The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-11-28
SOCIAL MORALS IN THE NORTH

4 .--Ihcy have weekly newspaper in New York, :,
charged with the self-imposed task of watching
ana directing the public morals. An OCCASION
al home thrust, candidly but not very wisely
given, has set up a universal howl among the
leaders OF society and their representatives of
| the press Such one was the assertion. few
months ago, that drunkenness very COM
mon among ''thc ladies of New York" This
at once called forth storm of invccivc, as
might have been expected from the entire
guild of the knights of the qull-from the
aristocratc CARL BENSON, in the Eucning Post,
to the humblcst penny -a-lincr in IIAnrEn's il
lustratcd sensation sheet. True or not, makes
no difference; but it was so ungenlcmanly
to say such thing. We do not think there
is any real danger Of such n practice bccom-
| ing common among the ladies of the land, and
the Round Table would do better to abandon its
ground, in regard to this particular form of
vice, and strike at the root of the cvl-thc
pruricnt love of excitement, ministcrcd unto
by every class of public teachers. The pulpit,
the press, the stage, the lyceum, all arc alike
| guilty of this crime against society.
| To make our meaning clearer, We will take
an instance. gorgeous play is gotten up n
one of the leading theatres in New York The
daily press give the most seductive dcscrip-
| tions, freely intcrlardcd with terms which,
heretofore, were the exclusive property of the
| flash journals. All "our good society" go. to
sec the "Black Crook" "But it is indecent I.
How can lady go and witness such an txhibi-
tion ?" cit is the fashion! 1t is all the rage!
The domains Of the church arc at last invaded :;
some of the very "clcct' 60 TO see the Black
Crook; there is much scandal in consequence,
| when, to set this vcxcd question of the pro-
priety or impropriety Of such step forever at
| rest the Rev. CHARLES B. SMrTH informs his
congregation that he intends sitting this matter
| thoroughly, and scertain "ihc naked truth {"
! Expectation is on tiptoc; the "nakcd truth !"
| is what all are desirous to hear, and, accord
ingly, the Cooper Institute WAS crowded to its
utmost capacity, on Sunday afternoon, the 18th
| inst, to listen to q discourse by the Reverend
CHARLES B. SMYTII, on "thc nuisanccs of New
York, particularly the naked truth" The
Herald gives full rcrJdtim report of the SER
mon, and remarks: GA large proportion Of
the audience were ladies, many of whom, it is
| to be presumed, took this opportunity Of learn
ing from an eyewitness the nature of an OBJ
scene exhibition taking place nightly at one of
the Broadway theatres, before going to see for
| themselves"
This modern exponent Of ST. PAtLs admoni-
tion to avoid even the appearance OF evil, read
his lesson, took his text, and then launched
| forth into minute description Of the dclccta-
bic orgies he witnessed at that wicked place, in
broadway. Be it understood, too, that his de-
scription, stripped of all tho accidents that
make even such an exhibition tolcrable, and given
| from the reverend gentlcmans own pruricnt
standpoint, presented an aggregate of more
and far greater foulness than any of his nu-
merous auditors would have seen for themselves:
for did he not go for the very purpose Of dis
covering the 'nakcd truth,"-to tear away,
with Mephistophclan satisfaction, even the little
fimsy covering of decency?
The Herald remarks: ''The speaker had the
full sympathy Of his hearers OF course he
had, and this is precisely what VIC complain Of
That an entire audience of Christian worship
pers should, with one accord and of set
purpose, listen to such disgusting details, be-
tokens most lamentablc state of public morals
Although tho reverend preacher makes q pre-
| 'NNiNN Va '''oNSS'J5 "hSt, III VI tue TWO
leading characters in the play, he says: "IIc
addresses her in double entendrc, which is so
douby refined in subtcrranean cruciblc that
respect for the polite cars of any audience ut
terly forbids me to quote the language,'-yct
would we be unwilling to spread his sermon in
our columns. Southern readers are not vet
prepared to pardon, even in newspapers, what
Northern Christians 60 to church for on pur-
pose to hear from the eloquent lips of their fn
vorite preachers. This is, of course, owing to
the greater advance in civilization, and in an
'enlightened evangelical Christianity" made
by our Northern brethren
But rs we do not wish to do The reverend gen.
tlemun my injustice, we give his opinion oi
the play, when lie appears in the triple charac-
ter of censor, art critic and preacher. He
says:
There was nothing to commend 1t from begin.
thing"
Not only an iniquity, but q uniquity, with
no plot, no good moral implied-no-no-no-
anything that Is good-a naughty, naughty
naughty thing throughout. 1t is very sac:
rifioe to the devil. Let it be denounced in
press, pulpit, parlor and boudoir, until those
who responsible for it shall be constrained BY
. a refined public sentiment to substitute for L
something that will improve rather than iniure the
public morals Of this splendid metropolis Tan
piause)- e)-something that will not stoop to enta,