The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1867-03-21
Our Situation "A Glance at Historl,
Z cal Parallels. q.

A
editorial with the above caption, which
! u so excellent in temper and so well
suited to the present unfortunate con-
dition of our country, that Reproduce
h below entire, and give il the promf.
nence We think il deserves:
biie we cannot, FIVE would, close
our, eyes TO the gloomy aspect Of polit-
ical affairs, we should mol Surrender our.
selves TO despair. We should, like
ser sible men, inquire what we can d 0 to
better our condition. and do it, candid !;
iy, manfuily sand openly. We all know
that we cannotsfgbt, AID II is needless.
therefore, to talk about fighting. We
can grumble and scold, but who wants
mauly Ritginianss to degenerate into
grumbIers and scoldsi I'VE can fold,
our arms, stand still, and be swept 10
obstruction by the torrent. we,seek pas
sively TO resist. Wecan surrender our.
selses to despair. and doggedly -;inyite
fate 10 do its worst. These are not rem.
edies for our situation. A. few .hours
will develop the crisis with more pain.
tui distineuiess, and then we viii have
10 ]detsenhine, and quickly, upon our line
! Of action. ' =. :. -.
-" We, avail ourselves or. ;his pause to
| address some remarks TO our readers
upon The analogies supplied. by history
to, our situation, and to drawsfIom them
,sofne useful lessons. Those who have
liked Cor successive generations under a
peculiar form of government, controlled
10y themselves, regard the idea of revo-
luton with .diSmay aEd horror. They
imagine that life viii be uncomfortable
under any other government. We are
Just in that situation. We have but
now emerged from war in which we
were discomfitted, and while the Com
/ sututioG sill exists in name, we see be
fore us, as in panorama, alfthe stages
OF rapid revolution. We see States
struck from their spheres, and their very
names .bfotted :ou!.'; Instead Of States,
they have become districts military
Districts. We see civil law d delhr0ned
and MARTIAL law substituted in its place.
We see a white mans government
changed into IA negro government. In
QUE word, we see The govern meDt of our
fathers passing through com o!ete rev,
olutlop, and with tie Sole object of sub
FJeclipg the Southern people 10 Norfh
eTn rule. We see these things, and we
are, filled with dismsy and horror
MANY feel that life is suneuduraGle under
such circumstances, and that il ould
be better TO lie down and die. Lei us
not forget that this is not the first rev,
olniion that has .occurred~in history.
/ Almost every nation has had its revo>
\ lutions, and accomp panied by violence
and bloodshed., Those nationssuIviped
then, and the people became prosper.
ons and happy. we have this ,advan-
tage, that we have already passed
through the most fearful stage--ihat of
violence and bloudsS ed, In. this in
stance. the revolution is eliminating,
! peacefully, ife painfully. after the war.
If Ne survived the war, why can we
not survive the change of,goyetnmcnt
Rome was alternately, n common
Wealth and an empire. Every change
OF government was. accompanied BY
civil CONFUSION, slaughter and comfis.
| cation Those were Pagan DAYS, when
pure and exalted Christian philosophy
was unknown, and when unenlighteped
reason and uncurbe6 passion governed
men. 10 those days ii WAS esteemed
honorable in The patriot, who tailed to
throw himself; upou his sword and die.
fANiew notable examples of this kind
haze descended to us in history. But
honorable asit-was esteemed, few thus
threw away their.liyes. They preferred
Fmakiug their peace with their enemies,
and lying as quietly, and, conteEtedly
as thsy could under the new govern
.meut. In q, few years tile bulk Of the
! people became accustomed 10 it and
prospered. So. ly.l..,.>..t =. : -.
:" % FRANCE has been scourged by reyolu
tions,in which ,bloQd ran like water,
and terror palsied the nation. V0ideny
ieruments were blotted out and new
I goyernpents formed. Violence, blood
J, shed. confscation and banishment, we're
the aecompaaiments Of every such rev
olutien.s Yet in a-few years France be:
came quiet, and the people prosperous
ard eontented:, But little more tkan
a half century has elapsed since the
revolution which ended in the elevation
of the Gorsican' prodigy TO imperial
! power WAS followed by his overthrow
at Waterloo, by, the occupation of his
| capital by the allies, and. by the utter
,exhaustlon and impoVerislfment Of the
French people; but notwithstanding
the occucrrence Of Two revelations since
that period they are reekoned among
the lhippiest and most prosperous. peo>
l,ple on eafth. 2 -, =. - !. :, y