLARD 141 - - XIV. SORROW AND SYMPATHY 153 - - XV. BECKY SPEAKS UP IN MEETING IN THE INTERESTS OF MORALITY 164 - - XVI. MRS. JULIA WARD HOWE AND THE BLESSED COLORED PEOPLE 171 - - XVII. NERVOUS PROSTRATION AND A VENERABLE COUSIN 186 - - XVIII. ENTER--AS AN EPISODE--MRS. COLUMBIANA PORTERFIELD 197 - - XIX. THE SOUTHERN WOMAN BECOMES A "CLUBABLE" BEING 212 - - XX. "THE BEST IS YET TO BE" 229 - - - - -OLD TIMES IN DIXIE LAND - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -COTTAGE HALL. - - -I have not written these memoirs entirely for the amusement or instruction -of my contemporaries; but I shall feel rewarded if I elicit thereby the -interest and sympathy which follows an honest effort to tell the truth in -the recollections of one's life--for, after all, truth is the chief virtue -of history. My ancestry may be of as little importance in itself as this -book is likely to be after the lapse of a few years; yet it is -satisfactory to know that your family is respectable,--even if you cannot -prove it to be so ancient that it has no beginning, and so worthy that it -ought to have no end. I am willing, however, that my genealogy should be -investigated; there are books giving the whole history; and it is surely -an innocent and praiseworthy pride--that of good pedigree. - -I was born November 24th, 1825, at our plantation home, called Cottage -Hall, in the parish of East Feliciana, in the State of Louisiana. My -father was a man of firmness and of courage amounting to stoicism. He -appeared calm and self-possessed under all circumstances. He ruled his own -house, but so judicious was his management that even his slaves loved him. - -Though I was very young when my mother died, I can remember her and the -great affection manifested for her by the entire family. While not -realizing the importance of my loss, I knew enough to resent the coming of -another to fill her place. My father said he wanted a good woman who could -see that his family of six children were properly brought up and educated. -His nephew, Dr. James Thomas, introduced him to Miss Susan Brewer, who he -thought would fill all these requirements. The marriage was soon arranged, -and I was brought home, to Cottage Hall, by my eldest sister, with whom I -had been living. The other children had laid aside their mourning and I -was informed that I also had new dresses; but I declined to wear them or -to call the new mistress of the household by the name of "Mother," which -had been freely given her by the rest of the family. When my father lifted -me from the carriage he said: "My child, I will now take you to your new -mother." As he kissed me affectionately I turned away and said: "I am not -your child, and I have no mother now." I have never forgotten the sad look -he gave me nor the tenderness he manifested toward my waywardness as he -took me in his arms and carried me into the house. I was a troublesome -little girl with an impetuous temper; perhaps it was on this account that -he often said: "This golden-haired darling is the dearest little one in -the house--and the most exacting." My father had a vein of quaint humor -and abounded in proverbial wisdom. I have heard him say, "Yes, I have a -very bad memory--I remember what should be forgotten." - -We often had friends and schoolmates to spend the day or night at Cottage -Hall; but when these visits were returned we were always accompanied by -our married sister or some equally responsible _chaperone_. We complained -much of this rigid rule, yet I now think it was a wise exaction that every -night should find us sheltered under the home roof. My father had no -patience with the innocent flirtations of young people; he thought such -conduct implied a lack of straight-forward honesty which was inexcusable. -Few men can understand the temptations of a young girl's environment, -which sometimes cause her to make promises in good faith that cannot be -carried out, and my father had no pity on one who so doted on general -admiration that she was unwilling to contract her life into a simple home -with one true, brave heart. Such an one, he thought, deserved to become a -lonely old maid and hold a pet dog in her arms, with never a child of her -own, because she had turned away from her highest vocation--and all for -pure vanity and folly. - -My stepmother was a gifted woman. She was born in Wilbraham, -Massachusetts, in 1790, and died July 25th, 1876. She had come South by -the advice of Dr. Wilbur Fisk, and was instrumental in bringing into -Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana over sixty accomplished teachers, she -herself having been at the head of successful schools in New York, -Baltimore, Tuscaloosa and Washington. The calling of teaching she gave up -when she married my father, but the cause of education in the South was -greatly promoted by her influence, for which reason she has been compared -to Mary Lyon of New England. - -On one occasion, when my stepmother had a large party of Northern people -at tea, they began praising the products of their own State and -depreciating those of Louisiana. My childish anger was stirred, and I -asked our guests why they had come down here if they had everything so -much nicer and better in Massachusetts? I said no more, for a maid was -called and I was sent to bed, retiring with indignation while the company -laughed spiritedly at my impertinence. One of my sisters wrote me later, -"Ma has no occasion to teach you how to manage, for you were born with a -talent for ruling--whether wisely or not time will show." - -Cottage Hall was five miles from Jackson, Louisiana. My father was for -many years trustee of the college there which afterward became Centenary -College of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. His death occurred in -1849, and I have preserved a eulogy delivered by President Augustus -Baldwin Longstreet during the Commencement exercises of the year. From -this I transcribe a few sentences: - - "A sad announcement will be anticipated by those who have been long in - the habit of attending these occasions when they cast their eyes over - the Board of Trustees and see that the seat of Captain David Thomas is - vacant. Never since the foundation of the College was it so before. - He was present at the birth of this institution; he saw it in all its - promising and dispiriting visitations; and while it had no peculiar - claims upon him, he watched over it with parental solicitude. At - length he rejoiced in its commitment to the care of his own church; - and under the management of my predecessor, he saw it assume an - honorable rank among the kindred institutions of our Southern clime. - His head, his heart and purse were all at its service. He was - anticipating the events of this week with hopeful gratification when, - within forty-eight hours of the time he expected to mingle his - counsels with his colleagues, it pleased God to cut him down. Were our - griefs always proportioned to our losses, his wife, his children, the - orphan, the poor, the church, the trustees, the faculty, and the - students would all have raised one wild shriek at the twang of the - archer's bow which laid him low. Were the joys of friendship - proportioned to the good fortune of a friend, we should all rejoice - and mingle our voices in loud hallelujahs that death had snatched him - away; for that he has gone direct from earth to heaven none can doubt - who knew him. I find it hard to restrain the starting tears; but this - is my weakness. We all should rejoice, but this our nature will not - permit; yet we must testify our respect for his memory." - -Then Judge Longstreet read the resolutions of the Board of Trustees of -Centenary College, which had been placed in his hands. This extraordinary -man was a dear friend of our family, and every child in the house enjoyed -his visits. He played on a glass flute for us, and it was a choice -privilege when we were allowed to hear him read from his "Georgia Scenes" -about the comical doings of Ned Brace and Cousin Patsy. His peculiarities -bordered on eccentricity and his wit was inimitable and irresistible. - -Mrs. Longstreet was a lovely woman of whose presence one never wearied. -She wore the daintiest of white caps, and seemed in the eyes of all like -the angel she was. Of Byron, Walter Scott, and historical literature she -could give pages from memory with great expression and in the sweetest -voice imaginable. She was ideally sweet even in her most advanced years--a -vision which once seen can never be forgotten. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -OLD TIMES. - - -On a clear spring morning more than fifty years ago, Cousin Antoinette and -I sat on the front porch of Cottage Hall ready for a ride and waiting for -the stable boy to bring up our ponies. We were in the act of mounting when -my father appeared and inquired where we were going. - -"We shall not take a long ride, papa. We are not going anywhere, and shall -return in good time for breakfast." - -"You will do nothing of the kind. You have no brother here to ride with -you, and it is improper for two young ladies to be seen on the public road -alone so early in the morning." He then ordered the horses back to the -lot. We were obliged to submit to his authority without protest, though I -was ready to say, "There is a word sweeter than 'mother, home, or heaven,' -and that word is 'liberty.'" Contrast this with the freedom of the modern -girl on her bicycle! - -Once when I left the schoolroom on account of a disagreement with the -governess, my stepmother thought my father should require me to return and -apologize. "No," he replied, "she elects her own life and must abide by -her choice; she shall not be coerced." I was never afterward a student in -any schoolroom, though at this time only in my thirteenth year. I had been -in class with girls three or four years older than myself, and was -considered quite mature in person and mental development. I early -ascertained that girls had a sphere wherein they were expected to remain -and that the despotic hand of some man was continually lifted to keep them -revolving in a certain prescribed and very restricted orbit. When mild -reproofs failed there were always other curbs for the idiot with eccentric -inclinations. - -Yet it was with my father's full consent, even by his advice, that at -fifteen years of age I married Edwin Thomas Merrick, for he thought I -could not enter too soon upon woman's exclusive path, and be marching -along towards woman's kingdom with a companion in the prime of a noble -manhood. I was indebted for my "bringing up" to the young man I married. -He was more than twice my age, and possessed many times over my amount of -wisdom. In one of Mr. Merrick's love-letters, written in 1839, alluding to -a remark of mine on the absurdity of a "young thing like me" being -companionable for a man of thirty years, he says: "Is it not 'ridiculously -absurd' for a young lady who talks seriously of moving an island in the -lake of Windermere to suppose she is not old enough to marry anybody? I -have been reared in the cold North where mind and person come to maturity -slowly; you in the sunny South where the flower bursts at once into full -luxuriance and beauty." Lover-like, he compliments me by continuing: "I -have never discovered in you anything to remind me of the disparity of our -ages; but, on the contrary, I have found a maturity of judgment, -correctness of taste and extent of accomplishments which cause me to feel -that you have every acquisition of a lady of twenty; and I have been -happier in your society than in that of any other human being." - -My husband, the nephew of my stepmother, was born July 9th, 1809, in -Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He was an advocate and jurist, served as -district judge of the Florida parishes, and was twice elected chief -justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana. - -The entire household at Cottage Hall was devoted to "Cousin Edwin," as he -was called after our Southern fashion of claiming kinship with those we -like. I remember that when Mrs. Lafayette Saunders heard that Mrs. Thomas -had made this match, she replied: "It is a pity she did not do the same -for all the family, for she surely has made a good one for Caroline!" For -a year and a half Mr. Merrick and I had seen much of each other and had -exchanged frequent letters, many of which have been sacredly preserved to -the present time. Bishop John C. Keener, who was his lifelong friend, said -of him at the time of his death: "Judge Merrick was always a bright, -delightful person in his family and with his acquaintances and friends. He -was a scholar, and was familiar with several modern languages, especially -French and German. He had an investigating mind, loved to explore the -recent wonders of science, and the doctrine of evolution he accepted. Few -men had rounded their career into a grander expression of all the high -qualities which concur in the useful citizen and the influential public -magistrate. He was an incorruptible and capable judge, which is the most -important and admirable character in the official constituency of -government." - -The Law Association of New Orleans, in their tribute to his memory, said -to him--using his own words at a like meeting in honor of Chief Justice -Eustis: "His judicial opinions show a comprehensive intellect, cultivated -by long study, and familiarized with the sentiments of the great writers -and expounders of the law. They were, as became them, more solid than -brilliant, more massive than showy. They are like granite masonry, and -will serve as guides and landmarks in years to come. He was domestic, -temperate and simple in his habits; modest, patient, punctual, and -exceedingly studious. In his family relations he was a good husband, a -wise and loving father. He loved his fellow-men and enjoyed the success of -others. He encouraged young men, and with his brethren of the bar he was -always considerate, courteous and generous." - -Thus he received a beautiful and eloquent tribute which dealt with both -his public and private life. - -In his home Mr. Merrick was always gentle and lovable without the least -apparent pride. He would entertain with the greatest simplicity the -youngest child in the house; and this fact reminds me of a little boy who -deposited with tears a bouquet at his lifeless feet. To the inquiry "Who -sent them?" he replied: "I brought them. For three years he has given me -money to buy all my school books, and I am so sorry he is dead!" In a -letter my daughter-in-law had written me while we were in Virginia during -one of his last summers on earth, she asked: "Does father still roam over -the hills gathering flowers for you to wear as he used to do?" Even in his -old age his cheerfulness, his equipoise and sweetness never deserted him. - -In regard to early marriages, I cannot, in view of my own experience and -long life of contentment and domestic happiness, say aught unfavorable, -though there is another side to the question and modern custom tends -increasingly towards marriage at a later period. As it is true that the -progeny of immature plants and animals do not equal in vigor and capacity -for endurance the offspring of fully developed specimens, so human beings -who desire to establish a home and intend to bring up a family, should not -be children, but full-grown, matured men and women; yet, all things else -being equal, it is surely better they should unite to make up a perfect -life before the season of youth has passed away, and the man became -_blase_, the woman warped. Men are much concerned about our sex and the -duties and peculiar functions belonging thereto. It is my opinion that -they too need some instruction in regard to the exercise and regulation of -their own relations and responsibilities toward the future welfare of the -race. They have decided that brain work is detrimental to the full -development of the organization of the female; but they do not worry over -the effects of tobacco, whisky and certain vile habits upon the congenital -vigor of both boys and girls. Fathers and medical men ought to look well -to the hygienic duties of their own sex; then both sexes would be born -with better capacity for life and growth, and the poor mother would not be -obliged to spend so much care and trouble in rearing the offspring of -debilitated manhood. Nature does not work in a hurry. She is patient, -persistent and deliberate, never losing sight of her own great ends, and -inexorable as to her rights. - -If study could check and thwart a child's growth Margaret D'Ossoli would -have been a case of arrested development instead of a large-souled woman. -It was her father who kept her little head all day over Greek and Latin -exercises at the age of seven years, when she should have been playing -with her dolls and romping in the fresh outdoor air. It was her father, M. -Necker, who trained Madame de Stael into a woman whom the great Napoleon -hated and even feared so much that he insulted her childless wifehood by -telling her that what France needed was mothers, and sent her into -banishment. - -It is useless to get up a lamentation that the race will die out and -children be neglected because woman is going to college and becoming -informed and intellectual. Nature will take care that she keeps to her -principal business, which is to become a willing (or unwilling) medium to -continue the species. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -HOME LIFE. - - -My home during my early married life was in the town of Clinton, La. While -I never coveted the ownership of many slaves, my comfort was greatly -promoted by the possession of some who had been carefully trained to be -good domestics, and who were given to me by my father on my marriage. I -always liked to go into the kitchen, but sometimes my cook, who had been -for twelve years in training, scorned my inexperienced youth, would say -emphatically, "_Go_ inter de _house_, Miss Carrie! Yer ain't no manner er -use heah only ter git yer face red wid de heat. I'll have dinner like yer -wants it. Jes' read yer book an' res' easy till I sen's it ter de -dining-room." I like just as much to go into the kitchen to-day, and am -accounted a "born cook," by my family, being accredited with a genius for -giving those delicious and elusive flavors that are inspirations and -cannot be taught. The artist cook burns neither food nor fingers, is never -hurried or flurried, and does not reveal in appearance or manner that the -table is indebted to her handicraft. - -The common idea of tyranny and ill-usage of slaves was often reversed in -my case, and I was subject at times to exactions and dictations of the -black people who belonged to me, which now seem almost too extraordinary -and incredible to relate. I made periodical visits to our plantation in -Point Coupe parish, over fifty miles distant from Clinton. _En route_ I -would often desire my coachman to drive faster, and he would do so for the -moment, then would fall back into the old pace. If I remonstrated he would -say: "I's 'sponsible fer dese yeah horses, an' dey got ter fotch us back -home, an' I ain't er gwine ter kill 'em gettin' ter whar we gwine ter; an' -I'd tell Marse Edwin de same thing if he was heah." - -Gardening has always greatly claimed my heart and time. I have taken -prizes at horticultural exhibits, and have been no little vainglorious in -this last year of the century to be able to show the public the only -blooming century-plant in New Orleans, or indeed in the State, so far as I -know, and for whose blossoming I have been waiting thirty years. There is -a "mild and gentle" but indissoluble sympathy between the human soul and -the brown earth from which we have sprung, and to which we shall return. -There is no outward influence that can be compared to that of living, -growing, blooming things. The resurrections of the springtime cause an -epidemic of gardening fever that prevails until intenser sunshine -discourages exertions. When buds are bursting and color begins to glow on -every bush and trellis I do not see how any one can be wholly miserable. -The great season of hope and promise stirs into fruitfulness of some sort -the blood that has been marking time for many years. This ever renewed, -undiscouraged passion of making the earth produce seems a proof that -man's natural occupation is husbandry. He keeps at it through love as well -as necessity, and every springtime he, as little subdued as nature, renews -the contest. It is his destiny. - -Therefore it is hardly a matter for surprise that my first-born child -appealed so strongly to my love of growing things that the office of my -nurse was a mere sinecure, for my boy was always in my arms--perhaps the -more that I had been cut off prematurely from my dolls. With every moment -devoted to his interests he became such a precocious wonder that all the -servants prophesied: "Dat chile's not long for _dis_ worl', Miss -Cal_line_!" I was not disturbed, however, by these mournful predictions, -knowing how much time and patience had been invested in his baby -education. When I look back on this period I excuse myself on account of -my youth, yet at the same time I pity myself for my ignorance. The -experience I bought was high-priced. - -The heavy and exacting responsibilities of a slaveholder did not rest upon -me with a lightness commensurate with my years. During my annual visits to -the plantation I was not sure of uninterrupted rest even at night, for I -never could refuse an interview to any of the negroes who called upon me. -I observe that my diaries of those days are full of notes of my attendance -upon sick servants. When President Lincoln issued his proclamation of -freedom to our slaves I exclaimed: "Thank heaven! I too shall be free at -last!"--forgetful of the legal disabilities to which white women of these -United States are yet in bondage. - -In the year 1851 I made my first trip to the North. - -While visiting in Ohio, my husband said: "I think a little longer stay -here will cure you of your anti-slavery principles;" but I rejected with -scorn the idea that I would allow my personal comfort to bias my judgment; -though I had to admit that one of my own trained "darkies" was superior -"help" to any that I had, so far, encountered. My diary of the day -records: "I find the children here are set to work as soon as they are -able 'to do a turn' or go on an errand, and are kept steadily at it until -they grow up, run away, or die. Dear little 'Sis Daisy' in this house is -running constantly all day long and her little fat hands are broader than -mine, from grasping things too large and heavy for so small a child to -handle. She drops to sleep sometimes in the big chair or on the lounge in -my room. I cover her with my dress and don't know anything about her when -she is called--happy to be sure she is getting some rest. Night must be a -blissful time for the overworked hired girls of the North, as they know -nothing of the many restful stops our self-protected blacks allow -themselves 'between times.'" - -Slavery had many aspects. On the occasion of my sister Ellen's marriage I -was visiting at my father's home. Julia, my nurse, was of course deeply -interested in the preparations; and at one time when she wished to be a -spectator, my nine-months-old baby declined to oblige her by going to -sleep. I happened to follow her into a darkened room where she had taken -the child to be rocked, and was just in time to witness a heavy blow -administered in anger to the little creature. In an instant the child was -in my arms. "Go out of my sight," I said, "you shall never touch her -again. You are _free_ from this hour!" At the end of the week I was seated -in the carriage with the baby on my lap, about to return home. Julia stood -awaiting orders. I gave her none. "Shall I get in?" she finally asked. -"You are free," said I, "do as you please." She hesitated until the -coachman peremptorily ordered her to get in and let him drive on. - -I held the child during the long drive to Clinton, though I was very -tired, and installed another nurse as soon as I reached home, ignoring -Julia's existence. She had her home in the yard and her meals from my -table as before. One of the other servants finally came to me saying: "I -declare, Miss Cal_line_, Julia goin' to die if you doan' giv' her -somethin' ter do. She doan' eat nothin'. Can't yo set her ter washin'?" -"She may wash for herself or for you if she wishes," I replied; "she is -free!" At the end of two weeks Julia threw herself at my feet in a deluge -of tears begging to be forgiven and to be allowed to nurse her baby again. -I gave it back to her; but the child had turned against her, and it was -several days before the old relations were restored. There were afterward -no similar ruptures, but Julia always resented the slightest reproof or -adverse criticism administered to that child by parent or teachers. - -At twenty I was the mother of three children, born in Clinton, Louisiana. -My last and youngest came twelve years later. When my friends remarked -upon the late arrival I informed them that he had come in answer to -special prayer, like Hannah's of old, so that my husband might have a -child to comfort his old age when the others were all settled in homes of -their own. - -Children are our treasure-idols; we are joined to them by our -heartstrings. We spend anxious days and sleepless nights soothing their -cries and comforting their wailings, and we rejoice in our power to -cherish and nourish them into a full and happy life by any sacrifice of -ourselves. God pity the desolate little ones who come into the world -unwelcomed, and grow up in loveless homes! When in the great yellow fever -epidemic of 1878 I lost my eldest daughter, my good children, David and -Lula, gave me their baby Bessie to comfort my sorrow. She was my own for -four years. I was in the habit of inviting my cousin, Miss Carrie Brewer, -to come regularly to instruct and play with her, making the visits a -recreation for both. In this manner one of the most successful teachers of -the kindergartens of this city began her development, and thus my interest -in systematic child culture was inaugurated. - -Various children certainly require various management. Their education -cannot begin too soon. The Froebel system of kindergarten teaching has -usually a salutary influence on troublesome little folks, and is deserving -of the increasing attention it is receiving. It is only in these latest -days of the century that the initiatory period before school-life begins -has had any worthy recognition. - -Mr. Merrick and I belonged to the New Orleans Educational Society. I was -chairman of a committee which was requested to make a report of its views -on the meeting of June 4th, 1884. Shortly after handing in this -report--which it had been thought proper a man should read--we attended a -special meeting for the annual election of officers. When the balloting -began, I found I was not to be allowed any part in this matter, though -paying the same dues ($5.00) as the men, and a working member of a -committee. In my disgust I said: "I always thought that a vote in -political affairs was withheld from woman because it is not desirable for -her to come in contact with the common rabble lest her purity be soiled. -She should never descend into the foul, dusty arena of the polling booth; -but here in Tulane Hall where we are specially invited, in the respectable -presence of many good men--some of them our 'natural protectors'--it is -not fair; it is as unjust as it would be for me to invite a party to -dinner and then to summon half of them to the table while the other half -are required to remain as spectators only of the feast to which all had -had the same call." After that I attended no other meeting of the -Educational Society, and requested my husband to discontinue paying my -dues. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -RUMORS OF OUR CIVIL WAR. - - -Mr. Merrick was elected chief-justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana in -the year of 1855. I went with him to New Orleans for that winter and lived -at the old St. Louis hotel, taking my maid with me, but leaving my -children at home in the care of their grandmother. In a letter dated May -11th, 1856, my husband writes: "I bought a house yesterday, at public -auction, which I think will do very well for us, but it will cost a good -deal to make it as comfortable as our home at Clinton. The property is in -Bouligny, a little out of the city, where we can keep our horses. There is -a plank road to the city and the railroad station will be near the door. -It is an old-fashioned French house built upon brick walls and pillars, -with a gallery in front and rear. I send you a plan of it and a sketch of -the situation. You will surely be pleased with the place after it is -arranged. I dined with Mr. Christian Roselius yesterday and he -congratulated me on the purchase; says it is delightful to live out of -town. Bouligny is in the city of Jefferson, almost half a mile above -Washington Street. There are six fireplaces in the house, and if Aunt -Susan does not like any of those large rooms below we will finish off one -above or build one for her. The girls will go to school in the city by -the cars." - -We had done some house-hunting the winter before, and I was by no means -sure I should like living out of town. In his next letter Mr. Merrick -said: "I do not think you had better come down until you have somewhat -recovered from your disappointment. I have read your letter while my -colleagues are reading opinions, and now I take some of the precious time -of the State to try to console you. The more I see of the house and its -neighborhood the better I like it. You think it is an isolated place -up-town, still uninhabited. Well, in twenty years everything will be -different, and while I have you and the children in the house, it will be -all right. Therefore, you must dry up your tears and be happy." - -It is evident that the home chosen was not such as I should have selected; -but a residence in it for nearly half a century has made it very dear, -filled as it is with precious memories of those I have loved and lost. So -extensive are the surrounding grounds, abounding in flowers, fruit-trees -and gardens, that it has been called "the Merrick Farm." Now that Napoleon -Avenue is built up with elegant residences, this large square with its -spacious, old-fashioned, double French cottage presents a comfortable, -unique appearance in the midst of its modern environment. - -So, in November, 1856, I removed from Clinton to New Orleans. In a letter -written to Mr. Merrick during the distresses of dismantling the old home, -I said: "If it please heaven to give us a long life I hope it may never -be our misfortune to move many times." Heaven seemed to have been -propitious to my wish, for here I am in the same loved home, chosen -without my consent, but where I expect to fold my willing hands and be -made ready for my final resting place. - -I do not enter upon the subject of the civil war with a disposition either -to justify or condemn; and it is with reluctance that I revert to a -question that has been settled forever by fire and blood, and whose -adjustment has been accepted even by the vanquished. But as this period -came so vitally into my life, these recollections would be incomplete -without it; besides, personal records are the side-lights of history and, -in their measure, the truest pictures of the times. Years enough have -elapsed to make a trustworthy historical perspective, and intelligent -Americans should now be able to look upon the saddest war that ever -desolated a land without favor or prejudice and to use conditions so -severely cleared of the great evil of slavery as stepping-stones to our -freedom from all further national mischief. - -It must be remembered that the South was not a unit in regard to -secession. The Southwest was largely a Whig area, and in the election of -1860 this element voted for Bell and Everett under the standard: "The -Union, the Constitution and the Enforcement of Law." It has always been a -question whether secession would have carried could it have been put to -the test of a popular vote in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas and -Tennessee; for whatever may have been personally believed respecting the -right of secession, it is probable the majority of Whigs and some -Democrats doubted its expediency. The most solemn, heart-breaking hour in -the history of the States was that in which men, shaken with sobs, signed -the ordinance which severed them from the Union. Up to that hour the fight -by the press had been bitter. But when the fate of the State was sealed, -the Stars and Stripes lowered and the State flag run up in its place, -almost every man, irrespective of opinions, accepted its destinies, -shouldered his musket and marched to the front--where he stayed until a -bullet, sickness or starvation emptied his place in the ranks, or until -the surrender of Lee at Appomattox. - -Many Southern men said: "Never give up the United States flag; let us -settle our difficulties under it." On a Fourth of July one of our -neighbors illuminated his house and decorated it with that flag. He was -entirely unmolested. We were kinder in that instance to Union people among -us than the Yankees sometimes were to "copperhead traitors" at the North. -A very few Union men among us went over the other side of the Mason and -Dixon line; a few more remained quietly at home, under great stress of -public opinion, but gave of their substance, and usually their sons, to -the Confederate cause. General Banks said, in his occupation of the city, -"I could put all the Union men in New Orleans in one omnibus." - -This was a season of great anxiety and perplexity. After the war became -inevitable it may be said that no woman wavered in her allegiance to the -Southern cause. Our boys clamored to be allowed to enlist. From Northern -relatives came letters wailing: "The war cry is abroad; blood is to be -spilled, the nation is to be involved in the bitterest of all wars. It may -be that your son, David, and one of my boys may meet in deadly conflict. -And when we have cut each other's throats, destroyed commerce, ruined -cities, demoralized the people, outraged humanity, what have we gained? -Nothing! nothing! Would to God that some Washington might arise and stay -the deadly strife, save the country from shame and disgrace in the eyes of -the world." - -On the other side was asserted: "We have nothing else to do but to fight. -No door is open to us. Our position as freemen, our all is at stake. -Without slavery the best sugar plantation in Louisiana would be worthless. -The British thought our forefathers were wrong. We have ten times the -cause for revolt which they had. Constitutional rights are invaded. We -shall and _must_ succeed." - -Our son David, then in his seventeenth year, was at Centenary College, -La., when hostilities began. As he saw his comrades leaving in order to -join the army he became very impatient to do likewise. In a letter of -April 26, 1861, replying to his urgings, I wrote: "I know you will not -think us unkind in asking you to continue your college duties. You have -ever been true and filial without having it exacted. Persist in these -relations, my dear boy. Write us freely and tell us in perfect confidence -whatever you think and feel. Do not act hastily. We do not refuse your -request but wish you to wait for further advice. You have no wife and -children, but you have parents and sisters to fight for (I don't count -little Eddie). I know you are patriotic and are willing to make sacrifices -for the sake of your country, but you must learn much before you go into -the army. - -"27th, afternoon.--Father has come in and says Vice-President Alexander -Stephens writes to President Davis that there are plenty of men--as many -soldiers as are now wanted; and this is good news. With Virginia added to -the Southern Confederacy we ought to carry the day. It is a pity the -border States are so dilatory. Try to be content where you are until your -turn comes. Your father says it will come, sure and fast, and you know his -judgment is infallible. Last night I went to the Military Fair for the -benefit of the soldiers." - -War is the same the world over, and the women are always heroically -bearing their share of its responsibilities. I see it announced in this -morning's paper (January 1st, 1900) that Adelina Patti and the Duchess of -Marlborough are to appear at an entertainment at Covent Garden in aid of -the English fund for officers' wives and families, called for by the -present war in South Africa. It has been noted that after the States -seceded a Union woman could not be found in the entire South. However that -may be, I am told on authority that while Jackson, Miss., was burning and -being pillaged by troops whose horses were festooned with women's clothes, -General Sherman was appealed to by a Southern woman. "Well, madam," said -he, "don't you know that the Southern women and the Methodist Church North -are keeping up this war?" - -On June 1st, 1861, I find in one of my letters to my brother: "David is at -home. We are willing to give him to our country. His father spares no -trouble or expense to fit him for a soldier's duty. He has a drill-master -who instructs him in military science during the day, and drills him with -the 'State Rights Guards' every night. This Frenchman, whose name I cannot -spell, says in two weeks more he will be equal to a captain's duties; but -his father says he must understand the movements of a brigade, battalion -and regiment, as well as that of company drill; he must know something and -become qualified for everything; so I think he wishes him to have a -commission. He is the sole representative of our immediate family. I fear -for him, his youth is against him--he should be twenty-one instead of -seventeen--though this will not disqualify him in the volunteer service if -he is competent. He will go whenever called." - -Thus my young son left me for the army in Virginia where he served until -incapacitated by an extraordinary wound through the head received at Seven -Pines while a member of the staff of Gen. Leroy Stafford. - -After this my brother went into an artillery company as first lieutenant, -and I went to the Myrtle Grove plantation to take leave of him. It was -during my temporary absence that New Orleans fell into Federal possession, -which fact caused me to spend the whole period of the war with my family -on the Atchafalaya river at this plantation, having only occasional visits -from my husband, who found it necessary to take the greater portion of his -slaves to a safer place in another part of the state. His own liberty was -also threatened, and since one of his colleagues, Judge Voorhies, had been -taken prisoner and detained away from his family and official business, it -was desirable that Judge Merrick should incur no such risk. - -When Louisiana seceded from the Union many thought that no blood would be -spilled; that the Yankees would not fight, and would never learn to bear -arms. But this was not Mr. Merrick's opinion, nor that of many others. The -men we called Yankees had fought bravely for their own independence and -gained it, and they would fight if necessary again; we should see our soil -dug up and earthworks made on our own secluded plantations. - -I left my New Orleans home furnished with every comfort, but have never -since seen it in that perfect condition. Under General Ben Butler, a -public sale was made of the contents of the dwelling, stables and -outhouses for the benefit of the United States. Mrs. J. Q. A. Fellows told -me she counted thirteen wagon loads of furniture taken out, and had she -known me then as she afterwards did, she would have saved many valuable -things for me. I owned an excellent miscellaneous library, a new piano, -valuable carriages, pictures, china and cut glass--the acquisition of -twenty-five years, belonging to me personally who had done nothing to -bring on the hostilities between the sections. I was informed that my -carriage was appropriated by a Federal officer for his own use. - -It was not long before the predictions of my husband were realized by -General Banks' invading our retreat with the purpose of investing Port -Hudson in the rear, Farragut meanwhile was trying to force a passage past -its guns on the Mississippi river. While Gen. Banks' command was in -transit we were in daily and hourly contact with the troops. When -Brig.-Gen. Grover ascertained that my household consisted of women alone, -he had his tent pitched very near the dwelling, informing me himself that -he did this to secure our safety, and assuring me that we should be -unmolested inside the enclosure of our dooryard and the lawn bordering in -front on the Atchafalaya river. To this end three men were detailed to act -as a guard. I had then a family consisting of two daughters, Laura and -Clara, their baby brother Edwin and the two Misses Chalfant and Miss -Little, who were my guests for a long time. - -We were abundantly furnished with the necessaries of life, and had a -bountiful supply of vegetables besides the products of our dairy and -poultry yard. Lacking new books to read and mail to bring us letters, -newspapers or magazines, there yet came into our lives an intenser -interest in what was before us so constantly--this war between the North -and the South; and in one way or another everybody, white and black, man, -woman and child, took a more or less active part in carrying it on. - -A letter from Mrs. Mary Wall gives the following: "I hear my son Benjamin -has gone to the war, Willie too, and Bowman has joined the 'Hunter -Rifles.' There is nothing talked of here but war. God help me, but it is -hard! I nursed these boys and they are part of myself; life would be -utterly barren without them. But I cannot keep them, nor say a word to -stay them from defending their country; but I think it will kill me. I -should be better off without children in this extremity. - -"What do you think the North intends? Is it to be a war of extermination? -Have you read Helper's book? He says, 'Go out of the Union to-day and we -will scourge you back to-morrow, and make the banks of the Mississippi one -vast sepulchre, but you shall give up your slaves.' - -"Christians ought to pray constantly that the great Omnipotent may help -us. We cannot fathom God's plans. I am ready to let my negroes go if the -way opens, but I do not see that it is my duty to set them free right here -and now, though the time may be approaching for them to emerge from their -captivity. God's will is just and good. Oh for perfect reliance on His -promises to all who love and serve Him!" - -Those who were a part of ante-bellum affairs will remember how earnestly -serious-minded and conscientious slaveholders discussed the possibility of -gradual emancipation as advocated by Henry Clay. The negroes were in their -possession by inheritance and by the customs and laws of the land in which -they were born. The slaves were not only a property which had come to them -as a birthright, but also a responsibility which could not be laid aside -except in a manner that would secure the future good of the slave, with -proper consideration for what was justly due the master and his posterity -in the settlement of the great question. If politicians on both sides, who -cared more for party control and for the money value of a negro than for -the nation's good, could have been ordered to the rear, there is little -doubt but that slaveholder and abolitionist and the great American people -could have been brought to weigh the subject together on its own merits, -and slavery might have been abolished to the satisfaction of North and -South by law instead of in a cataclysm of blood. - -Those were anxious days when families were left without their male -protectors and we women had only ourselves and our young children in our -disquieted homes. Yet we were cheerful and marvelously comforted, drawing -nearer day by day to the Almighty Father, and sleeping the sleep of the -just, though often awakened by the sound of guns and to the sight of -Federal blue-coats drawn up in battle-line with gleaming bayonets. There -was fasting and prayer everywhere during all the long struggle. The most -pathetic sight was thousands of women, children and slaves, with the few -non-combatant men the army had spared, on their knees in daily union -prayer-meetings, at sunrise or sunset, before the God of Battles. - -Each of us sympathized with the words of Lizzie Dowdell, writing in May, -1861: "I do believe the Lord is on our side. If we fail, God have mercy on -the world--for the semblance of human liberty will have fled. The enemy -has men, money, horses and chariots; they are strong and boastful. Our -sins may be flagrant, and we may need to be scourged with scorpions; but -will God permit us to be overwhelmed?" Both sides referred their case to -the Court of Heaven--as the assaulted Boers are doing to-day. If they -sink beneath the unlimited resources of the British, will the triumph of -might now be the triumph of right and of human liberties? Three and -one-half decades have softened the shadow of prejudice and the high lights -of self-interest. It is well for the whole nation that slavery has been -abolished and the Union preserved. How much loss will be revealed by time -in the sacrifices of the rights of States against Federal encroachment, is -a problem for future statesmanship. But it is certain to-day that the -moral loss to the United States by the civil war will not be recovered in -fifty years; while the baneful corruption of public sentiment and the -ruling Administration, by reason of the late Spanish-American conflict, is -sufficiently apparent to send every Christian to his knees, or to the -ballot-box--the only worldly corrector of political wrongs. - -We set a second table for our guard. One middle-aged man named Peter, a -very young German and another--all foreigners--made up the trio. I had -every delicacy within my reach provided for them, and insisted that my -young ladies should see that the table was arranged tastefully, enjoining -it on them that they should respond politely whenever they were spoken to. -The young German on entering the yard stooped and pulled a rose which he -gaily pinned on his coat. "See," said one of the girls at the window, -"that mean Yankee is taking our flowers!" "It is a good sign," I replied, -"that he will never do us any greater harm. He has a kind expression on -his blond young face and in his honest blue eyes;" and this fair-faced -boy proved a valuable protector on many occasions. He had learned his -English in the army and to our horror was terribly addicted to profanity. -Instead of the ordinary response to one of our remarks he would come out -with "The hell, you say!" even when spoken to by one of the girls. -Nevertheless when at last these faithful enemy-friends took up their line -of march, we were friendly enemies, and regretfully saw them depart. