Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-07-30
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.


in the newspapers the propriety of enscting a
Corporation ordinance forbidding ice to be cart
ed around in their town on Sundays Some time
ago, their Councils enacted one forbidding the
BARRIERS Of their burgh to practice their calling
on that day Of the week, which, to our mind,
should have been entitled "An act to compel
men to carry dirty faces on Sundays" Hun
dreds in every such community never shave
themselves, and many do not know how to do
50. That many of them will go without the use
Of razor on Sunday, if thus prevented from
paying their daily visit to the barber shop, is
certain and, of course, not a man Of them will
show his bristling mug in church-not man OF
them. Such law strikes us as essaying to
make community too piOus, by half. The idea
OF forcing population to go without their Gus
tomary supply of ice on Sunday, is an improve
ment on their dirty face law, worthy Of the
spirit which gave rise to its predecessor.
We have seen much Of the world, for our age,
and long since came to the conclusion that much
Of the drinking, gambling, &c, which charac-
teriEes the habits Of so many young men in our
land, owe their prevalence to the ideas Of our
population concerning the observance of Sun
day.
To those who do not go to church-and there
are thousands on thousands everywhere in that
category-the law and custom make Sunday
either dreaded day or a day for dissipation
While all sensible and right-minded persons
regret that this is SO, all know that it is more so
everywhere in the United States at this time
than ever before. Ever since Connecticut en-
acted that beer should not work in the barrel
on Sunday, that the ROSTERS should be tied up
on that day to prevent them from gallanting
the hens, and that man should not desecrate
it by kissing his wife-the examples followed in
Alexandria's Sunday legislation-more and
more Of every American population have been
gradually coming to devote Sundays to dissipa-
tion.~ I'VE venture TO say that Alexandria
never had more practiced within her limits and
environs, than since her dirty-face law went
into operation. Of course, the anti-open bar
ber-shOp men, and those whose meditatOnS
have so slight hold on their hearts that the jim
gle of ice-cart bells attracts their minds from
sacred things when they should be fixed on
them, see little of all this. But hundreds, if
not thousands, in the ancient burgh, must be
aware of the truth of what we write, unless its
people are in all respects more sober, consid-
crate, moderate and pious race than their fel-
lows everywhere; which there is no valid reason
for believing, or we know nothing of human
nature.
A CANDID CONFESSION Is Coop FOR THE
SOUL The Washington correspondent of the
New York Courier anil Enquirer, as sturdy
Republican party IAN as is connected with the
Northern press Enus discourses of the scheme
In fra1
slavery la the British and French West India
islands and change somewhat the character and
status Of the institutions in Cuba which we have
recently discussed at length:
The Africanization of Cuba and SOU tn Amer
lea by means of an Anglo-Gallic scheme of kid
mapping negTO@s from Africa, eXcites all the in
dlgnant comment which its opponents should de-
Hlre il 10 receive. This is but thnly- disguised
plan for the revival Of the slave trade with all the
horrors OF the middle passage. W hen that tfaf-
hc was about To be broken up, il was i le2aliZed
and favorite pursuit Of the British and American
merchants, who carried II on precisely as they
Will carry on the deportation OF negro labOTrrS
from Africa To America under contracts either
with the subjects Of that commerce, or the gov
eTnments which encourage it. Setting aside the
first fatal objection that the poor barbarians OF
africa are not capable OF making contracts and
that If carried away from their homes, they would
be- nothing else than slaves under tue maine vi
iadented laborers what proof is there that any OF
the colonies TO which il is proposed to take them
need more laborers. Recent statistical inquiries
have shown that jamaica, Guiana, Barbadoes
and I'm short, all the British and French posses
AiOns ia the tropical regions, filed with olor-
Ell labOrers who ICiH not work. There is Jamaica
for example, vastly increased population since
l-;5-, when the apPrenticed labOrers Were liberia
ted yet the amount eXpOrtaLle produce is great
y diminished. What is the reason? Simply
because the. population Is forced by legal coeT-
COn to labor, and the climate sinclines il to any
eIertiOn beyond what may De needed for procnr-
ing the nec-ssaries of life and those, too, the ci
mate and the soil themselves furnish.
The writer from whom we here quote has
lowed as much over the condition of the - poor
African in the Southern United States in
the last few years, almost, as Gerrit Smith
himself; the drift of his arguments being that it
Is the right and duty Of the North to take
measures for the eventual adjustment of slave
~ in the United States. Or, in other words, to
place throughout the South, beyond the re-
straints of the laws and institutions that compel
them to do their share (Of labor for the we'll
being Of society, the three and a half millions
Of slaves whom, as he here truly declares, will
not work more than may be sufficient to keep
body and soul together, and must necessarily
reduce our Southern States, if his fayorite
scheme be carried out, to the Industrial condi
ton to which their liberation has brought . ia
maica, Guiana, Barbados, and, in short. all
the British and French possessions in the tropi-
cal regions" that "are filled with colored la
borers who triH not work" No one knows
better than the writer from whom we quote
above what that condition IL; for he is intelli-
gent and Weil-iniormed. We quote him and
comment upon him now, because he thus af
forls US an opportunity TO illustrate the very
madness Of Republican partyism, the Positions
ii which are not only tending To reduce society
at the North to anarchy, but to over.hadow the
South with the black pail Of soth ou-produc-
ton and essential barbarism that England and
France in changing the political and social
status Of tho African in their West India pos
sessisns, have lso surely and manifestly drawn
over them
TBR GOVERNMENT TO PAY THE COSrs.-Cap-