The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-09-09
SOUTHERN MINISTER'S AND SOUTH
ERN WOMEN

The recent rebellion against the government
and the fearful war it has produced, have gen.
Grated forces which have not only been felt in
this country but also the world over. Adverse
circumstances are said to be great powers which
give character to mind and ,develope the gent
us of apeople. Sweet are the uses ofadversi-
ty," and yetthe school is severe one, howev
er valuable the lessons taught IN it may be to
present or future generations. The excite
ments Of the recent struggle between SLAYER
and Liberty have produced certain phenomena
in the Southern States which will form a re-
markable page in the history of our Goun-
try. ' 'ts @9S s0E
Strange things have been developed, and the
ordinary course of events seem to have been
rever1ed SO far as Southern character is con-
cerned. In times of war we very naturally
look for the active energies ofthe more degra-
ed, ignorant and immoral classes of society
andnot for those of the more refined and bet
ter educated. War generally draws into its
vertex the worst passions of human nature
In such periods: 5 q "a. Y l4aAl.i ]. sst
'.The pale-faced moon looks bloody on the earth,
AMI leaD=lookei prophets whisper fearful change:
Rich men look sad, and rudians dance and leap"
But Shakespeare had never read of such
war as the slave power of the South iuaugura
ted and carried on for four years, when he pen
ned the above lines. In the great rebellion
/ there were other persons besides 'rufians',
who danced and leaped. Ministers of the ev
erIasting Gospel and women highly cultiva-
ted, well educated women-( Ladies as they are
generally called) "danced and leaped," or i'll
other words, took an active part in the war
against the best government the sun in hi
circuit ever shone upon. 8 1t has been said Of
women, that ''they were last at The Cross and
earliest at the Tomb.' But this beautiful sen
timent was uttered long ago, and is DESCRIPTIVE
OF thoie ancient women, who were not famed
by slaves, and did not eat the bread of id eness
They we've taught by Him who spake as nev
er man spoke, and not by such teachers as too
many Of the Southern ministers have proved
themselves to be. ss4Ar.rs <
Itisa remarkable facty-and we believe the
history of the rebellion will bear us out in as
serting it,-that Southern ministers and We
men have been the most active agents in
keeping alive the spirit Of hate and spite
against the North and in stirring up the
worst feelings of the lower classes or .spoor
whites.8 We take mo pleasure jim bringing
such statements before our readers, but the
truth must be told, ietits consequences be
what they may. 1t has been said that ''hel
has no fury ike wo1nan's hate" but that po-
etc utterance was made by him who had no
knowledge Of the peculiar traits Of charactet
which the recent rebellion has developed in
Southern women. The sentiment was intend
ed to be a limited one, and. confined to women
whose love is turned to hate by the treachery
and cruelty of men, and not to the sex indis,,
criminately. And yet, il the writer had LIVED
in Southern society during the last four years.
he might not have surrounded the sentiment
with so many, limitations, but have given it
broader significance and more general appIica-
ton. 's@
z During the past four years the Southern
pulpit has Numbered forth rank treason And
those clothed in sacerdotal robes have advo-
Gated doctrines directly in opposition to Him
whom they protested to serve. They have
done more to keep the hellish Spirit ofrebellion
alive than any other class Of Southern society
saving and excepting, perhaps, the women who
to have been the first to shout hosannas
to slavery and athe last to finger over its
grave. sd sai ,as *. y ss r . ssi5so ~
No wonder the rebels fought brayelv under
such inspiration The women Of this MIN
tenth century exercise a tremendous power
over society, The Catholics understand this
perfectly, and hence their desire to estabIi h
schools for females, and suffer the boys to be
taught in Protestant primary schools. If the
females are educated in Catholic schools, they
can be trusted to counterfeit any influence a
Protestant education might give the males es-
peciaily when this female influence is accom-
panied by the power of priesthood. But this
is a DEPRESSION from the object point of this ar
ticIe. sasaa asisg.lan s,.y d Aia
s4ttlsa iils ill5f..fs Il 3. t .kN
1t is indeed hard for the women of the
South to give up and confess the North has
IS victory over slavery and its most CRYING sins.
They were taughtaby the priests and politi-
clans to believe the South would in the end be
triumphant. And it is quite possible tbev
were made to believe that slavery is divine
institution, and ought to:be perpetuated. It
is quite possible also that. their convictions in
many cases might have been honest The
power of prejudice is great, and so is the force
Of false education. Slavery has been terri
be school for women. II has taught them
just such lessons as they ought not to learn :
lessons which. have tended to unfit them fol
the duties of lie and to make them useless
wifes and poor shiftless mothers. No special
wonder comes owes as because they have been
snch iuveterate rebels. The schools Of slavery
has lifted them for such work, and we con-
TESS they have proved themselves good schol-
ars.