USA > Mississippi > Newton County > History of Newton County, Mississippi from 1834 to 1894 > Part 21
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price of land, and there is rarely a panic of any kind when money matters become stringent, but the price of land is affected by it.
There is no doubt but the lands of this county are cheap and that they offer good investment for the per- manent settler. The many advantages connected with our county should induce persons wishing homes to buy the lands of this county. It is no small thing to own a home, a part of this "eminent domain," and to claim citizenship in a county like Newton. Let the young farmer select a piece of land, not too large, go to work and erect a comfortable house, and put a reason- able portion of it under cultivation ; commence to im- prove in a way to be a permanent settler, and in a few years the place will offer attractions which will make it desirable. Let the young men of Newton settle and improve Newton county lands. Distance may "lend enchantment to the view," but it is too often the case that "a rolling stone gathers no moss."
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CHAPTER XXXIV.
SPIRIT OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE COUNTY-QUALITY OF DWELLING HOUSES, FARMS AND FENCES NOW BEING BUILT-EFFORTS TO PASS THE STOCK LAW.
IN all parts of the county may be seen substantial and more permanent improvements. In the early set- tlement the new comers put up such houses as could be conveniently constructed without much help from others. The small log-cabin was the one most usually built to suit the pressing needs of a small family. This house was usually 14x16 or 16x18, sometimes 18x20 feet, of round pine poles, with the bark taken off; one door, one window on the right or left of the chimney, which was made of sticks and dirt, with large fire-place. House covered with split boards, three to four feet long. These houses had no rafters but ridge- poles, and the boards laid on the poles and weighted with other poles; this was on account of having no nails, as they were scarce and high. The floor was often of puncheons. The spaces between the logs, called cracks, were ceiled with boards split, sometimes drawn but usually rough. In this house very fre- quently was done the cooking, this one room serving for bed-room, dining-room and kitchen. This style gave way to larger rooms, then double rooms with hall between, rafters with gable ends, plank floor with com- modious lofts overhead where much household goods were stored, and sometimes formed good sleeping
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apartments when visitors came to see the family. Kitchens were constructed quite a distance from the dwelling; a smoke-house was put up and other im- provements as the county advanced.
The early cabins were enclosed, if enclosed at all, by a rail fence and steps over the fence, not usually a gate. Out-houses consisted of small log crib and stables, with a good lot made of large rail-fence ten rails high, staked and ridered, with bars in- stead of a gate as an entrance to the lot. Very little attention was given to the sheltering of stock, except the work-horses; all others were expected to take the weather. A small field was cleared with no attention given to saving land by circling or hill-side ditching. Little attention paid to taking care of the premises. Very little care in the cultivation of vegetables and fruits.
The spontaneous productions of a new country were largely drawn on for supplies ; afrer the fitst field was well worn another was cleared up and the first turned out to grow up in a second growth of timber. After a time, and by the better class of farmers, better log houses went up; these houses required much work and large help to raise them; they were of heavy hewn logs- sometimes two-story - with shed room, covered with shingles and having brick chimneys ; these were considered fine houses. After the advent of the steam saw-mill came many improvements in the county, and yet when a man had a good log house he did not often change it even if he were able. The log house in the country continued to be the style, with few exceptions, until after the war. It was sometimes the case that a large planter and slave owner would build a fine frame house and paint it white ; the house would usually be very large, well
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built and expensive. It was the admiration of the county. It is now very different ; most of the houses that white people put up are frame, with brick chim- neys, and often brick pillars ; the kitchen is now put under the same roof with the dwelling, with more mod- ern conveniences. In most instances these houses are painted, having glass windows and other adornments of form and finish, more closely resembling the city houses. This is a very commendable spirit and should be encouraged, and whenever a man can build him a comfortable house, in the style of the times, he should do so.
There is a corresponding advance in preparing for stock by the construction of a barn for holding feed, for sheltering stock, and wagons and buggies. Much of the fencing is now done with wire and plank ; this is by far the best fence, and if constructed of good material will last much longer than rail fence.
STOCK LAW.
Much has been said in reference to the stock law ; that is a law to provide that all stock in the county - be enclosed under fence and to allow the fields to be unfenced. Much has been said and written on this subject, and many of the States have the stock law. This county has had it submitted to the voters on two occasions and it has been defeated.
While it will not be the province of this history to advocate or condemn this law, it would be legitimate and right to speak of the benefits accruing from such a course, and also the inconvenience and hardship it will work to others. It is well known that fencing is very expensive ; that large amounts of labor and money are expended yearly for that purpose ; and with all the work and expense, there is much of the
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fencing in the county very badly kept up; and where a test is made, it is seen that there are very few law- ful fences in the county. The census of 1880 estimated that the cost of building and repairing fences for the year 1879 amounted to $36,278, which amount was nearly equal to $3.00 for each inhabitant of the county. This will give the reader an idea of what the yearly labor is on fences in this county. It will not be ex- pected that all this fencing would be done away with if the stock-law were established, for the stock would have to be pastured and good fences kept around them, but it probably would do away with two-thirds of it. To be compelled to fence stock would be to re- duce their numbers. In that event, in proportion to the reduction of the number of stock would be the in- crease in size and usefulness, as far as the cows are concerned; also hogs. It means that we are to have better stock of all kinds; that will be better attended to, always on hand when wanted, not troubling the growing crop, and have not free access to the fields.
After the crops are gathered stock do cultivated lands nearly as much harm as the crop that has grown on them. The hungry stock in the winter denude the fields of everything that is expected to go back to the soil, tramp the land when wet, bury the grass and seed deep in the soil, and cause many washes that would not otherwise occur if stock were not allowed to go on the fields. The older States that have tried the stock law, all favor it, and would not, if they could, have the old law in force. The enclosure of the stock by the older States, means more meat, much more milk and butter, better horses, better crops, and less anxiety and trouble with the stock. Even the great State of Texas, more than five times larger than Mississippi, and having the best grazing lands of any State in the
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Union, has long since had the stock law. Persons com . plain that it would work hardships on the poor man, who has no land, and that he would have to dispose of his stock and be entirely without the comforts and ben- efits which they bring him. This is answered by the no- fence man that the poor man who has no land is usu- ally a tenant, and that tenant can always be accom- modated to pasture land by assisting the landlord to fix pasture fences, and share the benefits of his grass. Take the expense and labor into consideration ; take the difference in the quality of stock, their better grade and greater weight, being always ready at the com- mand of the owner, there is much to commend the no- fence law. The improvement to the uncleared land is another reason why stock should be kept up. If the new lands in the woods are allowed to remain with un- disturbed growth for a series of years, the accumula- tion and shade on the ground will much improve the soil.
As the country grows older it is expected the peo- ple will see the necessity of making all the needed improvements, and will adapt them to suit the de- mands and emergencies. There having been two un. successful efforts to pass the stock-law, when pre- sented to the people again it may result in a similar vote. Yet the time will come when the necessity of passing it will be presented, and then they will act · promptly upon it.
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CHAPTER XXXV.
BY CO-OPERATIVE EFFORT WHAT MAY BE DONE IN NEWTON COUNTY-EMIGRATION VS. IMMIGRATION.
THAT the county of Newton offers many advan- tages to permanent settlers, there is no doubt-not only for persons who have been born in the county, but those seeking a home from other States. There is nothing like co-operation among the citizens of any city, town or county, to make all its advantages and resources available. There is nothing more necessary for men living in any county, to be content with their homes; to feel satisfied to stay there and to make permanent and substantial improvements, and feel that they are settled for life ; whenever these things are assured, men will go to work to make themselves comfortable and put such improvements on their places, that every year they become more and more enhanced in value; become more and more desirable to the owner and attractive to those who visit our county with a view to settling in it.
Newton county possesses many attractive features for settlement. In the first place, it is considered to have good health, which is one of the blessings of life. The census of 1890 places Newton county as having the greatest number of persons to the family, it being 5.80, except two counties in the State, which are Cov- ington, 5.90, and Lawrence, 5.91. This, of itself, shows the hygenic condition of its population, that they
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enjoy a greater immunity from disease than in almost any other part of the State."
The marriage licenses issued in the last five years average 150 each year. It has run as high as 170 in one year. This shows a disposition of the young peo- ple of the county to marry at home, as in most in- stances both parties live in, and remain in the county.
Newton county has fine water and in great abund- ance in springs and creeks, and the most excellent wells ; also timber for building and wood. A soil that in many parts is rich or highly productive. Its poor lands, and those that have been worn down, are suscep- tible of very great improvement, which enables the farmer to continue his old lands under cultivation and to improve from year to year, and in a series of crops each will be seen to be an improvement on the former. These farms are yearly being improved by being fer- tilized and drained, and thereby become more valu- able. Land hunters, instead of going to distant States and places where lands are high, will seek the ones which are so attractive and made valuable by care and attention. There is no doubt but this county is capa- ble of producing a great variety of crops. If the far- mer is not suited with the crop most common to be cultivated, he can plant a variety of others known to be remunerative.
There is no doubt but we have a well governed and law abiding people. The school and church privileges are good; Sabbath School interests predominate in the county ; no liquors sold in its borders. To be able to bring up a family which has not been the vic- tims of the open saloons, nor subjected to the demor- alizing influences of such persons who frequent them, and to be privileged to raise up boys who have not seen every day the vice of the race course and gam-
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bling table, is certainly a consideration of great value. Our county is free from these, and all the advantages enumerated are great incentives to live in such society.
