Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1840-01-28
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

From The Louisville Literary Neics Letter.
We promised to make some further men.
ton, in this number of Mr. Campbell's address
on the Amehoration of the Social State,
and to extract some passages to please the
ladies. Taking It for granted that the pamph-
let is in the hands of majority Of our city rea-
ders we shall be less profuse IN our extracts
than WIS at first intended. ne shall redeem
our promise, however by selecting some ofthe
first passages of the address, persuaded that
those of our fair readers, who have perused It
entire, will allow that it is well worth Sc
.cond reading-as must also all gentlemen Of
taste.
After very appropriate introduction, and
definition of the term society, as he should en-
ploy it, the author proceeds to glance briefly
at the causes that have conspired in giving to
modern Europe and the United States their
present civilization--ther present superiority
over their more remote ancestors, and over all
other portions ofthe human race;
"Our American society,"" says Mr. Camp
bell, I" is the result offs aansh German French
and English civilization, that is the result of
European civilization-tbati is the consequence
of the downfall Of the Roman Empire, itself or
iginally composed of the most civilized and inn
proved portions of Asia, Africa and Europe
THAT Tall was tit cilcCJ
immense swarms, of Northern Barbarians
which like a torrent from the mountains rolled
wave after wave, over the whole face of the
Roman Empire, from the banks of the Danube
TO the shores of the Atlantic and placed itself
in whole nations in the finest portions of the
subiugated lands of the Western Empire.
Now he who would possess just and COM
prehensive views of American society--ofthat
singular compound of race, of genius, and of
character, which now individualizes, distin-
guishes, and clevates the American family,
must not only begin with the decline and fall
Of the Roman Empire, but he must push his
enquiries to the ancient lands of the Huns-the
Goths--the Vandals-the hundred tribes and
nations of ancient Germany, and Asiatic Scy-
thia. He must visit the plains beyond the
Oxus and the Jaxartes. He must 60 to Mount
Cancasses, and trace the meanderings of hun
dred rivers, along plains FIVE thousand miles in
length, and one thousand in breadth, before he
finds the germs of his own greatness-the root
and origin of his own family--apd the causes
Ofthe political Institutions, manners and Gus
toms of his own country. This, indeed, is
work as far beyond the ambition, as it is be-
yond the means and opportunities ola vast ma
jority ofour contemporaries.
Monsieur Guizot, one of the abiest Of the
statesmen of France-one Of the wisest of her
philosophers, in his recent general history of
the civilization of modern Europe, work of
great erudition and Of thrilling interest," in ira
eng the immediate elements of European soci-
ETY., commences with the fall ofthe Roman En-
pre-. He finds the rudiments Of all European
Institutions and improvements IN few great
facts Of which he speaks with great familiarity
and precision. From Rome he supposes we
have got the arcbetypes of all our municipal
and imperial ideas. From the Barbarians that
destroyed it, and located themselves within its
bounds, we have got our greatest polish
our-ideas ofliberty, independence, and loyal.
tyD
He thus defines what is properly meant by
civilization; and then invites our attention to
the influence Of woman and the Bible in carry.
ipg forward the begun amelioraiion Of the 50.
cial state
@Civilization is not merely intellectual cul
ture, refinement of taste, high advances in crit
icism, eloquence, philosophy; nor is it emf.
hence in the fine arts OF poetry music, paint.
ing, sculpture, architecture. The Greeks and
Romans equalIed, ifnot excelIed us tar in most
Ofthese attainments, yet compared with MANY
of this community they were an uncivilizee
and barbarous people. They lived and died
under the tyranny of selfshness and terror
Their amusements, their exhibition. their ann
phi-thcatre, their gladiator feats and pastirne.
were cruel, inhunan ;---full Of lust, hatred and
revenge. In fact, man fully civilized is Who'll,
rescued from the tyranny of selfshness, lust
hatred, revenge, terror, cruelty crcduIity ans
superstition. Till this is accomplished, seciet,
has not reached that intellectual, benevolent
pacific, moral and blissful goal, to whichit has
been advancing, with slow but steady pace
fury.
Man is fullyciviIized when all the powers O
bis animal intellectual, moral, and religion.
nature are fully developed in subordination t
his ultimate and eternal destiny and SOCIETY
is perfectly civilized when all the members Q
Il IN their respective places, stations and con
ditlons, fully receive and rec iprocate all thu
genuine feelings and expressions Of benevo
lence, brotherly kindness and charity; dictated
BY a refined sensibility and guided by an en-
larged and cultivated understanding.
There are two facts pretermitted, two pow.
err unappreciated By Monsieur Gnizot and bl
all writer's on civilization known to me- Thesl
are the two superlative agencies ia the ameI
Grafton Of the social state; they are woman
and the Bible or If any one pleases to make Blu
one ont Of two, it is he Bible IN The heart an.
hand Of Woman
Woman with me is to society what the spiI
It is TO the body; for as the body without fht
spirit IS dead, society without woman IS dead
also. She is then the quickening, animating,
conservative element Of society. If man On
this terraqueous ball be the glory Of God, most
certainly woman is the glory ofman. She il
the life, the beauty, the ornament, the glory 81
society. What simple, powerful and sublime
preface has God written to the volume Of hen
history. Il IS not good, said he, that man
should be alone, and Instantly out 81 his side
and bv bis side, stood blooming, smiling. love
" woman. Never was any being more anDro.
priatelv named than this woman. She a can.
"A Eve. which incur own language IS equiva.
lent 10 her being called life. And Adam call.
III her I.iys. because she IS the mother Of an
living. She is then the fountain and source 81
society,""
The spoaAe 81 then causes 70 pass before us ~
long review the most ilustrious female person
ages Of history. from mother Eve 70 queen
Victoria.
a Ef..f fh4rn ara NsIIN rrfnntn which i shan