USA > Maryland > Montgomery County > Sandy Spring > Annals of Sandy Spring history of a rural community in Maryland, Volume 1 > Part 7
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that robin-the robin will eat many thousand insects this spring-many apples, peaches, plums, &c., escape deadly injury." It was to be expected that the colored people, so long denied the use of guns, would manifest a disposi- tion to abuse the privileges suddenly granted to them, and I verily believe this is one cause of the recent dimi- nution in the number of the feathered tribe, "enlivening companions of the spring." It is to be hoped that along with their other new acquirements our colored folks will learn so much natural history as will acquaint them with the use and purpose of birds.
Our neighborhood has continued to afford during the year past, ample facilities for the best sort of female educa- tion. But for " those not termed girls," there seems to be still a great want only partially supplied. Six youths have been sent away to distant places for the instruction that ought to be provided in some way nearer home.
The subject of least satisfaction to our pride has been left for the last. During the forty years that I have been conversaut with the condition of our dear old Sandy Spring, there has never been so much said about " hard times" as in the past year. What is the real meaning of it? The essential comforts of life appear to abound ; nobody has been sold out or sent to jail. Merchants are busy; mechan- ies still have employment, farmers have ample occupation for their own industry and that of the laboring class; but there is-pressure. The true nature of this state of things is well worthy of inquiry. Having bestowed considerable reflection upon this subject, and made some calculations in regard to it, I will briefly state the conclusions which have been arrived at.
In order to see how far those persons are correct who trace the difficulties to the heavy drain on our resources
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required for national expenses, let us look at the figures. The people of our neighborhood as now defined, constitute nearly one one-hundred-thousandth part of the whole pop- ulation. If we regard ourselves, as I think we may, as forming a fair average between the luxurious livers of the cities and the plain men of the rural districts, we are thus mulcted, directly and indirectly, in the round sum of $3000 annually. This is an average tax of about forty-five dollars to each family; rather heavy certainly, but not enough to break any one down, unless as " the straw that breaks the camel's back." The load must be up to the breaking point before; and that is where the difficulty lies. For several
years in recent times, the receipts of our people were con- siderably greater than they had been previously. By a very natural law, expenses went up in a similar ratio. This was very satisfactory, easy and pleasant. But when potatoes, hay, &c., falling in price or quantity, or both, brought down one side of the balance-sheet, it was not so satisfactory to bring down the other side in the same proportion. Now the accurate adjustment of expenses to receipts is the great financial business of life. It is something that has to be done either voluntarily or involuntarily. The wise man does it voluntarily and in advance. In order that this may be accomplished, the practice of keeping accounts, in some simple, correct mode, should be learned by farmers, who as a class greatly need the instruction.
If the inquiry were made of our merchants in regard to the aggregate amount of sales during the past year, as compared with preceding years, it would be found, I am told, that there has been no diminution in that respect. though perhaps rather more delay in collections. Which shows that expenses have not been reduced. Now it is evident, that to make the balance-sheet right it is necessary
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either to diminish expenses, or to increase receipts-one, or both.
It is well to bear in mind, as the final lesson of the day, that the method of increasing production is much prefer- able to the other plan. A large, liberal, judicious expen- diture (taking due care of the other end of the purse) is the proper accompaniment of national and domestic prosperity.
CHAPTER VII.
FROM FOURTH MONTH, 1869, TO FOURTH MONTH, 4TH, 1870.
Descriptions of Sandy Spring by William Darby, Moncure D. Conway, and A. G. Riddle, Esq. - " Noblesse oblige" -A dull year - Disappointments about the railroad- Ashton Turnpike - Wheat, oats and corn fairly good, despite the rainless months- Low prices cause reduction of seed -Hay comes to the rescue -On the whole, " a thankful year " - The 16 year interval -The Societies flourish, and a new one. " The Sociable " -"Supper left out " - Lectures by B. Hallowell, A. G. Riddle, T. C. Taylor and Mr. Coleman - The girls ahead of the boys in respect of education -Yet the report is of mar- riages, None ! - Other statistics interesting.
