The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-01-10
The peopIe of south Carolina.

The People Of south Carolina.
The Republican press is constantly teeminS
with the most scandalous libels ana hisFep
resen ,aticns Of the people of South Caroiiha
Wssuppose there is no community, az iheie
Ia no individual, free from fauIts, or ~ any
rate from little eccen trici;e and ioioies,"hich
~vse,ontsite sa It's fac ton to their enemies aud
under " hich even their best friends are not
aItosether inconsolable. New England itself
ha. certain pee uliariiies, which her own Wis
have worked up in a manner 10 make ner
appear more diculous Than they are ;"
try ing to make South Carolina. Inc impress
sion the enemies of the latter now wish 10
convey lie, that she is q brawling. gascobaoihs
SAFE, always clustering and taking aooui
fighting, but only ne.ding to have her JAWS
soundIy b. xed. 10 scamper on. winning ana
yelping like whipped cur. Inc Souih Gar
olinians do not seem TO be much moved oy
this caIumny, and, Indeed. they couio p"r'
sue no better policy, If that were tneir ofJett,
tlsn to permit their detractors 10 underrate
tie enemy with whom they have TO deal.
However we may differ from South Caro-.
lima, In the policy Of separate State action, we
feel bound to do justice to the character of he'll
people, unscrupuiously maligned as it is by
failed TO do justice to the North. We have
always Disseminated between the sound and
true men of that region and the unfriendly
and the false. We have especially. and for
many years, endeavored TO disabuse the South
ern mind OF certain erroneous ideas OF two
qualities Of Northern character-courage and
senerosity-two qualities for which, in point
of fact. 1t is preemiuent. We have shown
to regard duelling as murder, they have never
been found wanting when their country called
them to the field !; and that in point of fact
the great naval victories of the late war were
nearly all achieved by Northern men. And
we now assure the South that, in defending
its own rights, II can make no greater mistake
than to underrate the proves of its enemies.
whilst at the same time ii may derive encour-
ngement from the fact that no nation ever yet
lived, which, fighting on its own soil, fighting
for its firesides, its wives and its children was
not equal to five times the number of its
invaders, no matter how brave and deter
mined those invaders might be.
But whilst doing justice to q section in
which party now rules who are preparing
to draw the sword upon the South, we may
be permitted, we hope, without treason
to suggest that the misrepresentation OF
South Carolina character in the North are
quite as gross and monstrous IS any which
prevail OF Northern character in the South
There is no surer test of the character of a
people than the purity Of their private life
and the fact that there has never been a divorce
In South Carolina since the foundation Vt the
Government is an example of exalted domes-
tic virtue such as the whole world does not
surpass. II it be true that righteousness TX
alteth q nation" then people of whom this
can be said are not to be despised by anybody,
and least Of all, by those dissolute and licen-
tious organs OF Socialism and Free Love,
which are now affecting to look down upon
South Carolinians as despicable and con.
t-mptible race. In regard to another virtue,
integrity in business transactions, We will
leave it to any candid enemy OF South Caro-
lima, any truthful business man Of the North,
himself to decide whether there is a people in
America more faithful and rigid in all their
pecuniary engagements. The virtues of hos
pitality and of liberalitv no one denies them,
and the noble institutions of Charleston for
the relief Of orphans are unsurpassed in this
country. In regard 10 religion, we suppose
there Is no State in the Union which has, ia
proportion to population, as many churches
aud professors OF religion, and as little inf.
noble spirit Of liberation amongst all denomi.
nations, and between Catholics and Protest
ants such as we rarely find elsewhere. The
popu lation Of Charleston is as thoroughly
church going as New England was in its best
days, aud there is one church alone which has
$500 African CON m u nicants. 1t may be men.
toned here that the religious education Of the
negroes is more carefully and thoroughly at
teuded to in South Carolina than in any other
Southern STATE. They are not permitted, as
In Virginia, TO hold separate Assem- plies but
in every charch Of every denomination the
most ample accommodations are provide for
this class of the people. Nor are the Carroll
mans as deEnonstrative in their manners as Is
generally supposed. There is more reserve.
and sometimes apparent cold ness, than among
some communities In the free States but at
the same time, when The ice OF formally Is
broken, heart as warm that VI Old WI.
ginia-and there can be nothing warmer and
nobler than that-beats beneath. We say
nothing of the courage of SJuth Carolina
that must speak for itself. but those who
doubt II, il they are her enemies, will doubt
10 their own disadvantage. We do not agree
with her p"litics, but justice requires to
say, what we know by personal intercourse
with her people, that no better men and
women live any where Ia this round globe than
the men and women Of South Carolina.
II nsr star d 'es disappear forever from our
national horizon, let as hope that 1t will 60
down In cioudless aud peaceful sky, not
amid stol ms and tenn pesi Is tears and blood.