Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1863-02-10


few but Yankees would submit. Now, it is no
impossible that this should take place through
generations, and not leave its impressions upor
character and manners. The Southener lives il
climate that requires but little revision on
soil that yelds abundantly, at the cost OF but lii
tie labor he has bis work performed by his slaves
and spends bis time in politics, in hunting, or il
neghborng conyivality. Careless himself loving
indulgence, devoting himself to pleasure, living
in climate that will not permit New England
industry, he cannot but dislike the sharp, keen
industrious, economical Yankee and when The
pedler gets rich, when he marries a plantation
or buys out some old crumbng estate from
first family" is not strange that men chang
their tobacco from one side oil their mouth to
the other, and express their views upon Yankee
character in phrases that are more distinct than
pious. Qaugher,) But 1t is an even game OIL
contempt for the Yankee despises the careless
oose-llying Southerner, who wastes enough to
support an honest man--despises him Just as
thoroughly as the easy-going Southerner hates
/ the shrewd. scheminp Ysnbsa Rot 'hs,o is. he.
| low all this, singular and curious element, not
ordinarily considered in explanation Of the national
character. In spite Of this dishonesty, which con.
ssts in pushing sharpness too far, there is in the
Yankee traders character IN underlying regard
for principle. The frame work Of New England
society is the most intensely moral OF any on the
earth. II the New Englander is not moral, ii is
because institutions cannot make him so. There
are no classes in New England except natural
cl@es-the arlstocfscy Of virtue and intelligence.
There is true democracy in New England A
New England township, think, is the only literal
political democracy en- the globe. But the ground
work Of New England society is in ideas the
right Of each man 10 all bis attributes the duty
and the dignity Of work and, above all, the fun.
damenal morality Of political economy, the doc
trine Of equiyalents-th a man must give sir
equivalent for every thing that he gets. That is
New England and though you may call it By
other names in political economy and in trading,
II is simply the doctrine Of radical honesty. The
spirit Of adventure, Of speculation, of large fnan-
ceing has come in later, and belongs to excep-
Iional cases. The masses OF New England meb
are educated TO the moral conviction that no man
has right to anything that he has does not earn
or inherit and might almost say that the
people OF the South are ordinarily educated to the
idea that no man has right to anything that be
earns. Work in New England is almost an
equivalent term with honesty. Nowhere else is
begging SO disgraceful. Nowhere else is the
conviction SO ingrained that man must earn all
he holds Southern society reyerses this idea.
The dominant idea is to live without working,
and 10 get the most with the least eGertion.
am not speaking Of the many just and honorable
men in every Southern city who are 4" a law unto
themselves and are ruled by the universal laws
Of commerce and equity rather than the local in.
flences around them. But southern society is
built on peculiar institution that has dominated
10 the South. They do not steal money, but
money makers. Their earnings are not their own
earnings bu, what their slaves earn for them.
Thi, fact begets another-the diyisisn Of men into
classes the inequality OF natural rghts,-and this
lead, to the framing Of laws partial and unjust ;
therefore injustice is the organic principle that
has been wrought into the industry, commerce
and political economy Of the South. as in.lirs
damental institutions OF New England. This
tain, works up and down oil through the south'
ern character.
When the Yankee is dishonest, it is not by de-
nying the principles Of honesty ii is by carrying
his smartness to excess, aud eyadng the doctrines
Of honesty. His principle is moral one his
error lies in pushing his shrewdness 100 far. The
southern man will tell lie point blank for pnr'
pose the Yankee has been so reigously educA-
ted that he invariably assumes a clumsy lie to be
wicked. daughter and applause.) They must
be ingenious, they must be imaginative, they
must be constructive, there must be a smartnes'
in them tha, shall excite surprise if not admra
ton. The Southern man puts his teart into MI
lies, but no brains; the Yankee puts very llitl'
heart into bis, but great deal OF brains. lie vii
no, admit that they are es-they are PROPOSE
tons. Uaughter.) They have misled men, bu
what fools men must b. to be misled l. is thel
fault. The Southerner lies by telling falsehoods
the Yankee by telling truths.
Thus even the vices Of the two sections reyea
the basis on which they stand, and the educilio
on which they have grown up. This moral re
strain, in men who will do wrong produces sngua
developments The pioneer Southerner', cast
ING off oil restraints AMI pretences, act iearessl
! according 10 th,ir will. They have sort OF IRE
z and large courage. They are men unrestralne
h and they have that low degree OF excellenc
VIII ch nheres 10 the savage. The Yankee zee
: ucated 10 obedience o law he is law abidIn
!, and he is poor law breaker, the poorest in th
world he is a coward before the law be mu
e do wrong within the statute, il at all.
e 1t is not difficult to carry this further and sho
0 lba, the organic influences at work in the two s.
II cie,ies make men so differently that they cAnn'
Is co.exlst without some degree Of jar, Consd
n what must be the effect OF bringing slrlngen
{. restless, active, pryiug, indeatgable money'ov'r
d class of men, in contact with careless, shlftleS
e rasy, indolent men, who drive along the cure
of life with an intense sense Of to-day and trol
N cal rtpugnance to thinking much Of to.morro
IA Is i, wonderful that the grit OF the one should
ne iend the pulp o, the other 1t is this emerge
TO nature, made intenser by his original moral
in ucation, that iusthes the impression and expal
re tho fact that Yankees are the severest slave ho
n. ers. We have only to consider the injustice a
TO cruelty of exacting from slaves the industry al
u. regularity which Northern man expects frC
at himself all his lie. IL would kill slave to
ed the work a freeman scarcely feels The one ro
BY up stream, the other down. No man can row
OF far up stream in day as he can down.
en- We must add to this the disagrseabe side
n, the Yankee. The distance between wicked IN
M, and wicked woman is great deal further II
s" between man and a woman, for woman beg
nd higher than man and falls further. A man h
M. an near to the ground that 1t don't hurt b
m. much to fall And upon this is the phosof
aid hat when Yankee becomes wicked he is
ed. uickedes, man on earth. When mean, he is
he ms,nes. a, you have had opportunities to
ich and when good, he is the nobest. ought
Is to leave this part Of my subec, without say
the that this sort of men bears no proportion to
h business community Of New England busin
,ne men. They are, as body, as honorable, " trs
red TlI and as noble as any that live on earth. II
den are made to sutfsr by the sins Of those ' ho
md the evil. Thej suffer by impu,ation. We m
Is add still further to this inventory the causes
nd. the immediate effec,-,horoogh-bred brain.