, 1862-08-18
POISONING ESEmIES,

sauced uy their manner Of conducting
var. Tic savage is known by bis cruelty;
the coward By his treachery; the mercen-
ary by his heartless indifference. Ambus-
cadcz arc tolerated by the most humane
and civilized; hut open fighting is the true
standard Of science and bravery. 1t is a
mistaken notion that all is fair and honora-
bic in war. A Hindoo prince once sent a
present Of VINE and sweetmeats to the Off
ccrs ot a British camp. Nearly all who
partook Of the daint1cs sickcned and died. |
a thrill Of horror run through the whole |
civilized world, followed by a feeling Of tx
terminating wrath. The Hfndoos we're ap- |
pal]cd at the result Of their own crime, and |
mede the humblest apologies. But the
British were inexorable. The dominions
Of tie Rajah we're swept with fire and
sword. He was himself taken prisoner
and ignominiously put to death All bis
Chief ministers shared the same fate; and |
it was supposed that the awful warning
would serve as an example, not only to
Hiadoos, but for all other men, and for all
coming generations,
Chinese, Hindoos, Afsshans. Arabs, Turks,
Austrinns, even the Neapolitan Bourbons,
have prodted by the lesson Only On the
Southron-the chivalrous, the high-bred,
the noble Southron-has the example been
wholly lost. He still looks upon poisoning
as legitimate warfare. he is not ashamed
to take the oath Of allegiance, and then
turn round and mix arsenic or
strycLnipe in the food which le
sells to his unsuspecing protectors We
do not wish to convey the inference
that q majority Of the Southern people
would be guilty Of these crimes; nor yet
Go we wish to convey the inference that
all who have not done so are too high
Minded for such rillalny- The poisoning
has already been repeated at almost every
Federal military station surrounded by
Southern rebels; and we have not yet read
one word Of reprobatlon from any rebel
newspaper, though many have made them
selves merry oysr what they mockingly
call taste Of the good things Northern
mercenaries are to expect in the South.
This silence On the side Of manly virtue,
coupled with cxultation in the most dia-
bolical wickedness, is one Of the surest in
dicaticns Of national degeneracy. It re-
quires much stronger pariality fur South
dn character than civilized men generally
possess, 10 perceive in stolid and silent in
difference proof Of strong attachment to
country, or huugering and tbirsting afte,
virtue. Guod men are those who On al
occasions stand up for the right, not thost
who on some occasions simply abstain
from committing wrong. Virtue is not +.
negative quality; but ia the South all tlla
r.naains Of public virtue or morality is
mere negative, and nothing more.
It would be q SANDER to say that ma
jority Of Southern men would stoop to th
ocwardly Wickedness Of poisoning t1lei
Nor1hezn adveFsaries; and SO would
also be slander to say that q majority {
Hindoos were mean enough to poison thei
British neighbors; but this much We ca
say-that snly Hindoos would have COZ
misted so monstrous crime, and that
our day only Southern men would call i
arsenic or stychnine as an ally: The ger
cral Hindoo character has not yet reco,
cred from that terrible odium; aud th
general Southern character will bear i
foul stain for generations. Liars, thieve
pc,jurers, po1soneTs, wo1se than Sepoys.
not majority Of ffe mpn-nerhars n