We begin this year's review of neighborhood events by taking a glance at the past. Your historian holds strongly the opinion which he has heretofore frequently expressed, that it is impossible to attain to a right comprehension of the present actual condition of a country, neighborhood, or individual, without referring to the situation in former years and tracing the successive steps of progress. An account has been given in the first part of this book of the early history of Sandy Spring neighborhood, and a sketch of its carly experiences. At the present time your
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attention is invited to three several striking views taken of us at intervals of about twenty years. They are drawn by the hands of three individuals who are perhaps the most remarkable for intellectual endowments of all the visitors or transient dwellers among us, that have been known by me, being men of unique and decided genius.
Nearly forty years ago, William Darby wrote and pub- lished in one of the popular magazines of the period a sketch of the neighborhood, as it appeared to him; from which are extracted the following lines :
"Sandy Spring is one of those nooks from which we can see the stir of the great Babel, and not feel the crowd. In all my wanderings over this world of care, and those wanderings were brief neither in time nor space, I have seen no spot where, if my choice was under my own control, I could so willingly spend the evening of my days. The hand that traces these rude lines has been embrowned in the wilds of the West and under the burning sun of Arkansas, Florida and Louisiana; it has been benumbed in the snows of Canada. Under every sky I have visited I have found warm, sincere and noble hearts; but such were in most instances single flowers that bloom alone. In the society of Sandy Spring we find a whole garden. It is a society where useful employment is honor, and where mental improvement goes hand in hand with toil ; where no door is shut upon the traveller," &c.
From this delineation drawn by "a diamond in the rough," we pass twenty years onward to a period when there came among us a young man, whose name has siint become widely and creditably known, both in this country and in England. In age. in cireninstances, education at: character, Moncure D. Conway is exceedingly unlike the writer just quoted; yet observe how similar the strain in
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which he speaks. Writing from London, where he was enjoying familiar social intercourse with Carlyle, Tennyson, Browning, Newman, and other literary mag- nates, he says :
" My first tottering steps toward the kingdom of heaven were taken at Sandy Spring. And now that old neighbor- hood, and they who dwell there, have receded into (or gone ahead into) a golden age. Often in the twilight I revisit the old scenes and faces; and sometimes have a vision of myself in old age returning to that spot where I buckled on my armor for a long and weary war. * Ah, how often have I longed for the old woodland walks, the dreams and glories of the days when every bush was a ' burning bush' there in Sandy Spring."
In a book published by Mr. Conway in England, which went through several editions during the war, he describes his first impressions on visiting the neighborhood. "It was quite different," he says, " from any I had ever seen. So beautiful and cheerful was this Quaker neighborhood, with its bright homes and fields filled with happy laborers, the only happy negroes I had anywhere known, that I always experienced an exhilaration in riding there ; and have often gone several miles out of my way to go through it to my appointments. I could tell the very line on the ground where the ordinary Maryland ended and the Quaker region began. I found on further acquaintance that I was in a place where mental culture was general, where there was a good circulating library and excellent schools, and the interior life of Sandy Spring more attractive even than the exterior."
Another interval of nearly twenty years passed by, bringing us to very recent thnes, when an observer arrives in the neighborhood, who is altogether as different in
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profession, character and style of talents from the two men last named, as they from one another. During his stay in this vicinity, Hon. A. G. Riddle sent to an Ohio newspaper a communication from which the following descriptive remarks are extracted : "I am in the heart of an old-time community of Quakers, who occupy all these lovely slopes and valleys for miles around, with their fine farms and beautifully embowered residences. They are a rich, cultivated and serene, thoughtful, contemplative, cheerful and social people, with many really learned men among them. "There are some sixty or seventy families who have occupied this section of Maryland for seventy or eighty years" (he should have said " for a century and a half"). "Eighty or ninety years ago they emancipated their slaves, who, with their descendants, live on small farms around. At Sandy Spring is their store, postoffice, Lyceum, school house, &c., and there too, under the grand old oaks in the margin of a deep wood, is their meeting house. The whole community, southern in type, bat northern in political sentiments, is made up of cultivated and refined people. I have seen a good deal of them; and, on the whole, I think they manage to get about as much out of life and the world, in the way of quiet, cheerful happiness, as any people I have ever met."
