The banner of the South. (Augusta, Ga.) 1868-1870, November 07, 1868, Page 4, Image 4

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4 EEV. A. J. RYAN, Editor AUGUSTA,Ga„ NOVEMBER 7,18C8. PATIENCE AND FORBEARANCE. These are, certainly, great virtues. They are great virtues, which the South ern people possess in an eminent degree. The history of the past three years fully sustains us in this assertion. We have borne insult, and reproach, and mis representation, as no people in this world ever boro insult, reproach, arid misrepresentation before. And do we get any credit for it ? Do we get any compassion for it ? Do we get any sym pathy for it ? Arc our sufferings lessened any for it ? No. Well, do we deserve any credit for it? We rather think not. We don’t sec that it does any good whatever. Well, what then ? How can we resist the evils, that are iuflicted up on us ? Must we go to war again ? Oh no 1 by no means ! We don’t advocate “ rebellion,” simply because we know it would be folly to attempt such a thing. If we could have any prospect of suc cess, we might possibly advocate it—but not now. We are too helpless, too pros trate, too ruined, for that. But we needn’t cringe, and bow, and fawn, be fore and about our oppressors. We needn’t be so humble, so patient, and so forbearing. Throw a stone at a dog, and it will turn, and bite the stone, if it cannot reach the hand that threw it; strike a horse, and it will try to kick you; injure an elephant, and he will re taliate. And so on through all animated Nature. There may be patience and forbearance, but it is not a cringing, begging patience and forbearance.— There may be humility, but it is not the humility of cowardice. And, as it is in Nature, why no* so too in Human Nature ? Men may be patient, and forbearing, and humble, but they need not be cowards, nor fawning suppliants. The people of the South may, and must, take a great deal ; but they need not give up their manhood, their self-respect, their bravery. These are the inheritance bequeathed to them by their fathers, and they must not give them up. If the Yankees insult us, we can call them cowards, for doing that which they would not dare attempt, were we their equals in arms and num bers. If they reproach us, we can tell them that we have done nothing to de serve reproach. And if they misrepre sent us, we can tell them that they lie, and that they know they lie We can refuse to patronize them. We can sus tain our own home institutions; our own merchants, mechanics, and laborers ; our own schools, literature, and industry.— Doing this, we shall be able to achieve an independence which, though not a political one, will, at least, punish the wicked people, who have so long, and so sorely, tried our patience and forbear ance. Let our people unite on this platform, and they will have no cause to regret the result. UNDER THE GAS LIGHT. Under the gas-light—out there in the quiet street—so quiet, after the noisy day of toil, and business, bustle, and con fusion, trade, and commerce, and work ; out there, under the gas-light, the work of business is over, but the work of evil is not finished. It knows no rest; it knows no quiet; it knows no sleep.— Ever awake, ever active, ever doing, the bright sun-light of day and the softer gas-light of night shine, alike, upon its work. Under the gas-light—the merchant, who has gathered his horde of gold and sil ver, at th"' expense of honor, at the’expense of the suffering of the poor and the lowly; the merchant who has scorned and buffeted the little beggar girl from his office door; the merchant, whose charities fill the papers, and whose popularity is only bounded by his wealth, passes to his comfortable home, where he sits under his gas-light, counting over his ill-gotten gains of the day, chuckles at the frauds which he has practised, and laughs at the suffering women and children. The gas-light shinesJnto his mansion, and in his parlor, and it gives a lustre to his gold, and a brightness to his joy ; but some day another gas-light will shine upon his actions, and his gold will be turned to dross, and his joy will be changed to sorrow. Under the gas-light, young men, at times the associates of innocent girls and pure women, now reel forth from haunts of vice and shame, drunk and blasphemous, filling the air with their ribald song's, and jests, disgraceing them selves, and those who should be dear to them. And, in the day-light, these rude rioters, so calm, and so quiet, and so industrious, will be taken into the society of the good and the pure, and though so foul within, seem yet so fair without. But the gas-light of Eternity will ex pose them, “ whited sepulchres ” that they are ; and the brightness of out raged Virtue and Innocence will blacken still more the darkness of Vice and Shame. Under the gas-light, poor starving women come to ask a pittance of the passer by ; and innocent little girls of fer their choice nosegays to the rich and the proud ; and the tempter comes, and innocence is lost, and shame is added to poverty, and wo to misery. But for this night of Evil there will be, after the long night of Death, a day of reckoning, and tempter and tempted will stand forth in a light more brilliant, more