The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-07-25

A BIT OF GOSS1P.-Se nave W go apIoau
sometimes to get the choicest bits Of domestic
news. A erich sugar planter of Louisiana
is playing the magnifco at the north, at least
| in the newspapers, and preparing gorgeous
spectacle for the New Workers, such with little
adoption for the times as might be written IN
modern story of an Aladdin, taking to wife the
daughter of a sultan. The millionaire OF
whose whereabouts in Louisiana we know as
little as we did of his successful suitorings at
| the north till we read of them in the newspa-
pers, is doing things according to Madame
Rumor in the most expensive style. Wedding
the daughter of New York Judge, he has in
yited two thousand guests and taken the whole
of the St. Nicholas hotel, in New York city,
for the bridal party. About the 18th of July
he is to pass through Richmond, Va, accom-
panied by two hundred couples of bridesmen
and bridesmaids, whose cortege is to be swollen
by parties from city to city until the brilliant
and CAV multitude reaches the spacious palace
of 81. Nicholas. Nothing that money can pur-
chase is to be omitted to make it one of the
most gorgeous incidents of the season-we
might say of the age.
The hero of this piece of gossip is Mr.
Henry j. Mitchell, said to be of this State, al
though we cannot find anybody who knows
planter of that name, nor can we hear Of any
one of the two hundred couple that must have
:, before that started in this corege. 1t has been
kept a very profound secret in Louisiana. Not
a soul has heard of the gorgeous affair, o4' the
munihcent intention, of the Monte Crlsto OF the
sugar region, who is going to SOW his dollars
and diamonds broadcast from New Orleans to
New York. We are afraid somebody has been
awfully hoaxed, and we should believe it alto
gether newspaper invention, canard OF the
most extravagant kind, if we had not some pr-
vate reasons to believe that there is a serious
fact or two upon which this huge fable has been
created. 1t will turn out, we imagine, case
of gross imposition upon the credulity of
very respectable family at the north-whlch
has, however been frustrated before the roguery
accomplished its aims. A soi-disant southern
planter is said to have addressed lady, whose
name has been mentioned, but the result of the
{ inquiries which were properly instituted into
his real position, disposed of his pretensions
, before they had reached the point which the
fancy writer's have indicated.
The rest is all establishment, perhaps the
work of the discomfted sultor, TO revenge him
: self of his disappointment. Some of the refer
ences for his standing to persons IN this city
were very amusing. Several could not be
found at all, others ignored the existence Of the
; man. In one or two casesthe direction led to
curious places for wealthy gentleman to send
to for sponsors for his responsibility. The
: whole thing was clear humbug, and has been
before this, fully exposed. But we are bound
10 say that there never was anything IN 1t to
! give countenance to the ridiculous extravagan-
ces which have got into the papers, in which
the name OF lady has been the most thought
: lessly and unnecessarily introduced
The genuine Louisiana planter is of another
class entirely from the real or the pretentious
i. Monte Chrstos Hyou meet With bragga
docia or swaggerer, set him down at once for
T an imposter, if he halls from the sugar region
P of this State. Picayune.
= MAcAu1AY ON POPULAR EDucAT1oN- This
S is my argument. tits the duty of government
4 to protect our persons and property from, dar-
ger. The gross ignorance of the common people
y is principal cause of danger to our persols and
!, property. Therefore, it is the duty of sho
: government to take care that the common
e people shall not be gross y ignorant And whaS
: is the alternative? 1t is universally allowed tEat
: by some means, government must protect cIs
persons and property. If you take away edu-
: cation, what means do you leave? You leave
means such as onl y necessity can justify, Leans
which intlict fearful amount of pain, not oniy
on the guilty, but on the innocent who arc con-
: nected with the guilty. You have guns and
bayonets, stocks and whipping posts, tread
1 mills, solitary cells penal colonies and gibbety.
a See then how the case stands. Here is an end
which as We'all agree, governments are bound
to attain. There are only two ways of attain
ing :s One OF those ways is by making lAen
r better and wiser, and happier, the other way is
by making them Infamous and miserable. CaD
it be doubted which way we ought to prefer?
: Is it not strange-is it not almost incrediE)e
that pous and benevolent mer should gravel
PROFOUND the doctrine that the magistrate il
bound to punish, and at the same time bound
not to teach!
My confidence in my oEinion is strengthened
when Irecollect that hold that opinion in com
mon with all the greatest lawgvers, statesmen
, and political philosophers of all nations and
ages, with all the most iustrious champio 8
of civil and spiritual freedom, and especially
with those men whose names were once held n
the highest veneration by the protestant ais
senters of England. ] might cite m~ny OF the
most venerable names OF the old world, but
would rather cite the example of that county
t which the supporters of the voluntary syst N
here are always recommending to us pattern.
Go back to the days when the little society
which has expanded into the opulent, enlgh--
: ened commonwealth Of Massachusetts began 0
exist. Our modern dssenters will scarcely,
: think, venture to speak contumeliously of those
purltans whose spirit Laud and his commission
: court could not subdue, of those puritans who
were willing to leave home and kindred, oad I'll
the comforts and refnements of civilized life,
to cross the ocean, to fix their abodes in forests,
among wild beasts and wild men, rather til An
commit the sin Of performing, in the house of
God, one gesture which they believed displeas
ing to him. Did those brave exes think it in
consistent with civil or religious freedom that
the state should take charge Of the education
of the people. No, sir, one of the earliest laws
enacted by the puritan colonsts was that every
township, as soon as the Lord hal increased it
to the number of fifty houses should appoint
one to teach all children to read and write, and
that every township OF one hundred houses
Icbo cot ~, r,ro hop1 Nor have tl,o