There was a widespread hilarity, and a
free use of guns, pistols, and gunpowder generally. The sacredness of
the season seemed to have been almost wholly lost sight of.
During this first Christmas vacation I went some distance from the
town to visit the people on one of the large plantations. In their
poverty and ignorance it was pathetic to see their attempts to get joy
out of the season that in most parts of the country is so sacred and
so dear to the heart. In one cabin I notice that all that the five
children had to remind them of the coming of Christ was a single bunch
of firecrackers, which they had divided among them. In another cabin,
where there were at least a half-dozen persons, they had only ten
cents' worth of ginger-cakes, which had been bought in the store the
day before. In another family they had only a few pieces of
sugarcane. In still another cabin I found nothing but a new jug of
cheap, mean whiskey, which the husband and wife were making free use
of, notwithstanding the fact that the husband was one of the local
ministers. In a few instances I found that the people had gotten hold
of some bright-coloured cards that had been designed for advertising
purposes, and were making the most of these. In other homes some
member of the family had bought a new pistol.
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