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43
THE COUNTRYMAN.
son the rich should not. Well, if anyone is
so selfish as this, 1 have no appeal to make
to him. I cannot reach him. He is incor
rigible. I do not address myselfto heathens.
But to Christian men and women—(not
church members exclusively)—but to all
who profess to be goveined by the cardinal
tenets of Christ’s code, I do address myself.
I appeal to those who “ feel another’s wo,”
as they feel their own. I appeal to those
who, with the feeling of brotherhood in their
bosoms for the whole, human race, profess
to be governed by the golden rule ; and to
these I say, even if you are wealthy enough
to buy mourning apparel, you should not
do it, because your less favored neighbor is
not able to do it. You, wealthy mother,
have lost your child, and sorrow smites
your heart: but yon poor mother has lost
hers too, and her heart is no less lacerated
than yours : and now by all a mother’s sad
sonow and broken-hearted wo, I charge
you that as you would have your own grief
respected, so do you respect the silent sor
row of your poorer sister of humanity, whose
anguish is no less keen than yours. Don’t
go and flaunt your fashionable attire in her
face, and add to her sorrow the mortifying
reflection that she is too poor to wear black
for her son who poured out his heart’s blood
as well as yours, in defence of our common
country. I tell you it is wrong. She feels
that if there is any honor to the dead m
wearing black for a deceased son, the same
homage is due to hers that there is to yours:
nay, she has made a greater sacrifice than
you : foi while you have your wealth to
maintain and sustain you, the staff' of her
declining years has dropped down in the
narrow charnel-house, to be her staff and
her comfort no more : and her heart will
rebel, if it does not murmur, if not against
Providence, at least against her country,
for having required the life of her only son.
And so you will see that not only religion
and humanity require you not to wear
black, particularly during this war, but the
wisest dictates ot patriotism require it. For
if your son, ye wealthy parents, have all
homage rendered him, and none is render^
ed the sons of the poor who-die in the stfme
cause, these are not going to give up their
sons willingly, and the government which
forces them away, cannot retain their affec
tions. But respect the grief cf the poor ;
respect their silent sorrow ; respect their
poverty that cannot buy mourning apparel,
and share their deprivations with them, and
they will still give up their sons, with an
guish, but with alacrity and patriotism, to
fight your battles and mine. 1 wish I could
impress the importance of this view of the
case upon my countrymen and country
women.
I have never yet heard any argument ad
vanced in favor of wearing black. I have
never yet heard anyone attempt to defend
it. 1 have never heard anyone give area-
son for it. But as it is a custom stolidly fol
lowed by the devotees of fashion, so it is
one whose abandonment is loudly called
forty reason, justice, patriotism, humani
ty, and religion.
“My Grand-Father’s Chair.”
See another column.—This will prove
an attractive feature of The Countryman.
It is quite an acquisition. The gentleman
who has been installed Chairman has made
a reputation as a writer bound only by the
limits of both the Confederacy and the
United,States. The attractionsof this jour
nal will be more than doubled by the dis
cussion of such questions as may be sub
mitted to The Chair. Some such assis
tance was absolutely necssary to The
Countryman, whose other avocations have
prevented him from bestowing upon this
journal his undivided attention. While I
shall not relax, my own efforts, and while
niv pen will be as busy as ever, I now
move forward with less of a burden upon
my shoulders, and with the assistance of
my associate, shall inarch on with greater
confidence in reaching the point upon which
the eye of of this journal has been fixed
from the beginning : To be excelled by
none in the world.
— •+- t—
Judge Nisbet.
The Georgia legislature will have to
elect a senator at its next session. The
newspapers are saying a great deal in con
nection with this election, about intellect,
ability, character, patriotism, moral worth,
and all the other qualifications of a senator.
Who can so well fill the bill as Judge Nis-
bet ?
Georgia has reason to. be proud of her
distinguished son, whope name heads this
article. Of Judge N’s. solid and sterling
character as a moral man and Christian, it j
is unnecessary to speak. These, in con
nection with other qualifications, give him
great weight of character, and his country
should be glad ot an opportunity to avail \
herself of bis ripe experience and accom
plishments in every department of gowern-
ment.
Not only is Judge Nisbet a man of great
moral worth—of superior intellect—of en
larged statesmanship—and an accomplish
ed jurist, but be is what so few of our
statesmen are—a ripe scholar and man of
letters. Judge N’s. reputation as a schol
ar, man of letters, and a writer, is second
to Edward Everett’s, not because of any in
feriority in any respect, but simply because
he has been placed upon a different arena;
and has not bad the same journals anil the
same opportunities, owing to the habits and
character of our people, to herald bis fame,
and to lead him to exertions in the same
line which lias been pursued by Everett.
And who can forget Judge Nisbet’s great
services in the Georgia Convention of Se
cession 1 Who can forget the marked in
fluence which he exerted in bringing the
solid men of the land into line, and giving
character to the revolution ? Where can
the legislature do better than send Judge
Nisbet to honor Georgia in the senate cham
ber of the Confederate States 1
By Order of Gen. Beauregard.
It is announced in the papers that
By Order of Gen. Beauregard, .
The abolitionists attacked in force, Poco-
taligo and Coosawhatchio.
Now I wish to know why Gen. Beaure
gard gave the abolitionists any such order.
Was it that they might be whipped as they
wero'?
t
J. P. K.
I have received your communication cov
ering your Dougherty County Treasurer’s
“ Certificate of Deposite” (<N.) Being un
current up here, I have put it in a sealed
envelope, addressed to you, and dropped it
in the P. 0. in Eatoiiton. By sending the
P. M. 10c to pay postage, no doubt he will
send you your shinplaster. Even were your
money current up here, I have no leisure
to hunt up change for you, to get the 50c
which you designed leaving with me. Ed
itors have no time to run about and get
money changed for Mt. Zion school boys.
I have complied with your request to
“ reply instantly.”
“California.
In a lqte number of the Columbus En
quirer, it is announced that the yankees,
“ in force, were landing at 2'points on tlie
California coast.”
Is not this like the Dutch taking Hol
land ?
“ Titania,”
You are right, brother Wilkes, in saying
that 1 kindly reproved your correspondent
“ Titania.” Certainly sho evinces ex
cellent taste and disciimihation, for one
“just in her teens,” and I would encourage
her to write. I read her articles and selec
tions in the Journal, with much pleasure.