The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-11-08
"Great Moral Shows"

The great sign-board of American society
bears, in characters that may be read from the
| ce-felds of Maine TO the canebrakes Of Louis
lana, this one startling word-MoRALITY.
Around the edge, there may be such incidental
amusements as stock-jobbing, fortune-hunting,
pi US hypocrisy, mock philanthropy, and gen.
eral cheat-y your-neighbor; but MORALITY is the
great catch-word, the great rallying cry, that
! gives effect and force to the whole. The prop
| may pe of gold or greenbaoks, interest or
amusement, veneer or solid stuff; but the sign
that it bears, in all weataers and for oil people,
is unchanging and the same.
Old-fasuioned Ambition and Pride and Be-
uevolence, have been cudgelled out of the field.
Morality must have the whole course to itself;
| and, barring accidents, it runs its race from
time to eternity, to the great advantage of the
plucky jockey. 1t may be ridden by cat, man,
or monkey; the track may be over green sward,
or quick set hedges; the stakes may be large or
SMALL but, in every case, the steed wins nothing
but for his reputod owner, and may receive, for
kick in the side, or feed of benevolent oats
bad quality and short measure.
The sign of MORALITY is read by oil manner
of people, and its tawdy blazonry is watched
oy tne prudent German of the West, by the
Grave Irishman of the North, by the African
.aborsr of the South, and by the crop-eared
american of the Eastern States.
Societies ore formed for the purpose of fur.
nishing flannel waistcoats to the soantily
clothed Sandwich Islanders, while tens of
thousands Of poor white women, at home, are
cryi. 6 for bread;-all on the score Of Morality.
Wom, doctors take to themselves brasen faces
and false fronts, stand before the fire like men,
aud are jeered at, and pointed at, from Paris
70 Otaheite;-all for the good of Morality. Cuff
Zee is taken by the collar, taught that he is
wreiched, deprived of pork and hominy, and
given votes and the bsllst;-all for the ad-
vancement Of Moralit-. "Black Crooks" be-
come more oxed,-sensation preachers be-
come more holly ensrgetic,-Congressmen be-
come more pompously bOring,-tens Of thou
sands of prosperous speculators water their
whiskey, sand their sugar, burn their houses,
copper their preserves, bet their "pile" at
faro, and bless the dispositions Of benevolent
PTovidence;-all for pure Morality.
Nor is this all. Neitner men, women, nor
beasts, can push along with pecuniary comfort
unless the MORALITY sign-board, big or little,
hpi ldv pcip t. Do hot -
ends occas onally in burlesque and ridicule in
olasphemy and coming to grief but this matters
notit the aim is but-Morality.
Poor Charleston has not had as full share
Of MORALITY, as her bigger sisters nearer the
land of perpetual snow. Morality, of the
sign board kind, has not been her practice; but
she cannot expect to escape those Morality dis
plays which have no permanent abiding place,
but move and march, and aim, in every direc
ton, to turn an honest penny. There is reason
il un-reagon; there is consolation in small size
and inferior Importance; and this half-burned
CITY can show her citizens some wondrous
things that New York, Philadelphia, and Bos
ton have almost forgotten Hippodrome and
Circus, Gymnasium and Acrobatic exhibition,
in solid dress of brick and stone, have there
taken the place Of the huge, leaking tent, the
rough pine boards, the wagons, cars, and tri-
umphal entries. There is, in each and every
one, the faint odor of saw-dust and lemon peel,
Inc purpose is ever the same; but there is as
much difference between the circus seen in the |
South and the hippodrome of the North, as
there is between short-skirtsd, beautiful,
Md!le A&ASDINE, when the horses gallop, and |
the band is loudly braying, and the sane old