Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-05-23
From the Democratic Review.


1 Geographical Morality
! We are peculiar people-we patriotic and moral
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS in that our PATRIOTISM IS not a
thing to be defined by geographical lines and boun-
DIARIES, but a high abstract system OF principles.
whose field is ever widening, and Indicated not by
rivers and mountains but by the presence OF its em-
! blem-our flag Peculiar are we, too, IN that our
moral sentiments-or, at least one important sub
icct-are regulated as most other nations bound
their patriotism by geographical landmarks, and
certain degrees of latitude and longitude. thus on
one side of what may be called river OF moral deli
nitions, certain thing is wrong, while on the other
bank, it becomes very right and proper. Keep ad-
vancing in the direction in which it begins to be
wrong and as YOU 90 on, this moral sense strength
ems until in those high ATTITUDES to which the sin is
particularly uncongenial, it becomes SO abomlnabe,
that there you may commute and be forgiven a rea-
sonabe freight of small, customary sins-such as
pride, hatred and uncharitableness on payment of
an extra amount of adherence to this crime. 1t
makes the more clamor, the more it is unknown to
them and they leave in peace snug family OF ia
miliar household SINS whose ug features have al
most ceased to be repulSve from being daily seen,
| to wage eXtermnating upon this stranger lnl-
guilty, although he approaches them rarely and has,
limited before. geographical objections to settling
in their family. But the more shy the sinner, and
the farther he carries his evil dongs beyond their
reach, the more violently and conscentlousiy do
those who his enemies by the DEGREES of latitude
leave behind the ripe harvest of their domestic sins,
and neglect every interest at home to chase him up
in his own domain and will he mill he, regulate for
him his household and his morals.
Go in the other direction from this river of moral
division and this awful iniquity becomes more and
more innocent and moral until at last it warns with
the cline into vrtuous beauty. Fair Ohio! who
shall exactly indicate where the sin becomes mora
ty, and what portion of thy flowing waters are ting
ed with the black iniquiy of slavery, and what en-
riched with the sweat-drops Of free toll
On the south bank African servitude is but pro-
per social convenience and little father south, it
becomes yet more proper and necessary and father
STILL it becomes important lever of civilization,
| and its due protection and adjustment one of the
first moral duties of the fathers of the state.
On the north bank of this naughty river of doubt
full morality, the sin of slavery has material tan
gible existence, and is only known in obGque
rays refraced upon it from the other side through
the medium of the Constitution Still, they face 1t
so near y, and trace its looks and ways dis
tnctly that those of the northern bank do not make
out OF it gigantic and supernatural phantom to
curdle the thin blood of their grandmothers and fly
off with their innocent babes They only say as they
bound to by their geographical position, " this
thing suits not us or our interests and will have
no more of it than we must" A little farther back,
it becomes seriously immoral and still father
on, the realities of the grow ndistlnct
and dis onted in the distance it starts up into sin
so deadly, that ready to stab our federal
brothers for practising it. and to strange Union
mother for giving them countenance. We have
reached by then the high ATTITUDES of morality and
in the fashion of religious sectaries, who enforce
creeds with drum and bayonet, the father are
from knowing the exact quality of the thing we diff
fer about. the are ready to exc out the in
conclusiyeneSs of arguments by the undeniable
conclusions of fire and sword
IT, differently from other nations, refuse to pin
our patriotism to the soil rather than % the govern
ing principle of our country, we do not cheat the
soil or it's productions of the homage of strong
and seadfast faith. No matter where were
born, the geography of our position determines our
moral convictions. We are Of the great army of
pro-slavery morals, anti-slavery morals according
to whether we raising wheat on one side of
river or cotton on the other, and still more marked
ly when the geographical distinction is between
those who grow cotton and those who only manufac-
ture it; and yet greater between those who plant
the sugar cane and those who dstil its sweets into
rum. Those extreme sections could no more bring
their opposing moralities to afectionate equa-
ton, than those great divisions of the Church who
fan would have baptized the world in blood and fire
for their respective faiths could agree whether
painted or a carved image in church were the
most necessary to Gods glory. Most perilous of ALL
however, would be the heresv of proposing to love
God serve man. and to to dispense with BOTH
as seemed best to each man. Fancy such a cool alb
surdity non-intervention hazarded in conclave
of devout iconocasts! AS well hint at the morality
of Aboitionism in fiery South Carolina or the inno-
cence of slave-holding in godly Massachusetts,
Their geography would cry aloud against the word
| The expansiyeness of patriotism, aid the
stringency of our sectional morality alike a
puzzle to the foreg student of our national charac
teriscs 1t is mixed problem, altogether above
our science and take it, as we do the fruits that
represent the various shades of latitude opinions
without the fatigue of analysis and hold them all
good, if moderately taken especially if they don't
all meet at in angry Congress, and quarrel for
precedence Apples and abolitionism have genial
climate, and the first rank north of 40 deg. north
| lat but when apple trees and abolition principles
are carried south of that lne they are less prosper
Gus and honored The juicy, genial peach indicates
a softer cline, and greater capacity for tobacco
and liberation. AS the kindly, complasant fig
comes up to meet it, this moral sentiment passes
from the careless quietude of peaches pears and in
difference to the decisive generosity of protection
From crime among the apples and cherries, it is
modified to inconvenient necessity" neither to
be absolutely censured, unqualifedly approved,
among the apricots and nectarines and becomes at
last, an admirable social arrangement" wherever
plate of fresh gathered figs graces the planters
welcome to this hospitable board This delicious
fruit only prospers in those sections of the Union
adapted sugar rice, and cotton and its luxuri-
Gus shade informs you distinctly as an inscribed
pillar; that here abolitionsm is highly immoral ex-
ceedingly dangerous to society, and dsgraceful to
its professors 1t is not favorable latitude for the
growth of fine pippns and high favored anti slavery
men, and the inhabitants cultivate, in good faith
what suits best their cmate-in morals and agri-
culture.
Now, in pious and prudent New-Eng land-coming
back from figs and cotton to apples and buckwheat-
this antslavcry faith which from SO deg to % deg
is such rank heresy, is necessary to perfectly
CONNIE Il fam social standing as white kids at the
opera. 1t is in those states the finishing touch to
irreproachable moral toilette, while, in as many
more states at the extreme South, it would be as