However rose-colored these descriptions may appear to ourselves, they are unquestionably the sincere expression of sentiments of three truthful and gifted observers --- outsiders too, and with no selfish interest whatever in this region of ours. The question now suggested to us is, what can we (who are stated above to have. the talent of getting " so much out of life and the world "), how in ... it can we get out of the foregoing portraitures ? The poet says, and every wise person has thought the same:
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"Oh, wad some power the giftie g"'e us To see ourselves as ithers see us, It wad frae mony a blunder free us, And foolish notion ! "
There is one notion removed by these descriptions of the past, which I have heard expressed by sensible, but misinformed observers, namely, that the fame of Sandy Spring is entirely of recent origin and due in large part to modern importations; which is not so. I might have gone back more than forty years to a considerably more remote period, and shown that already in those early days the neighborhood had a reputation extending into the adjoining States or provinces, both to the North and the South. Whether deserved or undeserved, the praise goeth back to ancient times; "the people are to the manner born."
It is to be remarked that all those flattering expressions are from outsiders. £ However graciously they may be received, I have never known the parties immediately con- cerned to make use of such expressions, except in the way - of quotations, contributing to amusement. It is no fault of ours that people will talk so about us; neither is it likely to do us harm. Only weak-minded persons are hurt by this sort of encomiums, which are taken at their real value by the reflecting, who know themselves and their own imperfections better than others can know then. The approval of the judicious is a wholesome encourage- ment and stimulant, especially to the young. An ancient and animating motto, originating in the times of French chivalry,-" Noblesse oblige,"-admonishes us in that condensed phrase, that nobleness of origin creates an obli- gation to perform noble actions and live noble lives. If our young people will take this sentiment to heart, and
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buckle up earnestly to the work that devolves on them, so that some intelligent visitor to Sandy Spring, twenty, forty, sixty years hence shall be able to write and print such flattering descriptions of the neighborhood as those above transcribed, the local historian of the future will doubt- less copy them with a satisfaction very similar to mine.
And now it becomes my duty to relate the incidents and the performances of the year. Such a neighborhood so highly spoken of ought to make decided progress every year of its existence. It may be the fault of the historian, but the achievements of the past year do not strike him as having been very exciting. On the contrary, it has been rather a dull yea ; and that is one reason why he has been induced to borrow some interest by recurring to the long past.
To those who have been for years yearning for a railroad, and who were quite recently excited by strong hopes of an early accomplishment of our desires, it has been a tanta- lizing year. The arrival of engineers to complete the survey and location of the Laurel Branch was anxiously expected from month to month ; but they failed to come. Some relief was experienced in reading the proceedings of Congress, looking to a new line running from Washington City northward : a considerable degree of uncertainty still hangs over that prospect. To aggravate our disappoint- ments, we have been favored within the last week with a long list, published in the principal newspaper of the State, of the various railroads contemplated in Maryland, but not making even the slightest allusion to a route through Sandy Spring .. All this succession of disappointments would be enough to damp the ardor of the most sanguine, were it not for a deep-rooted conviction still held by some of the best-informed persons, that the railroad from Point
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of Rocks through Laurel is a necessity to the B. & O. R. R. and therefore must be made. To those determined be- lievers there are not wanting unmistakable signs of that which is to come to pass : signs that will be visible to others erclong.
