Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-07-17
q 10 THE NEW 1oNN D'
TIMES.

llMEso.
~ remind our distinguished CO.
,.r,ororyo of the points originally Ut >"
rs in In, momentous controversy III
lou, ,ss .d. We fear our contemporary nus oeeom'
N...hn, ;rG.c,ed with "that extraordinary activity
c.. ,.m,n,, wind" which, he says, distinguishes
VII .,,J which enables it with IMMUNITY to
=, ,,;ds, the widest and most extravaganza
no,;ticnl md religious theories; anu 'u"'' "l'hou6'
=, bo ,,, ciyen to such ieats of mental ACTIVITY ye'
III. .x,b.raut spiri; and metal often betray themselves
n shv;nr. starting and flying the track. 1t Ii tor the
,o.t.r offence that we now arraign him.
Th;s controversy commenced by an article III 'n'
Times, which denied our charges against inc ""
g ..,yout If faith in every thing'--"of sceptlcish VI
intideli,v about ~rcligion-nbont law and go'eti" ="
about separate property, and as 70 marriage W..
o,otcd Carlyle, to prove, that this general wan v
faith was u LISTING uishing characteristic VI -
We maintained, however, that It was co'eA'."
time and space with free society aud e"nh"e' r,,
society. and that no such sccpt'cism a"" '
now prevailed, or had ever prevailed III E.,
~. 10 the article Of the Times we rep'ieu 90 ~
lows: ,.u,.
~, 10 very meet and appropriate, that Inc 'me'
should advocate the cause OF hcile'o"' -,
der at the North. The calm anu III .".:o
,bicb II conducts the defence against ou, f p.
ia hpcominp and worthy Of the S'oe LIN"
49,. NJ, ,o L.lieyc, is not the hrs' occ"s"h ~
.n a;..;rcr;sbed editor of the Tunes mas u
- buckle on his armor, and make ou''i'
..;,, If conservatism against anarchy'-
a. .--..;o, % which we allude the dlsturoer Oh
,bs mace, quiet aud order Of society' "a' ~, WY -
Tortbern man, but one who them anu pio'a',' NV" ,
lid n crcoter influence over public "p'n'oh "'"sA
- ,b., any other man in America. DOCS ho'
:, 1r.;b,nc f,;rIy repre.ent the state OF puolc opth'
:: o,ook more accurately. the want oil h1ed
+ r:', ani ,utl;c opinion at the North? Did not the
,,.h,,c = ~ TINT occasion, endeavor to inculchte anu
.ure,d the inidcl, grossly sensual anu ah"t'"'" P"'
,,sonby of FourierI Has not the 1r'"4ne oe'ohe
marc nopulur and influential since 1t distilled thlS
doadly moral poison into the social system Oh inc
North! Is not the inference irresistible tha' seep'-
c;.m and infdelity are III the ascendant Ill Soe'e'y'
when its most popular and influential man pronu'eeS
and inculcates Il philosophy at war with reiig'oh' Will
law, with marriage, with sepurafe property US ho"
hold md with every other time-honored and sacred
institution of society!
nWtnn Dnn link 4 broken al u iai o
"At the North, andi in Western Europe by attempt
inc 10 dispense with a natural and necessary anu
hitherto universal limb, element, or institution OF So
c;etv. Won have thrown everything into chaotic con-
fusion. In dispensing with domestic slavery S'u
have DESTROYED order, and removed the stFo"5es' III.
rument TO prove the existence OF Deity, the au'no' "
TINT order. The discori, the confusion, the WARY 'ne
revolutions. the rivulries, excessive competition anu
sn,ogonism Of free society, bcset intldelity as na'u-
rol,v md inevitably as order aud differentiation pro-
duce foith. Hobbies philosophy, "that man Is III "
state of continued war with his fellow man. eou'a
only have arisen in free society, where all being theo'
rc,ically equal, all ac rivals, competitors ana enc
mics. Hobbies differs from the political community
ONLY in being more able and honest than they lie ue'
plores, as an evil, what they as d virtue
They iuculcate competition as the life OF trade ana
essence of morality. The good ORDER the peace inc
n,ot.ction and affectioLa.e relations OF society NJ the
S,pth. induce the belief in a designer and author OF
.b;s order md thus "iift the soul from nature up 10
y,tprc,. God" The chaotic confusion Of free socie'
~ has the opposite effect. Hence infdell'y and uni
versal liberty have been co-extens'rc III 'n'e anu i"
snoce, There are few or no inhdels Ill slave couh'
tries. The newspapers, the public meetings and ais
cnssions, und the books published in free societies.
