The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-06-02
Southern Chiralry and What to do
With 1T.
BY REV. ALONZO II. QUINT.

There was a painful fear in some minds
. We saw that many people were too gen
erous, too forgiving. We saw disposi
ton to conciliate, even at the expense Q
justice, and to the ignoring of the right
Of those freedmen whose equality as voter
was essential to our future safety. w
knew that a northern politician was i,
Richmond, consulting with a rebel judg
as to the reorganization of the "Demo
cratic" party. That danger is past
The Judge is in arrest for treason: an,
the people will settle the " Democratic
humbug
The President has been assassinated
1t was plotted, cool murder. Not al
act OF war. but of crime; not allowable
tor Southern success, but revenge; not O
private malice, but under the motto O
Virginia. How long it has taken to show
us what Southern chivalry is! There
was time when Southern gentleman
seemed the model of humanity. He was
a noble, generous man; above mean anC
petty acts; no Yenkee, to love dollar.
a kind of patriarchal protector in his
lordly mansion, to his attached and help
less servants rather impulsive, but that
was because he was so honorable hos.
pltable to recllessness At Northern wa
tering places, of a summer, he was feted
and petted. In government educated to
craftsmanship, and SO, and not for money
he took the Offices. He had right to
look down on greasy mechanics - and
" Northern mudsills.'
1t took time for us to discover the de-
luslon. That he loved dollar dearly :;
that he was covetous and mean, and that
his hospitality was never the result of
anything but vanity that he was re-
vengetul, lying, treacherous, murderous ;
that ne was idle and shiftless, with only
ability enough IN to wiring his money out of
the tears Of his bondmen that he was
hcentious, low and vulgar that his love-
ly mansion was, nine times out of ten, on
ly sty too mean for Northern pigs that
his slaves were whipped and branded,
scalded and burned that his statesman
ship was merely craft to get salaries and
to keep more slaves that he was igno-
rant and boor. This, with some excep-
tions, OF course, was the Southern gen
tleman and his ignorance and tyranny
was Southern chivalry
1t took time to learn this. We feel it
now. This crowning evidence has con-
vinced the most stubborn.
1t is Southern chivalry to entice a man
away from home, to take him ullawares,
with his wife by his side, and shoot him
1t is Southern chivalry to 90 to the
house of a sick man, get admittance by a
lie, enter his slck-room, approach the bed
OF the helpless man, and stick a dagger
once, twice, thrice, into his throat!
You see it now do you? / saw it
three years ago, when | wrote, "South-
en chivalry is a myth these people are
corrupted through and through. Why
are you astonished at this thing? No
new thing has happened These are men
who, capturing unharmed negroes near
Tallahassee, took them one side and shot
them in cold blood these are they who
hung women in East Tennessee; these,
they who hung our own soldiers in North
Carolina ; these, they who shot wounded
soldiers in ambulances these, they who
deliberatel y starved to death prisoners of
war and made others maniacs and these
things only additional to their original
perjury, stealing, murder and treason,
which they hid under the name Of" war >
and after which, Lee is saluted by Union
ofticers-disgrace to their uniforms-in
Richmond.
What else could we expect from their
training! Born to oppress, tyrants in
childhood, allowed unrestrained licentious-
ness, with free power to kill by g moder-
ate chastisement," living on robbery all
their lives, preaching and hearing a per-
verted gospel, and blasphemous enough to
appeal to Almighty God, what else could
result ?
l hope the g conciliators are satisfied.
They forgot the wrongs of the oppressed,
and the tortures and hangings of Union
men, the graves Of their slaughtered kim
dred, and the law Of God SO God has
sent this startling crime. Nothing else
would awaken them. The error the South
made was in using arms. Had they done
as did the returning masters, when they
suppressed the revolt of their slaves in
classic story-appeared only with whips
then Northern, weakened Republi-
cans would have recognized their lords and
covered. 1t cost the martyrdom of the
beloved head of the nation to show them
the people with whom they hoped to live
in peace.
Even now there will be delusions.
Some say, "Oh, the Southern leaders had
nothing to do with it - Have they for
gotten the conspiracy to assassinate in
81 the statement of an Alabama paper
then that s ''Lincoln's life is not worth a
weeks purchase =" the offered reward for
his death the statement inca Richmond
paper, few weeks since, that an event
was to happen which would '' startle the
world I" Have they overlooked all the
evidences OF hired conspiracy, and its al
lusions to Richmond What if they
have gained nothing by the succession OF
johnson ? They meant to kill him too.
and Grant, and Stanton. And they have
taught us that the safe place for our lead