In the meantime, without waiting for the railroad, but wisely putting their own shoulders to the wheel, the resi- dents of the eastern section of the neighborhood have made energetic and successful exertions to procure subscriptions for an important turnpike from Ashton to Washington City. The experience of this open winter has confirmed the opinion that roads made of dirt, however ridged and · drained, cannot be relied on for the season when transpor- tation is chiefly carried on by farmers. Stone roads are now the great desideratum. The benefit of those pre- viously made in our section is universally acknowledged. In this reference to turnpikes, it is worth while to record the amount of tolls collected at the Ashton gate for the last twelve months, $328.81 ; in the previous year, $312, vary- ing slightly from being twenty-seven dollars per month for the last three years.
The amount of agricultural produce in the neighbor- hood the past year may be considered a fair average, not- withstanding a severe drought that prevailed through the middle and latter part of the summer. The yield of wheat, as reported in the Farmers' Club, averaged twenty bushels per acre: probably the quantity sown was not so large as in some years. Oats yielded unusually well and its price made it a profitable crop; the amount sown was not large. The great staple, corn, came up much nearer to the average than was anticipated during the rainless months. Perhaps this favorable yield of a crop considered so dependent on a proper supply of moisture affords a
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more convincing evidence than any we have lately had of the increased productive capacity which our farms have attained. The other partial staple of the neighborhood, potatoes, also yielded well; not much complaint about the quantity, but a great deal about the price. The fall- ing off in this respect will cause a reduction in the number of acres to be planted in the spring, to little more than one-third of the seed put in the ground the past two or three years.
With wheat and potatoes at half price, the income of our farmers has been seriously affected. One crop, how- ever, came in to the rescue. Fortunately the hay crop was full in quantity, and fairly remunerating in price. Fruit was abundant, as it had not been for a number of years. On the whole one may say, looking fairly into the actual results of the past year, that, although we cannot call it at prosperous one, we may still find much to be thankful for. Especially for this: the farmer's life presents such a variety of resources that it is scarcely possible all should fail. And the most valuable conclusions we can gather from this fact is that we should avail ourselves of it, by increasing the variety of our productions as much as practicable.
There can be no harm in mentioning that the present writer has for several years been anticipating a drought for the year 1870; there being evidence of the remarkable fact that the four dryest seasons of tlie present century up to date were in 1806, 1822, 1838 and 1854, which show an interval of sixteen years. This would bring the period of regillar drought round to the present year. Your 1. torian gives notice that if the drought should not come, he will shelter his prediction under the fact that it came last summer, which was only one year too soon.
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The boast of our neighborhood, referring entirely to the declaration of others concerning us, is, that "mental im- provement goes hand in hand with toil." What are the triumphs of the year in a social and literary way ?
The four settled institutions, clubs and associations, have all gone ahead in their usual interesting and im- proving course. That outgrowth of the Horticultural Society, the annual fair, held in the ninth month at Ly- ceum Hall, was highly successful at its last celebration, if we may jadge from the opinions freely expressed by outsiders.
It would deserve a more detailed account than the his- torian can give, he not being present. Another literary association, which has taken the name of the "Sociable," was organized, and has held its first meeting. From the plan and arrangements adopted, there is reason to hope this young institution may be productive of practical ad- vantage and improvement in several ways, if its members "stick." If they do it will be the more creditable to them, because they have left out the supper, which has hereto- fore been found an essential accompaniment of all our permanent associations.
The exercises proper to this building, and for which it was principally erected, have been rather less frequent than usual, yet not altogether neglected. Indeed; the lec- tures, though not very numerous, were, in respect of quality, quite up to par, if not above it. We had three during the year; one upon Cuba, by Hon. A. G. Riddle, one upon the Indians, by Benjamin Hallowell, and one upon the Yose- mite Valley, by T. C. Taylor, which were not behind any of the previous addresses. The lecture upon Ocean Cur- rents, by Mr. Coleman, is also well worthy of special men- tion. - Our next favor in this line depends somewhat on
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Mr. Riddle, whose leisure and convenience are questions which our secretary must solve. When the lecture comes we can all warrant its excellent quality.
