Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-04-24
For The NdshrlIIe Patriot.
Cavaliers and Furftans-North and
Soutfl-InfOn.

For the NdshrlIe Patri0.
Cavaliers and Furftans-North and
South-Union.
That there are two distinct social elements
IN this country. antagoniftic to each other, and
separated by well defined geographical lines,
is unfortunately too evident to admit ofdoubt.
The struggle between them, which today is
so u1profitably fierce and btt T, had its origin,
not fifty nor eighty years ago. when it existed,
a. the Compromises of the Constitution prove,
bit in the great revolut on that during the
mi Idle half of the 18th century, changed and
agitated the face of Great Britain. The
Cavaliers and Puritans of that age were the
ancestors and prototypes Of the Southerncrs
and - Yankees f" of this. There were two dis
tiuct revolutions in England in the 18th CEN
fury. the first religious, the last political
the first conducted by the Puritans, the last
by the original Cavaliers. That the Puritan
then was unfit for rational freedom, civil or re-
ligious, was abundantly verified in the wild
extremity of his principles, tending to the ut
ter subversion of all society, and the short
duration of his power when attained. That
the " Yankee" now is unfit for rational free
dom is even yet more abundantly proved by
the still wilder extremes Of his moral, social
and political hcresies, tending to a yet more
complete subversion of society and overthrow
of the moral government of God. The moral
and social Distinction between the Cavaliers
and Puritans was wide and deep and perma-
nent The Cavaliers were of the pure Anglo
Saxon blood, and embraced nearly all the bet
ter and free portion Of the English people.
They were a brave, honorable, social and
pleasure loving race, loyal to their govern
ment and loyal to their church. a race that
were add cted to the pleasures of life. of the
earth, earthly; but theirvice sprung from ex-
cess of pleasure and the darker crimes of
human nature found little place among them.
Finding that earth could not be made para
disc, they did not therefore seek to turn Gods
fair footstool into gloomy hill True, they
loved, they fought and they drank. as holier
men will neither love nor fight nor drink but
no dark assassins. no worshippcrS OF mann
mon were they diShonor aud sOrdd mcanncss
they knew not and they served their God and
their King with loyal devotion that history
has failed to parallel. Their intellectual cult
walton was great (; their social development
was then unequalcd and their moral cultiva-
ton was at least equal to that of their
age. The Puritan picture is a melan
choly contrast. All is dark and gloomy.
The English Puritans Of the first English rev.
olution were among the very worst develop
mentS of human nature, eXcellcd by the
French Jacobins only in extent of power
achieved and in rapidity and energy Of ac-
ton. The fanaticism of the English rcvo.u-
ton was religions, that Of the French anti-re-
ligious: but extremes meet and between them
at last there was no real difference. Hume
says of the English Puritans that they were
"more averse to such Irregularities as proceed !
from excess of gaiety and pleasure, than to
those enormities which are the most .struc-
tive to society" Nissan hropy, hypocrisy, |
diseased philanthropy, envy and glocmy ia |
nlticsm were the ruling characteristics Of the |
E iglish Puritans; and they continue To b. the
ruling characteristics of New England Yam
iEeos- Hnnor and loyalty were virtues I'M
known TO the Puritans, aud they knew not
even the meaning of true rligior. Half of
them were hypocrites who, to glut their hatred
and envy of the happier classes, assumed and
desecrated the name of religion--part, were
misanthrOpes, who under the Garb of reli-
gious fanaticism sought to revenge their dis
appointments on all hunanity-part, were
honest fanatics who, in their diseased and rot
ten philanthropy would render all the world
like themselves, as the ilfh monarchy
men, in the distracted rawlings Of disordercd
brains saw in themselves the beginning of the
universal reign of the gentle Savior-and a
very small part, as the Deists, probably the
most honest of all because the most legiti-
mate, threw aside all religion, and like the
atheist Jacobins of later times, sought TO re-
lieve man of all government, human and Di-
vine. During the short lived reign Of Purl-
tanism England was real he'll. Shouting
Psalms written to the praise Of God they
marched to slay their brethren; mouihng the
same texts of scripture they slaughtered a
beef or murd red n hi hop; profesScd follow
ers of the meek and lowIy Jesus they as as,ina-
ted the holy and venerable arch bishop--re-
peating the sweet and loving pr,ccpts Of
CHiiot, III Cotu blOou lucN HluIutI'l lH'lI
King. In the name of God, they broke every
command of the Drcalogur. AMI all the dark
catalogue of crimes with them were ,cnal
save the use of Liturgy, a surplc,, gown
anil the marriage ring. and these, not the
blood of the Lamb of God could cleanse from
the soul of the sinner. The rise and short,
though gloomy, reign Of Puritanism. was uu-
doubtedly one of those great national chas-
tisem ants with which the Almighty some
times vlsi the sins of the people and out of
1t too, as out of all the Affections visited on
man, has resulted good Though the Puri-
tlns themselves were the wort, or at best the
crazicst of men--though they overthrow all
society, revealed in anarchy and licentious-
n sss; and would, il they could, have hurled
the very elements back to chaos; though they
were blind and bigOted, furious aud fanatical,
and had no conception OF civil or religious
liberty; YET it is from their short aud violent
reign that has been elected the seeds of real
freedom, both civil and religious. The last
revolution OF England was revolution Of
The enlightened and cavalier CLASSES. The
Puritan revolution had germinated the desire
aud demonstrated the necessity for rel gious
and civil liberty. With little or /
no violence aud hloodshed both in tue last |
we're accomplished. or this revolution the
nraaaot Eocli.h constitution v.as ~, F..,i, | Il,