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -MY DAUGHTER LAURA'S DIARY. - - -From my daughter Laura's diary, May 21st, 1863, let me quote: "The Yankees -have been passing this house all day, regiment after regiment on their way -to attack Port Hudson. Two transports have also gone by on the river -crowded with soldiers. Heaven protect our beleaguered men--so few against -so many! A Lieutenant Francis was perfectly radiant this morning because a -boat was waiting to take his regiment (the 6th New York) North, as their -time is out. He was very cordial, perhaps because he has a brother in the -Confederate army. - -"A Dutch cavalry sergeant lingered, and for half an hour stood guard, with -his drawn sword keeping away many of the vandals. He claimed to belong to -the regular United States army and said his time would be up in four -months when he should return 'to de faderland,' but he thought they would -'vip' us at Port Hudson. When a negro and a white man came together -through the backyard for water from the cistern, with horrible oaths and -imprecations he drew his sword and with the back of it struck the negro -and ordered them both to leave. 'You nigger,' said he, 'you hab no peesnis -to enter de blantation! ve don' vant you! you steals eberyting!' I am -sorry for the poor deluded negroes who flock after this army. - -"We were all in the parlor this evening when five Yankee quartermasters -came in out of the rain. 'Old Specs,' as we call him, was among the -number. They introduced each other and then very pressingly requested me -to play the 'Bonnie Blue Flag.' At last I complied and began to sing, -though it nearly kills me to be polite to the Yanks: - - "'As long as the union was faithful to her trust, - Like friends and like brothers we were kind, we were just, - But now that Northern treachery----' - -"Here I broke down, and bursting into tears, left the room with my -handkerchief to my eyes. They then expressed sorrow that my feelings -should have been so disturbed and sent Clara to ask me to come back. She -begged so, I dried my tears and returned. Two of them engaged in a -discussion with me. One said: 'The secession vote in Louisiana was -controlled and indicated nothing.' 'In all true republican governments,' I -answered, 'the voice of the people is the voice of God; we do not live -under an aristocracy or a monarchy.' 'But,' said the man, 'two-thirds of -the people were not permitted to vote; your negroes did not go to the -polls.' 'They are not freemen,' I replied--'but being a woman I know -nothing'--and again the tears rushed to my eyes. Thereupon, one of them, -Capt. Ives, joined in, saying: 'The masters voted for the negroes of -course, and,' he continued, 'it is not fair--two gentlemen against one -lady. I take the lady's part.' Then in a lower tone, but a perfectly -audible one, he said: 'For God's sake talk of something else besides the -Union and the Confederacy. I'm sick of both.' - -"Mrs. Phillips, with Mrs. French, our neighbor, went down to headquarters -to ask Gen. Banks for a guard. She reports that he said he would give her -none, for it was the women who had brought on and now encouraged the war. -Mrs. French said she only wished to be protected from insult, and from -hearing such frightful profanity. 'Madam,' said he, 'this war is enough to -make any man swear. I swear myself.' 'But,' said she, 'I wish to spare my -Christian mother, who is aged and infirm.' 'Well,' said Gen. Banks, 'I -can't make her young.' When she told us about it I replied: 'Banks is -nearly as much of a brute as Butler himself.' - -"Tues. May 22, 1863.--Capt. Callender of Weitzel's staff and Capt. Hall of -Emory's came last night to inquire if the soldiers troubled us. They were -very polite and spoke so kindly that they reminded us of Southerners. It -is a pity to see such perfect gentlemen in such an army. They offered us a -guard which I declined, telling them we were Southerners, so not afraid; -for it galls me to be obliged to have Yankee protection. Mother has been -so worried since, and Clara reproached me so severely for refusing the -guard that I have wished I had done differently, and I was glad when the -overseer's big dog came and lay down before our door. I thought it was a -special providence. We have always heard Gen. Weitzel well spoken of; he -evidently has men like himself on his staff. - -"Monday, May 25, 1863.--Saturday evening our hopes of Gen. Kirby Smith -being able to detain Gen. Weitzel were dashed to the ground. Two Yankees -said they were all safe at Simmsport except two hundred cavalry captured -by our boys; but their rear had been much worried. One of these Yankees -was sick and asked permission to lie on our front gallery. Mother brought -him some cold mint-tea which he at first declined, but when he saw her -taste it he changed his mind and drank it. The man said afterward he was -afraid she wanted to poison him till he saw her take a spoonful. Then she -brought out a big arm-chair and pillows and made him as comfortable as she -could. He was grateful, and stated that he was only doing his duty -fighting for the old flag. - -"One afternoon Sallie Miller rode past, with a Yankee officer. Shame on -her! Two young lady guests on their way to Bayou Goula saw her and were -indignant with any Southern girl who would ride with a Yankee in the -presence of their army. - -"Yesterday a quartermaster drove into the lot, breaking the gate which was -locked, and going to the corn-crib. At the instance of the Missouri -Yankee, propped up in the rocking-chair, we all ran out to the lot, and -mother talked so to him, Clara and I assisting volubly, that he agreed to -take only two wagon loads of the corn. He seemed actually ashamed for -breaking our fence, and we were just in time to save the crib door by -giving him the key. - -"We saw some soldiers driving our cattle and milch cows and calves from a -field. 'What a shame!' said I. A chaplain I suppose, dressed in a fine -black suit, who had come in to get water, replied: 'Our object, miss, is -to starve you out so that your brothers, husbands and sons will quit -fighting and come home to provide bread for you. On what ground can you -expect protection?' he asked my mother. 'Is your husband a Union man?' -'No, indeed!' I struck in, 'he is a true Southerner.' He saw a spur -hanging up, and remarked that there was a man about. Clara answered: 'It -belongs to my brother.' Then the man said: 'I won't ask where he is, for -you might be afraid to tell.' 'I am not afraid,' replied Clara. 'You may -know as well as I that he is not here. He is in Virginia.' - -"Mother remonstrated about her cows being driven off to be slaughtered; -but seeing that it was useless exclaimed at last, 'Well, take them all!' -This was too much for Asa Peabody, who seemed to be a friend to our sick -soldier; he informed the lieutenant in command that he was on guard by -Gen. Weitzel's orders, and intended nothing should be taken off the place; -and he turned two of our best cows back into our front yard. - -"The men came continually to the cistern for drinking water. Mother said: -'Let the water be free, I am glad to have protection for some things, but -the heavens will send down more rain if the last drop is used.' One of -them observing some of the girls at the window, drained his cup and taking -off his cap to them shouted: 'Success to our cause!' 'To ours!' I called -back. 'No,' he said, 'I drink to the Union. I hope to get to Port Hudson -before it falls!' One impertinent fellow asked: 'Will you answer me one -question, miss! Who have destroyed most of your property, Yankees or -Rebels?' 'The Yankees, of course,' I said. 'Well, yours is an exceptional -case,' he retorted. Oh! I never saw so many soldiers and so many cannon! - -"Asa Peabody was reproved by our Missourian for using profane language in -the presence of ladies. He answered very contritely, 'I'll be damned if I -will do so any more! You are right.' He was a brave, good man. We heard of -his kindness to many women along the march, and I hope our guerillas whom -he so dreaded--as anybody in the world would--did not get him, for he -vowed he should 'keep his eyes peeled' for them. - -"In a recent bombardment at Port Hudson--when the spectacle was -sublime--an old negro woman said she knew the world was coming to an end -'becaze de white folks dun got so dey kin make lightnin'.' - -"May 26, 1863.--A Yankee officer called yesterday evening; said he -belonged to the famous (infamous, I say) Billy Wilson Zouaves, whose bad -character is now wholly undeserved. We were still in the parlor when Col. -Irwin, Asst.-Ad.-Gen., called, another officer with him. We tried to be -civil, but I deeply feel the humiliation of enforced association with this -invading enemy. However, Gen. Grover has been very considerate since he -knew we are a household of women. Two wagon-masters came for corn and took -what they wanted, breaking open the crib. A chaplain, Mr. Whiteman, very -kindly took a note from mother to Gen. Grover, and promised to intercede -for her. The General came immediately, and said nothing more should be -taken unless it was paid for. Mother declared she would beg her bread -before she would buy it with their money; but I told her she had begged -the bread of the family, which already belonged to us, by prayers and -intercessions and tears enough to make it very bitter food. Some of the -quartermasters have since given her statements of what has been taken from -Myrtle Grove. 'Corn we must have,' said one man, 'but I will leave this -untouched if you will tell me where I can procure more on some other -plantation.' Mother then directed him to Tanglewood where father had an -immense quantity stored, and from which place the hands had all been moved -into the interior, after the large crop of cotton had been burned by our -own people. When this cotton on Tanglewood was burning the negroes stood -around crying bitterly; and father and mother both call it 'suicidal -policy of the Confederates' to destroy the only 'sinew of the war' we have -which will bring outside cash to purchase arms and other military -supplies." - -It should be related that when we heard of General Banks' being at -Simmsport my daughter Clara thought we ought to send or go at once to his -headquarters and ask for protection. I find the following copy of a letter -which partly explains the safety accorded us by the Federal army during -the period recounted. - - "To Major General Banks, in Command of U. S. Troops at Simmsport, La. - - "DEAR SIR: - - "I reside near the head of the Atchafalaya where it first flows out of - Old River, and our male friends are all absent. We are all natives of - Louisiana, and, though we cannot bid you welcome, we hope and trust we - may confide in your protection and in the generosity and honor which - belongs to United States officers. - - "We have no valuable information to give, nor do we think you would - ask or require us to betray our own people if we had it in our power. - But we can promise to act fairly and honorably, and to do nothing - unworthy the high character of Judge Merrick, who is the head of this - family. Therefore, we expect to prove ourselves worthy of any generous - forbearance you may find it in your power to extend toward defenseless - women and children, who appeal thus to your sympathy and manhood; for - - "'No ceremony that to great one 'longs, - Not the King's crown, nor the deputed sword, - The marshal's truncheon, nor the judge's robe, - Become them with one-half so good a grace - As mercy does.' - - "Very respectfully, - "CAROLINE E. MERRICK." - -The result of this letter, which I presented in person, was the following -pass: - - "Headquarters, Department of the Gulf, - 19th Army Corps, - Simmes' Plantation, May 19, 1863. - - "Guards and Patriots: - - "Pass Mr. Chalfant, Mrs. Merrick, and party, with their carriages and - drivers, to their homes, near the head of the Atchafalaya. - - "RICHD. B. IRWIN, - "A. A. General." - -"Camp Clara, Jackson, Miss., May 31, 1863.--We have good water and our men -are improving, but many are ill with typhoid fever"--thus my brother -wrote. "The sickness enlists my deepest sympathy. The number of soldiers' -graves is astonishing. From morning until night negroes are constantly -digging them for instant use. General Lovell inspected our battery the -other day and said he wanted it down on the river; so just as soon as our -horses arrive we are to go to work. The men are well drilled, but we lack -horses and ammunition. I hear David's regiment is at Petersburg, Va." - - * * * * * - -In Confederate times the people were patient under the sickness in camp, -and never a complaint was sent to Richmond about poor food and bad water -which caused as many fatalities as powder and ball. Increased knowledge -and improved methods of camp sanitation seem almost to justify the -indignant protests against embalmed beef and typhoid-breeding water that -have been heaped upon Congress and officers of the War Department in the -late Spanish-American war. One out of the four of my father's -great-grandsons who enlisted for the Spanish-American struggle lost his -life in an unhealthy Florida camp before he could be sent to Cuba. It is -plain to every fair-minded investigator that many of these fatalities were -due to a lack of those essentials in which every housekeeping woman, by -nature and training, is especially qualified. It was a relief to the minds -of the mothers of the nation to learn that near the close of the late -Cuban conflict a woman had been appointed on the National Military Medical -Commission. It is a woman's proper vocation to care for the sick. Men who -would exclude women from the ballot-box on the plea that they only who -fight ought to vote, should remember Clara Barton and Florence Nightingale -who have served armies so effectually. - -Elizabeth Barrett Browning said: "The nursing movement is a revival of old -virtues. Since the siege of Troy and earlier we have had princesses -binding wounds with their hands. It is strictly the woman's part, and men -understand it so. Every man is on his knees before ladies carrying lint; -whereas if they stir an inch as thinkers or artists from the beaten line -(involving more good to general humanity than is involved in lint), the -very same men would condemn the audacity of the very same women." - -A young naval officer, at my dinner table, once dissented from such views -which I had expressed, and of which Bishop Warren of the M. E. Church had -heartily approved. "Until women," said this young officer, "furnish this -government for its defense with soldiers and sailors from their own ranks -they should be prohibited from voting." "Dear sir," I replied, "how many -soldiers and sailors does this country now possess in its active service -whom the women have not already furnished from their own ranks?" - -The young man yielded but was not convinced, even when an eminent -physician remarked that he had heard many a young mother say that she -would rather march up to the cannon's mouth than to lie down to meet her -peculiar trial. He further stated that when their hour came they were -always full of courage, and, in his opinion, their maternity ought to -count for something to them of great value in the government. - -All men in an army do not fight. No more important branch of the military -service existed during the civil war than that which the women of the -Confederacy controlled. They planted and gathered and shipped the crops -which fed the children and slaves at home and the armies in the field; -they raised the wool and cotton that clothed the soldiers and the hogs and -cattle that made their meat; they spun and wove the crude product into -cloth for the home and the army; their knitting needles clicked until the -great surrender, manufacturing all the socks and "sweaters" and comforters -which the Confederate soldier-boys possessed--our nearly naked boys toward -the last, so often on the march called "Ragged Rebels." - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -WAR-MEMORIES: HOW BECKY COLEMAN WASHED HESTER WHITEFIELD'S FACE. - - -Among the Federal vessels stationed at Red River Landing was the -Manhattan, commanded by Captain Grafton, a high-minded officer as the -following incident proves. A letter from Laura Ellen to her brother David, -dated at Myrtle Grove, records: "Stephen Brown, mother's head manager on -this place, has been very sick. Dr. Archer, who was stopping with us all -night, went to see him, and after an examination, reported that he could -do nothing to relieve him without chloroform and surgical instruments, -both of which were inaccessible and out of the question; and he candidly -told mother Stephen could not live twenty-four hours without an operation. -Mother, heart-broken and in tears, begged the doctor to tell her to what -means she could resort to save so faithful a servant. The doctor said they -had everything needful on the Federal gunboats. Mother instantly -determined to go to Red River Landing and appeal for help; but she wished -Dr. Archer to go with her and explain the case. He objected, saying he had -never held any communication with the enemy, and he did not wish to spoil -his record with the Confederates. But mother finally induced him to -accompany her. - -"It seemed to us a forlorn hope. When she started off with Dr. Archer, -mother enjoined it upon us to have the best dinner that we could prepare -for the officers who were to come back with her, which suggestion we took -the liberty of overlooking, as we did not dream she could succeed in such -an unheard-of undertaking. When she reached the Mississippi and waved her -handkerchief, a tug came from the gunboat to the shore and she asked to -see the commanding officer. The tug offered to take mother to the gunboat, -but at first objected to the doctor going with her. Finally both went, and -were received on the deck of the big warship. Captain Grafton said he -feared that any surgeon or officer might be captured, and that he must -have a written guarantee against that possibility before he could run such -a risk. Mother told him that Captain Collins and his scouts were thirty -miles distant; she could only assure him that none who came to her aid -would be molested. Dr. Archer supported her opinion; but the captain -declined the adventure; whereupon mother burst into tears. 'Captain -Grafton,' she said, 'I did not come here to teach you your duty; but I -came to perform mine. Now if the negro's life is not saved, his death will -lie at your door, not mine.' Capt. Grafton replied: 'Madam, I don't like -you to put it that way!' Moved by that view or her tears--he sent the tug -for the captains of two other gunboats, and the three held a council of -war, finally consenting that a surgeon with his assistants and the -necessary equipments should have leave to go provided he would himself -assume the responsibility for his absence from the boat, for the military -authorities would make no order about it. Thus Dr. Mitchell first came to -Myrtle Grove on an errand of mercy. - -"None was more surprised than mother herself when Dr. H. W. Mitchell, -surgeon of the Manhattan, offered to go with her. It had been eight months -since these Federal naval attaches had set foot on land, and apparently -they greatly enjoyed the long drive with only a handkerchief for a flag of -truce floating from the carriage window. The doctor went to the 'Quarters' -to see Stephen, and mother flew to the kitchen and dining-room to put -forth her rare culinary skill in compensation for our negligence. After -dinner we had music, and Dr. Mitchell sang us many new songs, and proved -to be very intelligent, entertaining and agreeable. I treated him well, -too, as I was bound to do after his kindness. At dinner I had on a -homespun dress trimmed with black velvet and Pelican buttons: when they -went away I even gave the doctor my hand, 'though always before I had -refused to shake hands with a single one of them. Not for anything on -earth 'would I have done as much previously.'" - -During the many months that the U. S. gunboat Manhattan remained at Red -River Landing, I saw the officers from time to time, and once a crevasse -detained Dr. Mitchell for three days in our home. The friendship thus -established has outlived the war and proved a source of great pleasure to -me; while the sympathy the doctor so kindly extended later, during the -bitter reconstruction days, was a solid satisfaction and comfort, for his -cultured and experienced mind comprehended both sides of the situation. -Devoted to the Union, he yet expressed no inordinate desire to exterminate -the South, and never said he would be glad to hang Jefferson Davis. He -writes July 30, 1865: "We are all Americans. We speak one language; our -flag is the same; we are citizens of the United States. It is the right -spirit to recognize no section. If all should uphold the Government -faithfully under which we enjoy so many blessings, internal strife in the -future will be impossible." - -"Mother says," the diary continues, "let an army be friend or foe, it -takes everything it needs for its subsistence on the march, and starvation -is in its track. Brig.-Gen. Grover's Division camped for two weeks on this -plantation, and the General's own tent was pitched next to our side gate. -When some of his staff were here visiting, one of them took baby Edwin in -his arms and kissed him. After they had gone I scolded him for kissing a -Yankee, and said I was going to tell his 'Marse Dadles!' He began to cry -and sobbed out, 'O Sissy, he was a good Yankee!' They rob the corn-cribs, -so it is well they carry off the negroes too. Ours, however, will not go; -they have made no preparation to depart, and mother interviews them daily -on the subject, but leaves them to decide whether they will 'silently -steal away,' which is their method of disappearing. Mr. Barbre's negroes -have all gone except two, and Mr. Chalfant's and Mrs. French's are -preparing to go, so our neighbors are generally upset." - -In a letter of an earlier date Laura Ellen gives an account of Mr. -Chalfant coming to me and asking advice as to how the slaves could be -prevented from following the army. I had wanted to know of my neighbor if -his negroes would take his word on the subject. If so, he might state to -them that they might be free just where they were--that it was not -necessary they should leave their homes, their little children, their -household effects, tools and other "belongings" which could not be carried -on the march (to say nothing of the hogs-head of sugar nearly all of them -had in their cabins), their poultry, dogs, cows and horses. If it were -candidly explained to them that their freedom was to be a certainty, and -that they might be hired to work by their old owners, doubtless many would -be convinced of the wisdom of remaining at home and taking their -chances--all would depend on the confidence the negro had in the -master--but they should, in all cases, be left to make their own -decision--whether to go or stay. Some of the people who could read should -be shown the newspapers, _left by the Yankees_, wherein it is urged upon -the government to put the black men into the army. This should be read to -them by one of their own color. - -After hearing these views Mr. Chalfant was reported having said: "Mrs. -Merrick has more sense about managing the negroes than any man on the -river." - -However that may have been, our slaves remained on the place, and many of -them and their descendants are yet in the employ of the family. It was -considered by some persons to be treason to the Confederacy to speak of -the freedom of the slaves in their presence, as if refusal to acknowledge -the emancipation act would avert its going into effect. - -This attitude towards their liberty destroyed all confidence in the -master's advice, and so his negroes left him. It was several years before -the emancipation of the slave was universally effected, there being -secluded places into which the news of freedom percolated slowly, and -where slavery existed for some time uninterrupted. In following the army -parents often abandoned young children. These were given to anybody who -would burden themselves with their care. In many cases the natural -guardian never again appeared, and these abandoned ones were practically -bond-servants until they learned how to be free of themselves. - -Careworn and anxious as we were waiting news of our loved ones in the -field and of the cause in which we had risked our all, we were too busy to -be sad. Telegraphic communication with the center of war was often cut off -for many days. During these agonizing, silent seasons the women drew -nearer together, and kept busy scraping lint for the hospitals and -converting every woolen dress and every yard of carpet left in the house -into shirts and bedding for our boys at the front. We varied the labor of -managing plantations with every species of bazaar, supper, candy-pulling -and tableaux that would raise a dollar for the army. Then we got all the -entertainment we could out of our daily domestic round, as I did out of -Becky Coleman, one of my old servants who occasionally relieved the -monotony of her "daily round" by coming "to 'nquire 'bout de white -folks." It was October when she made one of these visits, but summer -reigned in earth and sky. A noble avenue of black walnuts completely -shaded one side of my Myrtle Grove house. The large green nuts were -beginning to ripen, for when a branch swayed in the wind one would drop -from time to time with such a resounding thump upon the ground that it was -a matter for satisfaction when Becky seated herself on the steps of the -porch without having encountered a thwack on her head from the -missile-dealing trees. - -"I hear singing over in the woods," said I to Becky. "Why are you not at -the meeting this evening?" - -"Who? me? eh--eh--but may be yo don' kno' I dun got my satisfacshun down -dar a while ago. I'm better off at home. Hester done got me convinced. -Lemme tell you how 'twas. One Sunday ebenin' I heard tell dar wurs gwine -to be er sort er 'sperience praar-meeting down to ole Unk Spencer's house, -en es 'twan't fer, I jes' tuk my foot in my han'! I did, en I went dar. - -"Well, ev'rything was gwine on reg'lar, en peaceable, widout no kin' er -animosity, plum till dey riz up to sing de very las' _hime_. De preacher -who wus er leadin' got up den en tuk up de _hime_ book en gin out: - - "'Ermazin' grace how sweet de soun' - In de beleever's year!' - -"Now, yo knows yo'sef dey ain't nothin' tall incitin' 'bout dat ar' chune: -you knows it; en as fer me, I was jes' dar er stanin' up wid de res', wid -my mouf open, jes' er singin' fer dear life, never dreamin' 'bout nothin' -happ'nin', when heah cum Hester Whitfiel'--coming catter-corner 'cross -from de yuther side er de house, wid her han' h'isted up in de aar, en I -'clar fo' de Lawd, she hit me er clip rite in my lef' eye, en mos' busted -it clean outen my haid. It cum so onexpectedlike dat leetle mo'en I would -er drap in de flo'. I jes' felt like I wus shot! Den she had er pa'cel er -big brass rings on her han', en dey cut rite inter my meat! - -"I tell yo', ma'am, I was hurted, I jes' seed stars, I did! so I up en -tole her: ''Oman, ef yo got ennything 'g'inst me, why don't you come out -in de big road en gimme er fair fight? Fer Gawd-elmighty's sake don' go en -make 'ten' like yo happy, en bus' my eye open dis heah way.' Says I, -''Ligion ain't got nuthin' ter do wid no sich 'havoir; I don' see no Holy -Sperit 'bout it,' says I. ''Twas jes' de nachul ole saturn what mak' yo' -do dat, en I jes knows it,' says I. ''Ligion don' make nobody hurt -nothin',' says I. Yo reads de Book, Miss Calline, en yo knows I'm speakin' -de salvashun trufe, now ain't I? - -"Den all de folks cum crowdin' 'roun' en gethered a holt uv us, en ef dey -hadn't, I lay I woulder stretched her out dar in de flo', fer I'm de bes' -'oman--er long ways--en I would er had _her_ convinced in no time. But dey -all tu'ned in en baig me ter look over it, bein' es how it happen in -meetin'-time; but I tell yo, ma-am, I never look nowhars wid dat eye fer -mor'n free weeks. Why, it wus so swole up en sore, I jes' had ter bandage -it wid sassyfras peth and wid slippery ellum poultices day en night, en my -eye wus dat red, en bloodshottened, dat I never 'spected to see daylight -outen it no mo'; en I clar' fo' de Lawd it ain't, got rite na'chul till -yit! - -"No longer'n dis very ebenin' my ole man, Tom, says ter me: 'I dun seed -nuff trouble wid yo, Beck. You needs dem big pop eyes er yone to patch my -close, en wuk wid, en I ain't er gwine to hev no bline 'oman rown' me,' -says he; 'en I let yo know frum dis out yo don't go ter no mo' -praar-meetin's, 'zaminashuns er what-cher-callums; dat's de long en short -uv it!' says he. 'Ef you ain' got sense nuff ter stay away frum dar,' says -he, 'I'll insense yo wid my fis'.' I knows de weight er dat han' er hisen, -en I'm gwine min' him _dis_ time, ennyhow;" and Becky pointed toward the -cabin from whence the sound of singing was wafted on the breeze, saying, -"Yes'um, I'm gwine stay away frum dar, fer er fac'!" - -"Becky, is such an incident common at your prayer-meetings?" I inquired. - -"Why, no, ma'am, nuthin' like dat never happen to me befo'; yit, I -'members mighty well when Betsy Washin'ton cum thoo'--'fo' she jined de -chu'ch. 'Twas in de meetin'-house, but yo couldn't onerstan' one single -wud de preacher wus er sayin', fer she wus jes' er shoutin' es loud es she -could fer who las' de longes'--en I onertuk, fool like, to hole her; fer -she wus in sich a swivit, we wus feared she'd brek loose en go inter a -reg'lar hard fit, so I jes' grabbed good holt er de 'oman, 'roun' de -wais', es she wus er hollerin', en er jumpin'; en when she felt de grip I -fotch on her, she tu'n 'roun', she did, en gethered my sleeve in 'tween -her fingers (en she is jes' es strong es enny mule), en shore's yore -settin' dar in dat air big cheer, en I'm er stannin' heah, talkin' ter -yer, she gin me one single jerk, en I 'clar ter Gawd, she tore my whole -sleeve outen de arm-hole, en ripped er big slit clean 'cross my coat body! -Why I jes' thought de 'oman wus gwine ter strip me start naiked, rite dar -in de meetin'-house! I got dat shame I jes' let er go, I did, en den went -perusin' roun' 'mongst de wimmin en borryd er shawl ter kiver me up; en -den I moved on todes home. - -"But I mus' let yo know de nex' time I met up wid Betsy, I washed her face -good wid what she dun. I jes' tole her de nex' time she got ter shoutin' -'roun' me she mout bre'k her neck--I wan't gwine hole her, I wan't gwine -tech her; 'fer,' says I, 'yo done gone en 'stroyed de bes' Sunday dress I -got, yo is dat,' says I, 'fer er fac'!' - -"Den Betsy 'lowed she didn't keer, en dat she didn't know what she wus er -doin', but I tuk mighty good notice she never made no motion to grab onter -Aunt Sally Brown's co'se homespun gown when _she_ tuk er tu'n er hol'in uv -her. But uv co'se, I heap ruther hev my close tore dan to hev my eye -busted out. But dey ain't no need er airy one bein' done; en I tole her -so, I did dat. 'Sholey Christians,' say I, 'kin 'joy dersef widout hurtin' -nobody, neither tarin' der close!' I up en axed her ef she eber knowed de -white folks in de big house karyin' on datterway, en ef she eber seed Miss -Marthy er Miss Reeny er cuttin' up like dat in de white folks' -meetin'-house? Well, she jes' bust out er laffiin' in my face at dat, en -she 'lowed niggahs wan't like white folks nohow. - -"'I knows better'n dat,' says I. 'Fer Gawd made us all outen de dus' er de -groun', bofe de white en de black;' en, Miss Calline, yo' ma uster tell me -ef I 'haved mysef, en kep' mysef clean, en never tole no lies, ner 'sturb -yuther folks' things, I wus good es ennybody, en I b'lieves it till yit; -dat's de salvashun trufe, I'm tellin', white 'oman, it sholey is! - -"But _den_ Betsy got mad, she did, en gin me er push,--we wus walkin' -'long de top er de levee--en I wus so aggervated dat I cum back at 'er wid -er knock dat made her roll down smack inter de gully. Den she hollered so -de men fishin' unner de river bank cum er runnin'. She had don' sprain her -wris', en ef her arm had been broke she cudn't er made no mo' fuss. Lemme -tell yo de trufe! de very nex' Sunday dey tu'ned us bofe outen de chu'ch -case we fit, en I cayn't go to praar-meetin' tell I done jine ergin." - -"Well, Becky, you've made me forget there is a war and Yankee raids, and I -reckon I'll have to give you a cup of store-coffee for doing it." - -"Thanky, Miss Calline! I'll be powerful 'bliged ter yo'; en I mus' be er -movin', en pa'ch dis heah coffee fer my ole mammy's supper, fer she's -gittin' monshus tired of tea off dem tater chips what we has ter drink -dese days." - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -WAR MEMORIES: THE STORY OF PATSY'S GARDEN. - - -Our vision of the outside world of human affairs was very narrow and -circumscribed in those war-times, and my seminary of five young girls was -often a victim to _ennui_. No weekly mail, no books, no music, no new -gowns from one year's end to another. - -The only vital question was: "What is the war news?" There were also no -coffee, no loaf-sugar, no lemons in the house. However, with plenty of -milk, eggs and butter, fresh fruit and vegetables, to say nothing of fowls -galore, we survived. The girls made cake and candy, so with the abundance -of open-kettle brown sugar, we diversified our daily _menu_ with many -sweet compounds. - -The one unfailing source of pleasure was the garden. True, the army at -Morganza would send out a raid every fortnight, when fences were broken -down and destroyed: then the cows and other cattle would get in and -partake of our lettuce and cabbages. But we never gave up; the negroes -would drive the marauding cattle out and rebuild the fences every time -they were destroyed. On one of these occasions I heard Miss Emma Chalfant -say to Uncle Primus: "I shall tell on you when your people come back here; -I heard you curse and swear at Mrs. Merrick's cows this morning--and you -call yourself a preacher, too!" "Dese cows and dese Yankees is 'nuff to -make ennybody cuss, Miss Emma," said the negro, as he went along snapping -his long whip as he drove the poor animals away from the garden. - -Here I am tempted to give the true story of Martha Benton. This girl -became positively exhilarated under the influence of perfume and flowers. -The delectable odor of Sweet Olive--a mingled essence of peach, pineapple, -and orange-flower--produced in her a frenzy of delight. She had been -introduced to the exotic floral world by the proprietor of a fine garden -where she frequently visited. - -Her father could not understand his daughter's delight in the -contemplation of Nature's beauty; for, as far as these things were -concerned, he was afflicted with a total blindness worse than a loss of -actual sight. Mr. Benton was fond of fruit but he never noticed or admired -the flowers from which the fruit was formed. Nevertheless, he seemed -pleased that his neighbor, Mr. Thornton, should be interested in his -daughter, and take pleasure in talking with her about his rare plants. - -"Miss Patsy," said Mr. Thornton, "it requires tact and perseverance to -grow a perfect lily." - -"I could do it if I had the bulbs," said the girl. - -At the close of the interview, a dozen bulbs and an extensive package of -plants were put in the carriage for the young lady to take home, as a -compliment to her interest in his favorite pursuit. - -Mr. Benton's front door-yard was given over to his horses, and sometimes -the calves were allowed to share in the rich pasturage it furnished. -Several ancient cedar trees, ragged and untrimmed, and two thrifty oaks -stood on what should have been a lawn, and a straggling row of -pomegranates grew along the line of fence on one side, apparently in -defiance of cattle and all other exterminating influences. - -On her return home, Patsy displayed her treasures to her mother, and was -enthusiastic over her floral prospects. - -"Papa," said she, "you must give me space in the vegetable garden for the -present, and Tom must prepare the ground." - -"It is perfect foolishness," said Mr. Benton. "Old Thornton is such a -stuck-up old goose that I hated to make him mad, otherwise I should not -have brought these things home with me. The truth is I would not swap a -row of cotton-plants in my field for everything that old man has got in -all his grounds and greenhouses put together." - -"O father, everything he has is so beautiful!" said Patsy. "The -summer-houses are like fairy-land, all covered over with roses and vines." - -"You keep cool, Pat, and don't set your head on having a flower-garden. -Your mother was just like you when I married her. The first thing she did -was to set out some rose bushes in the front yard. Soon after she took -sick and they all died, and she herself came mighty near doing the same -thing; so she gave up the whole business, like a sensible woman. Tom is -hoeing potatoes just now, and you must not call him from his work to -plant this truck, which is of no account anyway. You'd better fling it all -in the river. It would be far better than to go out on the damp ground -wasting your time and labor." - -"No, indeed," said Patsy, who had the dauntless energy of a true gardener; -"I shall plant them myself--every one!" - -She did so, and her treasures made themselves at home in the rich, mellow -soil, and throve wonderfully in response to her careful tending. In a -short time she gathered roses and violets, and her golden-banded lilies -shot up several tall stems crowned with slender, shapely buds, which were -watched with great solicitude. Every morning Patsy would say: "They will -bloom to-morrow." - -Mr. Benton refused to "consider the lilies" of his daughter except in the -light of a nuisance. Only the evening before, he had seen her standing in -the bean-arbor with Walter Jones, who seemed lost in his admiration of the -girl while she devoured the beauty of the flowers; and Mr. Benton was not -happy at the sight. - -"It just beats the devil," he said to himself, "how there is always a -serpent getting into a man's garden to beguile a foolish girl. It ain't no -suitable place anyhow for girls to be dodging around in with their beaux. -My mind's made up," said he, striking his closed right hand into the open -palm of the left. "I'll wipe out that flower-bed." - -Early the next morning, before the family had risen, Mr. Benton marched -into the garden armed with a hoe. He went to the lily-bed and began the -work of destruction. Aunt Cindy, the cook, was surprised as she took a -view from the kitchen window. - -"I 'clar to gracious, de boss is a-workin' Miss Patsy's garden!" said she -to the housemaid. - -"He's workin' nuthin'. He's jes' a-cuttin' an' choppin' up everything," -said the more observant girl. - -"Ef dat ole vilyun is spilen' dat chile's gyardin'," said the cook, "when -she fines it out, little Patsy'll tar up de whole plantation. You listen -out when she gits up en comes down-stairs. He ain't done no payin' job dis -time, I let you know he ain't dat. Great Gawd," said she, "Patsy'll be -mad!