The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-05-28
S. CLARK rs. NEW ENGLAND.

We propose, in the present article, to
give our readers some idea of the above
gentleman's views, on divers subjects. az
"sent forth into this breathing world
through the columns of the Mercury. He
seems to be very full Of opinions, almost to
bursting, and the anxiety Of a:certain female
possessed, to be relieved of the seven devils,
which were rather more than she could en-.
terrain comfortably, was as nothing COM
pared with that of this gentleman to ease.
his mind of certain weighty thoughts on
questions abolition. Biblical, commercial,
climatic, devotional, educational, ethnolog-
ical, and so on in Cyc'opedan style, adj in
.snitums. But he seems peculiarly weighty
on History and Theology. Apolio's thun-
der was rather quiet affair, compared with
this savan's oracular utterings, on these SUBJ
jects. In order to represent him fairly, we
will, Eat the risk of being tedious" as Mr..
Clark says proceed to make few quota
tons from his late epistles
What will New Englanders in these parts
think Of this, under date of May 9Th:
ibid they, does anybody suppose that
the bold, impulsive, open hearted Southron,
in warm and generous climate, is to be
changed into the staid, selfish and intoler-
ant puritan, inhabiting climate and soil of
ice and stinginess, or the reverse"
Again, as to the cause ofthe Shareholders
Rebellion, 10 epistle Sd, May 10Th, he says /:
History will charge the war to the con.
version of a large section ofthe North under
the lead of New England, actuated by her
antagonistic political interests, and the ira
ditional propagandism of the puritan system
into movement for the overthrow Of the
Southern system of industrial and social in-
stitusions, within Southern territory, and
the establishment Of the Northern system
in its stead"
We think that Mr.. Clark is perfectly safe
in making such an assertion, as future gem
erations will hardly trouble themselves
about his opinions, whether they agree with
history or not.
But let us hear his opinion of the Com
mon School System
''School systems. instead OF civilizing and
harmonzing people, often operate directly
to the reverse, by becoming the nurseries
of bigotry, self conceit and intolerance,
which are the very elements of barbarism."
"The boosted School system of New Eng
land, what ever may have been its merits
in the departments Of physical science, (and
no one ought to seek to deprive it of such
merits,) has done more towards checking
the progress of liberal principles in this
country, than all other influences put to-
gether ; for under the manipulations of
their politicians, who have been engineering
the abolition movement, that system, in
stead of having been devoted to the work of
freeing the mind Of this generation from
bondage of ignorance, has been engaged in
subecting it to the slavery Of prejudice and
barbarising passions of hatred and revenge"
We think the following quotation from
the same epistle, will partially account for
the gentleman entertaining such wild no
lions in regard to common schools.
We quote:
People always snaketheir own state of so
.ciety, more or less, the moral standard by
which to judge the merits of all Others"
Now under the influence of what state of
society did this person get his enlightened
views on the common school system. Why,
under that benignly patriarchial institution,
negro slavery, where common schools are
treated as nuisance; where the underlying
principle of society is to appropriate by force
the labor of an entire race, simply because
they belong to lower grade of the human
species; where men and 1onssn are logged
under the sanction oflaw, whereit is crime
to teach them to read even the Bible; where
the virtue of woman is subject to prostitu-
ton at the hands of any scoundrel who has