The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1861-02-20
Recreation.

THE following sensible remarks arc OK
tracted from the salutatory with which the
thirty first volume of that sterling paper, the
Ny. Spirit Of the Times, is introduced to
its numerous patrons. The Spirit, devoted
to its own peculiar speciality, has never en-
gagged in political discussions, but it has not
hesitated, upon proper occasions, to express
its utter want of sympathy with the anti
slavery feeling of the North. We commend
the Spirit to our readers, with the suggcs-
ton that they will be certain to derive from
its perusal large measure Of those advan-
tages which are set forth in the extract we
now lay before them. --EDs. lNr.
When this paper was started thirty years
ago, there were really no organized national
amuscments. Except in the South, where
the Turf and hunting wild game was an in
cidcnt or necessity, we were cnphatically a
work-a-day people, for if we had fairly re-
covered from the evils of the struggles that
attended our national independence, We had
not vet accumulated the material wealth sut-
! fcent to enable any great number of our
citizens to enter heartily into recreations.-
So practical, indeed, had become our philo-
sophy, especially in the more Northern States
that the scvercst and most acquisitive, and
soul-klling ofI'oor Richards prove ribs were
| the rules of life. In fact, Spurzhcim and
| Combc noticed and commented while in this
country, on the fact that the pleaSurc-lo' ing
side of our nature was too little INDUCED IN
and cultivated that we were too much Gu
/ glosscd in business; that our duties were
too apt to run into the ascetic extreme that
orr faculties for enjoyment were ignoantiy
orfrom false phiosoph ,pcrsistently stidel
/ and ignored, instead of naturally indulging
them, not ouly to add to our happiness, but
for our general health.
The evil effects of this entire absorption
of the mind to unvarying labor, in Il nation
al point Of view, has never been clearly un-
derstood by moral and political economists /;
and, strangers may appear our assertion, the
/ present political evils and agitations Of our
country are in great degree owing 10 the
/ entire absorption of the masses in pursuit Of
gain, leaving their minds mere blanks with
regard to any intellectual idea of their self
governing duties. Persons who are so in
timatciy associated with government as we
are under our supposed free institutions,
must have some leisure to inform themselves
of their duties, else they will be mistaken in
their own judgment, or led by demagogues.
1t is notorious that the public men of the
South have from the beginning Of our nation
| ii existence had prcponderating influence,
and the only reason for this is, that with them
there are those who encourage healthful re-
creations, are fond Of the noble excitcmcnts
of the Turf, are expert in the use of the rod
aud gun, all of which prcsupposcs a clear
head, a sound body, and a comprehensive
mind, thereby naturally finding time to thor
oughly inform themselves of the wants of
/ the nation and of their own rights Z; for it
cannot be denied that gentleman and states
man cannot be complete unless he has a de-
cided taste and prediction for manly sports,
indulging in them practically if possible, or
making time to read about them, as a relief
] from the severe duties of his everyday life.
/ We hold it TO be true aud beyond contradic
/ ton, that the most apparent faults of our pee
pie, the most dangerous IN their tendencies,
the most destructive to our future, lies IN
/ the fact that we have too few intellectual and
outdoor pastimes, too few inducements to
get men OF business away from the confined
air and sitting associations of the counting
room, and the women from the nursery, to
indulge in some active blood-vitaIizing out
door recrcations. We repeat, that when our
paper was first started, the necessity of pro-
per recreation was fatally misunderstood, and
the advocates of such thing, who were few
and far between, were looked upon, as a gen
eral thing, as crazed or vicious. But our la
bors, we are thankful to say, have not been
without their fruits. Toiling on, year after
year, chronic!ing faithfully what was doing
IN the world among the refined and wealthy
in the way of amusement, giving details of
the excitements of the chase by sea and land,
by professional hunters and sportsmen, NC
have insensibly vet positively built up pub
lie opinion that Is fast becoming feformatory
in its effects, and doing more to create
healthy bodies, and consequently clear and
comprehensive minds, than all the mistaken,
but no doubt honest morslists, in our midst.
The SWORD AND THE BIBIE.-Among the
military companies now stationed at SuIIi-
VANS Island, is one from Upper Carolina, in
which over twenty-five are graduates Of the
South Carolina Collegc-two or three having
taken the first honor at that OF Their colleges.
They arc a noble band of men, and their
Captain served valliantly in the Mexican war;
He is President, also, we believe, of the BIZ
BILE Society Of his District, and has disiribu-
ted severs! hundred Tesiaments, to his own
aud other companies. With such materials,
the South can dcfr tho ,rnrIf