--eh--eh!" - -Jeff Davis, Patsy's little brother, who was out at the front gate, spied -Walter Jones riding past, and called out at the top of his voice, "Come -in, old fellow, and take breakfast. Sissy's asleep yet, but we have killed -a chicken, and churned, and opened a keg of nails, and there are three -fine cantaloupes in the ice-box." - -Walter could not resist this invitation. He dismounted and joined Mr. -Benton on the porch, where that gentleman was sipping a cup of black -morning coffee after his labor in the garden. - -The dense fog was clearing away, and the sun began to show in the eastern -horizon. Patsy came down, and was working up the golden butter, printing -it with her prettiest molds. She knew Walter was there. She set on the -breakfast table a vase filled with water, and ran out into the garden to -get the lilies for a center-piece of beauty and color--for they had -actually opened at last. - -In a moment everybody was electrified by a terrific scream. The whole -family rushed out to see what was the matter. Patsy was wringing her hands -and crying. She pointed to the ruined flower-beds, sobbing: "Some wretch -has cut up and destroyed all my beautiful flowers!" - -"Well," said Jeff Davis, "it won't do any good to bellow over it like -that, Sis. Breakfast is ready, I tell you. Come to breakfast." - -But Patsy continued weeping and bewailing her loss, regardless of -entreaties. She called down some anathemas on the perpetrator of the -outrage, which were not pleasant to Mr. Benton's ears. - -"Dry up this minute!" said he. "_I_ cut out those confounded things, and -don't let me hear any more about it. Dry up," said he, sternly, "and eat -your breakfast." - -Neither Patsy nor her mother ate anything, however. They looked through -their tears at each other, and were silent, while rebellious indignation -filled their hearts. Mr. Benton was angry. - -"It is beyond all reason," said he, "for you to act so because I did as I -pleased with my own. Anyhow, I would not give one boy," looking at Jeff, -"for a whole cow-pen full of girls like you," glancing at Patsy. - -Walter was an indignant spectator of this scene, and he wished he could -take his sweetheart and fly away with her forever. He took a hasty leave, -and Mr. Benton went earlier than usual on his daily round of plantation -business. - -Her mother soothed Patsy's feelings as well as she could and counseled -patience. - -"I hate him, if he _is_ my father," said the girl. - -The mother reminded her of the filial respect due the author of her being. - -"I wish I had no father," she answered perversely. - -Mr. Benton rode back of the fields to the woods where the "hands" were -cutting timber to complete a fence around the peach orchard. Tom had -started in the spring wagon to go three miles down the river for some -young trees. Jeff sat on the seat beside Tom. When Mr. Benton returned to -go with them to select the trees at the nursery, the horses were -apparently restive and rather unmanageable. - -"Get down, Jeff," said Mr. Benton, "and ride my horse, while I show Tom -how to drive these horses." - -A moment after, Jeff and his father had exchanged places, and before Mr. -Benton had fully grasped the reins, the ponies took fright and ran out of -the road. Coming suddenly to a tree which had fallen, they bounded over -it, and the vehicle was upset, and Tom and Mr. Benton were violently -thrown out. Tom escaped with a few bruises, but Mr. Benton was seriously -injured, his arm being dislocated and his leg broken. Jeff went off for -the doctor, and Mr. Benton was carried home insensible. - -When Patsy saw the men bringing him into the house in this condition, she -thought he had been killed, and was filled with heart-breaking grief and -remorse. "Poor father!" she cried, "this is my punishment for wishing I -had no father this morning. O Lord, forgive me!" - -Mr. Benton, however, was not dead. After his injured limbs were set to -rights by the surgeon, he was soon in a fair way to recovery. In the -meanwhile, Patsy and her mother devoted themselves wholly to ministering -to his wants and ameliorating the tedium of his confinement to the house. - -"Pat," said he one day, "you have been a great trouble and expense to me, -but when a man is suffering with a lame arm and a broken leg, women are -certainly useful to have in the house. You and your mother have waited on -me and taken good care of me for many weeks." He glanced at his spliced -leg and his swollen arm, and continued: "I could not do much cutting up -things in the garden at this time, Pat, could I? I wish I had let your -flower-beds alone. Great Caesar! didn't you make a fuss over those lilies, -and your mother, too! You both actually cried over that morning's work." - -"Never mind, father," said Patsy, reassuringly, "we don't care now," and -she smiled sweetly and lovingly upon the hard-featured invalid. - -He was almost well when he said to her: "You are a good child, and let me -tell you, my doctor has fallen in love with you. He told me so. Yes, Pat, -he is mashed on you, and intends to ask you to marry him, and you had -better give up any foolish notion you may have taken to Walter Jones, and -take the doctor. He is the best chance you will ever have. He is doing -well in his profession, and besides having a good home to take you to, he -belongs to an influential family. All I ask of you is to promise me you -won't refuse the doctor. You would be a fool to reject such a man." - -"O father!" said the girl, "don't ask me to promise anything." - -"I am going to be obeyed in my own house," said Mr. Benton, flying into a -rage, "and if you don't mind me, I will put you out of doors." - -Patsy was struck with consternation. - -The invalid was now able to move around without assistance. Patsy's heart -was full of fear and trembling. - -The next morning she did not come down to print the butter or bring her -father his early morning coffee. The girl had eloped with Walter Jones. - -"This is worse than breaking my leg," said Mr. Benton, after his first -indignation had subsided. - -When he could speak calmly about his trouble to his wife, he wondered what -made Patsy so thoughtless and undutiful, when she was an only daughter and -had everything she wanted. - -"She is very much like her father," said Mrs. Benton, "and she thought -marriage would set her free--emancipate her." - -"That's pure folly," said Mr. Benton, "for all females are and ought to be -always controlled by their male relations. Nothing on God's earth can -emancipate a woman. She only changes masters when she marries and leaves -her father's house." - -"Patsy, then, has changed masters," said his wife, "and she seems to be -very happy--in her own little home." - -"Old woman, don't get saucy, and I will tell you something," said he. "I -have sent to the city for some flower-garden truck, and Maitre has sent me -up fifty dollars' worth of what he calls first-class stuff on the last -boat, and I am going over to give it to Pat to plant. Tom shall do the -work for her, too. To tell you the real downright truth, you all made me -feel cheap about chopping up her things, and I am going to replace them." - -"Oh, I am so glad!" said Mrs. Benton. - -"Yes," said Mr. Benton, "I am perfectly willing to restore forty times as -much as I destroyed. Pat's a trump, anyhow, and I shall never go back on -her for anything she has ever done. You can rely on that for a fact." - -Mr. Benton was a good neighbor of ours and assumed some authority over my -household. He never failed to come over immediately whenever we had a -visit from one of the gunboats, and to reprove me sharply for having any -friendly interviews or even civilities with our "kidney-footed enemies," -as he called them, yet at the same time he would seize upon all the -newspapers which these gentlemanly officers had given us, and carry them -off for his own delectation, regardless of all objections and -expostulations. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -HOW WOMAN CAME TO THE RESCUE. - - -Mary Wall's letter from Clinton, Louisiana, December 27th, 1863, contains -some strong expressions showing the feeling and suffering among women at -that period: "You must keep in good heart, my dearest friend, about your -son David. I heard he was killed, but I have just seen Mr. Holmes, who has -read in a Yankee paper: 'Capt. Merrick, of Gen. Stafford's staff, slightly -wounded.' When I heard your boy was killed I felt the blow, and groaned -under it, for I know just how the iron hoof of Death tears when it settles -down among the heart-strings. When my mother died last year I did not weep -so bitterly, for my only disinterested friend was taken from the evil to -come; but when my gifted, first-born soldier-boy, Willie--my pride and -joy--was laid in a lonely grave, after a mortal gunshot wound, on the -Atchafalaya, at Bute la Rose, _that_ was my hardest trial. I could not get -to him; yet he was decently buried; but of my brother, shot in the fight -in Tennessee, we only know that he was killed on the battlefield at -Franklin. My son Wesley was reported missing after the fight at -Chickamauga; he may be a prisoner. I have heard nothing more, and my -heart stands still when I think he too may have been killed, and his body -thrown in some ravine or creek, as the Texans are said sometimes to do -when they 'lose' their Yankee prisoners on the march. God knows, this is a -wicked war! And there is Bowman, my third son; he may be dead, too, for I -do not hear a word from him. I try to steady my aching heart, and go my -way, and do my work with a quiet face; but often when I am alone I sink -down, and the waves go over me. I can pour out my heart to you. I do hope -your boy is but 'slightly wounded,' so that he may be sent home to stay -with you for a long time. May God in mercy spare his life; but do not set -your heart on him." - -General Leroy Stafford, on his last visit to his family, stopped at Myrtle -Grove and gave me the particulars of the engagement at Payne's Farm, -Virginia, where David was shot, the ball entering his head above the ear -and going out on the other side below the ear. He fell from his horse, it -was supposed, mortally wounded. By careful medical attention he survived -with the loss of the sight of one eye and power of hearing, the drum of -one ear being perforated. He suffered temporarily much disfigurement from -paralysis of the facial nerve. - -When I saw my handsome boy in this condition my distress will not tax the -imagination. "O mother," he said, "you ought not to feel in this way! So -many mothers' boys can never come back to them, and I am alive and getting -better every day. If you have felt cramped in expression, or anybody has -ever done anything to you which rubbed you up the wrong way, throw down -your gauntlet and I'll fight your battles for you. Don't shed tears over -me!" - -Judge Avery said, referring to David's own letter from the hospital: "It -is the letter of a hero--not one word of complaint in the whole of it." -The surgeon attributed my son's extraordinary recovery to the purity of -blood uncorrupted by the use of tea, coffee, tobacco or alcoholic drinks. - -My brother Milton was surrendered with Port Hudson. July 25, 1863, he -wrote as follows from Custom House Prison, No. 6, in New Orleans: "About -2,000 of us are confined here. Many have called to see me but only one has -succeeded--a young lady who announced herself as my cousin; said she was -determined to have some relative here. I never saw her before. The ladies -are very kind and contribute to all our wants. Hundreds of them promenade -daily before our windows; they look very sweet and lovely to us. Their -hearts are all right, but when they motion to us with their fans, or wave -their handkerchiefs, the guards take them away. The whole city is overrun -with Yankee soldiers, and the citizens have a subdued look. We have no -reason to complain of our treatment, and we are not wholly discouraged. -General Lee's successes are favorable to our cause, and I now feel hopeful -of a speedy termination of our troubles, though I see no prospect of our -release. - -"I learn that the Yankees took everything from Mr. Palmer's near -Clinton--negroes, mules, horses, made the old man dig up his buried -silver, and so alarmed the old lady that she died of fright. I wish to -got back into the field--feel more and more the necessity to establish our -independence, for we can never again live at peace with our hated enemy." - -Notwithstanding these things, and that this brother was confined for two -years at Johnson's Island until after the surrender, he has been for years -a loyal Republican, and is now an office-holder under Mr. McKinley. - -The jayhawkers were a terror in the neighborhood of our Pleasant Hill -plantation, where Mr. Merrick spent much of the war period. These guerilla -ruffians gave many peaceable families much anxiety even when dwelling -hundreds of miles from the seat of war. They were sometimes deserters and -always outlaws, but wore the uniform of either army as fitted their -purpose, and had no scruples about doing the most lawless and violent -deed. At one time it was unsafe to let it be known when the head of the -family would go or return, or to allow any plans to leak out, lest a -descent should be made on the unprotected home or the equally unprotected -absentee. A careful servant, closing the window-blinds at night, would -caution Mr. Merrick to keep out of the range of wandering shots which were -often fired by these desperadoes at unoffending persons. It has been -asserted that the guerillas were a part of the regular Confederate -service, whereas they were outlawed by the army and subject to summary -discipline if caught. - -When the Confederates were about us we enjoyed immunity from terrors. For -ten months General Walker's Division of our army camped on my land. It is -true we divided our stores with them, but the sense of protection was an -unspeakable comfort. I had rooms near my house furnished as a hospital, -where I nursed friend or foe who came to me sick. Medicines were treasured -more than gold; a whole neighborhood felt safer if it were known there was -a bottle of quinine in it; drugs were kept buried like silver. - -There was much delightful association with the officers and our other -friends in the army. Every family had stored away for times of illness or -extra occasions little remnants of our former luxuries--wine, tea, coffee. -General Dick Taylor was once my guest. While sipping his champagne at -dinner he exclaimed: "I'm astonished, madam, that in these times you can -be living in such luxury!" I explained that it was the birthday of my -daughter Laura for which we had long prepared, and that to honor it I had -drawn on my last bottle of wine saved for sickness. I made him laugh by -relating that every time there was a raid I got out a bottle of wine, and -we all drank in solemn state to keep it from falling into the hands of the -Yankees. - -General Richard Taylor was the only son of President Zachary Taylor. He -married a Louisiana lady and made his home in this State. He won -conspicuous success as a brigade commander under Stonewall Jackson, and -being placed in command of the Department of Mississippi and Alabama, his -brilliant record culminated in the victories of Mansfield and Pleasant -Hill. Having beaten General Banks one day at the former place, he pursued -him to Pleasant Hill--where my husband was during the whole period of -active warfare--and defeated him again. He was the idol of the -Trans-Mississippi Department--and well he might be, for he alone had -redeemed it from utter hopelessness.[1] - - [1] Southern Historical Society Papers. - -General Polignac was the brave Frenchman who set his men wild with -amusement and enthusiasm, by placing his hand on his heart and exclaiming -with _empressement_: "Soldiers, behold your Polignac!" They beheld him and -followed him ardently. While partaking of very early green peas and roast -lamb at my table, he asked: "Did you raise these peas under glass, madam?" -"Look at my broken windows," I answered, "all over this house, and tell -whether I can raise peas under glass when we can't keep ourselves under -it!" With such as we had everybody kept open house while the war lasted. -Nobody, high or low, was turned from the door; so long as there was -anything to divide, the division went on: all of which has confirmed me in -the belief that in proportion as artificial social conditions are removed -the divinity in man shines out; and that Bellamy's vision for humanity -need not be all a dream. - -The news of Lee's surrender fell with stunning force, although it had long -been feared that the Confederates were nearing the end of their resources. -Peace was welcomed by the class of men who had begun to desert the army, -because their little children were starving at home; it was also good news -to the broad-minded student of history who knew that surrender was the -only alternative for an army overpowered; that the victories of peace -embodied the only hope. But there were many who said: "Why not have fought -on until all were dead--man, woman and child? What is left to make life -worth the living?" - -An impression prevailed among the victors of the civil war, that the -Southern people were lying awake at night to curse the enemy that had -wrought their desolation and impoverishment. Nothing could have been -further from the truth. After the first stupefying effects of the -surrender, the altered social and domestic conditions engrossed every -energy. Every home mourned its dead. Those were counted happy who could -lay tear-dewed flowers upon the graves of their soldier-slain--so many -never looked again, even upon the dead face of him who had smiled back at -them as the boys marched away to the strains of Dixie. The shadow of a -mutual sorrow drew Southern women in sympathy and tenderness toward -weeping Northern mothers and wives. True men who have bravely fought out -their differences cherish no animosities--though still unconvinced. - -The women in every community seemed to far outnumber the men; and the -empty sleeve and the crutch made men who had unflinchingly faced death in -battle impotent to face their future. Sadder still was it to follow to the -grave the army of men, of fifty years and over when the war began, whose -hearts broke with the loss of half a century's accumulations and -ambitions, and with the failure of the cause for which they had risked -everything. Communities were accustomed to lean upon these tried -advisers; it was almost like the slaughter of another army--so many such -sank beneath the shocks of reconstruction. - -It is folly to talk about the woman who stood in the breach in those -chaotic days, being the traditional Southern woman of the books, who sat -and rocked herself with a slave fanning her on both sides. She was -doubtless fanned when she wished to be; but the ante-bellum woman of -culture and position in the South was a woman of affairs; and in the care -of a large family--which most of them had--and of large interests, she was -trained to meet responsibilities. So in those days of awful uncertainties, -when men's hearts failed them, it was the woman who brought her greater -adaptability and elasticity to control circumstances, and to lay the -foundations of a new order. She sewed, she sold flowers, milk and -vegetables, and she taught school; sometimes even a negro school. She made -pies and corn-bread, and palmetto hats for the Federals in garrison; she -raised pigs, poultry and pigeons; and she cooked them when the darkey--who -was "never to wuk no mo'"--left her any to bless herself with; she washed, -often the mustered-out soldier of the house filling her tubs, rubbing -beside her and hanging out her clothes; and he did her swearing for her -when the Yankee soldier taunted over the fence: "Wall, it doo doo my eyes -good to see yer have to put yer lily-white hands in the wash-tub!" - -As soon as the war was over, my daughter went with her grandmother to -visit her father's relatives in Massachusetts. In letters to her, -beginning September 16, 1865, I thus described the conditions under which -we were living: "The war was prosperity to the state of things which peace -has wrought. Society is resolving itself into its original elements. Chaos -has come again. St. Domingo is a paradise to this part of the United -States, which is cut off from the benefits of government. The negroes who -have gained their liberty are more unhappy and dissatisfied than ever -before. Poor creatures! their weak brains are puzzling over the great -problem of their future. Care seems likely to eat up every pleasure in -their bewildered lives. They no longer dance and sing in the quarters at -night, but sit about in dejected groups; their chief dissipation is -prayer-meeting. It is a dire perplexity that they must pay their doctor's -bills; they resent it as a bitter injustice that 'Marster' does not 'find -them' in medicine and all the ordinary things of living as of old. They -say no provision is made for them. They are left to work for white folks -the same as ever, but for white folks who no longer care for them nor are -interested in their own joys and sorrows. Freedom meant to them the -abolition of work, liberty to rove uncontrolled, to drink liquor and to -carry firearms. As Rose recently said to me: "I don't crave fin'ry--jes -plenty er good close, en vittles, en I 'spects ter get dese widout -scrubbin' fer 'em,' 'Where is de gover'ment?' they ask anxiously, 'en de -forty acres er lan', en de mule?'--which each one of them was led to -reckon on. They expected a saturnalia of freedom; to be legislators, -judges and governors in the land, to live in the white folks' houses, and -to ride in their carriages. They cannot understand a freedom that -involves labor and care. They say they were deceived; that white folks -still have the upper hand, and ride while they walk. I pity them deeply. - -"You know I have never locked up anything. Now I am a slave to my keys. I -am robbed daily. Spoons, cups and all the utensils from the kitchen have -been carried off. I am now paying little black Jake to steal some of them -back for me, as he says he knows where they are. I cannot even set the -bread to rise without some of it being taken. All this, notwithstanding -the servants are paid wages. It is astonishing that those we have -considered most reliable are engaged in the universal dishonesty. I -understand they call it 'sp'ilin' de 'Gypshuns!' - -"The Mississippi river is open;--the boats ply daily up and down, but we -have no mail. We are surely treated like stepchildren of the great United -States. Already the tax-assessor has come to value our property; the -tax-gatherer has collected the national revenues; agents of the Freedman's -Bureau are taking the census of negro children preparatory to forming -schools, and Northern land buyers are looking out for bargains in -broken-up estates. Is it strange that we ask: 'Where is the postmaster?' -We have had already too much exclusion from the world in Confederate days. -Let us emerge from our former 'barbarous state of ignorance,'--and let me -hear from my absent child in Massachusetts! - -"Your father has written from New Orleans as follows: 'I have extricated -my Jefferson City property from the seizure of the Federals, and have -paid $800 to release it, though I think it will cost several hundred more. -They--the Federals--burnt the mill mortgaged to me by G. B. M.--and I -shall lose $5,000 on that. I think I have done remarkably well to have -paid off so many incumbrances, but I wish you to have for the present a -rigid management of all matters of expense. I am glad I have a prospect of -getting my law library into my possession again. I find four hundred and -fifty volumes of it in the quartermaster's department. - -"I can only extricate my affairs by economy on the part of all my family, -and am only asking that they show a little patience under our temporary -separation. I do not wish them to aid me by earning anything, except it be -David, for himself individually; but we shall all be in the city in our -own home the sooner by the exercise of present self-denial. - -"'I am glad to learn that the people of the South denounce the -assassination of Lincoln,' for it was a ruinous misfortune to us. - -"At present we are living at as little expense as possible with no -perceptible income. We are taxed according to the ante-bellum tax -lists--including our slaves and property swept off the earth by the -armies. A fine sugar estate, near us on the river, worth two hundred -thousand dollars, was sold last week for taxes, which were seven thousand -five hundred dollars. The whole estate--land, dwelling, sugar house, -stock--brought only four thousand dollars. There could scarcely be -completer confiscation than these unrighteous tax-sales under which -millions of dollars worth of property are advertised for sale. - -"I saw a late article in the _Chicago Times_ in which the writer said: -'You had better be a poor man's dog than a Southerner now.' If our negroes -are idle and impudent we are not allowed to send them away. If we have -crops waiting in the fields for gathering, the hands are all given by the -semi-military government 'passes to _go_,' though we pay wages; and -(weakly or humanely?) buy food, furnish doctors and wait on the sick, very -much in the old way, simply because nature refuses to snap the ties of a -lifetime on the authority of new conditions. I have it in mind to make -Myrtle Grove a very disagreeable place to some of the most trifling, so -that they will get into the humor to hunt a new home. - -"General Price said: 'We played for the negro, and the Yankees fairly won -the stake, with Cuffy's help.' Let them have him and _keep_ him! Your -father has just had a settlement with his freedmen. They are extremely -dissatisfied with the result. Though they acknowledge every item on their -accounts, furnished at New Orleans wholesale prices, it is a -disappointment not to have a large sum of money for their year's -labor--that, too, after an extravagance of living we have not dared to -allow ourselves, and an idleness for which we are like sufferers, as the -crop was planted on shares. I am convinced the negroes are too much like -children to understand or be content with the share system. - -"I have a good cook, but she has a _cavaliere servente_, besides her own -husband and children, to provide for out of my storeroom, which she does -in my presence very often--though it is not in the bond. I _am_ impatient -when she takes the butter given her for pastry and substitutes lard; yet I -cannot withhold my admiration when I see her double the recipe in order -that her own table may be graced with a soft-jumble as good as mine. -Somebody has said: 'By means of fire, blood, sword and sacrifice you have -been separated from your black idol.' It looks to me as if he is hung -around our necks like the Ancient Mariner's albatross. You ridicule -President Johnson's idea of loaning us farming implements. You must not -forget who burned ours. We need money, for we have to pay the four years' -taxes on our freed negroes! - -"There is bad blood between the races. Those familiar with conditions here -anticipate that the future may witness a servile war--a race war--result -of military drilling, arming and haranguing the negro for political ends. -Secession was a mistake for which you and I were not responsible. But even -if our country was wrong, and we knew it at the time--which we did not--we -were right in adhering to it. The best people in the South were true to -our cause; only the worthless and unprincipled, with rare exceptions, went -over to the enemy. We must bear our trials with what wisdom and patience -we may be able to summon until our status is fully defined. I cannot but -feel, however, that if war measures had ceased with the war, if United -States officers on duty here, and the Government at Washington, had shown -a friendly desire to bury past animosities and to start out on a real -basis of reunion, we should have become a revolutionized, reconstructed -people by this time. But certain it is that the enemy--authorities and -'scalawag'-friends, who now cruelly oppress the whites and elevate the -negro over us--are hated as the ravaging armies never were, and a true -union seems farther off than ever." - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -MISS VINE'S DINNER PARTY AND ITS ABRUPT CONCLUSION. - - -War is demoralizing, and ever since "our army swore terribly in Flanders," -profanity has been a military sin. In my neighborhood it extended to the -women and children who had never before violated the third commandment. I -knew a little girl who, having seen a regiment of Federal soldiers -marching along the public highway, ran to her mother crying, "The damned -Yankees are coming!" She was exempt from reproof on account of the -exciting nature of the news. She had doubtless heard the obnoxious word so -often in this connection that she deemed it a correct term. - -I tried to preserve my own household "pure and peaceable and of good -report," and I plead with my five girls to avoid all looseness of -expression. But Fannie Little asked: "Mrs. Merrick, may I not even tell -Rose to 'go to the devil' when she puts my nightgown where I can't find -it, and makes me wait so long for hot water?" - -"No, indeed, my child! Only Christian ministers can speak with propriety -of the devil, and use his name on common occasions." - -As a social side-light on these disordered secession war-times the -following sketch is a true picture. The characters and incidents are real, -but the names are assumed. The endeavor to embalm the events in words -diverted me in the midst of graver experience during those chaotic days. - - * * * * * - -Beechwood plantation has a frontage of two miles on the banks of a -navigable river. The tall dwelling-house was so surrounded by other -buildings, all well constructed and painted white, that the first glance -suggested the idea of a village embowered in trees. The proprietorship of -a noble estate implies a certain distinction, and in fact the owner of -this property had for many years represented his district in Congress. In -past as well as present times people manifest a disposition to bestow -political honors upon men of prosperity and affluence. - -Mr. Templeton, notwithstanding the fact that he possessed an uncommonly -large amount of property in land and slaves, was not a giant either in -body or in mind. He surely had spoken once in the national Capitol, for -was he not known to have sent a printed copy of a speech to every one of -the Democratic constituents in the State? In this pamphlet were set forth -eloquent and powerful arguments against the unjust discrimination of the -specific duties on silk, which he thought operated to the disadvantage and -serious injustice of the poor man. He asserted confidently that the poor -people would purchase only the heavy, serviceable silken goods, while the -rich preferred the lighter and flimsier fabrics, thus paying -proportionately a much smaller revenue to the Government. This proved -conclusively that Mr. Templeton never consulted his wife, whose rich -dresses were always paid for as the tariff was arranged--ad valorem. His -patriotic soul was harrowed and filled with sympathy and sorrow on account -of the injustice and hardship thus dealt out to his needy and indigent -constituents. We cannot follow this interesting man's public career, and -probably it is customary for great statesmen "to study the people's -welfare" and to have the good of the poor men who vote for them very much -upon their disinterested minds. - -The Templeton family came originally from that State which furnished to -the South, in the hour of trial, some brave soldiers and a good -song--"Maryland, my Maryland." Lavinia, Mr. Templeton's only daughter, had -been educated at the Convent in Emmetsburg, and had returned home after -Fort Sumter was fired upon and other disturbances were anticipated. This -slender, delicate, little creature was very graceful and pretty, timid as -a fawn, and frisky as a young colt. At first she could not be induced to -sit at table if there was a young man in the dining-room. She said she -preferred to wait, and when she came in afterward for her dinner her -brother Frank testified that she always ate an extra quantity to make up -for the delay. - -Old Miss Eliza thought Vine so lovely and good that she always allowed her -to do as she pleased, only enjoining on her to "be a lady." Miss Eliza was -an old-maid cousin who lived in the family, shared the cares and anxieties -of the parents, and was greatly respected by everybody. She was not a -particularly religious person--there not being a church within ten -miles--but she was kind, courteous and gentle, and exhibited a great deal -of deportment of the very finest quality--as might have been expected from -her refined Virginia antecedents. She could not abide that the servants -should call Lavinia Templeton "Miss Vine," but they called her so all the -same. - -Beaux far and near contended for Lavinia's regard, and in less than six -months after leaving the convent she was married to a young captain newly -enlisted in the artillery of the Confederate service. A grand wedding came -off where many noteworthy men assembled. While the band played and the -giddy dance went on, groups of these consulted about the portentous war -clouds. One great man said: "There will be no war; I will promise to drink -every drop of blood shed in this quarrel!" - -But soon there was a military uprising everywhere. As men enlisted they -went into a camp situated less than an hour's drive from Beechwood. Vine -and her lover-husband refused to be separated, so she virtually lived in -the encampment. The spotless new tents, with bright flags flying, the -young men thronging around the carriages which brought their mothers and -sisters as daily visitors, made this camp in the woods a bewitching spot. - -Every luxury the country afforded was poured out with lavish hands. -Friends, neighbors and loved ones at home skimmed the richest cream of the -land for the delectation and refreshment of their dear soldier boys. A -young schoolboy, who dined with his brother in camp on barbecued mutton -and roast wild turkey with all the accompaniments, wrote to his father -that he too was ready to enlist, having now had a perfect insight into -soldier life. As this gallant veteran to-day looks at his empty, dangling -coat-sleeve and is shown his boyish letter, he smiles a grim smile and -says: "Yes, I _was_ a fool in those days." Vine's husband had a noble -figure and was a picture of manly beauty in his new uniform with scarlet -facings. To the horror of her woman friends the devoted little wife cut up -a costly black velvet gown, and made it into a fatigue jacket for him to -wear in camp. - -Meanwhile the unexpected happened and we were in the midst of a real, -terrible war. Federal military operations extended over the whole country; -then appeared a gunboat with its formidable armament, striking a panic -into all the white inhabitants. Soldiers advanced to the front, while -citizens precipitately retreated to the rear. In trepidation and hot haste -planters gathered up their possessions for departure. Slaves, always -dearer and more precious to the average Southern heart than either silver -or gold, were first collected and assembled with the owners and their -families, and then formed large companies of refugees who went forth to -look for a temporary home in some less exposed part of the country. - -After much deliberation Mr. and Mrs. Templeton, with the little boys and -their cumbrous retinue of wagons, horses and slaves, went to Texas, -leaving their daughter Vine, Miss Eliza and two faithful servants as sole -tenants of Beechwood. The expected advance of Federal forces in the spring -seemed to justify the reduction of the place to such slender equipment. -Meanwhile, Captain Paul had been through a campaign in Virginia. On the -very day of the battle of Bethel, Vine clasped a new-born daughter in her -arms, and the father requested that its name should be Bethel in -commemoration of that engagement. This child was a year old before he saw -its face. The time came when Louisiana soil was to be plowed up with -military trenches and fortifications, and Captain Paul was ordered to Port -Hudson. The siege of that place soon followed. - -In the evenings Miss Eliza sat on the gallery holding Bethel in her arms, -while Vine rocked little Dan, the baby of seven months, and they would all -listen in wistful silence to the volleys of heavy guns sounding regularly -and dolefully far down the river. The regular boom of the thundering -volleys kept on day and night. The two servants, Becky and Monroe, would -occasionally join the group; "Never mind, Miss Vine, don't you fret," they -would say; "sure, Captain Paul's all right." After many weeks of painful -suspense and anxiety the shocking news came that Captain Paul had been -killed by the explosion of a shell. Vine's grief was wild. She wept and -raved by turn, until Miss Eliza feared she would die. Becky with womanly -instinct brought her the children and reminded her that she still had -these. "Take them away," cried Vine, "I loved them only for his sake; -children are nothing! Take them out of my sight! Oh! Lord," she cried, -"let us all die and be buried together! Why does anybody live when Paul is -dead?--dead, dead, forever!" - -Vine put on no mourning in her widowhood, for such a thing as crepe was -unattainable in those days. The girls in the neighborhood came and stayed -with her by turns, and did all they could to divert her mind from her -loss. - -In a short time even punctilious Miss Eliza rejoiced to perceive some -return of Vine's former cheerfulness. She said it was sad enough and bad -enough to have a horrible war raging and ravaging over the country, -without insisting that a delicate young thing like Lavinia should go on -forever moping herself to death in unavailing grief. There was no need of -anything of the kind. While wishing her niece to avoid "getting herself -talked about," Miss Eliza yet thought it needful, right and proper that -she should take some diversion and some healthy amusement. So it came to -pass after awhile that one day all the officers and soldiers who were -temporarily at home, and all the young ladies living on the river, were -invited to dine together at Beechwood. - -The day was cool and delightful, with just a tinge of winter in the air. -Extensive fields, where hundreds of bales of cotton and thousands of -barrels of corn had been grown annually, were now given up to weeds, -briars and snakes. Here and there in protected nooks and corners clusters -of tall golden-rod or blue and purple wild asters waved their heads. Only -one small patch of ripened corn near the dwelling indicated that the -inhabitants had not entirely forgotten seed-time and might possibly have -hope of even a tiny harvest later on. - -It was eleven o'clock before Vine had finished the work of decorating her -parlors. She felt weary from the unusual exertion, but remembering her -duties to her expected guests, she ran to the window overlooking the -kitchen and called, "Becky, Becky, you know who are to be here; now do -have everything all right for dinner; and, Becky, please keep the children -quiet, for I should like to take a nap before I dress." - -"Y'as'm," said the woman, while a shade of care came into her honest face, -as she regarded the two children playing in the corner of the kitchen. "I -'clar to Gawd, dat's jes' like Miss Vine, she's done got in de bed dis -minit and lef' me wid bofe dese chillun on my han's, en she knows, mitey -well, dat um got a heap to tend ter, dis day. She tole me dat she wus -gwine to he'p me, she did, en it's de Gawd's trufe dat she ain't done er -spec of er blessed thing ceppin gether dem bushes and flowers, en Captain -Prince he hope her at dat. Now, ef she had put her han' to de vegables, -dat would er ben sumpin. Flowers will do for purty and niceness, but you -cayent eat 'em, en you cayent drink 'em. Dey're des here to-day and gone -all to pieces to-morrow; whut good is dey anyhow? a whole kyart load of um -don't mount ter er hill er beans. Well," she continued, "I jes' won't -blame de young creetur, but Gawd ermitey only knows when all dem white -folks will set down ter dat ar dinner Miss Vine done 'vited 'em ter come -here en eat! Here, Beth," said she kindly to the little girl, "clam up on -dis stool, honey, by dis table; um gwine ter fix yo a nice roas' tater in -a minit. Yo, Dan," she called out sharply to the boy, "yo jes' stop -mashin' dat cat's tail wid dat cheer 'fo' he scratch yo to deff! Min', I -tell yer! It jes' looks like Miss Vine wouldn't keer ef I bust my brains -er wukin'; but I ain't er gwine to do dat fer nobody. Well, not fer -_strange_ white folks, anyhow." - -Here Beth with a mouthful of sweet potato asked for water. Becky promptly -dipped a gourd full and held it to her lips grumbling all the while, "Lamb -O' Gawd, how in de name er goodness is I gwine ter wait on dese chillun, -wash up dese dishes, put on dinner, en fetch all de wood from de wood -pile?" As she stood contemplating her manifold duties, she heard the clock -in the house striking the hour. "Lord, Gawd," said she, "ef it ain't -twelve o'clock er 'ready, en shore nuff here comes all dem white folks -jes' a gallopin' up de big road. Eh--eh--eh--well, dey'll wait twell em -ready fur 'em, dat's all. But I does wish Miss Vine was mo' like her mar. -Ole Mis' wouldn't never dremped 'bout 'viten a whole pasel er folks here, -widout havin' pigs, and po'try, pies and cakes, en sich, all ready, de day -befo'. She had plenty on all sides an' plenty ter do de work too. Now -here's Miss Vine she's after havin' her own fun. Well, she's right, you -hear me, niggahs!" - -"You ain't talkin' to me, Aunt Becky," said Beth; "I ain't no nigger." The -woman laughed, dropped her dishcloth on the unswept floor, grasped the -child and tossed her up several times over her head. "Gawd bless dis -smart chile! no, dat yo ain't! yo is a sweet, little, white angel outen -heaben, you is dat, you purty little white pig!" - -In the height of this performance Monroe came to the door and thrust in an -enormous turkey just killed. Seeing what was going on he exclaimed: "Why, -Aunt Becky, yo better stop playing wid dat white chile en pick dis turkey -'fo' Miss Eliza happen 'long here en ketch yer." - -"Shet yo mouf, en git out o' dis kitchen, boy; you cayent skeer me; I can -give you as good es you can sen' any day. De white folks knows I ain't got -but two han's and can't do a hundred things in a minit." She put the child -down, however, and resumed her dish washing. - -The girls in the meantime had retouched their disheveled curls and joined -the young men in the parlor, where for a time music, songs and dances made -the hours fly. Let us play "Straw," said Nelly Jones. - -"No, let Captain Prince lead and choose the game," said Arabella. - -So the captain seated the company in line. "Now," said he, "not one of you -must crack a smile on pain of forfeit, and when I say prepare to pucker, -you must all do so,"--drawing out as he spoke the extraordinary aperture -in his own good-natured face, extending his lips into an automatic, -gigantic, wooden smirk reaching almost from ear to ear. Everybody giggled -of course, but he went on: "I shall call out 'Pucker,' and you must -instantly face about with your mouths fixed this way"--and he drew up his -wonderful feature small enough to dine with the stork out of a jar. The -company shouted, but the game was never played, for reproof and entreaty, -joined to the captain's word of command, failed to get them beyond a -preparatory attempt which ended always in screams of laughter. - -The sun was getting low in the west when another want began to appeal to -the inner consciousness of these young persons. Some of them had ridden -for miles in the morning air; since then they had sung and danced and -laughed in unlimited fashion. Now they began to think of some other -refreshment. Arabella ventured to request that Captain Prince be sent to -the kitchen to reconnoiter and bring in a report from the commissary -department. The captain responded amiably, and said she was a sensible -young lady. "Vine, ain't you hungry?" asked Arabella. "Oh, I took some -luncheon before you came," replied she; "if you will go up-stairs and look -in the basket under my dressing table, you will find some sandwiches, but -not enough for all." The girl flew up-stairs. - -When Captain Prince returned the girls rushed forward and overpowered him -with questions. He threw up his hands deprecatingly and waved off his -noisy assailants. "Stop, stop, young ladies, I will make my report. I went -round to the kitchen and found Aunt Becky behind the chimney ripping off -the feathers of a turkey so big" (holding his hands nearly a yard apart). -"I got a coal o' fire to light my pipe, then I made a memorandum." Here he -pulled out an old empty pocketbook and pretended to read--"Item 1st, -'Fowl picking at three o'clock,' that means dinner at six. Can you wait -that long?" - -"Never!" cried the girls. - -"Well, we must then go into an election for a new housekeeper who will go -in person or send a strong committee who will whoop up the cook and -expedite the meal which is to refresh these fair ladies and brave -men,"--and he began to count them. - -"Don't number me in your impolite crowd," said Arabella, "for I am content -to wait until dinner is ready." Vine gave her a meaning smile and went up -pleadingly to the captain, rolling her fine eyes in the innocent, sweet -way characteristic of some of the most fascinating of her sex, and begging -him to continue to be the life and soul of her party, as he always was -everywhere he went: she said if he would "start something diverting," she -would go and stir Becky up and have dinner right off--she would, "honest -Indian." - -These girls were not sufficiently polite to keep up a pleased appearance -when bored. Such little artificialities of society belonged to the days of -peace. They flatly refused to dance, saying they were tired. One avowed -that she was sorry she had persuaded her mother to let her come to such a -poky affair, and another declared that she had never been anywhere in her -whole lifetime before where there was not cake, fruit, candy, popcorn, -pindars, or something handed round when dinner was as late as this. "Oh," -said Nelly Jones, "I wish I had a good stalk of sugar-cane." In fact a -cloud seemed to settle down in the parlors like smoke in murky weather. - -Captain Prince stroked his blond goatee affectionately and looked serious, -but brightening up in a moment he crossed the wide hall and entered the -library where Major Bee was writing. He captured the major, brought him -and introduced him to the ladies, and then seated him in a capacious -arm-chair, while he held a whispering conference with Nelly Jones. Nelly's -wardrobe was the envy and admiration of all the girls on the river. Being -the daughter of a cotton speculator, she wore that rare article, a new -dress. Unlike Arabella, whose jacket was cut from the best part of an old -piano cover, she was arrayed in fine purple cashmere trimmed with velvet -and gold buttons, and was otherwise ornamented with a heavy gold chain and -a little watch set with diamonds. Nelly took the captain's arm and made a -low bow to Major Bee, and the girls were once more on the _qui vive_ when -they heard the captain say in slow and measured tones, "I have come with -the free and full consent of this young lady to ask you to join us for -life in the bonds of matrimony." The amiable old major seemed ready to -take part in this dangerous pastime, for gentle dulness ever loves a joke. -"Bring me a prayer book," said he, "if you please." - -"I lent my mother's prayer book," said Vine, "to old Mrs. Simpson two -years ago, and she never returned it--the mean old thing!" - -The major next asked for a broom which he held down before the couple -saying, "Jump over." - -"Hold it lower," said Nelly, and they stepped over in a business-like -manner. - -"Now," said Major Bee, "I solemnly pronounce you husband and wife, and I -hope and trust that you will dwell together lovingly and peacefully until -you die. I have at your request tied this matrimonial knot as tight as I -possibly could, under the circumstances, and I hope you will neither of -you ever cause me to regret that I have had the pleasure of taking part in -this highly dignified and honorable ceremony." - -Then the old major kissed the bride, whom he had always petted from -childhood, and shook hands with Captain Prince, whom Nelly refused the -privilege accorded the major, for said she, "there was no kissing in the -bargain." The company crowded around with noisy congratulations; a sofa -was drawn forward, and the mock bridal couple sat in state and entertained -their guests. - -"My dear," remarked the bride, "I expected to make a tour when I was -married." - -"Yes, miss,"--he corrected himself quickly,--"yes, madam, I think as there -are no steamboats that we may take a little journey up the river on a -raft." - -"What kind of a raft, Captain?" asked Nelly. - -"My love, I mean a steam raft. I will take the steam along in a jug." - -Nelly made a terrible grimace of disgust and was silent for a moment, her -mind still dwelling on the bridal tour. "Captain, you know we must have -money for traveling expenses," said she. - -"Yes, darling, it takes that very thing, so I will spout your fine watch -and chain, and then we can find ourselves on wheels." - -Nelly drew down the corners of her pretty mouth, pouted her lips and -looked more disgusted than ever. To them it was all very funny. - -"My dearest, I fear when your mother hears the news she will say 'Poor -Nelly, she has thrown herself away!'" and the captain actually blushed at -this vision of Mrs. Jones's disapprobation. - -"Keep the ball rolling, Captain," said Billy Morris, "this sport is -splendid." - -The captain fixed his keen eye on Billy's large, standing collar and -asked, "Did you ever see a small dog trotting along in high oats? -Well,"--surveying his person--"I have." - -"Come now, Captain," replied Billy, "I'll allow you some privileges, being -just married, but you must pass your wit around. I've had enough. Don't -compare your single unmarried friend to a dog." - -Dinner was then announced and the party were soon seated at table. That -king of edible birds, the turkey savory and brown, was placed at one end, -and a fresh stuffed ham stood at the other, while the vegetables filled up -the intervening space. A large bunch of zinnias and amaranthus set in a -broken pitcher formed a gay center-piece. The dessert was egg-nogg, and -Confederate pound-cake made from bolted cornmeal. The dinner was concluded -with a cup of genuine coffee. Notwithstanding the late meal, never had -there been a merrier day at old Beechwood. Healths to the absent ones were -drunk from the single silver goblet of egg-nogg allowed for each guest. -The girls did not relish this mixture made of crude and fiery Louisiana -rum, but the soldiers were not so fastidious; they said they often had -occasion to repeat the remark of the Governor of North Carolina to the -Governor of South Carolina that "it was a long time between drinks." - -Monroe removed the dishes and retired to the kitchen while the guests -lingered over the dessert. The cook sat and looked down the river. The -window commanded a view for two miles. Her work was done and she -manifested her relief by breaking into singing these words: - - "John saw, J-o-h-n saw, - John saw de holy number - Settin' roun de golden altar. - Golden chariot come fer me, come fer me, - Golden chariot come fer me, - Childun didn't he rise?" - -She had commenced the second verse, "John saw," when suddenly her jaws -fell, and springing up she exclaimed: "Jesus marster! what's dat? Look! -Everybody! Here comes er gunboat, en Riley's house is er fire. Don't yer -see it bu'nin! Run, boy, run, en call Miss Vine! Tell Mis Lizer! Go dis -minit an' let 'em all know, I tell yer!" "Set right down, set down, Aunt -Becky! 