.eom with infdelitics and sccpticisma OF every hue.
.Tbe vile supcrstitions s%pringing mp every day nj
,bo y,rtb. furnish as strong evidence Of tho want OF
dxed fifth of any kind rs its open infidclities. Men
must wear their religion very loosely about men,
who nrc ready to believe in the isris "tthe day, orto
hrcone Strikers, or Millcrites, or Morm0ns, or onelda
p.rf.ctiop;sts. There ia little faith in law or govern.
,ncnt where Higher Law doctrines prevail, and anti
r.r,;sm some,i,pcs -u!rs. There can be little conf
L.nce in the existing order Of society, but little al
tscLmen, TO that order and less patriotism ~ o country
where people ure ready 10 join owen, or fourier' VI
Stepl,en Pearl Andrews, or Mr.. Greeley. III 'heir OH
slaurhts upon all existing Institutions and 10 rush al
their bidding into PhGlan,teries, and New Harnion'es
mud rrinlyil!ss, and the sister villages. But tho sue
cess, the popularity, und the influence OF the if''u"'
il. of itself, abundant evidence OF the alarming prera'
lepce of moral, social, and religious sceptlcism at the
North"
tn this article Of ours we find the following lan'
yuarc employed in the reply Of the Times:
.7rbo fo,.mos, sons of the Old Dominion, those
who have snccecdcd to Washington the author, and
., J.fferson the defender of political equality and U
fr.ednm on this side the water, recreant TO ancient
rrinr;nles. now declare what their ininers deemed q
necessary and sad necessity OF the times, 10 be a no
tural, necessary, and universal element Oh society.
,.Srnch IL the rctrograde position assumed by tho
p.b,noud Enou;rer ON the subject OF Slavery, IN re-
snondipp 10 some remarks which had been Hndc by
~ viniicatorv of the South, its PROSPERITY and mo-
rality. .h..,o Az
foro, nf fr.e socicty against the expressions of oul
sbje cot.rruorary, nor yet to attempt an answer 10 III
the ingenious anu suecious suggestions winch are m
| zardcd IN defence vi an institution "hich III owl
heavy weight urges on to its Tnin, Dut Inc occasion
| - suitable one Tor fresh remembrance VI inc DC
niyuant influences Of freedom Us o"'t ; -" ''
| whitening ores of serritude. .
..Whrre the natinYul mind is awake and energetic
with the life Of intelligence and educaiioh' ai hs'ory
shows that there will flourish 10 arth'et VI So:
ton, RADICAL and novel ideas and tiieortss. and meiita
nharratiou. and extravagances. 1t is I'LL lhcV''epl'
condition of the free light OF day that some "eut
cy.s should BIZ blinded. or at least dazziea' Du
these circumstances have no more influence on tu'
rprnr,l intelligence and virtue Ct society than I'M
obsourations upon the face of the sun have upon TIT
powe, vi its light and heat to bless and FlF'fy OF
world.
.The sentiment OF religious liberty was evolved
amid many absurd and fanntical systems. In I'M
Sixteenth Century the sentiment of political equaiit!
was surrounded in its origin in England by wild IN
n~a;icisn, and In France by revolutionary violence
and yet those pcrioda form epochs in The progress D
the human mind. Thus much for the rather incon
sistent charges Of Northern superstition aud sceptl
cism of the EAgaper. II there be anything Of tn
kind, it il only an evidence of the extraordinary &C
tivity of the human mind with us, aud sure in TIL
end to he tempered and corrected by that sober
sound and intelligent morality which is lntcrwove'
with every fibre Of the great body of Northern Socie
~, and which enables il with IMMUNITY tn tolerate i
lis midst the enumeration of the wildcst and most cI
travagant political and religious theories"
Now, this appears TO us to be u distinct admission
that in France and England, and the North, inhdeli
ties and supers,itions have been the legitimate resul
of free society. 1t is true, the Times thinks they VII
do no harm. we think differently. We think the,
have already done great harm in the cxcesres Of til
various French Revolutions, and in the riots, inccn
diarism, and open robbery OF mobs in England a
Western Europe rests on a volcano of universal INF