Locals
Dublin Core
Title
Locals
Creator
[Unknown]
Source
http://addison.vt.edu/record=b1775388~S1
Publisher
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Date
May 1877
Contributor
Abbey Williams, Peter Royal
Rights
Permission to publish images from The Gray Jacket must be obtained from Special Collections, Virginia Tech.
Format
Text
Language
English
Identifier
LD5655.V8 L4, ser.1, v.2, no.7 (May 1877), p.4-5
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
Blacksburg needs no standing army of blue coats to enforce the Civil Rights bill. We have had here a barber shop conducted upon strictly civil rights principles. White and black, rich and poor alike patronized this modern establishment. We are constrained to utter the language of a wag, who having visited, in a state of intoxication, an old colored preacher, attempted to reconcile the aged divine by the following effusion:
"The Lord he never did intend,
To put his black sheep in a pen;
But lie mixed the colors up,
Like nun and lasses in a cup."
"What a change has come over the spirit of our dreams." A few weeks ago our little town boasted of, four bar-rooms in full operation, now, only one is open to the public, and that one against the solemn protest of the people.
How strange is law in a free country. The people of Blacksburg, including the members of our Faculty, and a majority of the voters have, more than once, entered their protest against this tearful traffic; and yet their voice, the voice of the people, falls powerless before the majesty of the law, the dignity, the self-respect and self-love of the Legislatire.
Some of our exchanges regret that so few of our "Old Boys" are farmers. In regreting that they are not farmers there must be a regret that so many of them became teachers. If our "Old Boys" were to remain teaching all of their lives there would be good reason for such regret. We must remember that these gentlemen are, as far as we are informed, teaching public schools in their immediate neighborhoods, and that the session of these schools, in most cases, holds only through a part of the fall, winter, and spring months, leaving cropping months entirely out. Now from what we can learn of the matter our "Old Boys" are farming in summer and teaching in winter; thus they are most aptly filling their places as good citizens and grateful sons of Virginia. If we are mistaken in this matter we hope we may be corrected by those who are better informed, especially by our former friends and fellow-students who are certainly the most interested.
Since writing the above, we have received several letters from our " Old Boys "confirming our assertion as to their employment as teachers. We give below extracts from a letter written by Abner Davis to one of the Editorial corps. Sergeant Davis, it will be rembered [sic], was in our last, put down as teaching school (a public school), he has now finished his session and writes as follows :
Sandy Level, Pittsylvania Co., Va., May 8th, 1877.
Dear Friend: I was glad when they said unto me The Gray Jacket has come. I read it through, though I was very busy, not as busy, however, as B————.
The present prospect for fruit is good, though our cherries were nearly all killed. Tobacco plants are, generally plentiful, but small. Flies are eating ours considerably: but I hope to be able to plant my crop which will be about eighty thousand. Two renters and a tenant will aim to plant in all about seventy thousand. Wheat is not very good. I have just covered a new tobacco barn and laid the foundation of another to-day. (Abner is a graduate in Agriculture and Mechanics). It takes a great deal of time and labor to build barns; but we are having so much rain now that we can't do anything in the way of stirring the soil. We have not finished planting corn yet, and the ground keeps too wet even for hauling.
I saw Capt. M. F. Brown, the 28th of April, and spent the night with him. It was the first meeting since we parted at Blacksburg. What a long and cordial shaking hands! It is a real pleasure to meet the "Old Boys." He is farming, just got in from dancing about three weeks ago.
Yours &c, A. B. Davis.
[Capt. Brown has been engaged, heretofore, in teaching the youth of his vicinity how to "trip the light fantastic toe;" at which profession he is as successful and efficient as he was at teaching tactics while here.—Eds.]
"The Lord he never did intend,
To put his black sheep in a pen;
But lie mixed the colors up,
Like nun and lasses in a cup."
"What a change has come over the spirit of our dreams." A few weeks ago our little town boasted of, four bar-rooms in full operation, now, only one is open to the public, and that one against the solemn protest of the people.
How strange is law in a free country. The people of Blacksburg, including the members of our Faculty, and a majority of the voters have, more than once, entered their protest against this tearful traffic; and yet their voice, the voice of the people, falls powerless before the majesty of the law, the dignity, the self-respect and self-love of the Legislatire.
Some of our exchanges regret that so few of our "Old Boys" are farmers. In regreting that they are not farmers there must be a regret that so many of them became teachers. If our "Old Boys" were to remain teaching all of their lives there would be good reason for such regret. We must remember that these gentlemen are, as far as we are informed, teaching public schools in their immediate neighborhoods, and that the session of these schools, in most cases, holds only through a part of the fall, winter, and spring months, leaving cropping months entirely out. Now from what we can learn of the matter our "Old Boys" are farming in summer and teaching in winter; thus they are most aptly filling their places as good citizens and grateful sons of Virginia. If we are mistaken in this matter we hope we may be corrected by those who are better informed, especially by our former friends and fellow-students who are certainly the most interested.
Since writing the above, we have received several letters from our " Old Boys "confirming our assertion as to their employment as teachers. We give below extracts from a letter written by Abner Davis to one of the Editorial corps. Sergeant Davis, it will be rembered [sic], was in our last, put down as teaching school (a public school), he has now finished his session and writes as follows :
Sandy Level, Pittsylvania Co., Va., May 8th, 1877.
Dear Friend: I was glad when they said unto me The Gray Jacket has come. I read it through, though I was very busy, not as busy, however, as B————.
The present prospect for fruit is good, though our cherries were nearly all killed. Tobacco plants are, generally plentiful, but small. Flies are eating ours considerably: but I hope to be able to plant my crop which will be about eighty thousand. Two renters and a tenant will aim to plant in all about seventy thousand. Wheat is not very good. I have just covered a new tobacco barn and laid the foundation of another to-day. (Abner is a graduate in Agriculture and Mechanics). It takes a great deal of time and labor to build barns; but we are having so much rain now that we can't do anything in the way of stirring the soil. We have not finished planting corn yet, and the ground keeps too wet even for hauling.
I saw Capt. M. F. Brown, the 28th of April, and spent the night with him. It was the first meeting since we parted at Blacksburg. What a long and cordial shaking hands! It is a real pleasure to meet the "Old Boys." He is farming, just got in from dancing about three weeks ago.
Yours &c, A. B. Davis.
[Capt. Brown has been engaged, heretofore, in teaching the youth of his vicinity how to "trip the light fantastic toe;" at which profession he is as successful and efficient as he was at teaching tactics while here.—Eds.]