searching, more terrible, than the gas-light that saw the evil done. Under the gas-light, the gamester allures his victim to the temple of Mam mon, and there, under the gas-lights of that abode of Evil, fleeces him of his all, sends him back under the gas-light of the street, to curse himself, perhaps to destroy himself. But, one day, the gas light of the temple, and the gas-light of the street, will “pale their ineffectual fires” before the greater Light of Judg ment, giving, as they expire, testimony of the evil that they have witnessed. Under the gas-light, the burglar en ters the unprotected dwelling, and robs it of its household goods. No mortal eye looks upon him ; but the gas light is there, and the Eye which knows no sleeping sees him, and in the light of Justice, his sin will grow black and his deeds will be punished. Under the gas-light,"the assassin lurks to watch his victim, and, as the latter passes into the darkness of the surround ing shadows, strikes the blow which sends him, all unprepared, before the Judgment Seat above. The Police find the body, and the officers of the law investigate the murder; but there is no clue to it. The assassin is unknown; he cannot be found—unknown here, undiscovered here; but known and found where all is known, and found, and judged, ac cording to its merits. And so, under the gas-light, out in the seemingly quiet streets, the Genius of Evil does his work. He spares no ef fort, he keeps ever busy, and he marshals his followers here, and there, and every where ; and they come and go at his beck and nod; and the world moves Tin, unheeding and uncaring. And under the gas-light, as in the darkness, of the dwellings of the good, Innocence and Peace lie slumbering “ dreaming, sweetly dreaming,” dreams of purity, and goodness, and happiness; while, under the gas-light of the streets, evil is running riot, innocence is lost, peace is destroyed, happiness is crushed. It is no wonder that the gas-light flickers, and glares, and hisses at the sights which it witnesses. It could tell more tales of woe, and shame, and villainy, than mortal ears would wish to hear. But it cannot t imhi ©i sii i©®Ei. speak. It only shines and flickers, and glares and hisses. But, perhaps, some day it will have a voice to tell what it has seen and heard ; and, perhaps, it will be summoned before the Judgment Seat of Heaven as a witness to tell all it knows. Happy will it be for you in that day, reader, if the light of Mercy shall outshine the light which has witnessed your evil deeds. Come out, then, from under the pale Gas-light of Evil into the bright Sun-light of Religion and Faith ? and “so let your lights shine before men,” that, in the day of your trial and judgment, your reward may be a light of Eternal brightness, eternal peace, eter nal joy. IGNORANCE OF THE SOUTHERN PEOPLE, We invite the attention of our readers to the article with this title, which we take from the Nashville Home Monthly. It contains food for serious reflection. The South is its own destroyer. It has built up its enemies, and made them strong; and now s it is reaping the reward of its folly. It is now a wasted and ruined section, It is now buffeted and abused by those whom it has pampered and nourished. How long will this fool ish policy of our people continue ? It need not last a day, an hour, or a minute. It is not in the province of bayonets to force you to remain subjects to Northern Literary, Commercial, and Manufacturing tyrants. It is in your power to throw off those shackles, and to maintain your free dom from that oppression. If you could not achieve your Political Independence, you can, at least, achieve your Literary and Commercial Independence. Will you do it? Why not? It is so easy. You have here all the facilities for as serting and maintaining this independence, and for punishing the haughty Vandals of Yankeedom, who would force you to pay tribute to them, and then receipt your advances with jibes and jeers, insults and blows. Use these facilities, and you will have no cause to regret the effort. SOUTHERN INDEPENDENCE. The South has failed in her effort to achieve her political independence. She has it yet in her power to make herself a thorn in the side of the North, and to humble the pride of her arrogant con querors, who have battened on her blood, and grown rich by the sweat of her brow. She has, within herself, resources which, if properly developed, must make her financially, commercially, and otherwise, independent of the North ; and these re sources, properly applied, may, some day, enable her people to see “ the Lost Cause” Regained, and to enjoy that inde pendence which they so much desire and so well deserve. Among other essentials to this result, is the establishment of Direct Trade with Europe ; and the fol lowing article on the subject, from the Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution, is so appropos that we give it a place in our columns, in viting especial attention to it: DIRECT TRADE WHAT IT WILL DO FOR THE SOUTH. It is impossible, in the brief limits of a newspaper article, to more than glance at the immense advantages which must result to the South by the permanent es tablishment of Direct Trade. When this is done—when