Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1884 — SOUTHERN WAR MEMORIES. [ARTICLE]

SOUTHERN WAR MEMORIES.

How Little Children Were Served—Substitutes for Candles at a Party. As my home at the time was in Marietta, Ga., quite near Atlanta, and directly in line of march, I saw a great many strange and exciting things, and suppose that is the reason I remember mv life there so well, for, although a very small girl at the time, it is far more vividly real to me thaD the events of last year. I can picture to my.-elf distinctly the quaint figures of my little playmates, for invention, like charity, begins at home, and we little ones showed the first fruits of our mothers’ talents in that direction. We always wore “homespun,” and, as the cloth stood a good deal of wear, our dresses were made large enough to last two seasons. Some of us wore shoes, but they were such odd-looking things, made of coarse leather and only reaching our ankles. As the leather shoestrings wore out they had to be replaced by the covering from the wires of hoop-skirts, dyed black. Our stockings were knit of plain white yarn, also homespun. For “every day” we wore calico sun bonnets, but on “state” occasions hats braided at home from the palmetto straw. As one thing after another gave out the women were always equal to the emergency and quick in finding substitutes, just as our grandmothers did during the Revolution. American women are, I think, quite remarkable for that sort of thing. My mother must have been unually clever, for I remember so many bright things that she did. Trifles never seemed to daunt her. Our table was always delightfully served, although her inventive faculties were constantly called upon to supply some need in the kitchen. There is one very clever thing that I recollect about her. She had sent out invitations for a very large and “swell "party; for Marietta was quite gay at one time, as a number of refugees, besides a great many officers “on leave,” were in town, and my mother, who wj s delighted to be able to collect together so many charming people, determined to give something very grand. Her preparations were all completed, as sue supposed, on the morning of the appointed day, and she was actually arranging the flowers in her rooms when she received the very depressing tidings that not a candle could be found in Atlanta for love or money. Most women would have despaired at such ill-luck as this, and would have sent immediately to inform expected guests that they need not come, but my mother did nothing of the sort. She put on her “thinking cap” at once. She sent far and near to borrow all the wine glasses possible. These she filled with pure white lard, and every one who could be spared on the place was set to work cutting out little round pieces of. paper, about the size of a half-dollar. Each of these she twisted in the center to form a taper, and placed on the lard in the glasses, ready for use, for she meant to light her rooms with them. We always had used in the bedrooms and for sicknOTs, as they would last all night, and candles were far too precious to be wasted in that way. But the idea of making them ornamental was my mother’s, and you cannot realize how lovely the house looked that night. She had 7 placed them everywhere, and had built pyramids of lights, banked in with flowers, in every available nook and corner. The rooms and halls were brilliantly lighted by the tiny flames, which seemed to me to be flashing from floor to ceiling in every direction, and looked like some lovely fairy scene, far prettier than any b illroom I have since seen. —Southern Girl, m Boston Watchman.