The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, January 12, 1922, Page 4, Image 4
THE CITY SACRED
By .. M. W:-:.s
Of the Scribblers.
People who visit Charleston
either love the city dearly or they
hate it intensely. They:lN form ide
vi<eil o)pinliols olie wav or tle
14ther an<d there is no; mlithdle
groui of indifferenice. Some visi
tor's leave soenmy vowiig to
themselves that, come What maily.
nothing shall ever ilice them to
return: others, *inV others, very
miianiy others depart v:it-hI feelings
of poignant regret. It is possible
to speak of a person as being a
resi<lent of Nev York, or Chi
engo. or even Four I ole Corners.
ai sav little. But reiark that
a man is froI ('harleston and he
is at once dlefined, clhssifiedl. and1
(listillgiuisliet.
Riambling, Spread-olit Charles
ton las not griowii since it was
foldedl bv the I lugeinots several
imilred years :go. It has. how
ever. MCnIIIIIlate<d consilerahly. It
Imight like Washington hv well
cIIle<l the ('itY of Alagnificent
)ist'anlces. The <listanices, sirely,
are there an tle magnificence
too inl a rather limited sense. It
is a typical sea-coast town, an ag
gloieration of narrow, crooked
streets anl dingy houses. No one
cam suggest the slightest reason
for moving to Charlestin. bit
then on the other hand. as the
natives earnestly assure you, n(
one has the slightest excuse for
not being"r born inl Charleston. To
be Ibirl elsewiere is a Imisfortiiie
an<l a grave mistake that no self
respectiig per-.sonl woI<l(I for a
moment consi<ler. Yankees and
lepublicanls, having nto apprecia
tion for the better, finer tliigs inl
life, ia v consi<ler Charleston a
soIrt oif pIuIrgatoIry Vlere sinners
are punish1e<l for earthly sins, but
the true Charlestonianl looks ulponl
his town as being reIIIove<l 'juiist a
few miles this side- -wlic is tie
SIIIIIIY sidle--of the (Iardein of
I'len. iIe cherishes a secret ((I
victionl that 1(oses should have
hieaded for the juiiction of the
Ashley anld the (Cooper inl his
s(Ii rchi for the i Promised laIld.
Certain univoiche< for lege(Is in
the Cit v-bv-the-Sea attriblite the
fabiloius age of somiie of tle old
IIegroIes on the islands to their
passionate <I(t\v(tionl to their home.
Thyre fuse to <tie, feainig they
will lbe homaiesiek'l in IITeaveni.
O)ther also unvouiichietl for lIut of
tei nrepea'lte<I legends have it that
lie lhiirein ini C'harilest on are
taughit to( chan t 'Thl e IIoly~ (City'
'luattery' at the age wvhieinmost
clii ren aure lea rinhg thant oneW good
vell <leserves anoi(thier. I 'robly
such stornies aire' exaggerate(l.
WhI eii youi arive at the Un'aion
Station in Chaiirleston you fiiml
t hat youI1 havye no(t r'eally ariv~ed
:nu Chiarl estoni at atl. Thie buisi -
iiess sec'itin (If the town is dann
grerouisly close15 to twoI iiles a way.
Ii f l y u attempijt to walk the (dis
tanlce is miiaglif iceinitly mi agn ifi -
('(elt. It is thle noich 1bet ter pol icy
t.o a1void ( the octangon-wheeled(
street car is, as then ebaniies are you
will tiniI v(uirself cairri('rI to
I imptonl Park, or the Navy Yard
o. Some other place yoiu have not
the faintest desire of reaching.