frequent and direct com munication between the South and Eu rope has become an accomplished fact, we may well regard the South as on the high road to wealth and prosperity. Until then, we will look in vain for such accessions to our producing population, and for such an influx of capital, as. will enable the people of the South to develop and make available such resources as the war could not destroy, and out of which, if at all, they must recover their lost for tunes. We must, by some means, re place what the war swept away ; labor and capital, or the resources that still re main, will prove to be of little value to us. The labor we must get from Eu rope, either directly or indirectly. We are no longer rich and prosperous ; no longer able to pay others for doing what we can do better for ourselves. If we would succeed in inducing emigrants to settle among us, to buy and cultivate our idle lands, to develop our dormant re sources, and thus to regain, and even surpass, our former prosperity, we must ourselves inaugurate and carry out active measures that will bring about such a de sirable result. We must not only direct the attention of emigrants to the large amount of fertile lands now lying idle, and which can be bought—as compared with the prices ruling in the North and West—for a mere song; to our climate, unsurpassed by any in the world, and ap proximating nearer to the climate of their native land than that of any other portion of the United States; to the great variety of our productions, and the intrinsic value and ready sale of those which are peculiar to the South; to the richness and extent of our mineral re sources, and to the thousand other advan tages which the God of Nature has given us. But, we must, in addition to these advantages, provide, as we may do, a shorter, cheaper, and less perilous way to reach the South than there is to the West. We must not compel emigrants to the South to come through the North. We must relieve them of the expense of an increased and unnecessary travel; we must protect them from the rascalities of Northern emigrant agents and runners; and we must keep them out of the reach of Radical emissaries, who, by lying tales of bloody deeds and manifold dangers to life and property, would seek to deter them from coming among us. We must bring them from their own ports direct to ours by a regular line of steamers, and by combination with our different lines of railroads, secure low rates and few transfers, so that they may be trans ported cheaply and expeditiously to their destination. When we are able to an nounce in Europe that such arrange ments are perfected, then, and not till then, may we expect emigrants. We shall then have laid the foundation of a labor system which will regenerate the South. For, with emigration will come capital, not that alone which the emi grants will bring, but the simple fact, that the South is being supplied with, and. encourages, the introduction of White labor, will, of itself, give the Euro pean capitalist confidence that he can, with safety .invest his capital in the South. We shall not, then, be dependent on Northern bankers, who, after absorbing the greater portion of the National Cur rency, demand double interest for the use of that which is rightfully our own. Di rect communication once established and English bankers will gladly furnish at six per cent per annum, funds for the purchase of produce to be shipped to Liv erpool. But not only will we pay a less rate of interest on advances, but we will realize more from the sale of our pro ducts. Our daily reports of the New York and Liverpool markets, show that a margin of not less than five cents per pound has been steadily maintained be tween New York and Liverpool. We must ship our cotton direct to Europe, and let this enormous profit enure to the impoverished South, instead of swelling the already bloated wealth of the North. If the North, out of the profits derived from the sale of our productions in for mer times, have been able to build co lossal fortunes until they- are surfeited with riches, and—rolling in luxury'— pant for some new desire to gratify, shall we not profit by their example, and, in the future, use these profits to repair our broken fortunes ? If we were generous to them then, may we not be just to our selves now? Our duty to ourselves, our families, and to our country, demands that we shall use all the honorable means in our power to build lip the ruined South ? We must have labor, we must have the use of capital at alow rate of in terest. We must sell our products in those markets where they command the highest price, and we must make our purchases where we can buy the cheap est. We must have free access to the markets of the world. Direct trade is the only avenue through which we can reach them with profit to themselves, and we shall, therefore, hail with joy the establishment of every direct line of communication between Europe and the South as another step towards re gaining our former prosperity. Thanks. —Wc extend our kindest re gards to our friend, who writes the sub joined note. Such expressions of friend ship and regard as “ the Doctor’s,” are gratifying and encouraging. They'nerve us to the good work