The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-21
From the N. o. Bulletin.
A GOOD MOVEMENT IN GEORGIA.

Georgia has received the proud appellation
of the Empire State of the South" and she
appears determined to be worthy of it. In
manufactures railroads, and other kinds of
home industry, she has set an example we'll
worthy of being followed by her sister States of
the South. Much of Ter territory is barren,
and yet we are not certain after ALL that this will
not ultimately turn out blessing rather than
an evil for has not experience proved that
where nature does everything for people, they
will do nothing, or very little, for themselves
Place man upon sterile soil, and necessity
compels him to exert himself to obtain living,
and in the exercise of his wit and his industry
for This purpose primarily, he will soon hit
upot agencies, by accident or otherwise, that
will convert his barren acres into sources of
YEA tn, luxHries, and all the refnements of life.
The sterile, under the magic wand of industry
directed by intelligence, becomes fruitful /;
streams irr,gate arid wastes, and flowers shed
ovet them the beauty of their perpetual fra.
GRANGE.
Somewhat Of these results has already OBJ
tanned in Georgia. Her people are a very
practical people; and instead of splitting the
air with groans about Northern oppression,
Southern poverty, and Southern weakness, they
put their hands to the pillow, to the loom, to the
anvil, 10 the milestone they put into practical
operation the machinery and the appliances
whereby this Southern poverty may be replaced
With wealth, and this weakness with power
|. There 10 common sense, sterling common sense,
in all that and we should like to witness the
exhibition of something, or somewhat more, of
this spirit of reaoute independence and indomi-
| table energy in certain other localities that
might be mentioned, not excepting certain
| saccharine region sometimes yclept the Sugar
| Bowl of the Union.
Il is our true policy, and the only policy
| thas will enable us to cope successfully with
our neighbors. Unless we adopt it, and carry
it put with unhsgging vigor, we shall find
ourselves left laggards far in the rear of our
more stirring rivals We cannot depend ex.
clusively on our position and the richness of
our soil There is requisite the genius of the
cunning hand, and the intelligent intellect to
develop their advantages, to draw from them
| the inexhaustible magazines Ct wealth which
they are ready to yield. There is nothing that
lies 80 crushingly upon the energies of people
as ignorance. 1t is the nightmare that pa, a.
lyzes them, and makes them the footballs of
the designing. Ignorance is weakness, and
hepce people are always strong, just in pro-
potion to their intelligence. All history at
tes.s this truth. Does any rational man sup
poee that the English, French, and Russians,
| all combined, could have attacked an empire Of
three or four hundred millions of people. and
ex.orted from its rulers such concessions as thew
were pleased to demand, if the people and ru.
lers OF that empire had possessed the real in.
teliigence of the attacking parties :? The Chi.
nese did not know how even to elevate or de.
press their guns They could only bit their
enemies, therefore, when the latter were sufi.
c,ently accommodating to place themselves in
the right position, and keep it long enough for
the Celestials to take aim.
The same truth holds equally good in the
industrial condition of people ; the educ.sssd
will be strong, and the ignorant weak. Nj.
ther will 1t do to make few persons intelli.
gent, while the masses are uneniipbtened. Ev.
cry ignorant member of society is dead weigh,
on it; hence the profound sagacity and far.
reaching prescience of the founders of our in.
stitutions, in ENGRAVING upon them system OF
public enlightenment that should gradually
, reach the entire mass of the people. elevate
and make them impregnable. In proportion
as this system has been carried into rigorous
! execution according to the intent and spirit O.
J our sages, by the respective States, they hav.
become powerful and wealthy; and, as they
, have neglected it, they have fallen behindhend
A Virginia official thanked God that Their
) we're no free schools in that State, and, unde
? this policy of thanking God for ignorance, tn
old Commonwealth has dwindled down to insig
K niheance in comparison to what abe might hav
n been. She should have been today more poE
uous, with more Representatives in Congress
!, and more powerful in every respect, than Ne,
J. York; and she would have been 80, had sh
l. pursued, at an early day, the same policy {