Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-09-08
Salisbury.


We copied, last week, an article from the
Salisbury Banner, which gave a dreadful ac-
count of the condition of the morals ofthat
town. We stated at the time, that it was a
dark picture-but as it was drawn by one of
the members of that community-one of its
Editors, too-we presumed the sketch a
faithful one, tho drawn in vivid colers. 1t
seems, however, that exceptions are taken to
it; it is called extrayagant and unjust-and
as we do not desire to be a party to doing
injustice to our sister town, we give the fol-
lowing from the Salisbury Waterman
Allndlng to the article we copied from the
Banner, the Waterman says
The foregoing has attracted very general
and concerned attention in this community,
! and many of our citizens object to it as an
entirely overweight picture, so far as it re-
: lates to the moral character of our town.
We make free to say, that here as drawn, 1t
. is worse than we ever knew Salisbury to be,
and we have known it well for thirty-two
years. If the picture was intended to repre-
sen the moral aspect of the place on the
9Th of August, instant, then we have no OBJ
lection to make for that soas a day to shock
the moral sense of the community. But
I'd there is nothing in the above which leads
r. the mind of the reader to that, or to any par
m ticular day, and consequently it must be Ia
ken as applicable to the common and daily
er character of our town. 1t is unjust to a de-
gree fairly astonishing. and while it is so,
re- IN Heircumstanees which led 60 the publica-
disposed to pity the Weakness of the father
nat than denounce the wrong of the editor.
csc That there arc grog shops here, and that
they are nasty, low, and black, no one will
deny. They are just like grog-shops every
where else. The "Institution" is the same,
gle, whether in Canada or New Orleans and the
wed vices and immortality bred by them are the
:, same. only differing in amount and this is in
'uu some measure dependent on the efficiency or
der ineficiency of the police exercised over them,
mis- and over those who frequent them NOW II
-: so happens, that at this particular time, we
have a board of public officers who have dis
hich tinguished themselves, as well IN preserving
s of good order as in other parts of their publi
duties. The Banner itself, has heretofore
n borne testimony to this. How strange, then
any that it should publicly declare that virtue
lie Of purity and piety, with all their attendan
While graces, are in danger of being swallowed az
by the overwhelming avalanche ofwickedRess
- sin, and debauchery which seems every wher
ln'o to prevail" How can it sustain the declara
than ton that every observer knows that a moo
rsons est female. though attended by a parent, can
fact not pass our streets without seeing slght
: shocking to her purity and at our most put
HI ~ 5VNye W
l read bauchery are presented to our sons, &C
e the Neiehbor, these charges are untrue. 70
tho4 saw our town through the tears of a prlvai
grief, and whilst you have the sympathy
many friends in your sorrow, they object
the wrong you have inflicted upon the COZ
of my munity by such an enormously exaggerat
Spirit representation of its moral character "
,ultur- pass the streets and corners more or less di
:. Ny ly. and we do not believe we have seen
>nsider drunken man one time out of forty. In
our walk is seldom offthe most public street
we rarely get into the alleys and filthy c.
ners into which the grog-shops are mos
: "@ crowded, and cannot answer for them |
Labllsh- those are places sober people and ladies s
rosts of dom, if ever, have occasion to visit. In
Drt the are dirty enough, we doubt not, to offend a
!, 80. BODY who has not learned to love the scent
4 u ~ rum-hole; and if our neighbor had confined
and felt remarks to these quarters, he would have
al his respetta
friends. Give it to the doggeries and "
o.oa key drinkers as hard as you please, height
but don't suppose every body in Salish
'ru anu is drunk, and have nothing else to do bu
sity for plot the ruin of others. And tell Mr.. c
that the where to find the next drunken man or
you see on the street, and you will find
whether such cases can be reached by lay
VIII be There is a law for them, and a numb
example them have already found it to their cost.