'tain't none er my business to tell nuthin'. Set right down, 'oman, -en let dem white folks 'lone," and the man seized her and pushed her with -all his force towards the chair. - -The woman turned fiercely upon him and planted a blow on the side of his -head which sent him headlong on the floor. "Look er-heah, boy, who is you -foolin' wid, anyhow? You think yerself a man, does yer when yous er born -fool! I let you know it tuck de tightest overseer ole marster ever had on -dis plantashun to rule me. No nigger like you better try ter tackle Becky. -I'll double you up an fling you outer dis winder in no time. You neenter -tell nuthin. I'll go tell 'em--I'll go ef Gawd spars me to git dar. I -nussed Miss Vine; dat gal used to suck dese yere"--and Becky eloquently -placed her hands on her round ebony bosom, as she broke into a full run -from the kitchen door. She entered the dining-room crying out in -breathless, agitated tones, "Look heah, people, thar's a big gunboat er -comin' up de river en Riley's house is er-fire!" - -In an instant confusion and utter consternation reigned. "Good God!" -exclaimed Vine, "and here's all mother's silver! Like a fool I dug it up -out of the garden this morning. Here, Aunt Becky, help me gather it up." -The woman soon rattled a pile of spoons and forks into a dishpan. "No, -no," screamed Vine, "don't wash them, let me hide them, quick, somewhere!" - -The officers and soldiers had disappeared, and in ten minutes the only -male creatures to be seen on the place were Monroe and the baby. The man -was in fine spirits while engaged in assisting the young ladies to mount -their horses. "Take kere, Miss Em'ly, dis is a skittish little creole -pony, and you rides wid too loose a rein." To another he said, "'Fore -Gawd, Miss Jinnie, I hates to see a white lady like you a-riden' uv er -mule, I does dat, en er man's saddle too! Eh, eh!" "You never mind," the -girl replied; "my pony and both our side-saddles were carried off by the -last raid from Morganza, and I had no choice but to use my brother's -saddle and this mule or stay at home. Cut me a good stick, Monroe, and I -shall get along." "Well, you'll need a stick," said Monroe, "wid dat lazy -ole mule, ef you 'spects to see home dis night." - -One of the horses jerked away every time he was led up to the steps, but -the man was patient with him, only remarking, "Dis hoss been brutalized -'bout de head by somebody 'twel he's a plum fool. Jump quick, Miss Nelly, -while um er holdin' him fer ye." The girl sprang to her saddle, adjusted -her dress, and directed the man to spread a folded shawl for her sister to -ride behind. "Well, well," said he, "dis beats de bugs, to see white -ladies what's used to rollin' 'long in der carriages a-ridin' double like -dis!" "We don't care," said they, as the party started off gaily down the -road. - -After the last departure Monroe went to talk over the eventful day with -Becky. No allusion was made to such a small matter as a passing blow, and -the man sat down by the fire grinning with real enjoyment. - -"Didn't dem white folks scatter quick? I tell yer, Aunt Becky, it done me -good all over to see 'em so flustrated," and he burst into a loud guffaw. -"When sumpin don' go to suit de Templetons, dey'll paw dirt, dey'll do it, -every time, frum ole marster down to de baby one. Whut did Miss Vine say -about it?" - -"Well," said Becky, "lemme tell yer 'bout Miss Vine; de fust thing she -done arter I bounced in en tole de news--she gathered up de spoons en -forks, en dem silver tumblers, en sich, belonging to ole Mis', en den she -look 'roun' en seed de men wus all gone; den she clinched her teeth, en -des doubled up her fis', she did, en shuck it t'wards dat big ole boat es -she come puffin' en blowin' up de river, wid de great big cannons -a-sticken outen her sides, en des a-swarmin' all over wid de blue-coats, -en says she: 'Dern you infernal black souls! I wish to Gawd every one of -you was drownded in de bottom of de river.'" - -"Lord!" said Monroe, catching his breath, "now didn't she cuss?" - -"Yes, sirree! she did dat; en so would you, en me," said Becky. - -"But she's white," said the man. "I don't keer ef she is; ain't white -folks got feelin's same as we is?" asked Becky. "No," said Monroe, "dey -ain't; some of um is mighty mean, yes, a heap of 'em." - -"Yo cayn't set down here and 'buse Miss Vine," said Becky, "we're 'bleeged -to gib her de praise. Ef its 'fo' her face or 'hine her back, um boun' to -say it; she's de feelin'est creetur, de free-heartedest, de most -corndescendin'est young white 'oman, I ever seed in all my life,--fer a -fac'. But when she done _so_"--here Becky shook her fist in imitation of -Vine's passionate outbreak, en said dat I done tole yer, Miss Eliza put in -en spoke up she did, en says she, 'Laviney, yo must certinly forgit yo is -er lady!' Whew! Miss Vine never heerd her. 'Twan't no use fer nobody to -say nuthin'. I tell you dat white gal rared en pitched untwel she bust -into be bitteres' cry yo ever heerd in yo life. She said dem devils warn't -satisfied wid killin' her Paul, en makin' her a lonesome widder, but here -dey comes agin, jes' as she were joyin' herse'f, jes' es she were takin' -a little plesyure, here dey comes a knockin' uv it all in de haid, en -spillin' de fat in de fire. - -"I was sorry for de chile, fer it was de Gawd's trufe she spoke, so I -comes back in heah, I did, en got some of dat strong coffee I dun saved -for yo en me, en I het a cupful an brung it to her. 'Here, honey,' says I, -'drink dis fer yo Becky, en d-o-n't cry no mo', dat's my good baby!' She -wipe up her eyes, en stop cryin', she did, en drunk de coffee. Dar I was, -down on my knees, jes' facin' of her, and she handed back de cup. 'Twas -one er ole Mis' fine chaney cups. 'Dat's yo, honey,' says I, 'you musn't -grieve!' en I was er pattin' of her on de lap, when she tuck a sudden -freak, en I let yo know she ups wid dem little foots wid de silver shoes -on, en she kicked me spang over, broadcast, on de flo'. - -"Den ole Miss Lizer, she wall her eyes at Miss Vine, en say, 'Laviney, um -'stonished to see yo ax so.' She mout as well er hilt her mouf--fer it -didn't do dat much good," said Becky, snapping her fingers. "Den arter er -while, Miss Vine seed me layin' dar on de floor en she jumped up she did, -en gin me her two han's to pull me up. I des knowed I was too heavy for -her to lif, but I tuck a holt of her, en drug her down in my lap en hugged -her in my arms, pore young thing! Den I jes' put her down e-a-s-y on de -hath-rug, 'fo' de fire, en kiver her up wid a shawl. Den I run up-sta'rs -en fotch a piller, en right dar on de foot of de bed she had done laid out -dat spangly tawlton dress, en I des knowed she wus gwine to put it on, en -dance de Highlan' fling dis very ebenin'. Can't she out-dance de whole -river anyhow?" said Becky. - -"Oh!" said Monroe, "I don't 'spute dat. I love to see her in her brother -Frank's close a-jumpin' up to my fiddle! den she bangs a circus--dat she -do!" - -Becky continued her narration: "I comes back en lif's her head on de -piller, en pushed up the chunks to men' de fire, en lef' her dar sobbin' -herself down quiet." Becky sighed and went on: "I tell yo, man, when dat -little creetur dar in de house takes a good start--yo cayn't hole her, -nobody nee'n' to try; you cayn't phase her I tell you. En dar's Beth, -she's gwine be jes' sich er nother--I loves dat chile too! She don't -feature her mar neither, 'ceppen her curly head. - -"But dis won't do me. Less go up frum here, Monroe. Yo make up a light, en -less go to de hen-house en ketch a pasel of dem young chickens, en put 'em -in de coop. I wants to brile one soon in de mawnin' en take it to Miss -Vine wid some hot co'n cakes. She's used to eatin' when she fust wakes up, -en um gwine to have sumpen ready fer her, fer I give you my word, dey -ain't de fust Gawd's bit er nuthin 'tall lef' frum dat ar' dinner party." - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -OUR FEDERAL FRIENDS AND THE COLORED BROTHER. - - -The bewilderment of the negroes in the great social upheaval that came -with peace was outdone by that of the white people. The conditions of the -war times had been peaceable and simple compared with the perplexities of -existence now precipitated upon us. The Confederacy's 175,000 surrendered -soldiers--and these included the last fifteen-year-old boy--were scattered -through the South, thousands of them disabled for work by wounds, and -thousands more by ill-health and ignorance of any other profession than -that of arms. The Federal soldiers garrisoned all important places. A -travesty of justice was meted out by a semi-civil military authority. -Every community maintained an active skirmish-line against the daily -aggressions of the freedmen and the oppressions of the military arm. Large -sums were paid by citizens to recover property held by the enemy; and, for -a time, the people paid a per cent. out of every dollar to the revenue -office for a permit to spend that dollar at stores opened by Yankees--our -only source of supply. - -Few persons had property readily convertible into greenbacks, and -Confederate money was being burned or used by the bale to paper rooms in -the home of its possessor. No man knew how to invest money that had -escaped the absorption of war, and when he did invest it he usually lost -it. For the next ten years what the sword had not devoured the "canker -worm" (cotton worm, with us) ate up. - -The people were in favor of reorganizing the States in accord with the -Union. But the iniquities of carpet-bag governments and the diabolisms of -"black and tan" conventions for a long time kept respectable men out of -politics. It was indeed too "filthy a pool" to be entered. At a longer -perspective this seems to have been a mistake. If the best men of the -country had gone into the people's service--as did General Longstreet with -most patriotic but futile purpose--they might have arrested incessant -lootings of the people's hard-wrested tax-money and the nefarious -legislation that enriched the despised carpet-bagger and -scalawag--present, like the vultures, only for the prey after the battle. -So many men, however, had been disfranchised by reason of Confederate -service that it is doubtful if enough respectability was eligible for -office, to have had any purifying effect on public affairs. - -In this crisis our Northern friends advised us after the following -fashion. Major A. L. Brewer, Mr. Merrick's uncle, who had belonged to -Sherman's army, sent me, in 1865, a letter from New Lisbon, Ohio: - - "MY DEAR CARRIE,--Your devotion to Edwin makes you very dear to me. - You know my attachment to him and that I regard him as a son. He was - always my favorite nephew. Since the war is over I trust that he will - now take the oath of allegiance, and should he need any aid I can - render it. The Secretary of War, Postmaster-General, Senators Nolle - and Sherman of Ohio, and many others, are my staunch friends. - - "As far as suffering is concerned you have had your share; but I would - gladly have endured it for you if I could have saved my dear boy - Charlie, who fell in battle. He was noble and brave, and my heart is - chilled with grief for his loss. - - "This was a foolish, unnatural war, and after four years of bloodshed - and destruction I rejoice that it is over, and that discord will never - again disturb the peace in our country. But the authors of the - rebellion have paid dearly for their folly and wickedness. When I - reflect upon the misery brought about by a few arch villains, I find - it hard to control my feelings;--I should feel differently had they - been the only sufferers. When I look upon the distress which has - fallen upon the masses in the South, I have no sympathy for the - instigators of the war. - - "But, my dear, you have fared better than many who came within my - observation; as I followed Sherman, I have seen whole plantations - utterly destroyed, houses burnt and women and children driven into the - woods without warning. The torch was applied to everything. Sometimes - the women would save a few things, but in most cases they went forth - bareheaded to make the ground their bed and the sky their roof. The - next day when the hungry children came prowling around our camps in - search of something to eat, the Federal soldiers who left wives and - children at home, and who had the hearts of men, were sorry for them. - But such is the cruelty of war and military discipline." - -Captain Charles B. White, a West Point officer in the United States -service in New Orleans, wrote my daughter Clara, after his return to New -York, in this manner: "I find your experiences in the kitchen very -amusing. Our Northern ladies have an idea that you of the South know -nothing practically of housekeeping. Quite erroneous is it not? I have -been for some time in Boston and find the girls here prettier as a class, -than those of any other city I have visited, not excepting Baltimore. They -are so sensible and self-assisting. You see that army people look at the -practical side of life. As our salaries are not large it is essential that -our domestic establishments should be as good as possible with the least -outlay of cash. We are therefore compelled to think of our future life -companions in the light of these considerations. - -"It is very agreeable to be here with those in full accord on social and -political subjects,--not that I am a politician; but since we are the -victors, I hold that we cannot ignore the principles for which we fought. -I think that it behooves Wade Hampton, Toombs, Cobb and Robert Ould to -hold their tongues, and to be thankful that they are not punished for -their evil deeds, rather than be so blatant of their own shame. I am sorry -to find you in favor of Mr. Seymour. He is from my own State, but he is a -blot upon it; personally he is a gentleman,--as far as a dough-face and a -copper-head can be one. A few Northern politicians may, for -self-interest, humble themselves and praise traitors, but the masses are -as much disposed as ever to make treason odious. The South ought not again -to fall into the error of 1860, and estrange their real friends, and -irritate the Northern masses. We have undisguised admiration for General -Longstreet and his class who became reconstructed and attend to business. - -"I do not admire Mr. S. W. Conway nor other adventurers in Louisiana, but -their opponents are still more unreasonable and unprincipled. It will take -me some time to become convinced that plantation negroes will make good -legislators. I have not been in favor of negro suffrage, but now it seems -the only expedient left us for the reconstruction of the turbulent South. -All sorts of lies are trumped up by the Democrats about Grant and Colfax. -I always object to personal abuse in a political controversy. - -"I see my services will be no longer required in Louisiana, and my leave -expires next month. I see with equal clearness that beyond my immediate -circle of friends I shall scarcely be missed. How humbling to a conceited -man, who thinks himself essential, to return and find the household going -on just as well without him!" - -With such amenities of intercourse between the conquered and the -conquerors it may not seem to some observers extraordinary that -reconstruction progressed so slowly. Mr. Richard Grant White said in the -_North American Review_ respecting the great struggle of the Sections: -"The South had fought to maintain an inequality of personal rights and an -aristocratic form of society. The North had fought, not in a crusade for -equality and against aristocracy, but for _money_--after the first flush -of enthusiasm caused by 'firing on the flag' had subsided. The Federal -Government was victorious simply because it had the most men and the most -money. The Confederate cause failed simply because its men and its money -were exhausted; for no other reason. Inequality came to an end in the -South; equality was established throughout the Union; but the real victors -were the money-makers, merchants, bankers, manufacturers, railwaymen, -monopolists and speculators. It was their cause that had triumphed under -the banners of freedom." - -Words cannot give so strong a confirmation of the above as the fact of the -South's pitiful 175,000 men against the 1,000,000 men of the North -mustered out of service after the surrender. But it is not my purpose to -enter upon the history of the civil war farther than it touched my own -life. - - "Write our story as you may, - ----------------but even you, - With your pen, could never write - Half the story of our land---- - -------------- - "Warrior words--but even they - Fail as failed our men in gray;---- - Fail to tell the story grand - Of our cause and of our land." - -A pretty young creature said to her aged relative: "Why, money can never -make people happy!" - -"No, my child," replied the old lady, "but it can make them very -comfortable." The South learned in the direst way--through the want of -it--the comfort of money. It has learned also through the aggressions of -trusts and monopolies how comfortable and dangerous a thing money may -prove to be to the liberties of a people. It was during the war and soon -after it that vast fortunes were made at the North. - -The South has long ago accepted its destiny as an integral element of the -United States and the great American people. It has set its face -resolutely forward with historic purpose. It clings to its past only as -its traditions and practices safe-guarded constitutional rights and the -integrity of a true republic. Its simpler social structure has enabled it -to keep a clearer vision of the purposes of our forefathers in government -than the North, with its tremendous infiltration of foreigners ingrained -with monarchical antecedents, and with the complex interests of many -classes. Never, perhaps, so much as now has a "solid South" been needed to -help to keep alive the principles of true democracy. But "old, sore -cankering wounds that pierced and stung,--throb no longer." - -Money is comfort, but love is happiness. The love of one God and a common -country "has welded fast the links which war had broken." - -The negro question of the South has become the problem of the nation. This -is retributive justice; for the North introduced slavery into the colonial -provinces, and sold the slaves to the South when they had ceased to be -profitable in Massachusetts. The South found them renumerative and kept -them. This branch of the subject may be dismissed with the reflection that -it is a disposition common to humanity to use any sort of sophistry to -excuse or palliate bias of feeling and departures in conduct from the -right way. Everybody--North and South--is equally glad that slavery is now -abolished, notwithstanding differences of opinion as to the methods by -which it was accomplished. - -Judge Tourgee, in his "Fool's Errand," said: "The negroes were brought -here against their will. They have learned in two hundred years the -rudiments of civilization, the alphabet of religion, law, mechanic arts, -husbandry. Freed without any great exertion upon their part, enfranchised -without any intelligent or independent cooperation--no wonder they deem -themselves the special pets of Providence." Seven years ago when cotton -was selling for four cents a pound and starvation was staring in the face -alike the planter and the negro tenant, the owner of a large plantation -said to one of her old slaves: "Oh, these are dreadful times, Maria! How -are we to live through them! I'm distressed for the people on the place. I -fear they will suffer this winter!" "Lor, Miss Annie," Maria replied, "I -ain't 'sturbin' my mine 'bout it. White folks dun tuk keer me all my life -an' I spec's they gwine ter keep on ter the eend!" The negro Providence is -"white folks." If they seem a bit slow in doling out to their desire they -know how to help themselves, and it is well they do. - -The sudden freedom of the black man as a war measure and his -enfranchisement as a political necessity of the Republican party was a -social earthquake for the South and a sort of moral cataclysm for the -North. The one was too stunned by the shock, the other too delirious with -success to be able to grasp the portent of such an event in the national -life. The North approached it with abolition, fanaticism, and expected the -liberated slave to be an ally of freedom of which he had no true -conception. The South was an instinctive and hereditary ruler, and the -freedman was overrunning its daily life and traditions. It is not -wonderful that the negro has suffered in this conflict of antagonistic -ideas. - -The enfranchisement of the old slave has set back the development of the -South for a generation, because it has been compelled to gauge all its -movements on the race line. It has hindered the North for an equal time -because the political value of the colored brother to the Republican party -has seemed to overshadow every other phase of his development. But -schooling and training can remodel even the prejudices of intelligent -minds and sincere natures. Thirty-five years of mistakes have convinced -both North and South that the negro has been long enough sacrificed to -political interests. - -Those only who have long lived where the negro equals or outnumbers the -white population can understand his character, and the grave problem now -confronting this nation. - -The danger of enfranchising a large class uninstructed in the duties of -citizenship and totally ignorant of any principles of government, will -prove an experiment not in vain if it enforces on the people of the -United States the necessity to restrict suffrage to those who are trained -in the knowledge and spirit of American institutions. It should serve to -emphasize the unwisdom and injustice of denying the ballot because of sex -to one half of its American born citizens who, by education and -patriotism, are qualified for the highest citizenship. Our government will -never become truly democratic until it lives up to its own principles, "No -taxation without representation, no government without the consent of the -governed." Suffrage should be the privilege of those only who have -acquired a right to it by educating themselves for its responsibilities. A -proper educational qualification for the ballot, without sex or color -lines, would actualize our vision of "a government for the people, of the -people and by the people," and would eliminate the ignorant foreigner of -all nationalities and colors, as well as the white American who is too -indolent or unintelligent to fit himself for the duties of citizenship. - -Happily the true friend of the Afro-Americans, North and South, begins to -distinguish between their accidental and their permanent well-being. The -negro himself is coming to realize that he must make the people with whom -he lives his best friends; that the conditions which are for the good of -the whites of his community are good for him; that his development must be -economic instead of political; that only as he learns to cope with the -Anglo-Saxon as a breadwinner will he become truly a freed man. - -The African in the South is better off than any laboring class on earth. -His industrial conditions have less stress in them. He is seldom out of -work unless by his own choice or inefficiency. The climate is in his -favor. In the agricultural districts land is cheap for purchase or rent. -Gardens, stock, poultry and fruit are easily at his command. For little -effort he is well clothed and well fed. Fuel costs him only the gathering. -The soil responds freely to his careless cultivation. In the trades no -distinctions are made between the white and the colored mechanic as to -wages or opportunity. There is no economic prejudice against him; he is -freely employed by the whites even as a contractor. But the Southern white -will "ride alone"--even in a hearse--rather than ride with the negro -socially outside the electric cars. Otherwise his old master is the -negro's best friend. A study of the State Report of Education will -convince the most skeptical that the public school fund is divided -proportionally with the colored schools, though the whites pay nearly the -whole tax. Besides, while Ohio, and perhaps other Northern States, -prohibit negro teachers in the public schools, the South, with a view to -rewarding as well as stimulating the ambition of the student, gives the -preference to colored teachers for their own schools. - -Removed from the arena of politics the black man has no real enemy but -himself. It will not do to judge the masses by the few who have been able -to lift themselves above their fellows. Their religion is emotional, often -without moral standards. Some of them are indolent, improvident and -shiftless to a degree that largely affects white prosperity. But though -they have faults which do not even "lean to virtue's side," they are -good-natured, teachable, forgiving, loving and lovable. - -[Illustration: BECKY COLEMAN] - -The nation should look with encouragement and gratitude to Booker T. -Washington as the real Moses who, by industrial education, proposes to -lead his people out of their real bondage. Only by making themselves -worthy will they be able to exist on kindly terms with the white race. The -same slow process of the ages which has wrought out Anglo Saxon -civilization will elevate this race. Nature's law of growth for them, as -for white people, is struggle. The fittest will survive. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -LAURA'S DEATH IN THE EPIDEMIC OF '78. - - -The war fully ended and our city home recovered, we removed to New -Orleans. I devoted myself wholly to my family and to domestic affairs. -Friends gathered about us and some delightful people made our neighborhood -very pleasant. It was in my present home that my daughter Laura was -married to Louis J. Bright, and soon after, Clara was united to James B. -Guthrie; both young men were settled in New Orleans, so that I was spared -the pain of total separation. My son David established himself on his own -plantation in Point Coupe, and soon after married Miss Lula Dowdell of -Alabama. Our summers were spent alternately in Myrtle Grove and the North, -or the Virginia Springs. - -Mothers are usually held responsible for the shortcomings of their -children. Sometimes this is just, but children often cruelly misrepresent -good parents. It should never be forgotten that mothers and children are -very human, and that the vocation upon which young people enter with least -training is parenthood. Children and parents get their training together. -It takes love and wisdom and proper environment to bring both to their -best; but sometimes evil hereditary and vicious social institutions prove -stronger than all of these combined forces of the home. The nation can -never know the power and beauty of the mother until it evolves a true -protective tenderness for the child, and encompasses it with safest -conditions for its development. It is a growing wonder that women have -borne so long in silence the existence of establishments which the State -fosters to the debasement of their sons. Only the habit of subjection--the -legacy of the ages--could have produced this pathetic stoicism. If a horse -knew his strength, no man could control him. When women realize their -God-given power, the community in which their children are born will not -tempt them to their death by the open saloon, the gambling den and the -haunt of shame. Until that happy time the inexhaustible supply of love and -sympathy which goes out from the mother-heart is the child's chiefest -shelter. Obedience is what parents should exact from infants if they -expect it from grown children. The slaves of the severer masters stayed -with them during the war, when those of indulgent ones ran away. It is the -petted, spoiled darlings whose ultimate "ingratitude is sharper than the -serpent's tooth." - -When friends were won by my daughters it was gratifying to me, for it -proved that the womanly accomplishment of making themselves beloved was a -lesson they had laid to heart--and they had learned it by their own -fireside where love ruled and reigned. I was glad in all my children, and -a devoted mother is sure of her ultimate reward. I was very proud when -Clara replied to a friend who expressed surprise that she should visit me -on my reception day: "I should be happy to claim a half-hour of my -mother's society if she were not related to me." I was very content with -my two daughters happily married and settled near me--doubly mine by the -tie of congenial tastes and pursuits. - -In 1878 my household had gone North for the summer. On September 1st a -telegram reached me at Wilbraham, Mass., saying, "Laura died at 12 -o'clock, M." I had plead with her to leave New Orleans with me, but in her -self-sacrificing devotion to her husband, who was never willing that she -should be absent from him, she remained at home and fell a victim in the -great yellow fever epidemic. - -Previous to her marriage she had spent all her summers in the country or -in travel, and was wholly unacclimated. Clara wrote thus to Captain S. M. -Thomas from Sewanee, Tenn., in September of that dreadful year: "The pity -of it, Uncle Milton! You will understand how it is with us at this time. -Mother is broken-hearted. You have ever been a large figure in Laura's and -my girlhood recollections, and mother asks me to write to you. Laura -Ellen's death was just as painful as it could be. Father and mother were -in Wilbraham, and every one of us gone but dear, good cousin Louise -Brewer, and Louis--her husband. Oh! he made a terrible mistake in -remaining in that doomed city. I have an added pang that I shall carry -with me till I too go away--that I was not with her in her supreme hour. - -"The dear girl wrote daily to mother, David, and me, until death snatched -away her pen. 'Fear not for me, dearest mother,' was on her last postal -card. 'My trust is in God.' It were enough to make an angel weep if the -true history of this awful summer could be written. Our grief is without -any alleviation--unless in sister's beautiful character and Christian -life. If I had been there I should have tried with superhuman efforts to -hold her back from death. It was Sunday--and Dr. Walker dismissed his -congregation at Felicity church to go, at her request, to her deathbed. He -has told us of her great faith, her willingness to go, the perfect -clearness of her mind, and the calm fortitude she manifested even when she -kissed her children good-by. Breathing softly she went to sleep and closed -her sweet blue eyes on this world--forever. - -"Cousin Louise says Louis was nearly frantic. It is a terrible blow, and -he has the added pain of knowing it might have been different but for the -fatal mistake of judgment which brought such awful results. I have to -school myself, and fight every day a new battle for calmness and -resignation. I shall never grow accustomed to the hard fact that her -bright and heavenly presence must be forever wanting in her own home, and -shall never again grace mine. She died saying, 'Jesus is with me!' Well He -might be, for she died, as He, sacrificing herself for others." - -There was no one too old or too poor, or too uninteresting to receive -Laura's attention. Sometimes this disposition annoyed me; but though I did -not always recognize it, she was always living out the divine altruism of -Christ. She was ever active in charities and a useful director of St. -Ann's Asylum. - -Among many others I gather the following expressions in letters from those -who had known her intimately: "Nobody feared her, everybody loved her. She -was an angel for forgiving. The brightness in her life came from the -angelic cheerfulness of her own soul, which would not yield to outward -conditions. She had an infinite capacity for getting joy out of barren -places."--"I do not hope to know again a nature so blended in sweetness -and strength. It is no common chance that takes away a noble mind--so full -of meekness yet with so much to justify self-assertion. There was an -atmosphere of grace, mercy and peace floating about her, edifying and -delighting all who came near." - -Coming from a long line of tender, gentle, saintly women--the Brewers on -the Merrick side--she belonged to that type celebrated in story and -embalmed in song, of which nearly every generation of Brewers has produced -at least one representative human angel. - -A more than full measure of days has convinced me that among our permanent -joys are the friends who have drifted with our own life current. In -addition to the pleasure of communion with lofty and sympathetic spirits -such friendships have the "tendency to bring the character into finer -life." "A new friend," says Emerson, "entering our house is an era in our -true history." Our friends illustrate the course of our conduct. It is the -progress of our character that draws them about us. Among those friends -whom the struggling years after the war brought to me was Mrs. Anita -Waugh, a Boston woman; a sojourner in Europe while her father was U. S. -Minister to Greece, a long-time resident of Cuba, and, during the period -in which I made her acquaintance, a teacher in New Orleans. In an old -letter to one of my children I find: "Mrs. Waugh makes much of your -mother. She is happier for having known me. I have been helped by her to -some knowledge from the vast store-house which may never be taken account -of--still I here make the acknowledgment." - -Frances Willard said of her, "She is rarely gifted, and I enjoy her -thought--so different from my own practical life. She is a seer (see-er)!" - -Her wide acquaintance with remarkable people invested her with rare -interest. In one of her many letters to me, dated in 1873, she says with -fine catholicity of spirit and exceptional insight: "I think the so-called -religious world lays too much stress on the infidelity of such men as -Tyndall and Huxley and Spencer. They have not reached the point in their -spiritual growth where knowledge opens the domain of real, pure worship; -they are in a transition period, are still groping about in a world of -effects, living in a world of results of which they have not yet found the -cause. Spencer has given the most masterly exposition of the nervous -system which has yet been made. The next step would have been into the -domain of the spiritual. Here he stopped, because his mind has not yet -reached the degree of development in which the utterances of truth -perceived becomes the highest duty. When he shall have rounded and brought -up all of his studies to a point equally advanced with his Psychology then -he will be obliged to say, 'My God and my Lord!' I hope he may soon, as -Longfellow said, 'Touch God's right hand in the darkness.'" - -Science--and the Church--did not long have to wait for the Wallace and -Henry Drummond of Mrs. Waugh's intuition. - -During repeated visits to the Yellow Sulphur Springs in Virginia, Mr. -Merrick and I were seated at table with the famous Confederate Commanders, -General Jubal Early and General G. T. Beauregard, who had become -additionally conspicuous by their connection with the Louisiana lottery. -General Beauregard called frequently upon us, and I met him also at -Waukesha, in Wisconsin. He was very kind to me, and greatly enjoyed -hearing some of my nonsensical dialect readings. At the latter place the -women were much impressed by his handsome and distinguished appearance and -manners. When he called at my hotel many of them were eager in their -entreaties to be introduced; our gallant general would bow graciously, but -they were not to be satisfied unless he would also take them by the hand. - -On February 24, 1893, General Beauregard was lying in state on his bier in -the City Hall of New Orleans, and I was holding a convention of the -Louisiana W. C. T. U. I could not help alluding to the death of this -beloved old soldier, and I asked the women to go and look upon his -handsome face for the last time. He was a perfect type of his -class--courtly, generous, chivalrous. He had been in the Mexican war, and -was the only general of the old Confederacy who belonged in New Orleans. -The hearts of the people were touched, and when the meeting adjourned -many groups of W. C. T. U. women were added to the crowds who went to look -their last upon the face of the dead. Miss Points was pleased to say in -the _New Orleans Picayune_: "It was a beautiful act on the part of our -women; and it acquired a new significance and beauty in that it was the -outgrowth of the strong friendship and appreciation of the wife of the -distinguished man who was our Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in the -days of the Confederacy." This was a tribute which she reminded them to -offer to one of the dead heroes of our late war between the states! - -"The great effort of courage I have made in my life was going in a skiff -in an overflow, with Stephen and Allen, two inexperienced negro rowers, to -Red River Landing in order to reach a steamboat for New Orleans, where, at -the close of the war, I wanted to get supplies for my family and for my -neighbors, who were in extremities by reason of the crevasse. That was an -act of bravery--hunger forced it--which astonished into exclamation the -captain of a Federal gunboat, Capt. Edward P. Lull, who made me take the -oath of allegiance before I could leave. You know how afraid I am of water -and of any _little_ boat; but give men or women a sufficiently powerful -motive and they can do anything." - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -A FIRST SPEECH AND SOME NOTED WOMEN. - - -In those broken-hearted days Clara said with a pathetic earnestness: "Now -I must try to be two daughters to you. You have not lost all your -children--only your best child." We drew nearer and more mutually -dependent as time passed, each trying to fill the awful void for the -other. How could I dream that the insatiable archer was only waiting, with -fatal dart in rest, to claim another victim? We made common joy as well as -sorrow, and tried to lead each other out into the sunlit places, the -simple pleasures of home and social life. - -Early in the year 1897 a State Constitutional Convention was assembled in -New Orleans. The legal inequality of woman in Louisiana had already -challenged the notice of some women, and a recent incident was outraging -the hearts of a few who had the vision of seers. The Board of Control of -St. Ann's Asylum--an institution in New Orleans for the relief of -destitute women and children--was composed entirely of women. A German -inmate on her deathbed revealed that she had $1,000 in bank, and by a -will, witnessed by members of the Board, she bequeathed it to the -institution which had sheltered her. On submission of the will to -probate, the ladies were informed that it was invalid, because a woman was -not a legal witness to a will. The bequest went to the State--and the -women went to thinking and agitating. - -Mrs. Elizabeth L. Saxon urged that we should appear before the Convention -with our grievances. I did not feel equal to such an effort, but Mrs. -Saxon said: "Instead of grieving yourself to death for your daughter who -is gone, rise up out of the ashes and do something for the other women who -are left!" My husband insisted that, having always wanted to do something -for women, now was my opportunity. Mrs. Saxon and I drew up the following -petition: - -"To the Honorable President and Members of the Convention of the State of -Louisiana, convened for the purpose of framing a new Constitution: - -"Petition of the undersigned, citizens of the State of Louisiana, -respectfully represents: - -"That up to the present time, all women, of whatever age or capacity, have -been debarred from the right of representation, notwithstanding the -burdensome taxes which they have paid. - -"They have been excluded from holding office save in cases of special -tutorship in limited degree--or of administration only in specified cases. - -"They have been debarred from being witnesses in wills or notarial acts, -even when executed by their own sex. - -"They look upon this condition of things as a grievance proper to be -brought before your honorable body for consideration and relief. - -"As a question of civilization, we look upon the enfranchisement of women -as an all important one. In Wyoming, where it has been tried for ten -years, the Lawmakers and Clergy unite in declaring that this influx of -women voters has done more to promote law, morality and order, than -thousands of armed men could have accomplished. - -"Should the entire franchise seem too extended a privilege, we most -earnestly urge the adoption of a property qualification, and that women -may also be allowed a vote on school and educational matters, involving as -they do the interests of women and children in a great degree. - -"So large a proportion of the taxes of Louisiana is paid by women, many of -them without male representatives, that in granting consideration and -relief for grievances herein complained of, the people will recognize -Justice and Equity; that to woman as well as man 'taxation without -representation is tyranny,' she being 'a person, a citizen, a freeholder, -a taxpayer,' the same as man, only the government has never held out the -same fostering, protecting hand to all alike, nor ever will, until women -are directly represented. - -"Wherefore, we, your petitioners, pray that some suitable provision -remedying these evils be incorporated in the Constitution you are about to -frame." - -Four hundred influential names were secured to the petition, Mrs. Saxon, -almost unaided, having gained three hundred of them. It was sent to the -Convention and referred to the Committee on Suffrage, which on May 7 -invited the ladies to a conference at the St. Charles Hotel. Mrs. Mollie -Moore Davis, Colonel and Mrs. John M. Sandige, Mr. and Mrs. Saxon were -present. Dr. Harriette C. Keating, a representative woman in professional -life, Mrs. Elizabeth L. Saxon, already a well-known and fearless reformer, -and Caroline E. Merrick, as the voice of home, were chosen to appear -before the Convention on the evening of June 16, 1879. Eighty-six members -of the Convention were present; a half hundred representatives of "lovely -woman" were there. Mrs. Myra Clark Gaines, the celebrated litigant, with a -few other notables, occupied the middle of the floor, and youth and beauty -retired into a corner. Mr. Poche, chairman of the Suffrage Committee, and -afterward a member of the Supreme Court of the State, asked me if I were -afraid. "Afraid," I said, "is not the word. I'm scared almost to death!" -He tried to encourage me by recounting the terrors of many men similarly -placed. - -Mrs. Keating was first introduced, and, at the Secretary's desk, in a -clear voice, with dignified self-possession set forth the capabilities of -women for mastering political science sufficiently to vote intelligently -on questions of the day. Mrs. Saxon following, was greeted with an -outburst of welcome. She reviewed the customs of various nations to which -women were required to conform, and called attention to the fact that the -party which favored woman suffrage would poll twelve million votes. She -made clear that the fact of sex could not qualify or disqualify for an -intelligent vote: she mentioned that numbers of women had told her they -wanted to be present that night, but their husbands would not permit them -to come. - -Mrs. Elizabeth Lyle Saxon is a woman possessed of fine intellect and an -uncommonly warm and generous nature. She was a pioneer in the Suffrage -Cause in the South, and has ably represented its interests in National -gatherings. She was sent as delegate from this State to the International -Suffrage Association of the World's Auxiliary Congress in 1893. All along -the way she has given of her best with whole-hearted zeal to further the -cause of women, and should claim the undying gratitude of those for whom -she has helped to build the bridges of human equality. - -Mr. Robertson, of St. Landry, then offered the resolution: "Resolved, That -the Committee on elective franchise be directed to embody in the articles -upon suffrage reported to this Convention, a provision giving the right of -suffrage to women upon the same terms as to men." - -Under the rules this resolution had to lie over. - -Fearing that I could not be heard, I had proposed that Mr. Jas. B. -Guthrie, my son-in-law, should read my speech. But Mrs. Saxon said: "You -do not wish a man to represent you at the polls; represent yourself now, -if you only stand up and move your lips." "I will," I said. "You are -right." The following is my address in part: - -"Mr. President and Delegates of the Convention: - -"When we remember the persistent and aggressive efforts which our -energetic sisters of the North have exerted for so many years in their -struggle before they could obtain a hearing from any legislative assembly, -we find ourselves lost in a pleasing astonishment at the graciousness -which beams upon us here from all quarters. Should we even now be remanded -to our places, and our petition meet with an utter refusal, we should be -grieved to the heart, we should be sorely disappointed, but we never could -cherish the least feeling of rebellious spite toward this convention of -men, who have shown themselves so respectful and considerate toward the -women of Louisiana. - -"Perhaps some of the gentlemen thought we did not possess the moral -courage to venture even thus far from the retirement in which we have -always preferred to dwell. Be assured that a resolute and conscientious -woman can put aside her individual preferences at the call of duty, and -act unselfishly for the good of others. - -"The ladies who have already addressed you have given you unanswerable -arguments, and in eloquent language have made their appeal, to which you -could not have been insensible or indifferent. It only remains for me to -give you some of my own individual views in the few words which are to -conclude this interview. - -"The laws on the statute books permit us to own property and enjoy its -revenues, but do not permit us to say who shall collect the taxes. We are -thus compelled to assist in the support of the State in an enforced way, -when we ourselves would greatly prefer to do the same thing with our own -intelligent, free consent. - -"We know this Republic has been lauded in the old times of the Fourth of -July orations as the freest, best government the world ever saw. If women, -the better half of humanity, were allowed a voice and influence in its -councils, I believe it would be restored to its purity and ancient glory; -and a nobler patriotism would be brought to life in the heart of this -nation. - -"It seems to me that there ought to be a time, to which we may look -forward with satisfaction, when we shall cease to be minors, when the -sympathy and assistance we are so capable of furnishing in the domestic -relation, may in a smaller degree be available for the good and economical -management of public affairs. It really appears strange to us, after we -have brought up children and regulated our houses, where often we have the -entire responsibility, with money and valuables placed in our charge, that -a man can be found who would humiliate us by expressing an absolute fear -to trust us with the ballot. - -"In many nations there is an army of earnest, thoughtful, large-hearted -women, working day and night to elevate their sex; for their higher -education; to open new avenues for their industrious hands; trying to make -women helpers to man, instead of millstones round his neck to sink him in -his life struggle. - -"Ah, if we could only infuse into your souls the courage which we, -constitutionally timid as we are, now feel on this subject, you would not -only dare but hasten to perform this act of justice and inaugurate the -beginning of the end which all but the blind can see is surely and -steadily approaching. We are willing to accept anything. We have always -been in the position of beggars, as now, and cannot be choosers if we -wished. We shall gladly accept the franchise on any terms, provided they -be wholly and entirely honorable. If you should see proper to subject us -to an educational test, even of a high order, we would try to attain it; -if you require a considerable property qualification, we would not -complain. We would be only too grateful for any amelioration of our legal -disabilities. Allow me to ask, are we less prepared for the intelligent -exercise of the right of suffrage than were the freedmen when it was -suddenly conferred upon them? - -"Perhaps you think only a few of us desire the ballot. Even if this were -true, we think it would not be any sufficient reason for withholding it. -In old times most of our slaves were happy and contented. Under the rule -of good and humane masters, they gave themselves no trouble to grasp after -the unattainable freedom which was beyond their reach. So it is with us -to-day. We are happy and kindly treated (as witness our reception -to-night), and in the enjoyment of the numerous privileges which our -chivalrous gentlemen are so ready to accord; many of us who feel a wish -for freedom do not venture even to whisper a single word about our rights. -For the last twenty-five years I have occasionally expressed a wish to -vote, and it was always received with surprise; but the sort of effect -produced was as different as the characters of the individuals with whom I -conversed. I cannot see how the simple act of voting can hurt or injure a -true and noble woman any more than it degrades the brave and honorable -man. - -"Gentlemen of the Convention, we now leave our cause in your hands, and -commend it to your favorable consideration. We have pointed out to you the -signs of the dawning of a better day for woman, which are so plain before -our eyes, and implore you to reach out your hands and help us to establish -that free and equal companionship which God ordained in the beginning in -the Garden of Eden before the serpent came and curses fell." - -Mrs. Sarah A. Dorsey was prevented by illness, which terminated fatally, -from appearing personally, but sent a letter which was read before the -Convention by Col. John M. Sandige. She advanced, among others, the -following ideas: "Being left by the fiat of God entirely alone in the -world, with no man to represent me; having large interests in the State, -and no voice either in representation or taxation, while hundreds of my -negro lessees vote and control my life and property, I feel that I ought -to say one word that may aid many other women whom fate has left equally -destitute. I ask representation for taxation--for my sisters and for the -future race. We do not expect to do men's work, we can never pass the -limits which nature herself has set. But we ask for justice; we ask for -the removal of unnatural restrictions that are contrary to the elemental -spirit of the civil law; we do not ask for rights, but for permission to -assume our natural responsibilities." - -Mrs. Dorsey was a native of Mississippi, and became widely conspicuous by -reason of the bequest of her home, Beauvoir, and other personal property, -to Mr. Jefferson Davis. She made this will because, as mentioned in the -document, "I do not intend to share in the ingratitude of my country -toward the man who is, in my eyes, the highest and noblest in existence." -Mrs. Elisha Warfield, of Kentucky, was the aunt of Mrs. Dorsey, and the -author of the novel "Beauvoir," from which the plantation was named, and -which estate Mrs. Dorsey devoted to the cultivation of oranges. She was a -rarely gifted woman. Besides the usual accomplishments of women of her -day, she possessed remarkable musical skill, and was a pupil of Bochsa, -owning the harp which he had taught her to handle as a master. She was a -writer of power and had studied law and book-keeping. A friend who was -present in her last illness wrote me: "She appeared to greater advantage -in her home than anywhere else. She was of those whom one comes to know -soon and to love; and is one of the many who have passed on, with whom the -meeting again is looked forward to with true delight." - -When the new Constitution was promulgated it contained but one little -concession to women: "Art. 232.--Women twenty-one years of age and upwards -shall be eligible to any office of control or management under the school -laws of the State." - -The women of Louisiana have realized no advantage from this law. Their -first demand was for a place on the school board of New Orleans, in 1885. -The governor fills by appointment all school offices. Gov. McEnery ruled -that Art. 232 of the Constitution was inoperative until there should be -legislation to enforce it, the existing statutes of Louisiana barring a -woman from acting independent of her husband, and would make the husband -of a married woman a co-appointee to any public office; that a repeal of -this _in solido_ statute was necessary before he could place a woman on -the school board. - -Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton's seventieth birthday was on Nov. 12 of this -year. In her honor a special reception was held by the Woman's Club of New -Orleans. I here reviewed the action of the governor in a paper which set -forth the following points: First, that the Constitution is imperative; -that legislation for its self-acting and absolute provisions would be to -place the creature in control of the creator. Second, that the legislature -had no jurisdiction over the eligibility of women to appointment on school -boards, as the Constitution had explicitly declared that "women twenty-one -and upwards shall be eligible." Third, if the governor's objection against -married women were valid it had no force against unmarried women and -widows. - -Protest, however, proved futile. No succeeding governor appointed a woman, -so no test case was ever made, and the Constitutional Convention of 1898 -repealed this little shadow of justice to women, even in the face of the -fact that at the time the small concession was made one-half of the 80,000 -children in the public schools of New Orleans were girls, and 368 out of -the 389 teachers were women. - - * * * * * - -In 1880 I met General and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, at a private reception -given at the home of Hon. Walker Fearn, in New Orleans. The General was a -handsome, soldierly man. I told him that we had mutual friends, and named -Bishop Simpson, whom, with his wife, I had entertained, and liked because -of his liberal views toward women. "That," said General Grant, "is what I -object to." "Oh, General," I answered, "I hope that you would not be -unwilling that we should have the ballot?" "No, Mrs. Merrick, I should not -be unwilling that you and Mrs. Grant should vote, but I should seriously -object to confer that responsibility on Bridget, your cook." I had always -heard that General Grant could not talk, and was surprised to find him so -genial and agreeable. Knowing me to be a Southern woman, he questioned me -keenly and intelligently about the people of my section. I had a half-hour -of delightful conversation with him, which he, equally with myself, seemed -to enjoy. - -During the year 1881 Miss Genevieve Ward was filling an engagement at the -Grand Opera House in New Orleans. This winning actress was a descendant of -Jonathan Edwards, the renowned Puritan preacher, and at that time was in -her prime. At the request of her husband's relatives in New York, my -daughter entertained this famous lady at a lunch party, where I was -present. We found her a dignified, modest woman, and, like Charlotte -Cushman, above reproach. She was an intimate friend of the great Ristori. -Among our twelve guests was Geo. W. Cable, already become famous. His last -book, with all of our autographs in it, was given to Miss Ward as a -souvenir of the occasion. - -My daughter had known Mr. Cable in his early literary ventures. He -sometimes brought chapters of his manuscript to read to her. The South -realized at once that a new literary artist had arisen out of its sea of -ruin. That he wounded the feelings of some of his people is largely -attributable to the fact that he spoke inopportunely; his work was cast -upon the tolerance of public opinion when every nerve was bleeding and -every heart hypersensitive to suggestion or criticism. It was too early an -expression, and fell upon bristling points of indignant protest. But that -he deeply loved his own city and people the most prejudiced can scarcely -doubt, now that the perspective of three decades has softened the -asperities of judgment. Only a soul that had made it his own could picture -as he has done the silence, the weirdness, the majesty of the moss-draped -swamps of lower Louisiana, the crimson and purple of the sunsets mirrored -upon the glistening surface of her black, shallow bayous,--the sparse and -flitting presence of man and beast and bird across this still-life making -it but the more desolate. Cable was the first to see the rich types -afforded to literature in the character, condition and history of the -Creoles, and he has transformed them into immortals. Only love can create -"pictures of life so exquisitely clear, delicately tender or tragically -sorrowful" as he has made of the Latin-Americans. The South has already -forgiven his historical frankness in its pride in the artist who has -preserved for the future the romance, and color, and beauty of a race -that, like so much else lovable and poetic and inspiring in our early -history, by the end of another century will be blended indistinguishably -with the less picturesque but all-prevailing type that is determining an -American people. - -I had been so impressed by his genius that I could not withhold from him -my word of appreciation, and received in 1879 the following reply to my -note: "I want to say to you that you are the first Southerner who has -expressed gratitude to the author of 'Old Creole Days' for telling the -truth. That has been my ambition, and to be recognized as having done it a -little more faithfully than most Southern writers is a source of as hearty -satisfaction as I have ever enjoyed. How full our South is of the richest -material for the story writer! - - "G. W. Cable." - -About this time Clara and the author of "Innocents Abroad" were guests -together in the same home in Buffalo, New York, from which place she wrote -me: "He is a wonderfully liberal yet clever talker. I think I shall be -able to d-r-a-w-l like him by two o'clock to-morrow, when he leaves. He -has written in my Emerson birthday book. When he found the selection for -November 30th to be that high and severely noble type of an ideal -gentleman, he laughed at its inappropriateness, and said: 'With my -antecedents and associations it is impossible that I can be a gentleman, -as I often tell my wife--to her furious indignation;'--so he signs himself -'S. L. Clemens, nee Mark Twain,' in allusion to his early career as a -pilot, and the name by which the world first knew him. I like him -immensely, and shall doubtless weary you some morning with a reproduction -of his numerous unfoldings." - -I also met Mr. Clemens socially at Mr. Cable's house. Many years before, -I had seen Charlotte Cushman in the White Mountains. We were one day -together in the same stage. An opportunity offering, with much delight -Miss Cushman mounted to the top. She made her first appearance as Lady -Macbeth in New Orleans. She looked the "Meg Merrilies" she had re-created -for the world,--a vigorous woman in mind, body and character, and a gifted -talker; nobody else was listened to when she was present. She bore in her -face the earnestness of her spirit, the tragedy of her struggles, the -intensity of her sympathy and the calm strength of her success. - -Not long before her death I met Mrs. Eliza Leslie in Philadelphia. I was -exceedingly glad of this opportunity, for she was one of the few premature -women who had a message to give, and who did give it, notwithstanding in -doing so she had to bear the disgrace of being a "blue-stocking." She was -a very quiet and dignified woman. I saw that she was quite bored by the -loud talking of some small literary pretenders who were endeavoring to -astonish her by their remarks on French drama. One offered to read to her -an original poem, and the others assured her that she alone of American -women was capable of rendering the true spirit of a French play. She -talked with me about the South. She said she was glad to know that she had -Southern readers and friends, and that if ever she visited the South it -would be without prejudices. I thought of her sweet dishes, and I longed -to ask her about the size of that "piece of butter as big as a -hickory-nut" which, along with a gill of rosewater, her cook-book -constantly recommended, to my as constant perplexity and amusement. -(Query--What sized hickory-nut?) - -The next year in February, 1882, I dined at Mrs. Guthrie's with Edwin -Booth and his daughter Edwina. He was then at his best, and forty-nine -years of age. I saw him at that time as Hamlet. He was a very modest man -and dreaded after-dinner speeches, saying they gave him a stage-fright, -and that he always tried to sit by a guest who would promise to take his -place when he could not say anything. He was shown a rare edition of -Shakespere, and a disputed point being introduced, he read several pages -aloud with remarkable effect, though reading in private was contrary to -his habit. The day was Sunday, and he mentioned how delightful it was to -him to be in a quiet Christian home during the sacred hours. Booth -acquired no mannerisms with age. His art so mastered him--or he mastered -it--that his simplicity of style increased with years, which implies that -his character grew with his fame. - -Without being a habitue of the theater, I have enjoyed it from time to -time all along my life-road. There is undoubtedly much to object to in the -modern stage. Its personnel, methods of presentation and the character of -many of the plays should call down just and strong censure. But it seems -to me no more wrong to act a drama than to write one. Faith in humanity -and in the ultimate triumph of good leads me to the conclusion that if the -better people directed patient, believing effort to the purification of -the stage, the time would come when histrionic genius would be recognized -and cherished to its full value; and the best people would control the -theater, and would crowd from it those debasing dramas which, as never -before in our day, are having the encouragement of the leading social -classes. It is time something were done--and the right thing--to make it -at least "bad form" that young men and women should witness together the -broadly immoral plays that have of late so much shocked all right-minded -people. If one generation tolerates the breaking down of moral barriers in -public thought, the next generation may witness in equal degree the -destruction of personal morality. The stage is but the expression of an -instinctive human passion to impersonate. Masquerading is the favorite -game of every nursery. It has been well said that "a great human activity -sustained through many decades always has some deep and vital impulse -behind it; misuse and abuse of every kind cannot hide that fact and ought -not to hide it." An instinct cannot be destroyed, but it may be -directed--and nature is never immoral. Will the church ever be able to -discriminate between that which is intrinsically wrong and that which is -wrong by use and misdirection, and will it set itself to study without -prejudice the whole question of public amusements as a human necessity, -bringing the divine law to their regeneration rather than to their -condemnation? The existence of any evil presupposes its remedy. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -FRANCES WILLARD. - - -In June, 1881, I spoke by invitation before the Alumnae Association of -Whitworth College, at Brookhaven, Mississippi,--a venerable institution -under the care of the Methodist Episcopal Church South. I did not give -those young women strong doctrine, but I set before them the duty to - - "Learn the mystery of progression truly:-- - Nor dare to blame God's gifts for incompleteness." - -Bishop Keener, the well-known opponent of women's public work, sat beside -me on the platform. When the addresses were concluded, he pronounced them -"very good." "For women?" I asked. "No," he returned, "for _anybody_!" I -treated the gentlemen to some of the extemporaneous "sugar plums" which -for a half century they have been accustomed to shower from the rostrum -upon women--"just to let them see how it sounded." Though it was against -the rules, they applauded as if they were delighted. - -I said: "Lest they should feel overlooked and slighted, I will say a word -to the men--God bless them. Our hearts warm toward the manly angels--our -rulers, guides, and protectors, to whom we confide all our troubles and -on whom we lay all our burdens. Oh! what a noble being is an honest, -upright, fearless, generous, manly man! How such men endear our firesides, -and adorn and bless our homes. How sweet is their encouragement of our -timid efforts in every good word and work, and how grateful we are to be -loved by these noble comforters, and how utterly wretched and sad this -world would be, deprived of their honored and gracious presence. Again, I -say God bless the men." - -This occasion was of moment to me, because it led to one of the chief -events of my life--my friendship and work with Frances E. Willard. She had -seen in the New Orleans _Times_ the address I made at Brookhaven, and was -moved to ask me if I could get her an audience in my city, which she had -already visited without results. I had been invited to join the little -band enlisted by Mrs. Annie Wittenmeyer, the first president of the -National Woman's Christian Temperance Union; but I had declined, saying -that this temperance work was the most unpopular and hardest reform ever -attempted. However, I looked up the remnant of the first society, and went -with their good president, Mrs. Frances A. Lyons, to call on every -minister in town, requesting each to announce the date of Miss Willard's -address, and to urge upon their congregations that they should hear her -speak. We were uncommonly successful, even that princely Christian, Rev. -B. F. Palmer, D. D., departing from the usual Presbyterian conservatism. -The result was a large audience in Carondelet Methodist Church, of which -Rev. Felix R. Hill was the brave pastor;--for it required no little moral -courage at that time to introduce a woman to speak, and to do it in a -church, and on a subject upon which the public conscience was not only -asleep, but which affronted even many Christians' sense of personal -liberty. - -I remember that I remonstrated when Miss Willard removed her bonnet and -stood with uncovered head. But I could find no fault with the noble -expression of serene sadness on her clear-cut features and with the gentle -humility and sweetness which emanated from her entire personality. -Heavenly sentiments dropped in fitly chosen sentences with perfect -utterance, as she argued for the necessity of a clear brain and pure -habits in order to establish the Master's kingdom on earth. The hearts of -the people went out to her in spontaneous sympathy and admiration; and the -brethren were ready to bid her God-speed, for they felt that this public -appearance was due to an impelling conviction that would not let her be -silent. Thus the New Orleans Methodist Church, that indomitable pioneer of -reform, proclaimed "All hail! to Frances Willard and the glorious cause." - -Some effort had been made to attain this success. With Miss Willard's -telegram in hand, I had despatched a message to my son, Edwin T. Merrick, -jr., and to the W. C. T. U., but the train arriving ahead of time, a -carriage brought the expected guest and her companion, Miss Anna Gordon, -to my door, where I alone received and welcomed them. After weary travels -over thousands of miles and stoppages in as many towns, they were glad to -rest a week in my home. I had sent out hundreds of cards for a reception. -My house was thronged. Distinguished members of the bench, the bar, the -pulpit, the press and the literary world were present, and a large number -of young women and men. Frances Willard came to most of these as a -revelation--this unassuming, delicate, progressive woman, with her sweet, -intellectual face, her ready gaiety and her extraordinarily enlarged -sympathies, which seemed to put her spirit at once in touch with every one -who spoke to her. She wore, I remember, a black brocaded silk and point -lace fichu. She ever had the right word in the right place as she greeted -each one who was presented. - -She particularly desired to see Geo. W. Cable, who was present with his -wife. "This is our literary lion to-night," I said. "Oh, no!" he replied, -"I come nearer being your house cat!" at which sally Miss Willard laughed. -This visit was in March, 1882. - -I did not attend all of Miss Willard's meetings, and was greatly surprised -when on returning from one of them she informed me that I was the -president of the W. C. T. U. of New Orleans. I protested, and let her know -I did not even have a membership in that body of women, she herself being -for me the only object of interest in it. Finding that the source of power -in my family resided ultimately in the head of the house, she wisely -directed her persuasions in his direction. It was not long before I was -advised by Mr. Merrick to come to terms and do whatever Miss Willard -requested. This was the beginning of my work in the Woman's Christian -Temperance Union and of a friendship which lasted until God called this -lovely and gifted being to come up into a larger life. - -Mrs. Hannah Whitehall Smith aptly styled Frances Willard "one of God's -best gifts to the American womanhood of this century," having done more to -enlarge their sympathies, widen their outlook and develop their mental -aspirations, than any other individual of our time. She inspired purpose -and courage in every heart. She said: "Sisters, we have no more need to be -afraid of the step ahead of us than of the one we have just taken." Women -have been ridiculed for their confidence in this glorious leader. It has -been said that if Frances Willard had pushed a thin plank over a -precipice, and had stepped out on it and said: "Come!" the White Ribbon -host would have followed her to destruction. Yes, they certainly would -have gone after her, for they had unwavering faith that her planks were -safely lodged on solid foundations, plain to her clear sight, even when -invisible to the rest of the world. I once told her that she had the fatal -power attributed to the maelstrom which swallowed up ships caught in the -circle of its attractions; that the women whom she wished to enlist in her -work were equally powerless to resist her compelling force. She had a -genius for friendships. - -Nor were Miss Willard's powers of attraction confined to her own sex. Her -fascination for men of taste was evident to the end of her blessed life. -Their letters of late date to her proved that "age could not wither nor -custom stale her infinite variety." Gifted men loved to sit at her feet; -she was kindly disposed to the whole brotherhood. I have heard her say, -"If there is a spectacle more odious and distasteful to me than a man who -hates women it is a woman who hates men." She also said: "If there is -anything on earth I covet that pertains to men it is their self-respect." -She combined in her work a wonderful grasp on details and all the -attributes of a great general, and in her temperament the intellectual and -the emotional qualities. This woman was capable of sympathy toward every -human being; she possessed the rare "fellowship of humanity," and while -she called out the best and noblest aspirations in others, she was herself -the gentlest and humblest and most ready to take reproof. She seemed -incapable of envy and jealousy, and it used to be said at National -Headquarters: "If you want a great kindness from Miss Willard it is only -necessary to persecute her a little." With all her discriminating insight -into human nature, her social relations were simply her human relations; -she had no time for "society"--only for humanity. She proved to the world -that a woman can be strong-minded, gentle-mannered and sweet-hearted at -the same time, and that the noblest are the simplest souls. - -No truthful pen picture can be given of Miss Willard which does not -include some account of the woman she loved best in the world. Lady Henry -Somerset, whom she had long admired in the distance, she loved at first -sight when this titled lady came to the World's and National W. C. T. U. -Conventions, at Boston, in 1891. The rank and file of her old friends were -startled and sore to discover that the queen of their affections, always -before so easy of access, was much absent after business hour in the -Convention, from her headquarters at the Revere House, and was with Lady -Henry at the Parker House. This emulation of the first place in their -leader's regard for a time somewhat threatened the unity and peace of the -White Ribbon Army in the United States. But Lady Somerset so swiftly made -her own way into American hearts that the littleness of jealousy was -discarded, and the women shared with Miss Willard high regard for this -noble Englishwoman--the daughter of the Earl of Somers. The _Review of -Reviews_ styled her "a romance adorning English life." She had only now -come to believe that if the world's woes are to be lessened, women must -grapple bravely with their causes and range themselves on the side of -those who struggle for justice; and that the heart and instinct and -intellect of woman must be felt in the councils of nations. Thus she -became the foremost woman in English reforms. - -I sent a word to Lady Henry asking if she objected to being mentioned in -these pages, and received the following characteristic reply: - - "EASTOR CASTLE, LEDBURY, Sept. 28, 1899. - - "MRS. C. E. MERRICK: - - "My dear friend, I thank you very much indeed for your letter. The - words you write about Frances touched my heart. She is indeed the - woman of the century who has done more than any other to give woman - her place, and yet retain her womanliness. Anything you care to say - about me and my poor little efforts belongs to you. Believe me yours - in our best and truest bond, - - "ISABEL SOMERSET." - -While the love I cherish for Frances Willard was shared, in such degree, -with Lady Henry, making a common bond between us, it was Mrs. Hannah -Whitehall Smith who introduced me to her in Boston. Writing afterward to -Mrs. Harriet B. Kells, in Chicago, at National W. C. T. U. Headquarters in -the Temple, I said: "Give my love to our peerless Frances, God bless her! -You say she is happy in the enjoyment of the delectable society of Lady -Henry Somerset. I would say God bless Lady Henry too! only she doesn't -need any blessing, having already everything on earth any one can wish -for, with our chieftain's heart superadded." - -Mrs. Kells repeated this to Lady Henry, who seemed much amused, but did -not reveal whether there were yet any unsatisfied longings in her life. -Many American hearts to-day say tenderly, "God bless Lady Henry!" for she -is a sweet spirit, a brave soul, a true woman. It is no exaggeration to -say that these two heroic women are chief historic figures in the records -of their sex, and while they were needful to each other their united labor -was more important for the world's reforms. - -So many arc-lights have been thrown on Miss Willard's character that it -may not be possible to add more to the world's knowledge of her. Still I -should like to make known a little of her self-revealings in letters to -me, on points that illustrate her simple greatness. When the Red Cross was -making its first essays in America, a postal card came which showed her -friendliness to all worthy organizations: "The Red Cross is _royal_. No -grander plan for 'We, Us & Co.' of North and South. If not in W. C. T. U. -I should give myself to it. The noblest spirits of all civilized lands -are enlisted. Princes in the old world are its sponsors." - -Again, she wrote: "How do you like dear Miss Cobbe's book, 'Duties of -Women'? I had a letter from her the other day and the creature said, to my -astonishment and delight, that she was just as familiar with my name as I -was with hers! And she the biggest woman of the age!" - -No censure, abuse or disappointment seemed ever to destroy the sweet -hopefulness of her spirit. At one time she wrote: "Somebody's strictures -in the _New Orleans Picayune_ gave me many thoughts. I may come under -criticism not only in these regards, but in others concerning which there -may not have been expression. I sincerely desire to be a true and a -growing Christian woman. Some friends can hold the mirror to our faults." - -All the world knows how her soul was moved that the church of God should -uphold our Christian cause, and that the M. E. Conference should seat its -women delegates. At that time her word came to me: "If the M. E. pastors -don't endorse our blessed gospel, so much the worse for them--in history, -that's all! 'This train is going through; clear the track!' I want you in -a delegation to the General Conference in May. Will Mrs. Bishop Parker -allow her name added? It is a blessed chance to put a blessed name to a -most blessed use. Oh that he may see this for the sake of God and Home and -Humanity!" - -Frances Willard's fearless mind threw a searchlight into any new thought -that seemed worthy of exploration. She investigated Swedenborgianism, -Faith-healing, Psychic and Christian Science--if perchance she might find -the soul of truth which is ever at the origin of all error. She was not -afraid of the evolution of man, for she early realized that the works and -word of God must harmonize; that when science and religion should better -understand themselves and each other there could be no real conflict,--and -she joyed in this larger vision. After a visit to my house, in 1896, she -wrote thus to Judge Merrick: "Christ and His gospel are loyally loved, -believed in and cherished by me, and have been all along the years; nor do -I feel them to be inconsistent with avowing one's position as an -evolutionist: 'When the mists have cleared away,' how beautiful it will be -to talk of the laws of the universe in our Father's house, and to find -again there those whom we have loved and lost--awhile. In this faith I am -ever yours. - - "FRANCES E. WILLARD." - -It is scarcely worth while to say that she often was the subject of the -doctrinaire. At one time a noted advocate of the faith cure was her guest, -and was using all diligence to lead Miss Willard to embrace her "higher -life." She said to this lady: "Come with me to-day to see a friend, a -lovely woman, who seems to me to walk the higher life of faith in great -beauty and peace and power for others. I think you will be kindred -spirits." The visit was made, and the two strangers fell into each other's -arms, as it were, in the intensity of their spiritual sympathy. On their -return to Rest Cottage, Miss Willard quietly said to her guest: "That -friend is one of the most noted Christian Science healers." Now this was -the chiefest of heterodoxies to the faith-healer. "How I did enjoy her -shocked astonishment," Miss Willard gleefully said to me, "and I told her -I was more than ever sure how truly _one_, in the depths of their natures -and their essential faiths, are those who are sincerely seeking to know -God." - -Frances Willard's spiritual life was too overflowing and comprehensive to -find expression in creeds. Her own new beatitude, "Blessed are the -inclusive, for they shall be included," is a fair statement of her -doctrine as it related to her human ties, and to all the household of -faith. Her whole law and gospel was "To love the Lord thy God with all thy -heart--and thy neighbor as thyself:" and she found God in His works as -well as in His Word, and His image in every beautiful soul that passed her -way--and always her spirit ascended unto the Father. She herself was -regenerate by love, and she expected love alone--enough of it--to -transform the world. She wrote me: "Be it known unto thee that I -believe--and _always_ did--that the fact of _life_ predicts the fact of -immortality. Lonesome would it be indeed for us yonder in Paradise were -not the trees and flowers and birds we loved alive, once more with us to -make heaven homelike to our tender hearts. How rich is life in -friendships, opportunity, loyalty, tenderness! To me these things -translate themselves in terms of Christ. Perhaps others speak oftener of -Him, and have more definite conceptions of Him as an entity; but in the -wishful sentiment of loyalty and a sincere intention of a life that shall -confess Him by the spirit of its deeds I believe I am _genuine_." - -Just after the Boston World's and National Conventions of 1891, Lilian -Whiting--that keen analyzer of motive and character--wrote: "Frances -Willard is a born leader; but with this genius for direction and -leadership, she unites another quality utterly diverse from -leadership--that of the most impressionable, the most plastic, the most -sympathetic and responsive person that can possibly be imagined. Her -temperament is as delicately susceptible as that of an Aeolian harp; one -can hardly think in her presence without feeling that she intuitively -perceives the thought. She has the clairvoyance of high spirituality. - -"No woman of America has ever done so remarkable a work as that being done -by Frances Willard. There is no question of the fact that she was called -of the Lord to consecrate herself to this work. She is so simple, so -modest, so eager to put every one else in the best possible light, so -utterly forgetful of self, that it requires some attention to realize her -vast comprehensiveness of effort and achievement. If ever a woman were in -touch with the heavenly forces it is she. Frances Willard is the most -remarkable figure of her age." - -Some one else in a private letter writes: "Her strength was because she -could love as no one else has loved since the Son of Man walked the -earth." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -SORROW AND SYMPATHY. - - -Unwilling to be separated from me, Clara proposed in 1882 that she and her -two children should spend the summer in New England. Her Uncle William had -placed his furnished house at our disposal; so Mr. Merrick and I had the -novel experience of housekeeping in the land of the Pilgrims. We had the -social pleasure of entertaining most interesting people, among them Miss -Lucretia Noble, the author of "A Reverend Idol." - -After this visit Clara wrote a critique of this much-talked-of book, -published in the _New Orleans Times-Democrat_, in which these words occur: -"Miss Noble reminds one forcibly of that charming woman--Genevieve Ward. -The identity of the 'Idol' is supposed to be established in the character -of the worshiped and worshipful Phillips Brooks." Clara had at times been -a newspaper contributor, and often said a timely word for "the Cause that -needed assistance." She had addressed an open letter, just before leaving -the city, to Mr. Paul Tulane, the philanthropist whose monument is Tulane -University, urging vainly that this great institution should be -co-educational in its scope. It was said of her that while her intellect -and style were exquisitely womanly they possessed firm rationality and -searching analytical qualities. - -Rev. W. F. Warren, D. D., president of Boston University, came also with -his most attractive family to Wilbraham. The friendship and love of his -wife, Harriet Cornelia Merrick, proved a source of great comfort in that -season of sorrow, and a true satisfaction as long as she lived. Her -vigorous, wholesome, sympathetic nature was one on which everybody was -willing to ease off their own burdens. Her intellectual abilities ranked -high, for she had acquired the culture of seven years spent in Europe. She -was widely known for twenty-four years, as the editor of the _Heathen -Woman's Friend_--the organ of the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of -the Methodist Episcopal Church. She was an artist in music and a master of -the French, German and Italian languages. A friend in Germany said: "Her -German is perfect. She is never taken for an American; for does she not -possess all the virtues of a German housewife? Does she not dearly love to -fill her chest with fine linen, and take the best care of her household? -And then she cultivates her flowers, makes fine embroideries, and last is -a good knitter. She cannot be an American lady!" Yet she was a model -mother after the American ideal; besides being a trustee of the New -England Conservatory of Music, and a leading officer of numerous other -boards. She had a breezy fashion of conversation, a fascinating smile, a -cheery word, a fun-sparkling eye and bright hair waving prettily from a -broad brow. When I confided to her the fact of my daughter's threatened -life by a latent disease, she gave such heartful sympathy that I have -never ceased to be grateful, and shed many tears when she too was called -away. - -I needed a close friend this sad summer, for though my daughter was not in -usual health when we left home, none knew of the presence of a fatal -malady. After a physician from Springfield had told us that she might -survive a year in a warmer climate, it was difficult to keep strong enough -to show her a cheerful face; but the medical orders were that Clara should -not be informed of her own danger if we expected to take her home alive. I -telegraphed for Mr. Guthrie. When he arrived and saw her looking as usual, -sitting by an open window, bright, and beautifully dressed, he sent an -immediate message to New Orleans allaying anxiety. But it was soon evident -that she had entered upon the beginning of the end. She drove out every -day and did not suffer: and we found her serenely conscious of her own -condition. She said: "It is all right, if I die. I have been as happy as -opportunities, and kindness, and attentions, and love can make a human -being. It is beautiful to die here in Wilbraham where every one is so -kind." Every day she was bright and cheerful, and looked her own sweet -self. One day her father assisted her into the carriage, and I knew it was -for her a last drive. Though almost prostrated with grief, I was able to -welcome her cheerfully when she returned. The next morning she got up as -usual, and calling for her children, took a tender leave of all of us. -"Don't grieve, mother dear, don't!" she said; "I am safe in God's -keeping." - -"Oh, my child, what can I do without you!" I cried. "Do as other bereaved -mothers have done and bear it bravely! and you will have both my little -children to rear; they are yours." When at the last she fixed her -beautiful eyes on me and said: "My mother!" her earthly word was silenced, -her life-work done. - -I find that I wrote thus to a dear friend at that time: "Here I -am--sitting in the chamber of my dead. The Marthas and the Marys are here -doing according to their natures. Mary sits in the quiet with me, Martha -writes of our loss to the absent, or prepares dinner. God help us! the -business of life must go on even in the presence of death. My Clara lies -on the lounge, wrapped in white cashmere, so still--so cold;--and this is -the last day she can so lie before she is buried from my sight. The wind -blows cool, as often in a New England August, but it drives pangs into my -sore heart, and the day seems different from any other day of my life. Why -does God leave us at such times set apart to suffer, as on some eminence? -The people pity us. Her father says the time is short and we shall soon go -to her. Yes--and then the air and the sunshine will take on a new nature -for some one else--for our sakes. But it is different to lay old frames in -the dust from putting under the daisies' bed the young in their glorious -prime. God knows best. It may be that she is taken from evil to come. She -lived happily, and has laid down all of earth bravely to go into the other -life. - -"The students stop in passing, and seeing our mourning door ask, 'Who is -dead?' My dead is nothing to them. They never saw Clara--nor me. It is -only an idle question. We are only two atoms among earth's millions. O -Lord, forget not these particles in Thy universe,--for we are being tossed -to and fro,--and bring us to a resting place somewhere in Thy eternal -kingdom! - -"I know the world must still go on, though it is stationary for me, and I -am honestly trying to have patience with its cheerful progress; but even -the playfulness of my two motherless little ones jars upon me. It is -useless for me to try to realize human sympathy from the lonely height -where I sit and weep over the untimely death of my two beautiful -daughters. They were God-given, and my very own by ties of blood, but more -by that happy responsiveness of soul which constitutes 'born friends.' -After being as the woman whose children rise up and call her blessed, I am -now like Rachel of old, refusing to be comforted because they are not. I -lie down in humble submission because I cannot help myself. I say over and -over, 'Thy will be done!'--but all the same I would have them back if I -could. None of us try to raise a controversy with the inevitable. We are -grateful for kind words and sympathy. They cannot change anything, but -they give just a drop of comfort to a desolate, disrupted life on the -human side of that gateway, through which the majority have gone down into -the silence where 'the dead praise not the Lord.'" - -Many testimonies to the character and worth of our child were written and -published. They shall speak for her and for the greatness of our loss. The -_Times-Democrat_ said: "Wherever she moved she was by the necessities of -her sweet nature a 'bright, particular star' among earth's shining ones. -Her conversation was a delight to all within sound of her voice. Her wit -was gentle, pure, generous and sincere. She ruled all hearts, and loved to -rule, for she ruled by love." - -Catharine Cole wrote: "Many men and women famous in the great world of art -and literature will pay the sweet tribute of tears to the memory of this -lovely woman; and here in our own home, where she was so beloved and -admired, her gentle, cheery presence will be missed and mourned for many -sad days. She shone like a jewel set amid dross." - -From Mrs. Mollie Moore Davis--widely known for her exquisitely delicate -love poems and quaint tales of real life--came this tender word: "I truly -appreciated her great gifts and greater loveliness. She is a star gone -from my sky." - -Mrs. Mary Ashley Townsend sent me these words: "Her constant and -determined intellectual development, her devotion to progress, her -literary tastes, her social charms, her reliability as a friend, her -loveliness as a wife and mother, formed a combination of qualities that -made her the realization of the poet's dream, - - "'Fair as a star when only one - Is shining in the sky.'" - -Mrs. Townsend is herself a rarely gifted poet, long and deeply homed in -the heart of New Orleans. With the exception of Longfellow and Cable, no -writer has so vividly mirrored the very atmosphere of lower Louisiana. In -"Down the Bayou" its "heroed past," its shrined memories find an eloquent -voice; there in everlasting tints are painted its dank luxuriance and -verdant solitudes; its red-tiled roofs and stucco walls, the "mud-built -towers of castled cray-fish," its sluggish, sinuous bayoux and secrets of -lily-laden lagoons, its odors of orange bloom and mossy swamps mingled -with flute-toned song and flitting color amid the solemn, dark-hued -live-oaks. Mary Ashley Townsend had three lovely daughters. One has passed -over the river, but she still has Adele, who resembles her gifted mother, -and Daisy, to comfort her life. - -James R. Randall, the gifted author of "My Maryland," said in his own -newspaper: "She was too radiantly dowered for this world she glorified. -She was all that poets have sung and men have wished daughter and wife to -be. Well may the bereaved father and husband wonder with poor Lear 'why so -many mean things live while she has ceased to be.'" Other expressions were -as follows: "It is something worth living for, to have been the mother of -such a being." "Outside of your mother-love the loss of the sweet -friendship and congeniality of your lives will create an awful void. But -that beautiful soul is yours still--growing and developing in Paradise." -"Amid all her charms what impressed me most was her admiration for her -mother. She addressed you often and fondly as 'dear,' as if you were the -child and she the mother." "Centuries of experience have not developed a -philosophy deeper or more comforting for the human race than that of -David: 'He shall not return to me but I shall go to him.' I thank God for -the great gift of death!" - -A minister of God wrote me, from Worcester, Mass., a word that may be as -great a light to some sitting in darkness as it was to me: "I must confess -that, for my own part, I take such sorrows with less heaviness of heart -than once, for the reason that every such loss seems to strengthen, rather -than weaken, my faith in immortality. In good and beautiful lives I see so -vividly a revelation of God--the Infinite Holiness and Beauty shining -through the human soul and the raiment of clay--that I cannot believe it -possible for death to extinguish their real life 'hidden with Christ in -God.' I cannot believe that they can be 'holden of the grave.' I feel -assured that theirs is a conscious life of progress and joy, and cannot -mourn for them as dead, but only as far away. More and more am I convinced -that this vivid feeling of the Divine Presence in beautiful human lives is -peculiarly the Christian's ground of hope in immortality. It was what the -apostle meant by 'Christ in you, the hope of glory,' and it gives us -gradually the clear vision of an immortal world. Only thus, as we gain -that 'knowledge of God' which is 'eternal life' _here and now_, can we -rise above the mist and smoke of this temporal world and lift our eyes -'unto the hills whence cometh our help.' Only thus as we live in the -eternal world, _here and now_, can we feel secure that nothing fair and -good in human life can perish." - -Mrs. Hannah Whitehall Smith wrote me thus from Philadelphia the sad -December of this year: - - "MY DEAR FRIEND: - - "Miss Willard wants to open the lines between your soul and mine. She - feels sure we can do each other good, and asks me to tell you about my - Ray who went home three years ago, because you, too, have lost a - daughter and will understand. My Ray died after five days' sickness. - As soon as she was taken ill, I began, as my custom is, to say, 'Thy - will be done.' I said it over and over constantly, and permitted no - other thought to enter my mind. I hid myself and my child in the - fortress of God's blessed will,--and there I met my sorrow and loss. - When she went out of my earthly life the peace of God which passes all - understanding came down upon me from above, and enwrapped me in an - impregnable hiding-place, where I have been hidden ever since. My - windows look out only on the unseen and divine side of things; and I - see my child in the presence of God, at rest forever, free from all - earth's trials. Whatever may be your experience I know that grief is - bitter anguish under any other conditions than these, and the mystery - of it is crushing. - - "Our blessed Frances gave me your letter to read, and I could echo - every word you said about her. She is queen among women and is doing a - glorious work, not the least of which is the emancipation of - women--coming out on every side. They have far more than they know for - which to thank Frances Willard." - -To that letter I replied: "If the Heavenly Father takes note of the -sparrow's fall, it may be that He put the thought in Miss Willard's mind -to ask you to help me; but, dear lady, you are many a day's journey ahead -of me in religious experience when, in the presence of the death of your -beloved, you can say, 'Thy will be done.' I wish I could, like you, will -whatever God wills. - -"I thank you for the account of your Ray, and I thank God that He created -such a Christian mother. Simeon said to Mary: 'Yea, a sword shall pierce -through thine own soul also.' Every one who has lost a child has been -pierced through and through. In this crisis of my life I am amazed and -stupefied by my own capacity for suffering, and actually look upon myself -with an awed pity, as I would upon a stranger. How can I yield everything? -I had already buried one lovely daughter in the bloom of life; and I had -only one left. I submit because I must. My heart cries out for my child; -God forgive me, but I would call her back to me if I could." - -When the time drew near for the annual convention of the Woman's Christian -Temperance Union, my husband and sons urged that I should go to Detroit, -hoping the change of scene and new responsibilities might arouse me from -depression. Miss Willard had already written: "My heart turns toward thee -in thy desolation. Remember thou hast doting sisters. I believe thy -beautiful Clara knows how we rally to thy side, and is glad." - -While I was in Detroit, Hannah Whitehall Smith called upon me several -times, and talked about my condition of mind, and so inspired me with -gratitude that I endeavored to obey every suggestion she made, regardless -of the pride and self-sufficiency which is so common with unsatisfied -souls. She seemed to have direct access to the Heavenly Father, and laid -my case before Him with such simplicity and faith that my heart was -deeply touched, and I gained a new knowledge of spiritual relations. When -I learned in these latter days, that she had been called to sorrow over -her husband "gone before," I wrote to her in loving memory of her former -goodness, and received a reply, from Eastnor Castle, where she and Lady -Henry Somerset had been engaged in preparing a memorial of Miss Willard, -which was issued to the people of Great Britain. - -The letter reads: "Your loving sympathy in my last great loss has been -most welcome. My dear husband had been a great sufferer for eighteen -months, and longed so eagerly to go that no one who loved him could be -anything but thankful when his release came. I have been enabled to -rejoice in his joy of having entered into the presence of the King. It -cannot be long for me at the longest before I shall join him, and until -then I am hidden in the Divine fortress of God's love and care. I love to -think that you too are hidden there, dear friend and sister, and that -together we may meet in the Divine Presence where there is fulness of joy -even in the midst of earthly sorrow. - -"Lady Henry joins me in love to you. She is, as we are, very sorry over -the loss of our beloved Frances Willard; but God still lives and reigns, -and in Him we can rest without anxiety. I have found Him a very present -help in many a time of trouble, and I rejoice to know I was permitted to -help you realize this in your hour of sore need." - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -BECKY SPEAKS UP IN MEETING IN THE INTERESTS OF MORALITY. - - -The incidents which once enlivened the lives of every family that was -served by the negro slave are fading from the minds of even many who were -centers of those episodes. But they are of legendary interest to the -younger generations. There are some things to be regretted in the negro -being poured into the mold of the white man's education. The only true -national music in the United States is that known as "the negro melody." -Will not so-called musical "cultivation" tend to destroy the charmingly -distinctive character of the negro's music? Art cannot supply or enhance -the quality of his genius. It will be a definite loss if the music of the -future shall lack the individualism of his songs, for with them will go -the wonderful power of improvisation--the relic of his unfettered -imagination, the voices of his native jungles struggling to translate -themselves into speech. His happy _insouciance_ is already fleeing before -the pressure of his growing responsibilities. Very much that constitutes -the picturesque and lovable in negro character will disappear with the -negro point of view,--for if he survives in this civilization his point of -view must merge into the Anglo-Saxon's. Only those who were "to the manor -born" can deftly interpret the idiosyncrasies of the plantation negro; so, -while a few of us who owned them are yet alive, it may be a service to the -future, as well as our duty and pleasure, to link their race peculiarities -to the yet unborn, by revealing and embalming them through the garrulous -pen. Becky Coleman's gifts as a _raconteuse_ deserve a record. It delights -me to remember her as I sat one day at the door of the porch facing the -wide river and the public road. Near by, through a path in the grounds, a -procession of colored people passed and repassed morning and evening, with -buckets on their well-cushioned heads, to the cisterns of water in the -rear of the house. Becky came along and greeted me with polite cordiality. -I invited her to stop and rest awhile, and filled her tin cup with iced -lemonade from a pitcher standing near. - -The woman seated herself on the steps, set down her pail beside her and -sipped the cool beverage. - -"Thanky, ma'am," said she. "I feels dat clean down in my foots. It's -mighty hot fer dis time er year. Ole Aunt Mary is spendin' to-day at my -house, en she hope me some, hoin' in my gyardin', en now um gwine to bile -er pot o' greens and stchew some greasy butter beans (fer de ole 'oman -don't never have nothin' but meat en brade at her house), en den she mus' -finish gittin' de grass en weeds outen my cabiges, for um bound to have a -fall gyardin', en ef yo wants turnips, en lettice, en redishes, yo knows -whar to fin' em." - -Becky lifted the lower flounce of my wrapper and inspected the embroidery, -looking at me sharply from head to foot. "Dat's a mighty purty dress yo -got on, Miss Carrie," said she, "yo mus' lem me have it when yo're done -wid it. Won't yo promise me?" - -"Now, Becky," I replied, "don't ask me to make a promise I might forget, -and you would be sure to remember; but you go on and tell me about your -protracted meeting at the Royal Oak Church yesterday." - -Becky squared her portly person into a comfortable position, her hand on -her hip, and with complacency and satisfaction beaming from her ebony -colored face she began: - -"Ya'as em I wuz dar; I was bleeged to be dar, fer um one uv de stchowerd -sisters. You knows we dresses in white en black. I had on dat black silk -dress yo sont me las' Chrimus. Dat is, I had on de tail uv it, wid er -white sack instead of er bass, en I jes' let yo know nun of dese niggers -roun' here can beat me er dressin', when I gits on de close yo gie me. I -had er starchy big white handkercher tied turbin fashin on my head, en -Miss Lula's big breas'-pin right yeah" (putting her hand to her throat), -"en I tell yo, mun, I jes' outlooked ennything in dat house. Yander comes -Aunt Loo, an' I bet she'll tell yo de same. 'Twas er feas' day--sackament -day--en all de stchowerd sisters was er settin' roun' on de front benches, -like dey does dem times, en dar wus Sis' Lizer Wright, who wus one of us, -all dressed up in pure white, en settin' side uv her was Peter Green, en -he wus fixed up too, mitely, even down to new shoes. - -"Dey hilt pra'ar, en den Bro' Primus Johnson ris en showed er piece up -paper 'en told us all 'twas er license fer to jine Peter Green and Lizer -Wright in de holy bonds o' mattermony; 'But,' sez he, 'fo' I go any furder -I want de bretherin to come for'ard en speak dey mines on de subjick.' - -"Well, at dat, I seed er good many nods 'en winks er passin' 'bout, but I -never knowd 'zacly whut wus gwine on 'till one of de elders ris 'en said -he dijected to havin' any ceremony said over dem folks, fer Sis' Lizer's -fust husband, ole Unk' Jake, wus yit er livin', 'ceppen he died sence I -lef' home dis mawin',' sez he. - -"His 'pinion wus dat ef de deacorns wan't 'lowed but one wife 'cordin' to -Scriptur, de stchowerd sisters mustn't have mor'n one man at de same time. - -"Dat fotch Bro. Primus ter his feet, en he tun roun' to de sisters, he -did, en 'lowed dat dey too mought git up en 'brace de multitude, en gie -dur unnerstandin' in dis case. 'Pon dat, Sis' Anderson ris, en sez she, -'Dis 'oman orten be casted outen de church, en I ain't afeard to say so -pine blank.' I tell yer she was in fer raisen uv a chune, en singin' her -right out den en dar, wid de Elder leadin' of her ter de do', for dat's de -way dey tu'ns em outen de church over here. 'Fer,' sez she, 'she's bent on -committen' 'dultery--ef she ain't done it befo'--en its gwine clean agin -whuts in dat ar volum on dat ar table,' en she p'inted her forefinger to -de Bible er layin' dar, en ses she, 'We cyant 'ford to let sich doin's as -dese to be gwine on in dis heah 'sciety.' - -"Dey all sided 'long Sis' Andersen mostly, ceppen me. I wus sorry fer de -'oman a settin' dar wid her arms hugged up on her breas' like a pore -crimi'al. I wuz mighty sorry fer her. So when Bro' Primus 'quired ef -ennybody felt able ter counterfeit Sis' Andersen's evidence, en looked all -roun', en nobody sed nuthin, when he axed 'em agin why, on dat second -'peal, I jes' riz up en tole 'em I knowed dat 'oman fo' de wah. To be -shore she had tuck up wid old Unk' Jake long 'fo' dat. He wus er ingeneer -in a big saw-mill on de Tucker place, en he had er son by his fust wife, -killed in de wah. He wus mighty ole when I fust seed him--he ollers wus a -heap too ole fer Sis' Lizer--but fer de las' six or seben year de ole -man's done failed so he ain't no service to nobody--mor'n er chile, siz I. -Bein' as he is, sez I, widout any owner fer to feed en clove en fine him -it comes powerful hard on Sis' Lizer to do all, fer I tell yer, he's des -like er chile, only wus, fer a chile kin he'p himself some, but Unk' Jake -cayn't do er Gawd's bit fer hisself, nor nobody else." - -"Is he too feeble to walk about?" I asked. - -"Well, ma'am, in 'bout er hour, he mought git as fer frum here as yo -gyardin gate yander--hoppin' long slow on his stick." - -Becky rose and very perfectly imitated the bowed figure and halting gait -of the poor old negro. Throwing down the stick she had used, she resumed -her seat and her subject, saying; "Sis' Lizer done er good part by dat ole -man. She has him to feed wid er spoon, fer his han' is dat shakey dat he -spills everyt'ing 'fo he gets it ter his mouf. When she goes ter de fiel' -she puts er baskit er co'n by him so he kin muse hisself feedin' de -chicken en ducks. - -"Ole folks, yo know, eats mighty often," said Becky, "en den he mus' be -fed thru de night. Ef she don't git up en gin him dat cake or some mush -en milk, why she cayn't sleep fer his cryin'--jes' like er chile." - -"You were telling me, Becky, what occurred at church; suppose you go on -with that story," said I. - -"Gawd bless yer soul, honey, dat wan't no story. I wish I may die dis -minit ef I didn't tell yo de Gawd's trufe. Oh, yas; I had ris en wus er -speakin' up fer de 'oman, how long I knowed her en so on, en den I -said----" she spoke louder, rising and gesticulating: "Brethren, you see -dat grass out yander en dat yaller spotted dog er wallerin' roun' on it? -Well den, yo sees it, en yo sees dat steer er standin' er little ways off; -now dat ox would be eatin' dat grass ef he warn't driv away by de dog. Ole -Unk' Jake ain't no dog. He ain't dat mean en low down. He done gie Sis' -Lizer er paper signifyin' his cornsent fer her to take 'nother pardner. - -"Een I jes' went on--'Bretherin,' says I, 'nobody nee'nter talk 'bout no -'dultery neither, fer yo all knows dere want no lawful marryin' nohow in -slave times en Reb times. De scan'lous can't be no wus en 'tis. Yo mus' -jes' sider dat Sis' Lizer wants ter marry, now fer de _fust time_, en live -like er Christon in her ole days. Nobody musn't hender her in de doin' of -er right t'ing, but let us pray fer de incomin' uv de Sperit.' - -"We mus' feel fer one another, sez I, 'en none de res' kin do no better'n -Sis' Lizer. De Word says ef yer right arm defend yo, cut it off, en ef yer -right eye ain't right, pull it out. 'Bretherin,' says I, 'dey ain't -nothin' 'tall gin dese folks bein' jined together in dat ar book dar, nor -nowhares else.' - -"Brudder Primus 'lowed, he did, dat Sis Coleman had thowed mo' light on -do case dan ennybody else, en perceeded ter ax Peter Green ef he wus -willin' en able to help Sis' Lizer take keer of ole Unk Jake, en he -signified he wus; en den everybody wus satisfied en de ceremony wus said -over 'em right den en dar, fo' de preacher tuk his tex' en preached his -sarmont. - -"But dis won't do me," said Becky. "I mus' go long en put on my dinner -'fo' de ole man come 'long en holler fer his vittles. Good-by, Miss -Carrie," said she, rising, "don't yo forgit yo promised me dat dress yo -got on. I wants to put it away 'ginst I die, to be berry'd in. Dat 'min's -me dat Aunt Patsey's sholey bad off. She cayn't las' much longer." - -"You've had that woman dying for a week, Becky." - -"No, ma'am, _I_ ain't had her dyin'! It's de Lord! If 'twas _me_ diff'unt -people would die fum dem dat _does_ die--I tell yer!" - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -MRS. JULIA WARD HOWE AND THE BLESSED COLORED PEOPLE. - - -As has been intimated, I became president of the New Orleans W. C. T. U. -not from deep conviction of duty on the temperance question, but because I -could not resist the inspirations of Frances Willard's convictions. Once -in the work I gave my heart and my conscience to it with such measure of -success that in January, 1883, a State convention was called to meet in -New Orleans in the hall of the Y. M. C. A. Miss Willard was again present, -and was my guest. Rev. W. C. Carter, D. D., pastor of Felicity Street M. -E. Church South, was the knightly brother who stood beside us in this hour -when we were without reputation, nobly doing his sworn duty as a soldier -of the Cross, to speak the truth and defend the weak. Miss Willard spoke -twice in his church. At a table where a number of dignitaries of the -church were dining, referring to this event, a friend remarked that Dr. -Carter had said the only time his church was full was on this occasion of -Miss Willard's address. "No," the doctor replied, "I did not say that. I -said the _first_ time it was full. It was full again--but she filled it!" - -There was a peculiar fitness in the time of Miss Willard's early visits -to the South. Women who had been fully occupied with the requirements of -society and the responsibilities of a dependency of slaves, were now -tossed to and fro amidst the exigencies and bewilderments of strange and -for the most part painful circumstances, and were eager that new -adjustments should relieve the strained situation, and that they might -find out what to do. Frances Willard gave to many of them a holy purpose, -directing it into broader fields of spiritual and philanthropic culture -than they had ever known. For the local and denominational she substituted -the vision of humanity. It seemed to me that when Miss Willard and Miss -Gordon bravely started out to find a new country they discovered -Louisiana, and like Columbus, they set up a religious standard and prayed -over it--and organized the W. C. T. U. I was one result of that voyage of -discovery. It immersed me in much trouble, care and business--sometimes it -seemed as if I had more than my head and hands could hold--unused was I to -plans and work and burdens. I prayed to be delivered from too much care -unless it might set forward the cause. I was willing "to spend and be -spent," but sometimes I felt as if I had mistaken my calling. I only knew -that I was on the right road, and tried to look to God to lead me. Doubts -might come to-morrow, but to-day I trusted. In ten years I saw the work -established in most of the chief towns of the State, and many men and -women afield who had learned the doctrine of total abstinence for the -individual and the gospel of prohibition for the commonwealth. - -During these years I gathered numerous delightful associations in my -State work and in my annual attendance upon the conventions of the -National W. C. T. U. Among the National workers who aided me greatly in my -early work was Mrs. Judith Ellen Foster who, with her husband, was for a -week my guest, and spoke in crowded churches. Although I did not wholly -sympathize with her when later she withdrew from the National W. C. T. U., -our friendly personal relations were never broken. Her brilliant abilities -as a temperance worker and as a pioneer woman-member of the bar commanded -my respect, and I have not ceased to be grateful for the sustaining power -of her inspirations and acts. For the first time in my life, at one of her -meetings in New Orleans, I sat in a pulpit--where Bishops Newman and -Simpson had officiated--and very peculiar were my feelings in such a -place. - -Besides Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Mary T. Lathrop, Mrs. Clara C. Hoffman and Mrs. -Hannah Whitehall Smith from National ranks did much to create sentiment -for our cause in Louisiana. No speaker in America has excelled Mrs. -Lathrop in the vigor and the statesmanlike majesty of her arguments for -the dethronement of the liquor traffic. A distinguished judge, who was not -in favor of our propaganda, said there were few men in Congress who had -equalled her in logic and eloquence. We mourn yet that in her death the -world has lost so much that time can never replace. - -One of the greatest victories won for our cause was the passage in 1888 of -a Scientific Temperance Instruction bill, by the State Legislature, for -the education of the youth in the public schools, on the nature of -alcohol and its effect upon the human system. Mrs. Mary Hunt of -Massachusetts, the originator of this movement for the safeguard of health -against the seductions and destructions of strong drink and narcotics, -spent a month at our legislature as the guest of Mrs. Mary Reade Goodale. -Daily I went with these two indefatigable workers, watched and manoeuvered -the progress of this bill, until one of the best statutes passed on this -subject by any State was secured. Such a work for the world's glory is -enough for any mortal, but we trust it has also placed Mrs. Hunt among the -immortals of earthly fame. - -I visited the Capital at this time and was active in the lobby, -interviewing members. I sent my card to a Senator Gage, and was more than -surprised when in response a tall, dignified black man presented himself. -It was difficult for a moment to determine whether to make him stand -during the interview, as is usual with his color, but I said: "Senator -Gage: The people have put you in this respectable and responsible -position, and as other senators have occupied this chair will you please -be seated?" He sat down, and he afterward voted for our bill. - -After this social intercourse with Mrs. Hunt and Mrs. Goodale great -impetus was given to the work in Louisiana by the establishment of a W. C. -T. U. booth at the World's Exposition in New Orleans in the year 1885. It -was artistically decorated and made as attractive as ingenuity could -devise. Here the world's great lights in the temperance cause were to be -heard daily--in pulpits and other public places in the city. In addition -to Miss Willard, Mrs. Lathrop, Mrs. Matilda B. Carse, Mrs. Caroline Buel, -Mary Allen West, Mrs. Josephine Nichols, Mrs. Mary A. Leavitt, Mrs. Sallie -F. Chapin of the National Guard, there were present from State work, Mrs. -Lide Merriwether of Tennessee, Mrs. I. C. de Veiling of Massachusetts, -Mrs. J. B. Hobbs and Mrs. Lucian Hagans of Illinois, Mrs. M. M. Snell of -Mississippi, and many others. Our Louisiana Prohibition militia were in -force all the time, and we had the pleasure and assistance of such -brotherly giants of the temperance reform as Geo. W. Bain, I. N. Stearn, -president of National Temperance Society, Jno. P. St. Johns, Hon. R. H. -McDonald of California, Rev. C. H. Mead, A. A. Hopkins, and hosts of other -loyal brethren who burnished our faith and fired our zeal. - -Miss Willard in the _Union Signal_ of this date said: "Mrs. Merrick speaks -of the W. C. T. U. Booth as a 'tabernacle.' I consult Webster and find -that a tabernacle is 'a place in which some holy or precious thing is -deposited.' Aye, the definition fits. Our hearts are there, our holy -cause, our blessed bonds. Again, it is a 'reliquary,' says the redoubtable -Noah, 'a place for the preservation of relics.' Yea, verily. The women of -Israel never turned over their relics more keenly than have W. C. T. U. -women rifled their jewelry boxes for the 'Souvenir Fund,' which has gone -into the Tabernacle. It is 'a niche' too 'for the image of a saint.' -Accurate to a nicety. Heaven keeps a niche to hold our treasures, and so -does the World's Exposition. Our saints are there in person and in -spirit--the right hand of our power." - -Mrs. Julia Ward Howe had been called by the Exposition management to -preside over the Woman's Department. There was much criticism of the -authorities that this honor had not been given to a Southern woman; -notwithstanding that this world-renowned Bostonian was not a stranger to -our people--they fully appreciated the power of her "Battle Hymn of the -Republic"--it seemed unnecessary to seek so far for a head of the Exhibit. -If Southern women could create it, some one of them was surely able to -direct it. Mrs. Howe came and performed this duty with marked ability, and -displayed a force of character which commanded respect though it did not -always win for her acquiescence in her decisions or affectionate regard -from all her colleagues. I myself had much expense to incur, and received -nothing, and individually I had naught special to excite my gratitude, -though from the first I was willing to welcome this distinguished lady, -and extend to her my co-operation and hospitality. My subsequent relations -to her though transient have been pleasant, and doubtless her memory of -her Exposition coadjutors matches our recollection of her own regal self. -Miss Isabel Greely was her secretary--a very useful and estimable woman. - -Some interesting exercises took place during one afternoon of the -Exposition. Mrs. Julia Ward Howe addressed the colored people in a gallery -devoted to their exhibit. There was a satisfactory audience, chiefly of -the better classes of the race. Mrs. Howe had asked me to accompany her, -and when I assented some one said: "Well, you are probably the only -Southern woman here who would risk public censure by speaking to a negro -assembly." Mrs. Howe told them how their Northern friends had labored to -put the colored people on a higher plane of civilization, and how Garrison -had been dragged about the streets of Boston for their sake, and urged -that they show themselves worthy of the great anti-slavery leaders who had -fought their battles. Her address was extremely well received. I was then -invited to speak. I told them: "The first kindly face I ever looked into -was one of this race who called forth the sympathy of the world in their -days of bondage. Among the people you once called masters you have still -as warm, appreciative friends as any in the world. Some of us were -nurtured at your breasts, and most of us when weaned took the first -willing spoonful of food from your gentle, persuasive hands; and when our -natural protectors cast us off for a fault, for reproof, for punishment, -you always took us up and comforted us. Can we ever forget it? - -"Have you not borne the burdens of our lives through many a long year? -When troubles came did you not take always a full share? Well do I -remember, as a little child, when I saw my beloved mother die at the old -plantation home. The faithful hands from the fields assembled around the -door, and at her request Uncle Caleb Harris knelt by her bedside and -prayed for her recovery--if it was God's will. How the men and women and -children wept! And after she was laid in the earth my infant brother, six -months old, was given entirely to the care of Aunt Rachel, who loved him -as her own life even into his young manhood, and to the day of her death. -And who can measure your faithfulness during the late war when all our men -had gone to the front to fight for their country? Your protection of the -women and children of the South in those years of privation and -desolation; your cultivation of our fields that fed us and our army; your -care of our soldier boys on the field of battle, in camp and hospital, and -the tender loyalty with which you--often alone--brought home their dead -bodies so that they might be laid to sleep with their fathers, has bound -to you the hearts of those who once owned you, in undying remembrance and -love. - -"I do not ask you to withhold any regard you may have for those who -labored to make you free. Be as grateful as you can to the descendants of -the people who first brought you from Africa--and then sold you 'down -South' when your labor was no longer profitable to themselves. But -remember, now you are free, whenever you count up your friends never to -count out the women of the South. They too rejoice in your emancipation -and have no grudges about it; and would help you to march with the world -in education and true progress. As we have together mourned our dead on -earth let us rejoice together in all the great resurrections now and -hereafter." At the close, many colored people with tearful eyes extended a -friendly hand, and Mrs. Howe too did the same. - -Hon. R. H. McDonald, the California philanthropist, had been my guest -during Exposition days and had won our hearts by a face that reflected the -nobility of his deeds. In 1890 he sent me $150 to be used for prizes -offered in the public schools of New Orleans for the best essays written -on temperance. The school board and Mr. Easton, the able superintendent, -accepted the offer, and the presentation of the prizes was made a great -public occasion in an assemblage at Grunewald Hall. - -There was a small contingent of Southern women whose platform services -were invaluable to me, and whose loving sympathy helped me over many -otherwise rough places. The first of these was Mrs. Sallie F. Chapin of -South Carolina. Both in appearance and speech she was intense, tragic, and -pathetic.