Squatter sovereign., 1855-02-13
THE NORTH AND SOUTH.
(Continued.)


The most interesting aspect in which
negro slavery presents itself, is in its effects
upon the white population in the slavehold-
ing States. We have been so long accus-
toned to listen to the bold statements of
abolitionists, to suffer their broad charges,
to go uncontradicted, that we have been
almost led to give them credit: they have
not forgotten that s'a lie well stuck to is as
good as the TRUTH and we have too long
neglected to expose them.
We were in common with others, who
had the opportunity even slightly to con-
trast the slaveholding and non-slavehold-
ing States, convinced that the condition of
the former was better; but that they were
so far in advance in all the essentials of
happiness and prosperity, even we were
not prepared to realize. To Ellwood
Fisher, of Cincinnati, we are pleased to
acknowledge our obligation for an able ex-
position of the relative condition of the two
portions of our country: and we take special
pleasure in now being able by unquestioned
evidence to verify the correctness of his
statements. He had not the official state
ments, now for the first time given in an
authentic shape; his statistics were denied;
and so strangely We're they at variance with
the general impressions of the people, that
men of the north were reluctant to give
them credit.
We have now the statistics furnished in
the census: they are in reach of all; their
truth can not be disputed, and we are now
enabled to determine beyond controversy
the effects of negro-slavery. The men of
the north are peculiarly a ''calculating'
people, accustomed to deal with facts and
figures; and large majority of them we
argument, to yield to the force of truth:
to them we submit with confidence the
startling evidence furnished by the census.
Although it be true that we can not by
figures with mathematical precision deter
mine the religious, social or moral condition
of people; yet there are facts and figures
which so greatly elucidate their condition,
we can have little difficulty in our conclu-
sion.
1t does not, for example, necessarily
follow, that those who build churches, should
be peculiarly pious; the old adage s'the
nearer the church, the further from God"
is not without foundation. Vanity, pride
of purse, petty ambition, may and do induce
many to contribute to the erection of q
church, as they would do to the erection of
a courthouse, or theatre, from mere os-
tentation, the hope to have their names
emblazoned as public benefactors, or from
a more excusable though more interested
desire to ornament their town or city.
When however, churches are erected
not for mere ornament, but for the accom-
mediation of those who desire to meet to-
gether and worship God, when the pru-
pose is to afford to the greater number fa-
cilities for worship, the fair presumption
is in favor of the purity of that peoples re-
ligion: they will reasonably be esteemed
more truly religious than those whose
piety is manifested in display, In idle orna-
ment.
Abolitionists have so long represented
the people of the non-slave-holding States,
and especially the people of new England,
as devout, God-fearing, saint-like people,
free from all pride, vain glory, and hypo-
crisy;" they have been held up as such
models of piety, virtue and sobriety, that
their land has been known as ssthe land
of steady habits" So strict are they in
the outward observances of Gods law, that
from the puff of the steam-car, to the
kissing ones wife on the Sabbath, has
| oSSh LIaue d peildl OlIeNCe. On the COll-
trary, the Shareholder is held up as God
forsaken,~ God-despising heathen, as one
|regardless of all law, human and divine,
as vicious, reckless, lavish of his wealth
only to crafty his pride The humble
piety, the strict morality claimed for the
people of New England is attributed to
their having freed themselves from the
curse of negro-slavery; to the blighting ef-
fects of which charity charges the alleged
moral degradation of the stakeholder.
In answer to these proud boastings,
these sweeping denuneiations, the men oil
the South have been silent, content to be
Judged by their works. Modesty is nc
longer virtue; the evidence is made pub
lie, and we now propose to show that
shareholders are more truly religious than
the sons of the Puritans.
For this purpose we will take Maine,
New Hampshire, Vermont; Massachusetts,
Rhode Island, and Connecticut, the States
composing New England, and will con-
trast them with Maryland, Virginia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia,
the old slaveholding States, which are
still slaveholding States. We give the