The taxi is a recent i inlovation
here, -but. if you are fortilunate
amd appear faily3 prosperous., youl
111ay* seCute a <elapithated liack.,
<lriven by an apparently a ite
bellum nlegro, who lou<dly and
pro<idlY procla iilms that for good
ol-fashione< cooking -the Saint
Jawn's Ilotel, sidh, is the best in
the South.' An<d it actually is
the ibest inl Charleston, with pos
sibly two or three exceptions.
i:he city with its sirroilinim'gs.
offers manyv interesting and beaul
tifiul attractions. Magnolia ( ar
lens. the waterfronlt, the forts on
the islaulds at in the harbor, the
schools ail colleges, the churches,
all are noteworthv. The old
IFrenclIl Market, once a fasilion
able institiut;onl, has nlow fallen
into almost total disuse. thanks to
the telepholne inld the cut-rate
grocery stores. Hlalf of the houses
in Charleston woul keep anl eag
er historical stillent busv the rpe
llainin lal ys (f his life. 'I'lIeY
on(e shelterel (neral Washinr
toi. or have on proi display
shell-holes Ia<le hv the British
during the) bombardment of tihe
city. All of the houses have both
public and private histories which
the owners are ever readY to re
late. The epitaphs in the various
cemeteries read like T)iograplhies
of South Carolinas IMost famlous
men.
The languige--if it enn Ie call
edI such--of the natile negroes
deserves a separate paragraph. It
is like nothing else in the world.
It is anl inescribale gibberish.
Y'oul caI recornize it anywhere,
buit y-oi canl un1dersta-nid it only if
you are onle of the blessed who
call Charleston hoie. Take an in
terpreter along if youl wish to
conT1erse witlh these ierroes.
One of the really delightfill
thIings abouit Charleston is the
leaving of it. This is best accoml
plislied at night. The 'Charles
tol nigles' are not overliead a.z
inig repachfully' at yoIt, 111(l the
inhabitants are not awake to let
yoil kniow t ha t hey gi ve you up as
hopeless. As the train IlIIls la
boriolsly out of the station, you
are not troubled b) y v a single
twinlge of regret. You are glad to
leave and %.oI usuallyA. remain
lal until the followingp Spring
whenl you are seized with ain un
acc'oountablde longing fori th e fish
olf the Sa inlt Jawn's, the siurf of
the Isle (If l'almis, amic the cool
ing br '(eezes oIf th li at tery.
AllI enga gemienits a re fat al. IBe
cau lse they alIways each ini a ro1w or
marriage.
I lush little p)ostumt phup
I)on't you cry.
You'ltl be a ten hioi
A\ brtonze miemuorialI tabl Iet to
cotmmlemnora te the li(rs'es awlic
W~or'ld War ha is heeni erectecd ini
the Wart anid Navy I )epa rtmenit s
Biuildinig at Washintgtoni by the
Aer ican (i I toed Stair Aniiin I Ie
ibf.
Wingf iel ds Drug Store
1443 Main Street
Residence Phone 3054-J
WALTERSFirst Class Service given Uni
DR. G. F. MILLER SHOE SHOP ve eans
I)ENTIST
1122 Main Street
Over Lachicotte's Jewelry 1420 MAIN STREET 1314 Main St. Plone 7421
EVERYHINGStudents, Watch Your Eyesight
ELEGTRIAL Close application io stud) i n (ni
tax o E our vision.
At the otlightest indicati( n of undue strain, Come to
us for a thorotigh examination of your eyeLs. We can
SHANNON-CHILDS quickli tell %~hether gla-ises are necessary.
ELECTRIC CO.Opia _ _ TEE
1518 Main St. Phone 6817 Wiesepape Co.tiBa Sh
McMASTERS
Athletic11s al
Goods
1631 MAIN STREST
1324 Main St,
COLUMBIA, S. C.
LOAF AT
GITMANS'Ne Hasj<
EVERY H asING,,I
BOOK
SHOP from
Nothing but Books O ld-Ones
Why throw away the old hats when by having us clean and reblock
them they will look like new and you get another season's wear out of
W ebster's them. Dig out that last fall hat and save the price of a new one. We
guarantee workmanship and satisfaction.
You will find our clothes cleaning and pressing department satisfying
1518cMin SPho 6817
te service opticlC.57.ANSRE
AOthEletic ple w or rmCnrlDuo
12- Main St.,CoubaS.CANREIIG
COLUMBn tret.,olmbi, SCC
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