The innovations of polite society are sufficiently felt in our midst as to give us good manners, and to teach us good breeding, and a sufficiency of refinement to pass if we were thrown into circles demanding such change of deportment. Of high grades of society and sticklers for etiquette we do not have much to boast, and as little to crave. It is well understood that if our youth, when they leave home, are moral and educated, and if they propose to change citizenship, that they will readily adapt themselves to the more refining influences of better society.
That we have good railroads and good railroad towns, where the farmers may buy and sell to the best advantage, there is no doubt. The towns of Newton county offer some of the best advantages of any in the State. What we need is, by all means to hold on to our good citizens who have been born and raised in our county ; to offer special induce- . ments to good working, self-sustaining people to come into our county to live ; to commence a syste- matic and substantial improvement in everything con- nected with our county, morally, religiously, and by a thorough enforcement of our laws; of a strict observ- ance of the Sabbath, an encouragement of the spirit of temperance, as now practiced, with an effort to im- prove it; a general move n the way of improving the appearance of every residence and farm in the county ; to study how to keep the soil on the hillside; to ro- tate crops, and cultivate so as to improve and not im- poverish the fields ; to fertilize liberally and intelli- gently ; lessening the acres planted and increasing
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the crops ; carefully drain every low piece of ground ; terrace every level and slope so as to retain and not lose what is reserved on the land.
Improve the stock of all kinds by liberal feed and good shelter-having finer stock and making them better. Let every planter make it his motto-if it can possibly be avoided-to learn to do without rather than go in debt. Avoid extravagance, even if the money is plentiful.
Let the merchants so conduct their business that . large credit sales will be avoided. Not take great risks, or let their accounts run too long without set- tlement. Make small profits and be sure of the money ; do not employ too much force to conduct business. Give close attention to all details of a mercantile establishment. Buy for the cash if possible, and save the discounts. Do not despise the day of small things, and do not try to make all the money in one year. Give close attention, practice economy in everything, and success will follow. Let it be understood that the farmer, merchant, lawyer, doctor, school teacher and preacher, are all necessary to make up a good com- munity. Let each feel that he is to some extent de- pendent on the other. Each has a separate work in society, and all should harmonize and co- operate, so as to let the work of one be felt and benefitted by the other. By constant effort in this direction our county is sure to improve. In a short time rapid strides in the direction of an increase of population will be seen. The price of lands will appreciate when they become scarce in market, and that will be effected by greater population. Then it is that the owner becomes alive to their value. Then it is that he will persevere in his efforts to still further improve and beautify his home. There will be great.
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demand for land in Newton county, because it is pleasant, healthy, convenient to market, good climate, with never a failure in the crops; always rain and sunshine, with four months of mild winter and eight months of delightful weather ; a rainfall of from 56 to 60 inches in twelve months ; a mean temperature of . . 65 to 70°, and the extreme of heat 100°, and of cold at 15°.
Taking all things into consideration, we may con- gratulate ourselves that we have a county of which we ought to be proud -- one making rapid strides to the front, doing much for the elevation of its citizens and the morals of society. Our taxes are only $9.00 on the thousand dollars, which is less than most of the coun- ties of the State. If we do our duty we will continue · to prosper, and we may expect to secure some of the best citizens of other counties and States to settle and make permanent homes with us. We have no reason to be discouraged if we will work together. Any want of co-operation on our part, any disposition on the part of citizens not to perform their duty, and not to encourage union and good feeling, and a failure to perform such duties as have been enumerated, would not only do much to discourage those who have full confidence in the ultimate success and advancement of Newton county, but will discourage those who grow up from year to year, and who are seeking an oppor- tunity to invest money in homes and business. Also would discourage any immigration to our county ; would serve only to operate in the direction for evil to the material prosperity of our county.
It is a grievous thing to know that so many of the citizens of Newton county, who were born and raised here, and have been in this county many years, are seek. ing homes in distant lands. They go where the lands
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are high in some instances, where crops are uncertain, and have great lack of rains. Many sell out in this county, take small prices for their lands and go to a new country, and when they reach their new homes they have not enough money to make investments ; they are consequently renters ; they pay enough rent on each acre of land they cultivate every year, to buy good lands in this county. They have many in- conveniences in the way of no timber, great scarcity of water, and much more rigorous climate. When a poor man goes to one of these States he is more likely to remain poor. If he have money to start with, it is probable he will stand a better chance of making more. Our doors are open to all who come with a view to improve the county and be self-sustain- ing ; who will cultivate the soil or go into any other business by which they can add to the material wealth of the county or give employment to others. Yet we would rather allow our lands to grow up wild and have no immigration, than have such a class as would be offensive to our citizenship and of such character , as would add nothing in the way of morality or law- abiding persons -such as know nothing of our laws and care less for our prosperity.
