Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-07-09
OUR MORAL PROGRESS.

The Charleston NeUS, alter drawing Drlllant
picture of our material advancement proceeds
to discuss our moral progress. The fact is, it is
much easier for people to advance in material
comforts and even intellectual requirements, than
to progress in morals. Wealth, commerce, trade,
intelligence-al the appliances Of civilization,
may improve while moral ,tntu, remains the
same or actually retrogrades. In fact, it appears
as if these all combine to undermine morality
and sobriety Disinterestedness and lofty, self
sacrificing patriotism, are usually primitive vir-
tues which pass away with pristine simplicity of
manners and habits. Still with some it may be a
matter of doubt whether our progress in morals
has been upward or downward. The News thus
ably advocates the latter opinion:
sHrIsheu by cnrUu-
cling the stages of our unparalleled advance in
riches, the steps by which We have, in these egh-
| ty years, more than quintupled our population,
the gradatons by which we have taken position
by the side of the great empires of the earth but
some Macauley, with a spirit of inquistiveness,
will search tie record for other evidences of M
tional advancement. He will explore our annals,
probe our legislation for the proofs of correspon-
dent improvement in morals and manners. The
result of that scrutiny may not be verdict of
progress, but retrogression. The impartial inoui-
rcr may be forced to pronounce that people who
have borrowed from the agencies of nature and
the advantages Of geographical position all that
can impart life, energy, riches, dominion to COM
munities have lapsed in moral improvement: Here
will be found, perhaps, q positive nvers. IN of
moral and material progress. AS wealth has ad
ranced, as comfort has been widely dispensed, it
may be discovered that morals and manners have
receded. Here it may be seen that private crime
has entered into frightful competition with public
disorder, vindctive passions with contempt for
law, individual violence with collective outrage
1t is possible that history may be challenged for
any picture of national retrogression in morals
and manners shaded by so much crime, in asso-
citation with so much prosperity, as has character
lied American society within the last twenty years.
If so, the steps Of the declension have been fear
fully rapid All the conservative principles of So
ciety must have been relaxed. Popular violence
must have displaced al reverence for even the
forms of justice. With contempt for the moral
law must have been associated irreverence for the
Constitution. A fanatical spirit must have over
riden the obligations of faith aud spurued the sane
titles of patriotism. The voice of authority, the
words Of recorded wisdom, the utterances of the
judgment-seat and the oracles of the council board
with the voice of tradition, must all be about to
be swept away in the heady stream of political in
fidelity that is deluging the land. Such, we ap-
prehcnd, would be the social picture, showing an
unrelieved depth of shadow, which the unpreju-
diced delineator would draw of American society,
in its present phase.
"And still this is unfortunately not the worst,
for not only, we fear, are discoverable among us
those manifestations of more violent order of the
passions, but blended with ferocity and terrorism,
in some Of its divisions, q spirit of corruption in
others, assuming the most mercenary shapes and
frightful proportions. Malfeasance, bribery, per-
jury Justification, fraud shed their rankness over
the land 1t seems as if the baser and more tur-
bulcnt passions of our nature-the ferocious and
selfish instincts of man-had come into une1pect-
ell association. As if, walking hand in hand in
sinister relationship, they were twin offspring of
that disorganizing spirit which insduously under
mines by sapping the foundations of society, in
direction, while rudeness is assailing it's outer
defences iu another.
Whether these dark traits foretel social deca-
dence, and spring from the too luxurant growth |
of democracy, exhibiting with the consciousness
of power in the masses no countervaing and con- |
servative principles, which are the balancing for
ces of political society of every kind, whatever be
the form of government, is o subject of interest
ing speculation. But these are the topics that |
force comparison on the mind when summoned to |
the celebration of our National birth. day, still
fragrant, it is true, with the rich memories of
patriotic achievement and common sacrifices, but |
also shaded with the forebodings of clouded fu
turity."