Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-09-08
RESPECTING THE NORTHERN EDITORS
r, The Editors If Tie Enquirer:
A.,

r., me Editors If tie Enqnucr:
NEW York, August 81, Ie'''
G.uile,nen:-I sometimes find that when u n'au
makes ny hs mind TO Disregard the nSru n u y,
those about hm-"the sacred disenst, as ''o Wv ~,
Gre. termed the general opininm-Ee runs lne ''T
of having 10 Hudisuce but himself. ho"'
hope that, with you. the trsnkn--s 81 me 'u,'o
observations will 10: be any bar against tue, -.
Your Cony rnun tor the ENCOURAGEMENT o' oou'n
trn interests has stirred up our .soF'hein 49,,
good deal; aud, initiating the ac','n ~ X ~ it
Spence OIL reading the first words OF tlo h1 re-
t.rs-"a loud laugh laugh they. lhey r'neuia .no
whole idea and pointing you TO me pro'ee'eu ey'e"i.
of trade and letters in the midue anu I;,.
ages try to make phi!osophc EMO" Vi uSpa, -
,n.pt against the arcumsnt and aspirations VI Tue
south ns if ,he.. did not properly belong 10 the time
or the county. Bat all this only SHOWS VIVA,
childish and purblind thing iheirh 10 yum
they do not know what manner OF penpe We a.e
Her. Wa have them sueeiing at the notion OF torcng
ar tosirny trade or condition. they themselves being
in the midst OF the most stimulated stted' eActeu,
tsyerish rowdyi-h civilization the woru ever saw al
suy time and battsning aud stenlng Jocoseiy ohtne
same . , .,.e:..
ssnt r,r,a magnificent fUur de t2rce 80 to speak,
cumb,nsd of many forceri aud all THIS Is Seen MOST
nIny AZ the North there it il, look at II; the whole
system moving under high pressure Stimulus -ei!ner
nj IN. State or of the legerdemain industry OF 90
r;s,v. Our grand mail steam marine has been car
ri.d forward by State support, beyond any growth
or nrufit possible to it, in healthy natural way; ana
all tIis i'm wlful imitation Of the Great British modes
OF doing business. As for our ran roads, inc s!e"d
az, bends of the North will tell you they have been
violently dragged and jugged into existence, and
are Only worth hall prime cost; That they ara ABOUT
quarter Of century too sooh' l'he greater PaI VI
tn.n) for the real wants OF the people. Again, lonk
10 The other iuteress--the banks Of all sorts. the
canals the mines and the luxurious importation aye.
tenn in general-and hear the aforesaid heads declare
most of them treacherous, unnatural bubbles, and 30
forth This vast complicated scheme Vi THINGS III
short shows little or no evidence Oi true, na'irsI
growth. except as concerns mother earth-JJ"st'St
ma tf}lus, and her Industries.
Seeiuc, then such terrible evidence OF stimulation
at home, manly thinker at the North would be
ashamed to scott the South for trying to stimulate
and stir herself up. But, suppose 10 only accord
ing 10 their vocation that the shallow Pomonas ot Tue
journals should. in the regular partisan way turn The
question into a matter of jeering aud houtlng--hRe
fellows glowing complacently over their own bran
dy.smashes, yet crying out against neghpor VINO
would try the efficacy of a sherry'coDoler.
They also smile at the desire OF the South 10 nave
distinct mind and literature, as II any attempt 10 ap'
uroach the North in this respect would be iutlle.-
But our Northern muses. are nothing TO brag Of. In
the first pace tho boast Of our common school system
ia Il hypocrisy Of the genuine New England stamp
and descent for it probably does more 10 nournlsh
the spry, shlty, swndling propensities that infect
u.s. than anything else in the world. Theirs il is;
look at it. 1t takes the Guild, virtually, from the
"fany" and gives him to the "di, trict," which puts
him into a red wooden building, and teaches him
arithmetic and independence. In this there seems to
be principle of rottenDess which will make itself
very papsble some day in spite OF the churches.-
Then, for literature, OH the whole, il is nothing
but farce and faacy, produced III Imitation OF the
British the Germans and shaped in spirit upon all
sorts Of ultra marine models. Judge Story used 10
groau forth this truth and We should always keep II
before US. Our literature is, in fact laqucy ltera.
ture. sequacious. secondhand thing, and the only
genuine Americansm of tho Intellect that We can
boast of having spirit racy of the soil and distinct
from ANYTHING foreign comes actually from the South,
iu the melodies Of those jolly blacks OF yours who
have given people hero the only sense and enjoy
ment of native music they ever had any notion OF -
Literature quota! 1t has come 10 poor pass with
US when almost all our light literaures, our novels
aud tales and the stories for the magazines are writ
ten by women. Having crowded into boarding
houses and given up more solid order OF cookery,
they have, no doubt the more leisure 10 tickle our
pslaes with another. As for our periodic literature,
II will not 90 down without pictures and are thus
brousht back to tho pabulum of childhood. Those
magazines and journals that aspire 10 the most popu
lar position and sae, 20 largely into wood cuts and
steel cuts either Imported AT hana or got up
here. The rea ling matter ol Course only comes ou
the poorer for this. that really, after the mental
syllabus our people are thus induced 10 swallow, il
is no wonder they rush to the saloons get brandy.
srnashes and draw taeir knvs, and reviewers. in or
der TO recover Of that natural robustness
which belong. to the active brains and blood of
population. Gall wood cuts and holerng," said an
old Scotch printer, speaking OF the popular literature;
and The d. fnUn seems 10 meet the merits Of the case
pretty fuirly.
This literature of ours. in fact, gets along under
the same low Of stimulus which governs everything
else about us. A gives 81 oOO for single ad
vertsement of his paper, calling out len words hve
hundred times through the page. and goes ahead
accordingly. Even those looked on AZ the best OF
GU, periodicals are put forward BHrnuln put for
ward lis Mermaid and WooIy Horse, with q char.
latsn oulcry. Putnsms Magazine, wretched'y sus.
tanned by poor little selni-abolition!st clique, was
naugursted with piece of bawli1g humbuGsery
about Lpuis XVII, galvanized dead falsehood,
which thought very fine thing to tickle our lit
erary catastrophes withal, and into which the pro.
jectcr, by 4 happy inspiration, managed to drag a
poor New England Clergyman who, being needy
knife grinder, WIS easily prevailed upon to help in
carving on the heavy farce, "for n consideration.
/: was altogether curious piece Of business and an
Instructive study for those who would look into our
intellectual system and mark the growth of our lite
nature, morally otherwise. On the whole, We
have very little To dsparage the South for its
literary short co,nDgs When you are told your lite.
nature s moi like ours, take heart aud thank God
Would 10 Heaven We had such clear road for the
race of letters as you have. Ours is numbered with
foreign rubbish over which we stumble and tall HAT
aud make no way ut all
So much for what the South might reort in this
argument and what many pens at the North would
write if they could find columns here to receive their
logic-a thing not 10 be hoped for. A philosopher
arguing against the evil of the Common Schools and
the hollow clatter Of sleaning and cO.termnnger
ing progress, would be tarred and feathersd in our
midst; and the metaphor far worse, can tell you,
than any of your literal manpulations. The North
is more niolerant, naturally, than the Souh-the
saints of New Eugland were always more nolerant
than the sinners of Maryland. Selfcomplacency ia a
terrible tyrant; and perhaps it Is OH this principle
that thera is much greater liberty and holiness in
the English press than in tho journalism we have
about us here. Yours, &c.
INDEPENDENT.