Later Notes, Part 3

Later Notes, Part 3

While living at Mr. Edwards', of Dorset, I used to chop wood for the fireplace, three foot wood and used to have the name of keeping the best fire on the road. Mr. Edwards kept the gate on the plank road. He was a single man for a number of years and was well acquainted throughout the whole county and a man highly respected by all of the neighbors with whom he had the pleasure of acquaintance and the were numerous. During the long winter evenings the friends of T.S. Edwards and family would get tired of staying in town and would get up a load of people, "get a team and take a load down to Dorset to Brother Smith Edwards', we will have a little party of our own and get Charlie Garlick to play for us and when we get dancing enough we will play domino or euchre or cribbage, sing songs, or anything to amuse the company while we stay with Brother Edwards." That is about the way people were treated in those days. If they wanted to start out and visit they did not stop for cold or rain or snow, but marched right along like a chicken to a corn crib. Those days were pleasant, but they are gone forever. But we at this time and age of the world have things more convenient and if we want to go to a certain town or city we can pick up our traps and go regardless of anything.

The progress in prosperity having advanced to such a degree of perfection that most every citizen is able to support himself and family if he is willing to do so. The slaveholders used to say that the slaves could not take care of themselves after having taken care of them and their children for two or three hundred years. That is quite consistent in some counties but not in this civilized part of the country at this age of the world. Slavery injured this country so much that it will take a number of years to destroy its influence. It has poisoned the minds of everybody South and not satisfied at that they are now trying to incite riot and lynching in the North and Jim Crow cars for the colored people to ride in. Then they will begin to think that the Northern people amount to something as well as the South. Miss Lee for the sake of ease and comfort took a seat in the cars provided for the colored and for the great offense of the public, Miss Mary Curtis Lee, a daughter of the late Robert Lee, was fined five dollars because she rode where it was not so crowded. If those Negroes had been slaves there would not have been any five dollars to pay, and why now? Because they are afraid that they will believe as the Northern people do.

While living at Mr. Edwards', of Dorset, I used to chop wood for the fireplace, three foot wood and used to have the name of keeping the best fire on the road. Mr. Edwards kept the gate on the plank road. He was a single man for a number of years and was well acquainted throughout the whole county and a man highly respected by all of the neighbors with whom he had the pleasure of acquaintance and the were numerous. During the long winter evenings the friends of T.S. Edwards and family would get tired of staying in town and would get up a load of people, "get a team and take a load down to Dorset to Brother Smith Edwards', we will have a little party of our own and get Charlie Garlick to play for us and when we get dancing enough we will play domino or euchre or cribbage, sing songs, or anything to amuse the company while we stay with Brother Edwards." That is about the way people were treated in those days. If they wanted to start out and visit they did not stop for cold or rain or snow, but marched right along like a chicken to a corn crib. Those days were pleasant, but they are gone forever. But we at this time and age of the world have things more convenient and if we want to go to a certain town or city we can pick up our traps and go regardless of anything.

The progress in prosperity having advanced to such a degree of perfection that most every citizen is able to support himself and family if he is willing to do so. The slaveholders used to say that the slaves could not take care of themselves after having taken care of them and their children for two or three hundred years. That is quite consistent in some counties but not in this civilized part of the country at this age of the world. Slavery injured this country so much that it will take a number of years to destroy its influence. It has poisoned the minds of everybody South and not satisfied at that they are now trying to incite riot and lynching in the North and Jim Crow cars for the colored people to ride in. Then they will begin to think that the Northern people amount to something as well as the South. Miss Lee for the sake of ease and comfort took a seat in the cars provided for the colored and for the great offense of the public, Miss Mary Curtis Lee, a daughter of the late Robert Lee, was fined five dollars because she rode where it was not so crowded. If those Negroes had been slaves there would not have been any five dollars to pay, and why now? Because they are afraid that they will believe as the Northern people do.

Page 11: Later Notes Part 3 (you are HERE)

Page 11: Later Notes Part 3 (you are HERE)

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