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"the Old Times" In The South

"the Old Times" In The South image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
December
Year
1882
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

In various parta of Lonisiana I found many peoplo who had lived on eome of the great plantations bofore the war, andheard their accounts of the peculiar life of the inhabitanta of some of these rich, retired regions in the interior of the state. The planters had considerable vealth, for that time, and they and their families lived a life of "elegant, refined leisure," with little business or care excopt pleasure and happiness. All supplios for the plantations came from Now Orleans mercñants. Once a year the young ladies had bonneta, and sometimes gowns, from Paria. Visits and parties and balls were the eventa of life. The young peoplo had a good ' tion; many of them were sent to northern schools, but the south had good schools and colleges in those daya. I do not doubt that it seemed to the people living it a puro and innocent life, happy and wnolesonie, and so natural and staple that it wa9 likely to go on forever. "We did not know it was wrong," aaid an acoonplished woman to me one day. "No one had ever told ua it was all wrong, or that we were going on gayly toward an awfnl deatruction. We knew no world but our own. We thought we were very happy, and we meant to be good. We were much attached to our people - the negroes,I mean - and thoy were happy, too, then. We heard sometimos of low, miserable wretckea who abuaed their negroes, and how we despised them !" "Would you rather have it all back, that old time and that beautiful life, if you could?" I asked. '■Oh.no; I think it ia juat like one of the great cnanges, revoiutiona, tñat wo read about m hiatqry? It all had to be,I should tbink, and so it must be tkere ia a Providenco in it; it must bo for the best in sorne way."

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat