Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-03-21
The North and the south.s

-4 ~ SOuIus
We find in the "Maine Temperance Jour
ma" of the 18th inst, an article with the
above heading, which deals in assertions so
disingenuous and false, that we cannot pass
them by unnoticcd. Had they appeared in a
political newspaper, we should not have felt
called upon to say anything in reply-leaving
it to our political cotenporaries to refute the
calumny. But this comes from a so-called
Temperance paper, and IS published IN the
city where the next session of the National
Division is invited to be held, and therefore
demands a notice at the hands of the Tenn
perance press of the South.
The article in question sets out with this
remark
1T rs very difficult for the people of the
North, who have not resided at the Sonth 10
fully appreciate the actual state of society
there"
We felt confident, on reading this opening
sentence, that the Editor had been So,tb
and mingled in its society, AID would do us
justice in his determinations but the remsin-
der of the article satisfied US that he had new
er visited the South or he was so blinded by
f~anatical prejudice as tobeincapable of telling
the truth We have never known any hox-
est man who had visited the South and min
gled in its society, that did not give a very
different representation than that contained
m the disquisiions.o of the Maine Temperance
journal.
The object Of the article seems to be. to-
draw a comparison between northern and
southern society," And while he saws the
former ane sub-divided into 'tAvse classes
the middle Of which is the great conservative
eleaent-tne seat and centre of an progress
and the entire recupeEative power o society;p
st adds there can exist no such thing as a
Middle class m a community where slavery
exists foR any length Of time" The Editor
then proceeds to argue that the minority, at
the South, are the nabobs-the slave owners
whfe the non-slaveholders, though greatly
: in the majority, are "more Degraded physi.
caAy, intellectually and morally, than the
slaves themselves" OF the nonslaveholder:
it says further:
Butthis class are entirely poxerless fer aav inde
, pendent political ectisn, from the want Of competer
h leaders and men qualified to I'm the various once ~
9pired- were they disposed 10 take such action. /
they attempt anything of the kind they have to seel
- candidates from out Of their own class for Office. sud
u the aeounding ana universal ignorance anonp then
bntwe regret % say, there i very little disposition 4
to see the soasee Of all theirmiseries.
We viii not insult our readers with furtheI
5 extracts from the article in question, which
o for truthfnlness, the above samples are fail
specimens No one who has ever resided il
the South for even a short time, would hay,
e written such falsehooda, unless he were
Z blnckhearted defhmer.
Our main object, however, IN noticing til,
slanderons article, was to say If this pape,
represents the sentiments ofthe Temperate
b men ofPortland, concerning Temperance me
n at the Southcomposed as they are ofslavs
a holderssand non-slayehclders, Wa hope the
will be spared contamination by being brough
ID in contact with them in the National Diyi,
,e ION: But we presume Darius Forbes and III
pscuiating Eldex Peak are not not fair repr
I'd sentatiEes ofthe Sons-ofT Temperance ofMaine
a. and we rejoice to know that they are n,
"a members Of the National Division.