The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-02-26
SOUTHERN LITERATURE.

thoroughly saturated with maii.ni,y, wl,ivl,
the writcr--I'arke Go'lwin, we surposc-
evidently mistakes for wit, and no doubt
thinks himself delightfully."- Plckwickian in
the style Of his cllusion, Judging from the
parade of the d,umoiiS pc,sonr of the Pick
wick Club in almost every line Indeed,
the cortscations of the authors wit are SD
frequent, SO brilliant and dazzling, that it is
almost impossible To get at tie meaning or
substance, if there is any, in the article
AS far us we can make out, the action of the
late Southern Convention relative to the
propricty of encouraging Southern and dis
couraGing Northern literature, has irr.,a!cd
his gall bladder, and caused this bitter dis
charge Of acril insipidiiy. The South ai-
fords an excellent market for the literature
Of the North. With their accustomed i'll
difference to their true interests, the South
crn people arc pr..li.al OF their patronage
to Northern literature, whose tendency al-
ways, openly or ns;dio,,slv, is to undermine
her institutions and to injurc her Interests
The South has not sufficiently supported
her own authors, publishers and mcwspa-
pcrs, and if she would resist the tile of
Northern influence, she must cease to ell
courage the dissemination of Northern pub
Iications, and earnestly set to work to build
up Il Southern literature. The principle H.
volvc'l in IN excellent paragraph i'll a late
number of the New Orleans bulletin. in
which that paper says, "tl,c best way OF
defending the South, is to make !: vigorous
assault upon old fields and 'lilapii:,tcd rcu-
, ces; that it is only necessary to set the
plough and spade going and ovcrwhc.n the
enemy with mountains OF manure, to dis
comtit him. applies here. Let the SoutIi-
crn people subscribe for Southern papers
and magazines, let them purchase Southern
books and publications., ana We slla!l soon
have Il Southern literature capable of ma
king head against the assaults OF the North.
and even carry the war into the cncmy's
country. Southern teachers and Southern
text books also should hc supplied 10 all
Southern schools. The South is, to a piti-
able extent, dependent upon the Nortl, for
her teachers and school books The rem
cdy, rs We have said, is in the hands of the
Southern people. Will they Use it, or will
they submit TO the ta,,nts Of these Northern
scribLlcrs, who laugh at tic idea Of South
ern literature as IN impractic;liIty, and
announce i'll the most supcrcilio,s and
ll"ughty terms, that "thc literature OF the
country cares no longer to duck and com
plmcnt and omit, but will speak louder and
louder every day, directly and Indirectly
against human slavery"
The writer Of the article in question goes
on to say: We speak for the literature of
the country, when We say it no longer in
tends TO shivcr and turn pale when it speaks
Of the South and Southern institutions. It
will treat slavery as a great moral, social
and political blght;' and we do speak i'll
of slavery, and shall often do So" This is
the poisoned cllalcc which the North offers
To the lips OF the South through the me-
dunn of its literature. Will the South
drain 1t to its dregs, or will it dash il indir.
nantly to the earth, and turn to the pure
fountains which gusI forth at their own
do"rss Will the South support and foster
f her own literature and literary talent9 Is
there not public spirit, intelligence and en-
crsy enough i'll the South to resent these
insults to its dignity, and these assaults upon
It's intelligence and its institutions The war
is declared. The South must either irno-
bly, succomb, or do battle boldly and brave
ly for her dearest rights, her vital interests,
against those who are directing against her
llncompromising and continuous assaults.
In this struggle, the press will Lc found her
sblcst champions her iterature-if she
will but build it up-hcr most imprcgnaJle
buIwark. Let the cry be, Southern books,
Southern magazines, Southern papers and
Southern talent" Let them be called for.
ward to take in the South that position
hitherto usurpcd by Northern publications.
The talent and intelligence are here. Is
there not patriotism and public spirit
enough to foster it9 We DO not mean, by
anything we have sal !, to foster or encour-
nge a literature that is purely sectional in
Its character, as is the case with too much
OF that which comes Of late years from the
North; but we do mean that the Soutl,
should excommun;cate and place under ban
such publications rs that Of Putnam, which
declares that it intends to mako war upon
our institutions and our people whenever
the opportunity presents itself. We have
always regarded Putnam as credit to
Americas literature, properly so called; but
} when it descends TO tile miro of sectional
politics, il loses nli claim to support from
our people; and this effect is already vjsi-
| I,fa IN f1,a diminished ,.;rr,,l,,;n,, - 49,,