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THE SOUTHERN WORLD, NOVEMBER 1, 1882.
if
fellE YOSEttITE VALLEY op THE
SOUTH.
That section of the country lying between
the Air-Line junction on the Atlanta and
Charlotte division of the Richmond and Dan
ville railroad, 78 miles from Atlanta, Geor
gia, and the city of Knoxville, Tennessee, is
comparatively an unknown land to the great
body of the people. Those who have trav
eled through it pronounce it unsurpassed by
the Yosemite Valley of California. Here is
a region of intense picturesqueness, where
lofty mountains cast their shadows over fer
tile valleys and winding streams laugh their
way onward to the ocean. Two parallel
chains of mountains intersect it The Smoky
whose names we do not call to mind. At
one place, within twenty feet of the survey
is a perpendicular rock, 100 feet high. At
another point is an Indian mound which
was once the centre of the old Cowee Indian
town. The only tunnel is at Indian Gap,
718 feet long, 187 feet high. The altitude of
the line is 2,144 feet. The country abounds
in metals and ores, and vast tracts of valu
able timber, such os black walnut, chestnut,
yellow poplar, locust, and the buckeye,
which grows to a large size. Here the tim
ber, mines and water power are close to
gether, and the transportation facilities will
largely develop this whole country.
Tallulah will be the Saratoga of the South.
Everything is tending in that direction.
RABUN GAP, FROM GEORGIA SIDE.
Mountains and the Blue Ridge, with heavy
cross chains forming the highest peaks found
from the St Lawrence to the Gulf, and ex
hibiting the grandest view of topographi
cal features to be seen anywhere in an
equal area. Diversified with mountains
separated by streams which have carved out
in their tortuous course, wide valleys and
plateaus, with areas in many places cover
ing several square miles of arable lands, at
altitudes varying from 1,000 to 4,000 feet
above the level of the sea. Passing from one
table land to another the streams usually
.descend the deep gorges and canyons by pre
cipitous inclines, presenting in small streams
.beautiful cascades, and in those of greater
magnitude terrific falls, which unite with
the Tennessee.
The boundary lines of the States of South
Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Ten
nessee all run through the territory to be
penetrated by a railroad to be called the Ra
bun Gap Short Line. This line commences
at the boundary line between Georgia and
North Carolina at what is locally known as
Locust Stake on the western bank of the
head waters of the Little Tennessee. The sur
vey for the route follows the beautiful valley
of the Little Tennessee, which isclearly desig
nated by nature, to within the Cowee range
of mountains on the east and Nantahala
mountains on the west. Cutting the Smoky
mountains at the Tennessee line the survey
leaves the river and diverges to the right
over a rolling country to Maryville, Tennes
see, where it connects with the Knoxville
.and Augusta railroad. The Northeastern
railroad of Georgia is being extended to Ra
bun Gap so as to complete the link in this
route, leaving the Air-Line road at the junc
tion, 78 miles from Atlanta.
Tho illustrations on this page we present
simply to give an idea of Rabun Gap, bu*
they give but a meagre inference of the lovely
views and grandeur of this section.
The completed line will afford the traveler
an abundant view of the attractions of the
country. It either crosses or runs close to
Tallulah, Nantahala, Valley, Tuckasagee,
Cullasaja, and Little Tennessee rivers, and
either crosses or is in full view of Mulberry,
Commissioners, Tessentee, Coweta, Crossway,
Bkeenab, Cahtoogaha, Rocky Branch, Iotla,
Cowee, Tabor’s Mill, Alarka, Stecoe,
Chambers, Equahnetta, Hazel, Eagle,Twenty
mile, Checoe, Yellow-hammer, Stick Rock,
Rabbit, Tallassa, Mill, Conner's Abram’s
.and Cltico creeks.
Near this line are the famous Tallulah
falls, Siekoih falls, Estatoe falls and others
To show the importance of this line we
give the following table of distances made
by a distinguished engineer:
Cincinnati to Emory Gap, 258 miles.
“ “ Knoxville, 296 “
Knoxville “ Toccoa, 163 “
Toccoa " Augusta, 116 “
Augusta “ Charleston, 137 “
Cincinnati'to Toccoa 459, to Augusta 574,
to Charleston 711. Via Elberton Air-Line.
Cincinnati to Lula 473 miles.
” Athens 512 “
“ " Augusta 616 “
“ ” Charleston 753 “
Via Athens' and Georgia rail'
road.
Cincinnati to Toccoa 459 miles.
“ “ Seneca 486 “
" “ Columbia 637 "
" “ Charleston 767 “
Via Seneca and Columbia
South Carolina.
Cincinnati to Charleston by
Rabun Gap 711 miles.
Cincinnati to Charleston by \V.
<fc A. R. R. 781 miles.
Cincinnati to Port Royal by
Rabun Gap 686 miles.
Cincinnati to Port Royal by
W. & A. R. R. 756 miles.
Cincinnati to Savannah by
Rabun Gap 706 miles.
Cincinnati to Savannah by W.
A A. R. R. 766 miles.
Cincinnati to Atlanta by Ra
bun Gap 539 miles.
Cincinnati to Atlanta by \V. &
A. R. R. 473 miles.
Washington to Atlanta by Ra
bun Gap 715 miles.
Washington to Atlanta by W.
<fc A. R. R. 722 miles.
Washington to Atlanta by
Piedmont 659 miles.
This line torma a part of the
great system of railroads known
as the Richmond and Danville.
Good and Had Management.
