The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-08-08

Saratoga when compared with such dinner
party as this
The amusements of Saratoga were somewhat
different q quarter Of century ago. Then
there was conversation Now there is title
tattle. Then there was dancing. Now there il
p0lkaing. Then the ladies and gentlemen
made excursions through the surrounding
country, or perhaps accompanied General
Morgan Lewis to the Saratoga battle ground,
and listened while he fought his battles DER
again. Now the ladies and gentlemen go to
horseraces and bet upon Smiths oily or Jones'
gray mare. That was the classic age. This is
the age of shoddy. Then the destinies Of the
nation were controlled by statesmen. Now q
pack Of poor, crazy fanatics rule to ruin. Then
the Goddess Of Liberty was represented as a
young and lovely woman, fresh, vigorous, i'm
mortal. Now the representative Of Liberty is
supposed to be q half-witted fellow, who wears
his trowsers tucked into his boots and his cid
white hat on the back of his head, As II the dis
order of his dress were typical of the disorder
OF his nina The country was then peaceful,
prosperous and powerful. Now the nation is
involved in . terrible civil war; Saratoga Was
then in Its glory. Now its glory has departed
and it has fallen into the sere and yellow leaf.
We have almost no great men now, and the
best men we have do not frequent the watering
places. Our women are as fair as ever but
they have apparently suffered from the de-
generacy of the age, and cannot compare with
the bellies of former times. Our politicians
used to be gentlemen; but now the majority Of
them are arrant seoundrels. Society, politics,
and indeed the whole republic, have lost their
tone. The foul poison of hundred detesta-
BILE isms has eaten into the national heart
and corrupted the national mind. For the pre-
sent we can only lament the evil days upon
which We have happened, and do our utmost to
remedy and improve them. In the future, per-
haps, the reconstruction Of the Union will be
followed by general regeneration. and then
the country, recovering from this temporary
interruption caused BY fanatical folly, will
again resume its rapid, triumphant and glori-
GUS progress.
ROBERT DALE OwEN's REPORT on THE CAPA-
BILrTIEs OF NEGRoEs.-The radical journals are
making great fuss about Robert Dale Owens
report on the moral, religious, social and poll
teal capabilities of the negro. 1t is not worth
the paper on which it is written, as we shall
presently show 1t appears that Robert Dale
Owen, James McKaye and Samuel G. Howe
were, at the-instance Of the Freedmens Asso-
citation, appointed committee by the Secre-
tary Of War to report upon the negro. just as
if everybody who had eyes to see, ears to hear
and mind to understand. did not long since
make up his mind about the negro from the EVIL
dences ofhs own Senses and from the unerring
instincts Of nature. The report is written by
the chairman, Robert Dale Owen.
In giving an account of their religious and
moral qualities Mr. Owen says negroes do not
respect the rights of property; they are 'liars"
and "incontinent." "Their religion is emo
tional, and does not necessarily connect itself
with the repression of vicious habits; its effect
in checking lying, thieving, incontinence and
similar offences is feeble and uncertain" Such
is the commissioners moral and religious esti-
mate of the negro. As to his intellectual capa-
city, Mr. Owen gives us the following speci
men:-"These poor people have an almost super
stitious reverence for the President. Recently
at Beaufort some one, in the presence of an
aged negro, was speaking of Mr.. Lincoln as an
ordinary mortal; whereupon the old man inter-
fersd--.What do you know said he, of
Massa Linkum. He be everywhere. He walk
de earth like de Lord "
YetMr. Owen is Of opinion that "the religious
sentiment strongly characterizing the African
race may in the case of the colored soldier be
successfully appealed to by leaders who share
It as Q powerful element Of enthusiasm"
what blasphemyD and be- also sets forth his
belief that the negro is equal to all things-fully
the equal Of the white man, morally, mentally,
socially and politically, if only put under proper
training fora while; and he recommends de-
partments Of labor to DO organized under the
Association, in imitation of the
Fourrierite phalanxes, whose fate il 30 well
known to all,our readers. What humbug.
We recollect very well when Owen came to
his country, about thirty years ago, secompa-
lied by Fanny Wright who delivered lectures
n Tammany Hall and various other public
sdi6ces against marriage, in favor of free love,
The amaIgamation Of the black and white races,
and community of property. The object OF the
mission seemed to be the overthrow of Chris
.ianity. Owen set on foot some Fourrierite free
love phalanxes in Illinois ; but, failing in this
enterprise; he retired into obscurity in Indiana,
where he became small politician Himself
and his history were forgotten till poor Pierce
brought him into notoriety again by appointing
him to some petty cossulshp in Italy. And
now the administration, takes the visionary up
and appoints him to report upon subject on
which be was always a monomaniac. Tie has
the same opinions now as he promulgated when
he came to this country, from which TACT the
reader can draw bis own conclusion as to the
character of any report emanating from Robert