Newton county has probably 17,000 to 18,000 popu- lation ; if it could by judicious management and proper encouragement, induce other persons to come to our county and increase its numbers to 35,000 or to 40,000, · everything would assume a new phase. More enter- prise, more wealth, more and various industries would spring up all over the county. . The fine timbers and hard woods now needing development would be a profitable investment to those handling them. The land would be taken up ; the old lands would be greatly improved ; new lands would be much enhanced in
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value, and everything that now lags would act with new life. We would have more produced, better churches, better schools, better school-houses ; our towns would double their size in population and bus- iness ; our railroads would be improved; our taxes- though much smaller than many counties-would still be less; a more dense population always tends to greater aggregation of capital and more expensive in- vestments ; and under such circumstances our county would become a manufacturing as well as agricultural people. Banks would spring up in our towns, and many things to enliven business and encourage a still further increase of population, which means larger wealth and more importance of our county in the State.
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CHAPTER XXXVI.
PROFESSIONAL MEN OF THE COUNTY.
. THE professional men of Newton county will come in these pages for something more than if they were men who devote themselves to the ordinary pursuits of life. It is expected when a man assumes the posi- tion of a professional, that if he is not, he should be, learned above his fellows. Consequently, he should prepare himself, first, by better education, and then by continuous study, and particularly those branches pertaining to his profession, so as to meet the exigen- cies or any emergencies into which he may be thrown. There is a grave responsibility resting upon a man as- suming the duties devolving upon him in the line of his profession. If he is a lawyer, he is expected to understand the laws of his State, and a general knowl- edge of jurisprudence. He should be able at once to advise a client as to what course to pursue if his ser- vices are called into requisition. The lawyer is a very useful man, and when one is needed there is no way to get along without him.
The laws are intended to be just ; the lawyer is ex- pected to know what the law is and claim it for his client. The law is intended to right those who are wronged, and yet sometimes a man thinks he is right and is very ofter mistaken ; when the light and justice of law and equity are thrown into the scales against him, he has no case before the court. Again, a man 21
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may fail to get justice even in the midst of the most enlightened community and the ablest judges and profound lawyers. Upon what hypothesis should these facts be based, that men with good causes fail to get justice and those with bad causes come out the winners in law, when all is supposed to be founded on justice and equal rights to all ?
There are often failures in juries to do their duty ; then failure in the witnesses to testify truthfully ; then sometimes legal technicalities which, to the uneduca- ted, are a perversion of justice ; and lastly, the elo- " quent and argumentative appeals of able and some- times unscrupulous attorneys that hold the destinies of their clients in their grasp. Hence the great respon- sibility resting on the lawyer. The lawyers are the men who make the laws of the country, hold the most important offices in the government, control politics, govern and form all legislation, direct most of the large corporations of the country, and dictate a policy by which the country and people are controlled ; all will then agree that they are important factors in any country.
The physician has also a very delicate and respon- sible position in society. He should be a man of good common sense, well read and entirely sober, to be a suitable man to practice physic. He should be well acquainted with all the theories of medicine and prac- tice, the effects of various drugs upon the whole sys- tem, to be able to diagnose a case, and act with promptness and decision. Yet many very useful doc- tors are not always very learned men ; and on the con- trary, many learned men, theoretically, are not skilled practitioners. Much depends upon a man's good, com- mon sense, and the knowledge of what is the matter with his patients, and a careful and conscientious re-
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gard for human life. The lawyer's responsibility to his client often involves his monied interests. The · doctor's responsibility to his patient often involves his life. Both are great, but the doctor's is the greater.
The minister of the gospel is another very impor- tant professional, and upon him devolves a great and important work. The assumption of clerical duties and preaching of the word of God and teaching and warning the people, should be entered into with the greatest solicitude. The most important thing con- nected with the preacher is to know or feel that he is divinely called to preach. This should first be satis- factorily settled in any preacher's mind. and then his life should fully conform to all the requirements of his holy office. God does not judge a man by his ex- cellency of speech, enticing words and eloquent lan- guage; but upon his faithful discharge of duty, stand. ing as a true sentinel on the walls of Zion, and giving the alarm when the enemy approaches. Should he not do this, and the city is taken, the blood of the people shall be required at his hands. The two professions heretofore mentioned, one responsible for money, one responsible for life, while a third is responsible for a man's soul-surely of all the responsibilities, this last is the greatest.
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