--Her fiery eloquence captured the imagination and dragooned -convictions in battalions. She did splendid pioneer platform services as -superintendent of Southern Work, which place she filled until it was -abolished by the National Convention of 1889, at the request of the -Southern States, because the existence of that office misrepresented them -in their organic relations to the National W. C. T. U. and had a trend -toward violation of a platform principle against sectionalism. Mrs. Chapin -lived and died an "unreconstructed Rebel." The bogey of secession of the -Southern States from the National seemed to haunt her brain; but I have -never been able to discover any other woman who believed that such a -phantom existed; it must have been but a queer instance of reflex action -from her over-stimulated Southern sentiment. Mrs. Chapin had extraordinary -ability and was a marvel of endurance when her temperament is taken into -the reckoning. Her heroic service deserves a lasting place in our annals. - -Another Southern woman of large brain and larger heart who helped me in my -days of inexperience was Mrs. Mary McGee Snell (now Hall) of Mississippi. -Like the war-horse of Scripture she scented battle afar off and gloried in -combat. She was never so happy as in the heat of struggle. Her impetuous -nature took her into all sorts of unusual situations, and she did not seem -to be out of place--as did many other delegates--when, during a National -W. C. T. U. convention, she was seen in the streets of Chicago parading at -the head of a Salvation Army procession. She is essentially "a soldier of -the Cross," and has carried her gifts of eloquence and the most vibrant, -persuasive of voices into the Evangelistic department of our National -organization. Her love of rescuing souls has kept her exclusively in -evangelistic work; in her power as a gospel worker she is a Sam Jones and -D. L. Moody boiled down. - -The most original of our National staff-workers who came to my rescue was -another full-blooded Southerner--Miss Frances E. Griffin of Alabama. She -is gifted with an inimitable humor. An audience room is quickly filled -when it is known that she is to be the speaker of an occasion. Though a -woman of presence and dignity and a manner that befits the best, her -appearance as soon as she speaks a word is a promise of fun, and her -audience has begun to laugh before the time. Wit of tongue is rare with -women, but Miss Griffin's equals in quality or rank the best of our -American humorists. At the same time that she enlivens the seriousness of -the public work which women have in hand, she is an intelligent reformer -and also a true woman of the home--having for many years been the -responsible bread-winner of her family, and has reared orphan children. - -Miss Belle Kearney was too young during my term of office to be classed -with the workers already mentioned, for she had just begun to consecrate -her life to the service of humanity. At my request she brought her fresh -enthusiasm and great gifts to organize the Young Woman's Temperance Union -of Louisiana. Repeated and most effective work in this State has made -Louisianians feel that they have an endearing right in this -Dixie-born-and-reared young woman; nor have they less pride than her -native Mississippi in her present national fame as a first-class platform -speaker and progressive reformer. - -Hindrances and heartaches, however, were sandwiched between our helps and -happiness liberally enough to cause us to realize that she--as well as -he--who wins must fight. We were not strong swimmers accustomed to breast -the waves of an uneducated public disapproval; but we knew we must -encounter it and nerve ourselves for the shock, putting ourselves at war -against the liquor traffic and its political allies. Everywhere we found -the W. C. T. U. the underpinning (not one would have dared to think of -herself as a "pillar") of the church. Very many of them had in tow the -whole church structure--missionary societies, pastor's salary, the choir, -the parsonage, and the debt on the church. Most of them were mothers too; -some, God help them! sad-eyed and broken-hearted because of the ravage of -their own firesides which the open saloon had caused. We read our Bibles -and prayed, and the word of the Lord came to us that the mother-heart in -Christ's people must protest against further slaying of the innocents at -the open doorways of the dram shops! - -We went to our brethren in the church (to whom else should we go?) with -the Lord's message. Some of them--not the dignitaries usually, but the -humble-minded, prayerful men, God bless them! who went about their work -unheralded--believed our report: but it was too hard a saying for the many -that God ever spake except by the word of mouth of a man. They forgot Anna -and Deborah, and practically sided with the "higher criticism" respecting -the errancy of the Scripture in its statement about woman's relation to -the church. And so, after a while, I said at one of our conventions that I -could count upon one hand all the ministers in New Orleans who had come -forward to pray over one of our meetings. - -We had to defend ourselves on the charge of being Sabbath-breakers, -because after doing the Lord's work six days in the week, a W. C. T. U. -woman was said to have slept--"rested," according to the commandment--on -Sunday. On this charge, and because a speaker in returning to my house -after a Sunday address took a ride in the last half hour of the day in a -street-car, a resolution of endorsement of the W. C. T. U. failed to pass -in a Louisiana Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church South, and we -were cruelly hurt by the tone of the discussion. - -General Conference lifted us out of despair by noble resolutions against -licensing the liquor traffic, and thereafter clerical dignitaries broke -our hearts by a masterly inactivity--or took a scourge of small cords and -proceeded, as it were, to drive us out with the hue and cry of "women's -rights," lest, should a woman vote, her natural function should cease, and -the sound of the lullaby and sewing machine be no longer heard in the -land. It was comical sometimes to see how the bishops and politicians -moved on the same line and for the same reason. But like some of our good -bishops of slaveholding times, these certainly will not shine with lustre -in the sky of history. Humbler ministerial brethren endured reproach with -us and fought our battles; then we had sometimes the sorrow of seeing them -removed from places of influence to obscure points in the service of the -church. At last we and they tacitly understood that a preacher who wrought -valiantly for prohibition jeoparded his "prospects." So it came that some -who had led us "went back" in the holy cause, and "standing afar off," -justified themselves, saying, "I'm as good a prohibitionist as you are, -but I'm more practical." Desperation seizes the soul of women in reform -work when a preacher or politician uses the word "practical"; we know we -shall get his "sympathy" but never his influence or his vote. And the -diplomatic brother who has to _explain_ that he is a temperance man, may -hold clear qualifications for a citizenship in heaven, but is of no -account whatever as a citizen of the militant kingdom Of God on earth, -that must fight against "principalities and powers" if it would win the -world to the principles of Christ. - -It should be clearly understood that the legitimate work of the Woman's -Christian Temperance Union is to close the open saloon, and not, as many -mistake, to interfere with personal liberty by forcing total abstinence -upon the individual. The members of the organization in the interests of -consistency must be total abstainers; and because science pronounces -alcohol a poison and an active peril in the human body, a vigorous -educational propaganda is kept up in order that future generations may be -protected by knowledge against the dangers of alcoholic drinks. The main -point at issue is that the State has no right to license an institution -which is a corrupter of public morals and a menace to social life. The -Supreme Court of the United States has so interpreted. It is the sole duty -of the State to protect and develop citizens; to protect their lives, -their property, their morals and their rights; to develop the highest type -of citizen that education by law and schoolhouse can produce. The saloon -hazards the well-being of every citizen that is born to a State; it annuls -the work of the church and the college; it disintegrates, degrades and -destroys family life--the unit of the State; it impoverishes the home, -pauperizes the child and debases manhood; it fills almshouses, jails and -insane asylums; it lays the burden of the support of these institutions on -the State; the taxes which all the people have paid for their mutual -protection and development are unrighteously diverted to the sustenance of -the victims of the saloon; the State protects a small class of citizens -in doing injury to the interests of all other classes. For revenue, and -for revenue only, it gives a right and a power to the saloon to make an -unending army of criminals, paupers and lunatics out of the sons and -daughters which every mother has gone down into the shadow of death to -deliver into the keeping of her country. - -The motherhood of the enlightened world is arousing against this treachery -of the commonwealth to her sacred trust. The State has no right to sell -her sons even unto righteousness; still less to deliver them into the -bonds of iniquity for a price. It is incredible that the mother's revolt -did not begin long ago, for even the brute will fight for its young. But -now they have begun to understand their duty and their power, and "so long -as boys are ruined and mothers weep; so long as homes are wrecked and the -sob of unsheltered children finds the ear of God; so long as the Gospel -lets in the light for the lost, and Christ is King, there will be a -contest on the temperance question until victory. So long as this -Christian nation sanctions the destruction of its sons for revenue, and -sets on a legalized throne 'that sum of all villainies,' the saloon; so -long as 'the wicked are justified for reward' and cities are built with -blood, there will be a prohibition issue, and one day the right will -triumph." - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -NERVOUS PROSTRATION AND A VENERABLE COUSIN. - - -I once heard a woman say that she had lived half a lifetime before she -realized that the commandments were written for her. In a vague sort of -way she had appropriated, "Thou shalt not steal," "Thou shalt not bear -false witness;" but she did not intend to do these things--the -commandments must be for those who did. Her dumb amazement may be imagined -on hearing a venerable and saintly soul state that she was so grateful to -God that in her long life she had had no temptation to be a Magdalen. It -was unthinkable that she should have had. - -But the stress of life grew to agony; disappointments and wrongs heaped -upon my friend; and one day she stood bare-souled and alone before God, -confronting the commandment: "_Thou_ shalt not kill!" In her struggle back -to the Divine she learned that all of the commandments were written for -her. Ever since, her heart has been pierced with tenderest sympathy for -every man or woman who has fallen before temptation, and the despair of -the suicide seems her own. - -Unvarying good health and steady nerves were my inheritance, and my -husband's fine, calm judgment helped to increase my nervous vigor. I am -afraid I had once a quiet disdain for nervous women, and was supercilious -towards what I deemed a lack of moral fiber, believing that with it health -conditions would not have become "all at loose ends." But a time came when -I too was going from sofa to easy chair, and dropping back into bed limp -and trembling; when the banging of a door or the rustling of a paper "set -me wild;" when I was being a means of grace to all my family through -giving them an opportunity to "let patience have its perfect work"--and -all with no justifying cause, except that the iron of sorrow had entered -my soul, the color had been taken from my life, and I had not yet found my -readjustments. Nevertheless I denied my condition, and so one day the -doctor tried to explain it to me. "A person," he began, "is said to be -nervous when presenting a special susceptibility to pain, or exhibiting an -undue mobility of the nervous system, as when one starts, or shakes on the -occasion of abrupt or intense sensorial impressions, thus showing an -exalted emotional susceptibility. The heart itself under the influence of -nervous stimulation may in a moment change its customary order and rate of -action, and in extreme cases cease to beat. The whole mental processes, as -well as the functions of organic life, may be seriously involved. Now in -your case, madam----" - -"Stop, doctor. I take in the fact," said I, "which is evident in your -high-sounding phrases, that nervous prostration is a killing complaint and -you are going to treat me for it." - -"Perhaps so," said the doctor. "It often happens that an exaltation or -diminution of activity in some one portion of the nervous system causes -perverted action in another part, as when any unusual strain has been -thrown upon you." - -"For instance," said I, "when a friend came last Sunday and allowed me to -carry up-stairs her grip-sack with books in it?" - -"Politeness should never require you to do such a thing," said the doctor, -"but the strain may not be any physical exertion or overwork; deficient -sleep, any sudden shock of joy or fear, especially terror, might prove -fatal." - -"I was much frightened last summer," said I, "by a stroke of lightning -which destroyed an immense oak tree in front of the door. It was a worse -panic than that which seizes one on seeing one's husband bringing three -gentlemen to dinner, when there is only one good little porter-house steak -in the house." - -"Allow me to say," continued the doctor, "nervousness characterizes women -more than men. It sometimes comes on as a sequence of severe illness, some -grave anxiety, some physical or moral shock, like the unexpected discovery -of perfidy or disloyalty on the part of a friend. Then, too, nervous -prostration is brought on by unremitting or monotonous duties, which keep -the same paths of action from day to day." - -"I was told," said I, "of a lawyer who entering his office the other day -read upon his slate the statement that he would be back in half an hour; -in a fit of absence of mind he took a seat and waited for himself, and it -was some time before he realized that he was in his own office, and that -he was not one of his own clients." - -"That," replied the doctor, "was no worse than the case of the reverend -gentleman who on going out one morning gathered up an ordinary business -coat and carried it around the whole day, thinking it was his overcoat, -and was more surprised than anybody else when informed of his mistake. -These examples are evidences and symptoms of nervous disorder. I never -knew a man to hurt himself by mere bodily labor; but excessive mental toil -is certainly capable of damaging the nervous tissues. Any calamity, -misfortune, pecuniary loss, or accident is liable to bring on nervous -prostration. What are the symptoms? Loss of sleeping power, incapacity and -aversion to work, lassitude, headache, an anxious and cross expression of -countenance, heart disturbance, cramp--all these may be indications of -local nervous exhaustion." - -"Doctor, how do you propose to exterminate this formidable enemy?" - -"For the treatment of nervous diseases," said he, "we have at our disposal -invaluable remedies whose action is more or less special. There is -strychnine, bromide of potassium, possessing the opposite properties of -increasing and diminishing the reflex excitability of the nervous system, -in addition to other beneficial modes of action. Then we have chloral and -morphine, acting directly and indirectly as hypnotics, thus allowing the -curative action of rest to come into play. For pain, we have opium, Indian -hemp, subcutaneous injections of morphia, and the galvanic current. We -have any number of drugs for influencing, relaxing, mitigating pain, -reinforcing the nutrition of wasted muscles. Then there are nervine -tonics, preparations of zinc, arsenic, iron, quinine, phosphorus, -cod-liver oil, to say nothing of cold or tepid douches, and the massage -treatment." - -"Good gracious!" I exclaimed, "am I to swallow all these poisonous -things?" - -"There is no occasion for alarm, madam. I don't propose to prescribe all -these things at once. The first thing I shall order is very important--it -is a simple but nutritious diet. Eat plenty of ripe fruit; drink pure, -distilled water; take plenty of gentle but regular exercise, and sleep as -much as possible. You must be surrounded by agreeable society, have plenty -of fresh air and excellent food, and with temperance, avoiding all -excitement and mental exertion, I hope you will soon be well." - -"But, doctor, suppose baby Laura falls down-stairs or the house takes -fire?" - -"You are to be kept ignorant of all such things. The medicine you need is -perfect rest, for after all it is the most powerful therapeutic agent when -you understand its nature and the indications for its use. You rest your -body in sleep, you rest your mind by looking on beautiful things, hearing -good music, and thinking of nothing. Sleep is a preventive of disease, and -the want of it, if carried too far, causes death. Sleep is balm to the -careworn mind and over-wrought brain. In these days of emulation and -worry, the waste of nerve force must be repaired by sleeping and cessation -from all work. Now is the time to stop, lest you come to the door of the -insane asylum. I repeat, absolute rest," said the doctor, striking his -cane on the floor, "and no stimulants to excite rapid circulation. The -brain recovers slowly and resents too early demands on it after any -injury. The general health must be maintained at the highest possible -standard, and you must not worry. You must be a philosopher." - -"Doctor," said I, "I can do better than that; I can be a Christian. I can -say, 'Yes, Lord,' to whatever God sends. That is the philosophy of Hannah -Whitall Smith, and I have tested its efficacy." - -"Yes, madam, I too," said the doctor, "would recommend anything of a -soothing, tranquilizing character. I shall call to-morrow; good morning." - -I have reflected somewhat since those days, and when a woman tells me now -that she is suffering from nervous prostration I know that she is -struggling with a disease--a mournful, painful, destructive actuality. -Emerson says, "when one is ill something the devil's the matter." I know -it is so with a woman, for all the peace and joy of life go out of her -with sickness. I believe, too, that she would be subject to less nervous -prostration if she had greater part in the more enlarging and ennobling -human activities. But as mother earth reinvigorated him who touched her, -so what life we have comes from God, and indwelling with the Divine ought -to renew us body and soul. Christ Himself may not have revealed the -miracle of health to the apostles, but He taught them to use it. Mankind -soon lost connection with the spiritual dynamo of revitalization--except -most intermittingly. But has this been so through necessity or by reason -of gross materialism? Among "the greater things than these" of the -promise, may not highly spiritualized natures already be refinding the -natural laws of healthful living through emphasizing the rightful -dominance of man's spiritual being? "All my fresh springs are in Thee!" "I -will arise in newness of life" cannot refer to the soul without including -the body, for the greater includes the less. The tendency to give less and -less medicine; the declaration of the medical world that drugs are not -curative; the healing of the body by the invisible forces of nature, as is -being done every day--all these things electrify with the hope that the -world is about to discover "the miracles in which we are nourished." The -revelation of the 20th century may be how to pull out that "nail of pain" -which, according to Plato, fastens the mind to the body; and the joy of -simple, harmonious existence may become a reasonable hope to suffering -mortals. - -After this experience of illness I made a trip through Canada and the -East. With new vigor and the old interest I resumed my home duties and was -preparing to enjoy our New Orleans carnival season, when one morning the -housemaid announced: "Mis' Cal_line_, I do b'lieve Rex is come, fur dar's -er ole man at de do' wid er shabby umbril an' de _ole-es'_ han'bag--an' he -say he's you' cousin!" I hastened to meet him, and knew at once who it -was; but the old man was in an exhausted condition. He said: "I have some -brandy with me, and I need it. I have been very sick, but I thought I was -well enough to come to see you once more before I die." I administered a -stimulant to old cousin Jimmie, and in a cheerful strain he continued: -"Oh, you're so like your ma, cousin. She was an angel, and your -worldly-minded old pa gave her lots of trouble, for your ma was pious, and -she had a hard time to get him into the church. Cousin David was a fine -man, too, and he had to give in at last to the blessed persuasion of -cousin Betsey, your angel-mother." - -The next day I observed cousin Jimmie was holding a wooden whistle in his -hand, and blowing softly into it. I inquired what it was. "This whistle," -he said, "is older than your old spinning-wheel and the ancient chiny in -the corner cupboard." "But, I enquired, what is the use of it?" Cousin -Jimmie replied: "They called up the crows with it, so they could shoot -'em." "I always regarded crows as harmless creatures whose inky blackness -of color was very useful as a comparison," I replied. "Well, you never -knowed anything at all about crows," said cousin Jimmie. "I tell you, when -a crow lights on a year o' corn, they eats every single grain before they -stop; and I tell you they are suspicious critters, too--these crows! I -used to thread a horsehair into a needle and stick it in a grain o' corn, -and draw the hair through, and tie it, and throw it around, and they would -pick it up and swallow the corn. Then I would stand off and watch the -rascals scratchin' their beaks tryin' to get rid o' the hair, until they -got so bothered they would quit that field and never come back. I was a -little boy, them days." "Yes," said I, "and boys are so cruel." "Maybe -so," said cousin Jimmie; "but I wa'n't 'lowed to have a gun to shoot -'em--crows nor nuthin' else. Boys was boys them days, not undersized men -struttin' 'round with a cigyar in their mouths, too grand to lay holt of a -plow handle. Why, some big boys, sixteen years old, can't ketch a horse -and saddle him, let alone put him to a buggy all right. I know that for a -fact!" - -"Do you like roast lamb and green peas, cousin Jimmie?--for that is what -we have for dinner to-day; but I can order anything else you like better?" -"I'm not hard to please, cousin," he answered. "I like good fat -mutton--and turnips; but cousin, them turnips must be biled good and -_done_. _Done_ turnips never hurt nobody. Why, when I had the pneumony -last winter I sent and got a bagful--and I had 'em cooked all right; and -way in the night, whilst I had a fever, I would retch out and get a turnip -and eat it. Bile 'em good and done and they can't hurt nobody--_sick_ or -well." - -"I never heard of sick people eating turnips," said I. - -"But you see I have, and has eat 'em, and am here to tell you about 'em." - -"General Grant is nominated for President," said I, looking over the -morning paper. "Grant, did you say? I'll never vote for him! He wasn't -satisfied with $25,000 for salary, but wanted $50,000; and nex' time he'll -want a hundred thousand. Do you know, cousin," said the old man, "that -them Yankees robbed me of one hundred and fifty niggers? The government -ought to pay me for 'em. They had no more right to take them niggers than -they had to steal my horses and mules--which they stole at the same time. -I tell you, they must _pay_ me for my property!" and cousin Jimmie came -down with a heavy blow of his walking cane on the rug. "Ef they don't pay -me they are the grandest set o' villyuns on top o' earth! When the -blue-coated raskils was goin' up the Cheneyville road they met up with two -runaways old Mr. Ironton had caught and hobbled with a chain. A Yankee -said it was a shame for a human bein' to be treated so. Mrs. Ironton flung -back at 'em: 'I don't care! you may show them to the President himself, -and hang them round his neck, if you like.' The old woman was so sassy -that the man simmered down. I heard another officer inquire very perlite, -ef it was customary to sarve the niggers this way, and I said we had to do -something to keep 'em down in their places; and, no matter how bad a -nigger was, he was too valuable to kill, so we punished 'em in other ways. - -"To-morrow is my birthday," sighed cousin Jimmie, "and I'll be -eighty-eight years old." I celebrated the day for him and made him some -presents; and I asked him to tell me bravely and truly whether or not he -would be willing to live his life over, to accumulate all the money and -estate he once possessed, to become a second time sick and old and -destitute. Cousin Jimmie was silent a moment; then his aged eyes twinkled, -and a smile spread over his still handsome old face: "I would try it over; -life is mighty sweet; I'm not ready to give it up, cousin." "But you must -before long relinquish all there is in this life." "Well," said he, "I've -made pervision. I gave my niece Mary all my silver and my red satin -furniture, and my brother has promised to bury me with my people in -Mississippi. I'm all right there." - -"I've heard, cousin Jimmie, that you denied the globular shape of the -earth. How is that?" - -"Why, I _know_ the earth is flat. 'Tain't fashionable to say so, but it -don't stand to reason that the world is round and flyin' in the air, like -folks say. 'Tain't no sech thing--else eyes ain't no account." - -Two years more of this life, and then old cousin Jimmie--who was my -father's first cousin on his mother's side--was able from some other -planet, we hope, to investigate the shape of this one to which he had -clung so loyally. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -ENTER--AS AN EPISODE--MRS. COLUMBIANA PORTERFIELD. - - -There are characters of such marked and peculiar individuality that they -loom upon one's consciousness like Stonehenge, or any other magnificent -ruin, as Charles Lamb says of Mrs. Conrady's ugliness; and their discovery -"is an era in one's existence." In this way one of my intimate associates, -Mrs. Columbiana Porterfield, stands preeminent in my early and later -recollections; but I was sorry to see into her. Every time we were -together it impressed me more vividly than before, that self was the great -center about which everything revolved for her. All her sympathies were -related to that idol. No small human creature interested her large mind, -except as connected with herself. She was devoted to her church, -especially to its ministers, but it was a sanctuary where she worshiped -self in the guise of godliness, and her own honor and glory was what she -worked for in the name of the Master. At one time the sense of her -colossal selfishness so ate into my spirit of charity that I tried to work -it off by writing out, to one of my intimates, the following letters which -embrace actual incidents and individual experiences through which are -revealed Columbiana's inordinate ambitions and desires for -distinction--"her mark, her token; that by which she was known." Perhaps -she may stand like a lighthouse to warn off other women from the same -shoals. - - -NUMBER 1. - -Miss Columbiana Porterfield was fat, fair, and almost forty years old when -she became a winter visitor at Colonel Johnson's plantation home in the -far South. She was so much respected and admired by the Colonel that when -his wife died he urgently invited her to fill the void in his heart and -home. - -The position seemed advantageous, and the lady accepted the situation, -entering confidently upon the duties involved, resolving to adapt herself -to her surroundings when she could not bend circumstances to her own -strong will. She was a sensible woman, and her good husband loved her with -a doting, foolish fondness which he had never exhibited to the departed -wife of his youth. - -The family servants did not hesitate in giving her the allegiance due to -power and place, and they were careful to pay all deference to the new -mistress; therefore Mrs. Johnson was surprised to overhear the housewoman -saying to the cook: "I tell yer dat ar white 'oman from de Norf ain't got -dem keen eyes in dat big head o' hern for nuthin'; I'm afeered of her, I -is dat." The lady was wisely deaf to these remarks, but they rankled in -her mind several days. - -One of the neighbors thought Mrs. Johnson was not a good housekeeper, -because she had apple fritters for dinner, when there was ample time to -make floating-island and even Charlotte Russe before that meal was served. -Yet with all this talk it was easy to see that the newly-adopted head of -the household had completely identified herself with her family. - -There are Americans who go to Europe, and after a short stay no longer -regard the United States as a fit dwelling-place for civilized beings; who -indulge themselves in the abuse of scenery, climate, customs and -government of their own native land as freely as any hostile-minded -foreigner. Therefore it is not strange that Northerners who come to live -in the South should become attached to their surroundings, and even prefer -them to all others which they ever knew. - -Mrs. Johnson loved her stepchildren, Harry and Lucy. She taught them to -call her "aunt," but their own mother could not have been more devoted to -the children of the father who had lain down and died amidst the great -conflict which was a horror to the whole country. Mrs. Johnson was greatly -agitated by the war and its results, and as soon as possible after this -cruel strife was over, she took Lucy with her on a visit to her Northern -home, leaving Harry behind. Among the first letters sent back was the -following, dated October 15th, 1867: - -MY DEAREST HARRY,--My sister was rejoiced to see me alive once more; but I -feel like a stranger, for when I look at your sister I cannot realize that -she is here where she does not belong. It is a visible contrast of two -extremes, my family representing one, and Lucy, the other. The North and -South will breakfast together to-morrow morning on buckwheat cakes and -codfish balls. Everybody loves your little rebel sister. Even the girl in -the kitchen dotes on her, and looks lovingly on the dear girl while she is -demolishing the dainty dishes she has compounded for her delectation. I -don't mean fish-balls, for she hates them. - -I know she thinks Lucy is an angel, while I suspect I am thought to be -exactly the reverse, judging by the disagreeable, reluctant way she has of -serving me. A woman who had been teaching the freedmen down in South -Carolina came here last week to collect money for them. Everybody went to -hear her speak, and Lucy just went along with the rest. It was a highly -improper thing for a Southern girl to do. I knew it, but could not put my -veto on it and make myself odious to the family, so I held my peace and -let her go, though I should have been ashamed to be seen in such a place. -She told me all about it, however, and you have a right to be proud of -your noble sister. She conquered her nerves and sat perched on a front -seat and listened with great attention, and almost repeated the whole -thing for me when she came home. - -The woman dilated eloquently upon the awful sin of caste prejudice -existing among the abominable South Carolina aristocrats, who, while they -would accost and speak to the colored pupils, were so stuck up that they -regarded the white teachers as no better than the dirt under their feet. -After the speech was over, they took up a collection, and when my sister -told me she saw Lucy put in five dollars, I was just too provoked to say -a word. To do this foolish thing after all our losses was too much--when -she has ordered a new pelisse from New York, too! I could scarcely sleep -for thinking of this folly. The cold weather gives me a despondency -anyhow. It makes me think of my own home in the South, with all its -comforts and the beautiful wood fires, now mine no longer. True, the house -is mine, the dear Colonel gave me that, and the land, and the stock. There -is the old family carriage and the horses; but it is bitter as wormwood -and gall to have no one here to drive me out or do the smallest thing for -me unless I pay out money which I no longer possess. It was a wicked thing -to ruin and break up our homes like this, but, my dear boy, we must try to -be content with what God sends. Our portion is not money, but water; an -overflow of it in the river, and too many caterpillars in the cotton -fields eating up our crops. You must be prepared to suffer poverty and -affliction without slaves to polish your boots and rub down your horses. -You may even be obliged to chop kindling for me to cook with, before you -are done. - -The old purposes, habits and customs cannot be carried out any longer. You -must not think of matrimony. You ought now to wait until you are thirty -years old before you attempt to make a shipwreck of your life by marriage. -But I do know a perfect Hebe who would suit you exactly. She comes here -often. Oh! she is a dainty warbler, not quite full-fledged, but superior, -noble, magnificent in design, able to soar higher than any of those -finiky, twittering little canaries you love to play with. A splendid -ancestry, too, as ever lived, solid, wealthy men, though some of them are -deteriorated by having married wives who were nobody. Some women dwarf -men's souls by their own littleness. I hope you will not fall a victim to -any such. - -You must keep up the family prestige; your talents and associations demand -a foremost place, and you must refuse to commonize yourself with that low, -ignorant, profane, dram-drinking set of young men around you. I do -heartily despise them all, and have never received them in my house when I -could help it. They would gladly drag you down to their own level if they -could. - -How these good New Englanders rejoice in the emancipation of the slaves! -All my friends and relations chuckle over it, so that it looks to me like -malice triumphant. Lucy came out last Sunday in a beautiful new hat and -pelisse from New York, looking like the daughter of a duchess; and old -cousin Althea said that she did not look that day as much like ruin as she -had expected when she saw me and Lucy getting out of the carriage in our -shabby old war clothes. That old thing is perfectly hateful and always -was. - -If our old servants are still with you, say "howdie" to them for me. I -hope Chloe has not run off with her freedom anywhere. She does make such -nice waffles and French rolls. You must contrive some way to keep Chloe if -I am expected to spend much time with you. - - Your loving aunt, - COLUMBIANA. - - -NUMBER 2. - -MY DEAR HARRY,--Lucy has a beau. She denies the fact, but there is a -gentleman here from New York who is an intimate friend of my brother, and -he looks at your sister and watches her so eagerly, and does so many -things to please her and to promote my comfort, that I am dead sure it is -an elaborate case of love. I do not think him a suitable match for Lucy in -every respect, but he is very useful to accompany us on excursions and he -manages a pair of horses admirably, and it is convenient to have such a -man around. We went to cousin Sabina Suns' yesterday, where we were all -invited to dine and to meet the Bishop and Prof. Elliott. I made occasion -to pass through the dining-room. Heaps of red currants in lovely cut-glass -bowls, golden cream in abundance, white mountain cake and luscious peaches -were set out for dessert, instead of the everlasting doughnuts and -perpetual pie which you see everywhere. Not that I care for dessert. I -knew we should have oyster soup and a pair of roasted fowls and all -accompaniments of a regular dinner, for Sabina Suns' girl is the best cook -I have found anywhere. - -We were all sitting in the west drawing-room, and the Bishop had not yet -arrived, when somehow we got upon the subject of the late unpleasantness, -and Sabina Suns blurted out that Jefferson Davis was a traitor, and ought -to be hanged. Tears came to Lucy's eyes and the blood mounted to her -temples. She suddenly disappeared. I saw the fire in the child's eyes and -felt the bitterness in her heart, though I said nothing to her, but I -begged Sabina to spare our feelings, for I saw she had gone too far. In a -few moments Lucy appeared with her hat and gloves and bade cousin Sabina -Suns good-by, and went away before our astonishment had subsided. - -I wanted Lucy to meet the Bishop and the young college professor of -entomology. I had been telling her what a fine young man he was, of such a -wealthy family, and it now became her to be on the lookout for some better -establishment than any poor Southerner could offer. She is young and pays -little attention to what I say. Sabina was rude and unkind, but the Bishop -and Professor were coming, and then there was the dinner, so I remained -and really had a splendid time, except for this unpleasant episode. - -I intended to scold Lucy, but when I reached my sister's house I found it -was no use. Lucy's fiery indignation would brook no reproof. She opened -the flood-gates of her wrath upon Sabina without mercy. She said the woman -had elevated one of her enormous feet upon the other as though such cruel -language must inevitably be accompanied by some vulgar action, and her two -feet so elevated seemed high enough for a common gallows post. To be -candid, I was almost scared to death to see your sister so angry and -spiteful. But I like a woman of spirit; it is not best, however, to run -off on a tangent in the face of good company and a first-class dinner. My -dear Harry, I think you are better trained, and would have shown more -common sense under the same circumstances. - -The Hightowers, who have so often entertained me in New York, want their -son Howard to come to the mountains or go somewhere to rest after he is -graduated, and I have invited him to come up here as a sort of return -hospitality for a long visit I made with them. The New York _beau_ is soon -to leave. I could not understand that Lucy promoted his departure in any -way, but I thought Howard would be useful. Not that I think he would be a -more desirable _parti_ than the other, but it is handy to have a young -fellow around to wait upon us or take us to different places. He will come -next week, but I shall not apprise my sister, who might object at the last -moment, though I am sure she will treat him well, as she does all my -friends. - -Lucy dressed herself with great elegance this evening. I did not think it -was worth while to be wasting her best dry goods and her dear self on the -people she was going to visit; and as I sat in her dressing-room and saw -her laced up in her new lavender silk, which is supremely becoming to her -lovely complexion, and then pin on a rich Brussels lace collar, I could -not help reproving her by reminding her of her long deceased elder sister, -who, I said, doubtless was looking down from heaven in sorrow and -disapprobation of such vanities. "Oh, Aunt Columbia!" said she, "Nanny -Jones was right when she said you had such a terrible way of throwing up a -girl's dead kinfolks to her; please don't make me cry; I don't want to go -to the party with red eyes." Henry, that Jones girl ought never to have -been invited to your uncle Joseph's house. She was an incorrigible piece, -and was a great trial to me that month she spent with me. - -I do hope you go regularly to church. It looks beautiful to see a -high-bred young gentleman sitting in his father's pew. The desecration of -the Sabbath in our Southern country is perfectly awful. I never could bear -to see it. You know your uncle Joe, Christian as he proposes to be, will -say to his wife: "Julia, if you must have a cold dinner once a week, get -it in on a week day; on Sunday I must have something better than usual, -and it must be fresh and hot." I frequently stopped there after church and -dined with him, so I was well aware of this bad example, right in our own -family, as it were. - -One would think, after fighting through such a long, bloody war, that our -young men would have done with all private killing and murdering, and -would settle down at home and be industrious and peaceful; so I was all -the more shocked to hear that young Joe McDonald had shot and killed Billy -Whitfield, and all about a trifling little Texas pony. Joe actually had -the impertinence to write to Lucy explaining that he only acted in -self-defense, and begging her not to refuse to speak to him when she -returned. She shall never answer his letter or look at him again with my -consent. I tremble for you, my dear boy, subject as you are to such -dreadful associations, and I pray that you may be kept in safety from -every evil-influence. - -Make Chloe look after the poultry. If she sets some hens now, they (the -chickens) will be ready for broiling by Christmas. You know how fond I am -of young chickens for supper. I have eaten enough cold bread up here to -last a lifetime. It may be good for dyspeptics, but I am not one. - - Your loving aunt, - COLUMBIANA. - - -NUMBER 3. - -MY DEAR HARRY,--I do miss the New York man. He was a quiet, sensible -gentleman, and if you happened to utter an idea above the average he was -always able to respond and keep the ball of conversation passing agreeably -around the table and fireside. There are so many men who will not take the -trouble to answer a lady's question with any serious thoughtfulness. This -boy Howard is not a goose by any means, but he is full of animal spirits -and all sorts of pranks. He has kept Lucy racing about over the country so -that she has no time for anything else. Two weeks ago I ripped up my old -black satin dress which did not set right in the back, and there it lies -waiting for Lucy to put it together--for I do hate dressmakers' bills, and -your sister learned the whole science of remodeling old clothes during the -war, when she could not buy any cloth to save her life. - -Lucy can embroider and do all kinds of needlework, but she is letting the -needle lie idle and putting out all her own sewing, which I cannot allow -her to do with a good conscience. - -I noticed the other day that Howard had Lucy's diamond ring on his little -finger, and now she tells me he lost one of the stones out of it when he -went after pond lilies yesterday. The boy was plagued and worried over it -and said he would replace it; but that is nonsense, for the Hightowers -would never have sent Howard here on my invitation if they had money to -buy diamonds. I made Lucy put away the ring in her trunk, and told her -jewels were unbecoming to a Christian girl and her father ought never have -given her any diamonds. - -We are going to visit a mountain to-morrow. Lucy is wild after such -things, and no wonder, living so long in a flat country which can boast of -nothing which constitutes scenery, not even a pebble or a brook of clear -water. These hills are perfectly heavenly with their grassy slopes -ornamented by noble trees, and then the meadows so fragrant with new-mown -hay; I am lost in admiration myself, so I cannot blame the raptures of -this unsophisticated child of nature, who sees it all for the first time. - -My sister's horses are high-spirited creatures, and Howard, who has had no -experience in driving, insisted upon taking the reins, when they ran away -and Lucy was thrown out; and the funniest thing happened to her in a -wonderful and providential manner; she was landed upon a bed a farmer's -wife had put out to sun before her door. She fell right in on the feathers -and not a bone was broken. But my heart failed me when Howard came home at -a late hour, with the side of his face scratched and bruised, and helped -Lucy out of the battered carriage, which had to be repaired before it -could be driven home. - -I shall greatly rejoice when that boy takes his leave, for I am in hourly -dread of his impetuosity in getting us into trouble. - -Still, he is a bright, noble spirit, and is so penitent when he does -anything wrong that I must needs forgive him. I really fear my sister is -beginning to weary of my young friend. I think the broken phaeton has some -influence on her feelings. - -I have no time to write a long letter, so I enclose one which I have just -read from your cousin Maria which contains a great lesson for a young man -setting out in life--one which I hope you will lay to heart. - - * * * * * - -DEAR AUNTIE,--Tell Lucy to have the lilac silk dress made up, which she is -commissioned to buy for me. We are the same size almost, so it can be -fitted to her shape, and I want it trimmed with real lace. I never saw any -lace while the war went on and I long to feel once more like a lady. I -think a liberal quantity of fine applique or real Brussels lace would help -me to realize the Union is truly restored. So Lucy must reserve one-half -the money I send for the dress to be invested in this trimming. - -But I must tell you, Auntie, such a strange thing happened night before -last. It was after midnight and everybody was in bed when a loud knocking -at the hall door waked us all up, and father went down to see who it was. -What was our surprise to see our neighbor's wife, Mrs. McAlpine, all wet -with rain, without any hat or shawl, her long black hair hanging down her -back, the very picture of a forlorn and despairing creature. She begged my -father to take her in and conceal her, for she said she had run away from -home, for her husband was going to kill her if he could find her. My -mother asked her what she had done to awaken such wrath and vengeance, and -she replied: "Nothing at all; Mr. McAlpine had been drinking and was wild -from the effects of liquor." Mother gave the poor lady the guest chamber -and sent me to her room with dry clothing, and I assisted her to undress. -Auntie, when I pulled her wet dress down from her white shoulders what was -my horror to see them all bruised and seamed in every direction as by the -marks of whip or cowhide. "Oh, my God," said I, "what a shame!" She -quickly covered herself with the gown I brought, while tears silently -flowed down her pale cheeks. My own blood boiled with indignation and I -resolved that I never would speak to the handsome, gentlemanly brute who -had committed this outrage upon his patient and gentle wife. I told mother -what I had seen and she turned pale and told me to say nothing to anyone, -but try to contribute in every way to the comfort of the unhappy guest who -had come to us in such a singular way. The next day about ten o'clock Mr. -McAlpine came and asked to see father. When Mrs. McAlpine found her -husband was in the house she seemed crazed with a mortal terror and begged -mother to lock her up in the closet and "save" her. Mother tried to -reassure her, but in vain; nor did she draw an easy breath until she saw -him driving down the avenue after his long interview with father was over. -Late that evening father called mother and me into the library and -informed us that we must not feel so hostile toward the man whose unhappy -wife we were entertaining, for he was entitled to our sympathy and pity, -and he was sorry to tell us that Colonel McAlpine was the wretched victim -of an intemperate wife, whom he had tried in vain to reform and restrain -and in fact he had resorted to everything else before using the lash and -my father was convinced of the truth of his version of the miserable -story. - -The Colonel begged us to keep the lady quiet for a day or two and then -bring her home. It seemed to me nothing could excuse such brutality, and -when mother grew somewhat reserved to her unbidden guest, I never varied -in my conduct, and she was quick to appreciate my kindness. When two days -had passed, to my surprise she herself proposed to return and asked me to -drive over with her to her home. I was reluctant to leave her then, but -the Colonel received her with such an apparent kindness and cordiality -that I was entirely reassured and I tried to banish the recollection of -those dreadful marks on his wife's shoulders. But what could I do under -the circumstances? The woman said she must go home--to her child. - -You will think this is enough of tragedy, but wait, dear Auntie, until you -hear the end. Last night Mr. McAlpine shot his wife through the heart, -then blew out his own brains, and the whole country is perfectly -horrified, and the wildest rumors are going around. Father has written to -their friends in New York, and mother has agreed to take care of the baby -until they come for it. - -It seems really frivolous for me to go back to the dress question after -these horrors, but tell Lucy to have our dresses made open a little in the -neck, as they are for evening. - - Yours devotedly, - MARIA. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -THE SOUTHERN WOMAN BECOMES A "CLUBABLE" BEING. - - -In every individual life there enter events which in their enlarged -influence are analogous to epoch-making periods in the nation's history. -Such, surely, was my meeting with Susan B. Anthony, when she visited the -New Orleans Exposition in 1885. I had long kept a vivid and dear picture -of her in the inner sanctuary of my mind; had become acquainted through -the press with the vigor of her intellect and the native independence and -integrity of her character; had known she was a woman "born out of due -season," who had already spent fifty years of her life trying to make "the -rank and file" of women and men see that the human race in all its social -relations is in bondage, while woman occupies a position less than free. I -had so long been one with her in spirit and principles that I was not -prepared to feel so like a little chicken looking into the shell out of -which it has just stepped, as I did feel on coming face to face with all -the expansiveness her many years of service for women had wrought her own -justice-loving personality. - -New Orleans stretched out a friendly hand to Miss Anthony. The surprise of -finding her a simple, motherly, gentle-mannered woman instead of the -typical woman's-rights exponent, disarmed and warmed their hearts, so that -press and people received her cordially. She was invited to address the -city public schools, and spoke to many appreciative audiences during the -few weeks New Orleans had the uplift of her presence. In a private letter -of that date she said to me: "I remember my visit to the Crescent City -with a great deal of pleasure, and cherish the friendships I made there. -We are finding out quite a good many fine things about women in the Gulf -States, so that I think you may feel proud that so much true growth went -on--even while that other problem of freedom was being settled. - - "SUSAN B. ANTHONY." - -Miss Anthony's work here made a permanent impression on public thought; -the personal hospitality of the people meant a certain sort of receptivity -of her cause, for which the war era and the more trying decade following -it was a period of incubation; for unquestionably all times of stress and -effort and experience of soul are seasons of enlargement, of suggestion, -and form the matrix of a new life. If movement be once started in original -cell structures, reforming is sure, and the new species depends on the -character of the environment. Heart-rending and irremediable as were the -personal effects of the war to thousands, there is little doubt but that -it has resulted in definite gain to the whole people, by establishing a -system of self-reliance in place of reliance upon the labor of others; and -even more through the liberation of the general mind from captivity to -the belief in the ethical rectitude of human slavery. - -But it takes the North a long time to come to any true understanding of -the Southern people. Certain transient, exterior features--which are as -impermanent as the conditions that created them--have been mistaken for -their real character, which depends upon indwelling ideals--and these have -always been thoroughly American. The leisure for thought and study which -ante-bellum ease allowed to many molded a high-thinking type that was true -to the best intellectual and Christian models, as the character of -Southern public men has evidenced. The simple integrity of the Southern -ideal has had no match in national life except in the rigid standard of -New England. Puritan and Huguenot--far apart as they seem--were like -founders of the rugged righteousness of American principles; and in so far -as we have forgotten our origin, has the national character lost its -purity. - -The love of freedom is ingrained in the ideals of the South. Its apparent -conservatism is not hostility to the new nor intense devotion to the old; -it is more an inevitable result of thin population scattered over wide -areas, with little opportunity for the frequent and direct contact which -is indispensable to the rapid and general development of a common idea. It -is not true that Southern men are more opposed than others to the freedom -of women. The several Codes show that the Southern States were the first -to remove the inequality of women as to property rights. It must also be -remembered that a vigorous propaganda for the enfranchisement of women -has been conducted for fifty years, at great expense of time and talent, -all over the North, while it may be said to have just begun in the South. - -If in 1890 any effort had been made by the National American Woman -Suffrage Association to influence the Constitutional Convention then in -session in Mississippi, the woman's ballot on an educational basis might -have been secured. Henry Blackwell was the only prominent Northern -suffragist who seemed to have a wide-open eye on that convention. What he -could he did, gratis, to help the cause, and won the friendship and -gratitude of many in that State. The leading women who were applied to -offered not one word of appreciation of the situation--doubtless because -they were accustomed to expecting nothing good out of Nazareth; perhaps -also because they would not aid what seemed an unrighteous effort to -eliminate the negro vote. - -It is not the first time in suffrage history that the white woman has been -sacrificed to the brother in black. A political necessity brought within a -few votes the political equality of woman. If Mississippi had then settled -the race question on the only statesmanlike and just plan--by -enfranchising intelligence and disfranchising ignorance--other States -would have followed; for the South generally desires a model for a just -and legal white supremacy--without the patent subterfuge of "grandfather -clauses." The heartbreak of any human soul or cause is not to have been -equal to its opportunity. The whole woman's movement is yet bearing the -consequences of that eclipse of vision ten years ago. - -The first ground broken in the cultivation of greater privileges for -Louisiana women was the organization of the Woman's Club of New Orleans. -In 1884--as narrated in its history prepared for the World's Columbian -Exposition--in response to a notice in the _New Orleans Times-Democrat_, -twelve women met in the parlor of the Young Men's Christian Association -and organized the first Woman's Club in the South. - -Miss Elizabeth Bisland, now Mrs. Charles W. Wetmore of New York, was its -first president. Miss Bisland had already earned fair fame in literature, -and the South was justly proud of her. She afterwards challenged the -world's notice by her swift girdling of the globe in the interest of the -_Cosmopolitan Magazine_. The charter members of the pioneer club were of -the heroic type, and amid fluctuations of hope and despair, forced on by -the irresistible spirit of the age, founded a society which numbered its -members by hundreds, and which secured and retained the sympathy and -respect of the people. - -The Constitution provided at first only for working women, but afterward -eliminated this restriction. It stated that, evolved as it was from a -progressive civilization, its movements must be elastic, its work -versatile and comprehensive. It estimated its own scope as follows: "The -vital and influential work of our club must always be along sociological -lines. The term embraces pursuits of study and pastime, our labors and -relaxations. In the aggregate we are breaking down and removing barriers -of local prejudice; we are assisting intellectual growth and spiritual -ambition in the community of which we are a dignified and effective -body--for the immense economy of moral force made possible by a permanent -organization such as ours, is well understood by the thoughtful." It -extended hospitality in the public recognition of extraordinary -achievements by women, and helped to bring aspirants in art, literature -and sociology before appreciative audiences, and introduced to New Orleans -many world-renowned women and men. - -Being the first woman's club in the South it was the subject of peculiar -interest and attention from other organizations of women, and was wise -enough, from the beginning, to ally itself with the general movement. Its -delegate was a conspicuous part of the National Convention of Women's -Clubs, held in New York in 1889, under the auspices of Sorosis; in 1892 it -was represented in the Convention of Federated Clubs, in Chicago, by its -president and delegate, and was present in the General Federation of -Women's Clubs in 1894. It was the host, in connection with Portia Club, in -1895, of the "Association for the Advancement of Women," which enjoyed for -a week the novelty of the Crescent City and its environs. - -Through its initiation, matrons were placed in station houses and a bed -was furnished in the "Women's and Children's Hospital." It petitioned for -a revocation of Mrs. Maybrick's sentence, and distributed rations to the -sufferers in the great overflows of the Mississippi and Texas rivers. It -is clearly manifest from the foregoing that the Woman's Club was the -initial step of whatever progression women have made through subsequent -organizations. - -Following the enlarging influence of the New Orleans Exposition in -1885-86, there came the great contest to overthrow the Louisiana State -Lottery. The whole energy of the church and every citizen was called into -action all over the State. Women's Lottery Leagues were formed in every -town,--that in New Orleans numbering 900 members; it was denominated "the -crowning influence that resulted in victory." It is impossible to -overestimate the liberative value for woman of this struggle brought to a -successful issue; or to reckon how far back into inertia she would have -been thrown by defeat; for the first time in our post-bellum history it -united women of all classes and ages in a common moral and political -battle-ground. The federal anti-lottery law which has secured the results -of this victory may prove to be an invaluable precedent for anti-trust -legislation. - -In 1892, in response to my invitation, some of the strong, progressive and -intellectual women of New Orleans were ready to meet at my house and -organize the first suffrage association in Louisiana. It was formed with -nine members, and was called the "Portia Club." The officers were Mrs. -Caroline E. Merrick, president; Mrs. Jas. M. Ferguson, vice-president; -Mrs. Evelyn Ordway, treasurer. Through its influence Governor Foster -appointed four women on the school boards of some of the Northern parishes -of Louisiana. It has done excellent educational work by the discussion of -such subjects as "Is the Woman in the Wage-earning World a Benefit to -Civilization?" "Is Organization Beneficial to Labor?" "Has the State of -Wyoming been Benefited by Woman Suffrage?" "Would Municipal Suffrage for -Women be a Benefit in New Orleans?" "The Initiative and Referendum;" "The -Republic of Venice;" "Disabilities of Women in Louisiana." The Portias -have maintained a leading part in all public causes that have enlisted -women, and in the interests of full suffrage were heard by the Suffrage -Committee of the Constitutional Convention of 1898. - -On the occasion of Miss Susan B. Anthony's seventieth birthday, a -reception at my house brought together not only those favorable to our -undertaking but many whom it was desirable to enlist. When that -gentle-faced, lion-hearted pioneer, Lucy Stone, yielded up her beautiful, -self-effacing life, the Portia Club held a fitting memorial service. Mrs. -Clara C. Hoffman made a most memorable suffrage address for the Portias in -this city, which aroused tremendous enthusiasm. She lectured extensively -elsewhere in the State, and wrote to me as follows after her visit here: -"It is generally claimed that Southern people are conservative and -bitterly opposed to any mention of equal suffrage. In my recent tour I -found them not only willing but anxious to hear the subject discussed. I -came into Louisiana at the request of the Woman's Christian Temperance -Union Convention, and had been informed that I must not say anything about -suffrage, as the people would not bear it. In my first address I reviewed -the hindering causes that delay and prevent the establishment of needed -reforms, and showed the danger of enfranchising all the vice and ignorance -in the land without seeking to counteract it; but I said not a word about -what the counteractant might be. The convention closed with Sunday -services; but before the day was gone I received an invitation from -leading citizens--professional and business men--to speak in the Opera -House in Shreveport at their expense, on Monday night, on woman suffrage. -A packed audience greeted me when I was cordially introduced by a -prominent lawyer. I presented arguments, answered objections. Round after -round of applause interrupted, and many crowded about at the close, -expressing themselves with utmost warmth. How is that for Shreveport, and -Louisiana?" - -Later Mrs. Hoffman spoke at Monroe and Lake Charles with equal acceptance. -One of our city papers said of her: "Mrs. Hoffman entered bravely upon her -subject, interspersing her remarks with delicious bits of witticism. She -is a forcible and brilliant speaker, a radical of the radicals, but -disarms by her clear, genial manner of presenting truth." - -Besides the women's societies in the various churches, which have done so -much to widen the field of woman's thought and endeavor, the Arena Club of -New Orleans, under the leadership of Mrs. James M. Ferguson, has been a -vital force. While tacitly endorsing suffrage, it advances social, -political and economic questions of the day. Its latest efforts have been -to create sentiment for anti-trust legislation. - -There has been a valuable period of training through Auxiliaries. Every -great movement, social and religious, had its Woman's Auxiliary. These -helped to reveal to woman her own capacities and her utter want of power. -But the day of the Auxiliary is done. If some of the auxiliary women have -not yet found out what woman ought to do, they have discovered the next -best thing--what not to do! - -In 1895 an amicable division of the Portia Club was made, the offshoot -becoming the Era Club--Equal Rights Association. It was a vigorous child, -full of progressive energy, and soon outgrew its mother. Its original -members, like the Portia, were nine, as follows: Mmes. Ferguson, Ordway, -Hereford, Pierce, Misses Brewer, Brown, Koppel, Nobles, Van Horn. At this -juncture Miss Anthony, accompanied by Mrs. Carrie Chapman Catt, -strengthened our hearts and cause by her presence. It was again my -privilege to entertain her in my home. She spoke to an enthusiastic -audience and Mrs. Catt was complimented in the same way. The next morning -the following letter from a leading member of the New Orleans bar was -brought to Miss Anthony by a member of the Portia Club: "That was a great -meeting last night. When people are willing to stand for three long hours -and listen to speakers it means something. There were ten or twelve men -and a score of women standing within ten feet of me, and not one of them -who did not remain to the end. There are few men who can hold an audience -in that way. I looked around the Assembly Hall and counted near me eight -of my legal confreres. One of the most distinguished lawyers in the State -told me in court this morning that Mrs. Catt's argument was one of the -finest speeches he had ever listened to. Yesterday I was asked at dinner -to define the word 'oratory.' Mrs. Catt is an exponent of 'the art of -moving human hearts to beat in unison with her own'--which is the end and -aim of oratory,--and was that quality which made the Athenians who heard -Demosthenes declare that they would 'fight Philip.' Give the speaker a -lawyer's compliments." - -Miss Anthony was much moved by this letter. "All this," she said, "is so -much sweeter than the ridicule that used to come to me in those early days -when I stood alone." - -Committees from the Portia and Era Clubs met in November, 1896, in the -parlors of the Woman's Club, and organized a State Woman Suffrage -Association, with Mrs. Caroline E. Merrick, president; Mrs. Eveleyn -Ordway, vice-president; Miss Matilda P. Hero, corresponding secretary; -Miss Belle Van Horn, recording secretary; Mrs. Boseley, treasurer; Mrs. -Helen Behrens, an ardent and able pioneer and present worker in the cause, -being made our first delegate to a National Convention. - -In 1898, the Era Club, in the name of Louisiana women, presented to the -Suffrage Committee of the Constitutional Convention, then in session in -New Orleans, the following petition: "In view of the fact that one of the -purposes of this Convention is to provide an educational qualification for -the exercise of the franchise by which to guard more carefully the welfare -of the State, we, the undersigned, believing that still another change -would likewise conduce greatly to the welfare of our people, pray that -your honorable body will, after deciding upon the qualifications deemed -necessary, extend the franchise with the same qualifications to the women -of this State." - -Mrs. Evelyn Ordway, one of the most efficient and public-spirited women of -New Orleans, as president of the Era Club, wisely and bravely led the -women's campaign. Owing to a rain which flooded the city, the most of the -woman's contingent were prisoners in their homes on the day the petition -was procured. Mrs. Lewis S. Graham, and Misses Katharine Nobles, Kate and -Jennie Gordon alone were able to cross the submerged streets to the -Committee room. Mrs. Graham made the leading address, and was ably -supported by her colleagues. Mrs. Carrie Chapman-Catt, aided by Misses -Laura Clay, Mary Hay and Frances Griffin, had been busy creating public -sentiment by means of brilliant addresses both in and out of the -Convention. Dr. Dickson Bruns should be ever held in grateful memory for -his constant and unflinching efforts in behalf of the woman's petition, -which was presented in Convention by the Hon. Anthony W. Faulkner of -Monroe. - -There were many women and a few noble men who were deeply stirred over the -fate of our memorial. I wrote to Miss Belle Kearney just after this -hearing: "You are needed right here, this very day, to speak what the -women want said for them now that the other speakers are gone away. I am -so dead tired and heart-sore that I almost wish I were lying quiet in my -grave waiting for the resurrection! God help all women, young and old! -They are a man-neglected, God-forgotten lot, here in Louisiana, when they -ask simply for a reasonable recognition, and justice under the -Constitution now being constructed, and under which they must be governed -and pay taxes. We pray in vain, work always in vain. How that grand old -martyr, Susan Anthony, can still hold out is a marvel. The Convention has -apparently forgotten the women. They discuss the needs of every man and -his qualification for the ballot. Yet, good women brought such men into -the world to keep other women in subjection and minority forever!--still, -they love that sinner, man, better than their own souls--and I know they -will continue that way to the end. But it is hard lines to be kept -waiting. The dead can wait, but we cannot! Oh, Lord, how long!" - -Once again, however, it was proven that nothing is ever quite so bad as it -seems, for the convention did give the right to vote to all taxpaying -women--a mere crumb--but a prophetic-crumb. This much being gained led, in -1899, to the organization, through the initiative of the Era Club, of the -"Woman's League for Sewerage and Drainage." That variable and imponderable -quantity, "influence," now had added to its much invoked "womanly -sweetness"--_power_--a power which could not only be felt but which would -have to be counted. - -Mrs. Ordway tells in a little review of the movement, that several months -previous to the election many of those who voted would have scouted the -idea that they should do so unwomanly a deed;--voting belonged to men. -Many did not even know that they had a right to vote. The question -proposed to them was one affecting the health and prosperity of New -Orleans--whether or not they were willing to be additionally taxed in -order to secure pure water and an effective system of drainage. There were -about 10,000 taxpaying women in the city, many of them small householders, -owning the little homes in which they dwelt. Owing to New Orleans being -peculiarly situated below the level of the Mississippi river, and to the -fact that there is no underground drainage, many parts of the city are -inundated during heavy rains. There was much at stake. No wonder the women -were interested, and that parlor and mass meetings were held, in which -women were not only invited but urged--even by the mayor and other -prominent men--to come forward with their votes. When election day -arrived, women found that they did want the franchise, one-third of the -votes cast being contributed by them. After months of hard work and a -house-to-house canvass for signatures of taxpaying women, who would vote -personally or by proxy, the battle was won, as was universally conceded, -by the energy of the woman's ballot. - -Very many men and women soon realized the need of full suffrage for women, -in a quickly succeeding campaign for the election of municipal officers -who would properly carry out the people's intent for sewerage and -drainage. Though they could not vote every courtesy and respect was -accorded the women, and their influence was appealed to by the respective -sides. The day has dawned for woman's full enfranchisement in Louisiana. - -In her farewell address after the victory the president of the Woman's -League, Miss Kate M. Gordon,--president of the Era Club,--who had led the -women's forces with an intelligent courage and dignity that won universal -admiration, stated as follows: "At one time the success of this great work -was seriously threatened by an element of conservatism raising the cry, -'It is simply suffrage movement!' While it is hard to disassociate -suffrage from any work which depends on a vote for success, and while the -word, defined by Worcester, means 'a vote, the act of voting,' yet it -seems a poor commentary on the intelligence, patriotism and even sagacity -of that conservatism to raise the question when the life of a city was -trembling in the balance, and that city their home. - -"In justice to women holding suffrage views, I ask are they to be treated -as a class apart because they believe intelligence and not sex should be -the determining power in government? Is there any wrong in believing that -power added to influence would be a factor in creating and enforcing laws -for a higher moral standard? Where is the woman, who, holding the power, -would not use it to enforce the laws for the protection of minors, and to -give to character at least the same protection given to property? Where is -the woman who would withhold her power from creating and enforcing a law -to read; 'Equal pay for equal work'? Is it unwomanly to believe the wife's -wages should belong to the wife who earned them? Is it unnatural to resent -being classed with idiots, insane, criminal and minors--and so on, _ad -infinitum_? - -"The Woman's League contributed with no sacrifice of womanliness, but with -a sacrifice of personal comfort, to an education against apathy and -indifference, to the Godlike charity of helping men to help -themselves--the keynote of physical as well as moral regeneration. As -women throw the power of your influence against the dangers of proxies. -The proxy vote is not a personal expression; it is giving manifold power -into the hands of one individual, and therefore un-American." - -This wide-awake Era Club has now a petition before the trustees of Tulane -University praying that this progressive institution will no longer refuse -to open its Medical School to women. It also memorialized its last -legislature for the right to be accorded to women to witness a legal -document; for, incredible as it may seem, there still remains among -Louisiana statutes, as a survival of the French habit of thought, toward -females, the disability of a woman to sign a paper as a witness. - -Soon after the New Orleans Exposition, Miss Susan B. Anthony wrote me, -while I was president of the Louisiana Woman's Christian Temperance Union: -"I long to see the grand hosts of the Temperance women of this nation -standing as a unit demanding the one and only weapon that can smite to the -heart the liquor-traffic. The Kansas women's first vote has sent worse -terror to the soul of the whisky alliance of the nation than it ever knew -before." The temperance hosts through bitter defeats long ago learned that -they cannot carry their cause without the ballot, and "as a unit" they may -be said to desire it and to work for it. They know Miss Anthony spoke -words of soberness and experience. The first day there was a great debate, -in the Constitutional Convention of our neighbor State, on methods of -suffrage, about the middle of the day some one met a pale, haggard prince -of liquor dealers rushing excitedly from the gates of the Capital. "My -God!" he exclaimed, "if they let the women in our business is dead! We -must do something!"--and he hurried to convene his partners in iniquity. -What they did is not proclaimed; but immediately nearly every newspaper in -the State began to pour in gatling-gun volleys against enfranchising -women. - -About the time Miss Anthony wrote me respecting Mrs. Elizabeth Cady -Stanton coming to lecture. "I do not want her," she said, "to be -translated before all of your splendid New Orleans women have seen and -heard her." And so I feel about Miss Anthony, I do not want her "to be -translated" until she has seen the Louisiana woman vote as unrestrictedly -as the Louisiana man. - -But I should like to ask this question of those men and women--and there -are many such--who are convinced of the righteousness of the women's -ballot, but who do not come forward and strengthen the struggling vanguard -of a great movement,-- - - "Why is it that you choose to blow - Your bugle in the rear? - The helper is the man divine - Who tells us something new;-- - The man who tells us something new - And points the road ahead; - Whose tent is with the forward few-- - And not among the dead. - You spy not what the future holds, - A-bugling in the rear. - You're harking back to times outworn, - A-bugling in the rear." - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -"THE BEST IS YET TO BE." - - -Why should women regret the golden period of youth? There are things finer -and more precious than inexperience and a fair face. When a friend of -Petrarch bemoaned the age revealed in his white temples, he replied: "Nay, -be sorry rather that ever I was young, to be a fool." Joyous and lovely as -youth is--and it always seems a pity to be old in the springtime when -everything else is young--how many of us would be willing to be again in -the bonds of crudities, the embarrassments, the unreasoning agonies, and -to the false values youth ever sets upon life? Youth longs for and cries -out after happiness; it would wrest it from the world as its divine -birthright; it does not understand itself or anybody else; and the pity of -it all is that youth is gone before it has grasped the fact that its chief -concern is not to be loved but to be lovely. - -Age is content with comfort. "Content," did I say? Nay, old folks are -always wanting more and more comfort, until they seem out of harmony with -surrounding objects and circumstances. I think it is Ruskin who says that -there are "much sadder days than the early ones; not sadder in a noble, -deep way, but in a dim, wearied way--the way of _ennui_ and jaded -intellect. The Romans had their life interwoven with white and purple; -the life of the aged is one seamless stuff of brown." And this is true, so -far as beauty of existence is expressed by variety. - -Perhaps there are few periods of keener suffering to any one than when he -first realizes that he is growing old. This experience is none the less -sharp for being universal; but it comes with peculiar poignancy to a -woman, because of the fictitious estimate that has always been placed upon -her good looks. They are her highest stock in the market, not through her -own valuation but by man's. If she has never had beauty, still less can -she afford to lose any charm which youth alone confers. This pain of loss -with the majority of women is not an expression of mere vanity, but--as -with a man--it arises from a fear of waning power, the dread of inability -any longer to be a factor in the world's value; from the horror of having -no longer an aptness to attract, of being no more desired, of filling no -true place in life--any or all of which is enough to make a soul cry out -for death. - -That there is something wrong with our social structure is not more surely -indicated than by the present demand in all fields of labor for only the -young man or woman. The span of life is perceptibly lengthening for most -civilized peoples; yet, with increase of days, old age is set forward -instead of being proportionally postponed. Thirty years ago it was -considered that a man must make his success by fifty years of age, if he -made it at all; now it is said that unless a man has made his mark at -thirty he is already written down "a back number." No profession to-day, -perhaps, chronicles so many tragedies as that of the teacher; for school -and college give the preference to the young applicant who has yet to -prove if he have the making of a teacher in him, while rejected experience -dies of a broken heart. Not long since, it was stated in _The Outlook_, in -reference to the ministry, that a man over forty years old was not wanted -to fill important charges. Last year I heard a conversation between a -young missionary from China and a woman of superior attainments, a wide -knowledge of life, high spiritual culture, and who was not yet old; who, -moreover, was one of the sort who never grow old. They talked of the -advisability of older women entering the foreign mission field. The -missionary advised that the other make application to the Board, but -frankly stated that the missionaries abroad did not wish anybody of her -age because she would have established opinions which might conflict with -the younger members' control of the mission. The church no doubt can well -account for its preference for young people; but it has seemed to me -rather hard on the heathen that they must be the subjects of untested -enthusiasm, however "consecrated" and zealous it may be. - -The tendency to fasten old age prematurely on our people by the rejection -of practical knowledge for the brawn of youth, seems to find an -explanation mainly in the all-prevailing commercialism of the day. The -herding of productive industries in syndicates and trusts has destroyed -the individual in the industrial world: it is not the man who is employed, -but "the hand"--so many hands in the office, so many at the machine; and -these are "put on or knocked off" according to the sum totals of the -ledger. Manhood is the football of the dividend, and grows less and less -as the latter grows more and more. Everywhere it is the same; the young -with few ties and responsibilities are most plastic to the interests of -the business; pawns have widest range of movement, and whoever can cover -the most ground for the least money is the person in demand. - - "Trade! is thy heart all dead, all dead? - And hast thou nothing but a head?---- - O Trade! O Trade! would thou wert dead! - The time needs heart--'tis tired of head." - -It is more than shocking to think of the effects on the English-speaking -people--ever inclined to sadness--of saddening them still more by pushing -into the background those who have passed the first flush of youthful -vigor. It is even worse to reflect upon the over-confidence, the -over-consciousness and the irreverence of youth increased by a preference -which does not point to intrinsic value. Whoever has lost his reverence is -already degenerate; that soul which has lost hope and courage is dead to -achievement, and is unproductive for himself and his country. Let us give -to youth all its due for its keen curiosity, its vivid expectation, its -unreflecting daring, its joy of pure existence, its all-the-world-is-mine -spirit, and let us give it opportunity and ever growing privilege; but, as -we value reverence, as we honor knowledge, as we cherish a well-tried -faith, as we trust a noble courage born of proof, let our customs teach -that "Youth ended--what survives is gold." - -While so much that is beautiful and attractive inheres in youth, it is -maturity that possesses perfect charm. Women should remember this and -begin early to cultivate faith in their power to grow. They should -endeavor to learn to live along a line of steady development; to keep -themselves in the forefront of thought and endeavor; to repudiate old age -as more a matter of want of will than of necessity--and so abjure a -statement I have recently heard from a young physician--that the only -disease for which there is no remedy is old age. There is a remedy in -living _en rapport_ with the subtle forces of growth. Learn the laws of -life and dwell in them; persevere in helping one's self instead of being -helped, and it will astonish the world how long one may live with "natural -force unabated"--yes, and with beauty and power. It is unnatural to grow -old and die; though everybody seems to do it, the bitter protest against -it is a proof that it is against nature. There must be a better way out -than by failure and decay. Live as an immortal here and now, and in -fulness of time the fetters of the flesh will simply drop off, like the -shell of a locust, and life will go on--from glory to glory. - -I have grown old myself, but I could have kept younger if my attention had -early enough been turned that way. All that I can do now is to tell other -women to be wiser than I have been--and I wish to tell them, for: - - "The best things any mortal hath - Are those which every mortal shares." - -Perhaps all women do not know that the menopause of life is not a signal -for old age. Released from her child-bearing functions, a new lease of -life is taken out; intellectual power is greatly increased; women should -then, in the ripeness of experience, the mellowness of judgment and the -opportunity for comparison which the years have conferred, do their best -brain-work; besides, there is usually an added beauty of person, a renewal -of vigor of every kind. At the same time--just as then the look of some -ancestor we have not before been thought to resemble begins to crop out in -our faces--is there a tendency toward the return of natural defects of -character; faults of youth long deemed dead rise up and defy us. As never -before should women be aware that now their charms must be those of an -inner grace, a spiritual beauty; as they have received during all the long -past, so now must they give out fully, freely--keeping back not one jot or -tittle of life's riches for self; so will they get very close to the other -world before they get in it. - -Women have always interested me. I have studied them deeply. They have -virtues and foibles which are equally a surprise--"and still the wonder -grows." After a long lifetime of comparison, however, I am persuaded that -men and women are by nature neither better nor worse the one than the -other. How often do we find some boy to be the sweetest-souled child in -the house and the timidest, while his sister is the strongest, most -unmanageable, and the leading spirit. We are our father's daughters and -our mother's sons; and superiority of either--in mind, person or -morals--is as it happens and not by reason of sex. Many differences are -but the results of education and would disappear should the two sexes be -treated under identical influences. Many so-called virtues of women and -vices of men are but the fruits of environment and of the tone of the -public thought. - -The shielded, subject position of woman has originated as many weaknesses -in her as excellences. She is the victim of her own devotion, as well as -of her necessity to please the one on whom she and her children are -dependent. If she is illogical, as is claimed, it is only because her -deductions have not generally been made the rule of action in private or -public. It were futile to run down a proposition to its legitimate -conclusion when somebody else's conclusions are to be in force. A man's -deductions have to stand the test of actual practice, and not only he but -all dependent on him must sink or swim by their correctness. The logic of -the condition is simply that of the trained and the untrained--as may be -proven by the fact that proportionally as many women as men who have been -thrown into business or professional life succeed. If women are not frank, -as is sometimes charged, let me ask how any one can cultivate the high -grace of ingenuousness who in all the ages past had to gain her ends by -indirection, and who may utter not her own thought and opinion and will -but that which shall be pleasing to another? The irresponsibility of her -position in great things has created a corresponding irresponsibility in -other scarcely less serious matters; for instance, in a freedom of -expression about persons that a man would not dare to indulge in, because -he knows he must be prepared to defend, with his life, if need be, the -accuracy of his statement. I have sometimes thought the two most -irresponsible of creatures in speech are a college boy and a woman; and -for the same reason--that both hold a position of minority which never -involves a strict accountability. - -A distinguished physician once lavished upon a lady, both of them my -guests at the time, such a superfluity of flattery that I afterward -expostulated with him. "Oh, madam," he answered, "I give her compliments -as I would give a beggar a dime. It is what she baits and angles for, so I -hand her out what she wants!" It is a human merit to desire to please; it -is equally human to like to hear when we have succeeded; but excess of -merit ceases to be meritorious. I have often wondered if woman's -subjection has developed such a slavish spirit in her as sometimes -deserves the contempt conveyed in the above incident? - -On the other hand the chief vices of a man are the result of his ruling -attitude as head of the race. Where there is absolute power there is -always abuse of power. The tyrant must be the chief sufferer for his -tyranny. His absolutism has caused him to fix in law and custom the -expression of his own desires and ideals without due regard to the -interests of the rest of humanity--womanhood and childhood. Thereby, great -vices inhere in social life of which man is the direct victim. He has not -given himself a proper chance to develop into his best, because in the -exercise of his unfettered rights he has fastened upon the social organism -institutions, temptations and habits which start him out handicapped, and -even with congenital obstructions to his legitimate evolution. This will -be the case so long as it is considered proper that the little boy at his -mother's knee may hear and see and do things which it is wrong that his -little sister may not hear and see and do. - -But slowly, slowly, this misinterpretation for the race is correcting. We -are told that in 1827 (while I was yet in my infancy) "Von Baer discovered -the ovule--the reproductive cell of the maternal organism--and -demonstrated that its protoplasm contributed at least one half to the -embryo child. Before this time man was said to be 'the seed and woman the -soil.' The establishment of equal physical responsibility opened the -question of the extent of the mother's mental and moral -responsibility."--Like as the vegetable and animal kingdom are -indistinguishable in their lower orders, so boys and girls differ little -in their natural characteristics until they enter upon the period which -marks their differentiation in function. There is nothing rudimentary in -the formation of the female body; it possesses two entire organs--the -uterus and the breast--which are wanting or rudimentary in the male. These -organs, according to Webster, are "the seat of the passions, the -affections and operations of the mind." Their functions constitute woman's -special domain, her exclusive kingdom, where man cannot intrude, which he -may not share. - -Nature recognizes the importance of the mother by restricting the exercise -of her peculiar office to the meridian of life--her ripest maturity--in -order that the race may be protected in full vigor. Other parts of her -being, which may have lain dormant or in partial disuse through -over-estimated activity in other directions, now awake, and late in years -women may perform wonders in an intellectual and business way. I recently -heard a wise and brilliant speaker--a man--say, "I never try to make a man -over forty years old grasp new ideas of action. He cannot. There's -something the matter with him--whether pride of opinion or rigidity of -brain I know not; but I do know that it is different with a woman. She -seems to be always receptive." - -The twentieth century begins with a reconstructed mental state toward the -race. It does not believe in woman's natural inferiority, nor in man's -exclusive ideals. It recognizes that the wellbeing of both man and woman -consists in a whole humanity, and that there can be no whole humanity with -anything less than perfect freedom for both halves of it. The right to -freedom of thought and liberty of speech is established for a woman nearly -as fully as for a man; but the past stretches out a ghastly finger, and -looking back to precedent, delays full freedom of action; hereditary -inertia, the chains of ancient prejudice and the strength of present -customs are obstacles to be reckoned with in the rapidity of future -development. But women and men are now both thinking, are both educating -for the battle of life, are beginning to tramp side by side in the march -of ideas and endeavor. Mothers realize intensely that if they had known -how better to rear their sons there would already be a better race; but -they have been so held down during all the ages that they have not -understood how to make a free, noble son, and a daughter fit to mate with -him. - -Sometimes the way seems long and devious, and human apprehension is so -dull that our hearts faint. There is so much to correct in creatures as -well as in conditions that we wonder why even Divine patience does not -despair. But there is to me logical encouragement in the reflection that -actually up to the date of my own birth, girls were admitted into the -public schools of Boston only during the summer months when there were not -boys enough in attendance to fill the desks; science and all but -rudimentary mathematics were considered beyond their faculties. Not only -high schools but the chief colleges of the world are now open to women, -and co-education is a growing determination. Women are now admitted--as -reported by the Commissioner of Education--to one hundred and fifty -colleges and universities in America. Of these one hundred and five are -denominational--notwithstanding that the liberty wherewith Christ maketh -free has been the root of woman's emancipation. To-day all the professions -except the ministry are open to women; yet there are many women -evangelists, and others who have taken the course in theological schools. -Woman has learned the power of organization, and her full political -liberty is now in sight. Some persons are afraid that the activity in -woman's interests exhibited during the last quarter of a century will -experience a reaction. Well, religious revivals, like showers on earth, -are always followed by a dry spell. Still--let us have rain! We should -not be disheartened because history always moves in spirals, and not by -direct ascent. - -The new century begins with a radiant idea which now seems a new-born -impulse of the present day; yet nineteen hundred years ago it haunted the -heart of the divine Judean philosopher and prophet. This hoary new idea is -that love alone can - - "Follow Time's dying melodies through, - And never lose the old in the new,-- - And ever solve the discords true." - -The true keynote of human harmonies is struck at last. Little by little -the ages have caught the vibration until the listening heart can already -discern the great anthem of the future--the "Hallelujah Chorus" of -Equality, Brotherhood. Standing as we do midway between two centuries, -to-day the music of the past and of the future is ringing in our souls. A -new world looms into view. Along its bright and shining way we see a -humanity ennobled because well-born, of a free and willing mother and a -self-controlled, justice-loving father, and because in all its systems and -customs it is "Thinking God's thoughts after Him." If I did not believe -this I could not have written out my little life-story. Now in the sunset -of my days I wish to sound out to all women full and clear the note of -hope that is growing every day in sweetness and power in my own spirit: -"_It is daybreak everywhere_." - -As a last word I know no more heartening comfort than Rabbi Ben Ezra's: - - "Grow old along me! - The best is yet to be, - The last of life for which the first was made; - Youth shows but half; trust God; - See all, nor be afraid. - - * * * * * - - Let age speak the truth and give us peace at last." - - -THE END. - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Old Times in Dixie Land, by Caroline E. 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