House-keeping is an accomplishment that
to be agreeable and attractive, requires much
thought, care and attention, and when once
the habit is acquired of doing it just as it
should be done, it is far easier than to ne
glect things and have a poorly kept bouse.
A house-keeper who attends to her work
well, knows just exactly when her work is
finished, and with all household cares re
moved from her mind, can sit quietly down
to rest; while one who neglects her duties,
will sink constantly into her chair, ‘‘just to
get her breath for a minute 1” and is fre
quently heard giving vent to her complaints
thus: “Oh, when will I ever get through
with this terrible drudgery I’’ “There's no
end to the work anyway, for every time I sit
down to rest, there's something else comes
up to be done 1” and thus she is always in a
fret, her work is never finished and her
house is always in disorder. She never can
enjoy a moment of quiet rest, feeling that
everything is finished, but falls to sleep at
night thinking, perhaps, of something she
has neglected to attend to—all the result of
bad management—of not having things sys
tematically arranged. Not so on
the other hand. The proper kind
of a housekeeper is never troub
led thus. 8he may sometimes
think her tasks hard—may wish
for rest before her work is fin
ished, but never gives way to her
feelings—never forgets her motto
“ work before pleasure,” and
when the resting time arrives,
there are no unfinished jobs to
meet her gaze on all sides, thus
destroying the pleasure of rest,
making her nervous and discon
tented, and altogether disagree
able. I have seen many persons
on botli sides, have compared
them often, and noted the vast
difference, and have always ob
served that the neat and system
atic housekeeper never presents
such a weary, haggard, depressed
and unhappy appearance, as the
untidy one who neglects her af
fairs. From among the many
observations I have made in dif
ferent circumstances of life, 1
will select two for example, very
near equal in all advantages and
disadvantages. Both are ladies
who have been keeping house for
about eight years and who mar
ried gentlemen raised by a neat
and particular mother. Each
have two children. The eldest about
5 years of age, and the youngest 7 or 8
months, and both are without servants. On
one side it is thus:
"Oh my! myl how glad I will be when
these little ones get large enough to take
care of themselves! I can do nothing else
for looking after them. There’s no use talk
ing, I can’t keep'house and ’tend to them too
and do both as it should be! Just listen!
there’s that horrid brat equaling now!’ and
a way goes broom or duster, and the ‘brat’
to see if there is any one laughing as its
smartness. Just here baby wakes up again
and must be ‘got to sleep,’ as if the little one
wanted to sleep always. Bedtime, and the
household duties unfinished. 'Well,' says
mother, ' I'm almost worked to death and h
can’t finish to night anyway,' so she retired
with cares on her mind, to spend a wakeful,
restless night.
How is it on the other side?
“There I there, little one, mamma must
see to her work,” and she props the little one
up in its cradle, and notwithstanding the
piteous whining, hurries away to put things
in order. The eldest child would not dare
even so much as sit on the plump white bed,
because it has been taught better, and if it
touches anything it should not, mamma has
only to speak, and the child obeys Instantly.
Baby cries awhile, of course, but as she
pauses between two big sobs, suddenly dis
covers her toes, and tumbling over among
the pillows, makes a desperate grab for those
pretty toes. She finally succeeds in getting
hold of one foot and begins to experiment.
The first thought is to get one plump toe into
its rosy little mouth, just to see if it would
taste nice, but somehow it is such an awful
long way between those toes and that anx
ious wide-open mouth; nevertheless, site had
much rather spend her time thus than to
hurt her throat by crying after mamma. She
has cried for mamma before and discovered
that it was of no use, for she did not come
until ever so long afterwards. So baby
grunts and frowns and tugs away at her feet,
forgetting all about mamma, who hurries
with her work, anxious to finish and rest.
When the tasks are completed she comes to
play with the children. The eldest bounds
to her side, with something to tell her, fully
aware that there is pleasure in store for the
little ones now ; as mamma never fails to
take part in some sport with the children,
when her work is finished. Baby, too,
throws up her hands and crows, leaving feet
and toes to take care of themselves, and ap
pears very much as if she were attempting
to dance in her cradle.
“There now, give mamma a kiss and a
hug! oh, my! how sweet. Come along,
baby, you have been ever so sweet and good.
What would I do if it was not for my little
ones to play with and love!” This mother
does not wish her precious charges to grow
up feeling themselves great burdens and
troubles, longing for the time when they may
be able to drift away from maternal care and
take care of themselves. She never makes
the least complaint in their presence, but
leads them to feel that they are the lightand
jewels of her home, at the same time teach
ing them perfect obedience and respect to
both parents.
When the day draws to a close, the
RABUN GAP, FROM NORTH CAROLINA SIDE.
is taken up in order to hush its cries. It is
not until the child is asleep, that the work
is resumed, and then with the usual com
plaining. The day passes by and evening
brings the husband, who enters his home re
luctantly, and sighs as he sees the disorder
of his room. In the middle of the bed is
the eldest child kicking up its heels and
using a pillow for a foot-’ball, while mother
passes by occasionally, telling it to ‘behave,’
or ‘don’t do that dear,' unheeded by ‘dear,’
who proceeds with the game, looking around
husband enters the sunshine of his home
with a quick step, and a smile for all.
Everything is in as perfect order for his com
ing, as it used to be when he was a beau.
The children are taught that they must never
meet papa with soiled faces and hands, and
often that oldest child runs to its mother
when it hears the sound of father’s foot
steps in the ball, to enquire whether or not
its hair is smooths and face clean—not be
cause a scolding is expected from papa, but
because mamma has taught it thus.