New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-11-02

H. SATURDAY MORNING. NOVEMBER 2, 1861. = -
Liberal and IIIiberaI.
- q rFor the New Orleans Crescent


"try mems souls" but reveal their characters. The
brave man proves himself brave one; the cow
ard shows himself a coward. The liberal spirit
shines beautifully fortin its native glory, and all
admire it. The stingy, miserly soul, is known and
marked by all men. Characters thus brought out
By the pressure of great circumstances are fixed
of honor or disgrace.
The Romans used to say that the best test of
mans character was to be found in the treatment
of his slaves. There is great deal of truth in It.
man is gentleman or not, Just in the proper
ton that he feeds and clothes his negroes WE'LL
and treats them and. has them treated in a humane
and Christian manner. II he fails in these primary
duties, by no possible ostentaton Of wealth or
suavity Of manner can he impose himself upon dis
cerning people as a true gentleman. ss,s-z-1=,
But test just as good as this Roman one is now
being applied to all classes in our young Confed-
eracy. We are struggling not only for national
existence and glory, but for all that makes life
for honor. No eye can fathoE1 the abyss of deg
radiation into which a failure would inevitably
plunge US. The institution upon which our whole
social fabric is reared would be violently destroy.
ed and every interest Of society would be wrecked
in the dreadful convulson. We are straining every
nerve to achieve our independence. We may
safely assume that our resources will be tasked to
the uttermost before peace and nationality are Sc
The supplication "giye give !" will ring in our
ears until we are q free people. In these trying
times the genuine character Of every man, whether
he sees and believes it or not is shown to the
world by the manner and spirit with which he
comes up to the help of his country.
First, there is the thoroughly and greatly gen
erous man, whole-souled, open-handed, open-heart-
cd, with the light Of natures nobility beaming
from every feature. When noble cause has
fred his heart he gives, not within his income or
up to it, but beyond it. He does not wait for COM
mittee-men toferret him out; he seeks occasions
for giving, and when he cannot find them he in
vents them. Like the sun, he radiates his treas
ures out from himself and upon others. In cause
like ours he will empty his purse strip his house,
sell all that he has and throw his life into the scale
to fill up the measure. He does not count ex-
penses, or weigh chances or foresee difficulties, or
care for obstacles. His soul has not been canker-
ed by the love of money Like Oliver Goldsmith,
he would give his last guinea to a beggar woman
in the street. He scorns mere wealth in, compari-
son with many things which he esteems dearer,
like Themistoeles, who divided the vast treasures
of the Persans among his snbordiHates, reseryng
only glory to himself This class is, Of necessity,
very small. Such men are like poets, not made
but born. The great mass OF mankind must ad.
mire them, if they have the discernment to admire
them at all, as we do the stars, at @ vast and
humble distance.
Secondly, there is the gentemanly liberal man.
He gives freely, promptly, largely, according to
bis means and to the nature of the case. He
reasonable sacrifice. He does not expect to see
the independence of his country without a consid
cradle loss Of his own substance. He is thoroughly
patriotic, and is willing to risk a great deal in
order to gain all. To the honor and glory of the
South, this class is very large and powerful. They
give the country its high-toned, generous and
chivalrie character. The burden of the war rests
mainly on their shoulders, and they bear it man
fully and eheerfuly This class is not confined to
the wealthy. The rich have done nobly, but those
in moderate circumstances and the poor have often
excelled them.
Thirdly, there is the unwillingly liberal man.
This person is more anxious to be thought liberal
than to be SO. He rejoices in the reputation, but
he grieves at the expense. He gives because
others. give. He is not what the Scripture calls
cheerful gver. He gives as much as his neigh
bors, not because he is liberal, but because he is
proud. He can be fattered into giving, because
he is vain. He can be forced into giving, because
he fears the merited scorn and contempt of his
fellows if he does not give. This class also is
quite numerous
Fourthy, there is the stingy fellow. He gives
sparingly, tardily, and grudgugly. He mourns
over the necessity which exists for giving at all.
He catches at every apology for not giving as a
drowning man catches at a straw. Debt, not
amounting to tenth of his property he makes an
excuse for doing little or nothing for his country.
The want of ready money, although his credit is
perfectly good, he considers a valid reason for
being persimonious. He is afraid to touch Confed-
crate bonds, or to draw advances, or to risk any
willingly let other people do everything, whilst he
enjoys the fruits of their labors and privatons.
He is what we call mean.spirited fellow. It is a
little curious that he is frequently very Ignorant of
his own character. He takes vast credit to him
self for the very little which he does. He evil
IDENTIFY considers himself liberal, high-spirted,
patriotic, important personage. Hold his true
portrait to his face, and, like, the monky looking
into the mirror he takes the reflection for another
individual This class is toe numerous for the
honor of human nature, but not more so than might
be expected in a false and corrupt age, when man
is taught from his childhood that the acquisition
of wealth is the chief business of life.
Filthy, there is the desperately stngy and
miserly wretch. He gives nothing at all, if he can
possibly escape the importantly. Honor, duty,
patriotism are unmeaning words to him. Money is
the only stimulus which wakens sign of vitality
in his sordid bosom. You would think from his
foolish apprehensons that we were all in danger
of starving to death. He is avaricious, timid and
cowardly. On the approach of danger or trouble
he shrinks entirely within himself like a snail, and
waits III silence and fear for the storm to blow
over. He could withhold pound of meat or a
bushel of meal from soldiers who should happen
to camp near him, from soldiers who are going to
bare their bosoms in defence Of his life and
property /! Such men, like very bad masters, are
few in the South, and are always regarded as the
disgrace of their neighbors.
We could mercifully deprecate some portion of
the measureless scorn with which such creatures
are visited. They are in many cases absolutely to
slble. There are two very powerful reasons for
their shameful conduct. which a charitable public
should duly consider In the first place, they have
never inherited any noble or gener Gus qualities
from their ancestors. They come Of decidedly
shabby stock. Bad blood is the matter with them
and the recording angel will forgive US for saying
damned bad blood How can they help it You
had as well beat the poodle for not running with
the greyhound, rs to lash such fellows with the
pen of the satrist, In the second place, there is
in their cases, however good their blood may be, or
ought to have been, natural deficiency of all the
nobler phrenological organs of the brain and an
equal rednndance Of all the meaner onesz-a melan-
choly condition of things, which no measures,
human or divine, can remedy,
Now, as the preachers say for the application.
g Give! give!" is the necessary and righteous
cry all around u.s. and let US respond to it.. Those
who are not fighting in the field must arm, equip,
feed, cothe and pay the soldier. Let US take Con
federate bonds and aid the Government Let us
give food, clothing, guns, money, cotton, sugar,
anything we have or can get. If we cannot attain
10 any splendid height Of Eberality, let at least
exhibit gentlemany readiness>to contribute our
full quota to the defence of our country. Let
every man scorn to devote less than one-tenth of
bis income to this holy purpose. soUTHERNER.
AN OLD JOKE IN New DREss-Scene in Lin
coins Cdb1aa-Enter Cameron tigh, to Scott eDet
Ca,neron.-Say, ole coon! hear znews ?-ain't
fuss rate fellertpick up-news? Whoo? -
Scot H-Zatso
O-whoo! wadyergive feller t'tellyer z'news
couple o. drinks?
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