The schools have well maintained their character. The school at Sandy Spring has been conducted with increased excellence under several professors, male and female. Still there is a want, sensibly felt, of a school for boys of higher grade, if they are to keep up with the girls. Somehow or other it has happened that for many years in the neigh- borhood, the fair sex have held the reputation of being ahead in this business of education, and have no doubt deserved it. Now the question comes in this connection, whether it is owing to this fact of feminine supremacy in culture, that I am obliged to make a record such as was never made before in the seven years which are covered by this narrative, namely, of marriages in the year, none ; number of births, eight, pretty well distributed round the neighborhood, except in the central parts ; number of deaths belonging properly to Sandy Spring, four.
The Savings Institution made better progress during its second year than was expected, even by its sanguine supporters.
Present Year.
First Year.
Receipts in Bank,
$16,684.24
$9,545
Amount withdrawn,
6,873.82
2,665
Interest accrued,
771.51
240
On deposit,
16,115.75
7,120
No. of depositors,
266
183
Results which may be viewed as encouraging in several respects. Times cannot be so very hard.
Before taking final leave of the annals of '69-70, I will ask you to revive with me the recollection of the evening
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of the 18th January. A literary entertainment had been provided, consisting of readings, recitations, &c., some of them novel in their character. The hall was full to its greatest comfortable capacity, and the attention and inter- est of the audience were evidently sustained in a lively manner, to the close of the proceedings. The perfor- mances were in a general way highly satisfactory, giving assurance that our neighborhood need never want for entertainments of this sort, if only the necessary enterprise is used in getting them up.
But there was a gratification experienced on that oc- casion, while viewing the room and its occupants, beyond the amusement of the moment, in speculating upon the living material there collected together. Reflecting that the future of Sandy Spring is to be built up mainly of that material, your historian found great satisfaction in observing that it had never appeared to better advantage. The material is still sound at heart; and the building must rise higher and higher from year to year: whether the progress shall be fast or slow will depend entirely on the care taken to develop and employ the intelligence necessary to direct the mode of structure, to discover its proper place for cach tie and brace and beam, to dress and shape them rightly, and to do all the work as under the eye of the Master Builder.
Note: Some additional statistics of interest have been prepared by inquiring friends, which, on being carefully verified, are considered worthy of a place in the record.
Number of men over 21 being without wives, 18; num- ber of women over 21 being without husbands, 60; num- ber of widows, 90 ; number of widowers, 2!
Does this last exhibit indicate (as has been savagely as- serted) that the men take ten times as good care of their wives as the wives do of their husbands ?
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CHAPTER VIII.
FROM 4TH MONTH, 4TH, 1870, TO FOURTH MONTH, 3D, 1871.
Reasons for commencing the Lyceum year with the 4th month -- Moralizing - Advance of the seasons - Of the 16 year prophecy - Census of Friends' Monthly Meeting, and of our agriculture -- New buildings -On roads, the Norwood Branch -Silence about " Railroad "- " The Home Interests" -- The Farmer's Club in reference to the moon- Oyster Shell Lime vs. Phos- phates-County Agricultural Fair in place of the Horticul- tural - The Sociable takes up the subject of amusements --- Society and late hours - The " Marriage gale " - Fears for the Lyceum -- Visit of Caroline Talbott.
I ask you to join with me in self-congratulation upon the circumstance of our having accidentally fixed this special period as the commencement of our Lyceum year. It is very near about the time which was used by our fore- fathers for centuries as the beginning of the civil year : and. although some pestilent reformers, just one hundred and twenty years ago, changed the old arrangements, mak- ing New Year's Day come near about midwinter (on the same perverse principle by which the day begins in the middle of the night), still it is undeniable that nature has selected this particular period in average seasons for be- grinning her year. It has also been found in most other neighborhoods with which I am acquainted, to be the best season for business arrangements connected with passing from one year into the next. In the northern counties of this State, and in some of the adjacent States, the first of April, as I am told, is the people's moving day, renting day, hiring day, and general. settlement day. It is con-
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