and the pleasing task which we have imposed upon our selves: Mr. Editor— Dear Sir : I am proud that we have one in our midst who is bold enough to speak the sentiments of his mind as regards his Church and our Country. Our Country has been in want of someone to advocate her cause; and, as for the Church, the people at large have never understood her princi ples, and, lam free to say, I had never taken the pains to see if she was right or wrong until your paper was started; and, from what I have learned, she will be the only Church left in the future. I raised anything but a Catholic. Mr. Editor, may you go on in the future as in the past, and, rest assured, you have niy best wishes. I remain, very respectfully, yoill . ob’t serv’t, Dr. For the Banner of the South. PIETISM! There are in most communities— and the smaller the community happens to be, the more obvious becomes the nni sauce—a class of men, who are easily distinguishable by the term of Pietists. Exceedingly sleek and respectable are these men, and smooth and soft are their appearance to the outside world. Grimalkin having dined off the wicked canary bird that sings on the Sabbath the same songs sung during the week, can hardly present a more unctuous and self satisfied appearance. Pietism pays, with them Like unto the broadcloth coat and white “choker” carefully laid aside fur Sabbath wear, Pietism covereth a multi tude of sins, and hideth many a deformity. The sublime impudence and unsurpassa ble egotism of these men leads them, like the Pharisees of old, to assume high places in the Synagogue of the world; and, as such a comfortable style of things is very frequently allied with stocks, and shares, and balances in bank, the whole combined forming a terrible incubus on any community cursed by such a consoli dation. For, although many simply reject the pious meddling and inter ference of these “Aminidab Sleeks”; yet, they trap the weaker ones, and, by their quiet bullying, ably backed by parsonism, but the real and amateur article, they biud heavy burdens on many men’s backs, and render them to the world in the light of ludicrous shams, whose cloak of religion fits “like a purser’s shirt on a handspike.” These Pietists, emboldened by their success, continue their evil courses until they place their fat paws on existing institutions which they find too strong for them ; then, like the child pick ing up a red-hot bar in a blacksmith shop, they lay it down without being told, and, weepingly, thank God that they are not as other men. In many cases, being blessed with excessive stupidity, allied with enormous self-conceit, they have, in middle age, ceased to find anything interesting in many amusements natural to people around them, and, having successfully worshipped the “golden calf,” they stiil retain the “wages of sin,” and deign to patronize a god of their own conception, who does not wed opinions differing from themselves. This is all very well; we do not object to this “sort of tiling,” if it suits them ; but it would seem as if these “holy men,” secretly conscious of the huge sham they were guilty of, desired to waylay, or, if necessary, drive in their fold some other sheep having a good sup ply of wool. The victims of this decep tion must mould their “views” and ideas, so as to be in consonance with the elect, which means, serving God “according to the dictates of your own conscience”; provided , your conscience agreed with the elect. In short, as some writer has expressed it, the elects idea of Pell, “was a place where every man could thin,-, as he chose.” We still repeat, we havi no objection to this sort of thing; if Grimalkin eats canary birds, so much the worse for the canaries; but we do object to being classed with canaries, and imagine that the interior of Grimalkin’s anatomy is not agreeable or pleasant to us. To drop metaphor, it is right to say that Pietism is loosing daily its hold on the minds of men. It is well that this is so; for, a greater curse, or a harder tyranny, never enslaved man, or more completely ground the manhood out of him, and rendered him more fit to bo Treasurer of a Woman’s Sewing Society. It is sad to contemplate what an evil it has teen ; and, by way of drawing a moral from our theme, we would ask each of our readers to reflect, and look about him, at its general results on the morals and religious habits of the present age. Young men, in their better moments, sigh for something better than they have become ; they seem, as it were, instinct ively aware that real goodness, real piety, real religion, real love and worship "1 a good God exists, from whom cometh uli good things, and who is ever merciful, loving, and kind, and yet they do uot know how to find Him. Religion, to them, has been a nauseous dose, connected with reminiscences ot their early life — of dullness, stupidity, not one elevating thought. Bible reading, (forced!), Sabbath"School literature, ot goodey boys and girls, long sermons Irom Parsons, who only lacked ears to c more useful animals, all combined emetic of sufficient strength to enal o them to throw up the “whole thing when they became, legally, their own master.-. No. Pietism will not rule this word. The Sinners will not be crowded from a