The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-10-01
CURRENT TOPICS.

Friends" will occasionally indulge in modlsii boI-
nets aud robes Of FORBIDDEN hues, still. upon the
WHOLE Quakorcssos dress moro simply and be-
comingly than any other ladies in Christie ndom
Thoy novcr so to meeting all aflaunt with ribbons
and laccs, and gorgeous silks, and artificial 1ow-.
CTS, and part-colorcd plumcs, to mako tho House
of God rarce-show. They do not compete in
the tabernacle for tho palm Of sumptuary e1-
travagancc, Our women OF fashion do, nor could
they engage in such s ,bbaih rivalry without re-
| ceiving many storm and sharp robuko from tho
close e-bunneteil and broal-trimmed Friends who
faco them in tho Seats OF tho Elders. Tho proach-
ers OF. othor denominations but rarely make an
onslaught on tho gauds md frippory Of
fashion, and when lhoy do 30. small hood
is paid 10 their rcmarks-exccpt, perhaps,
to resent thcm as impcriiuent. They mover
thns Of launching oui against personal
ponip rs ISAIAH did against Tho wimples,
the tires nnl The tinkling ornaments Of tho maid
cns und lowaGcrs uf Jerusalem, OF Ms Chaplain
wuIsroy denounced the dashing toilette of Quoon
ANNE ur M ions KSox Murdered against Tho
--latest l,rnch styles" of MANY STUART. There is
story told Of WINSTON, by the way, which is
apropos Of tho subject in hand Ono dny that bol1
divine was reading prayers i'll Quoen ASNE's ante-
room, whiIo his sovereign but not particularly
sober lady was iobing hcraclf in tho apartment adj
joining-tho door between tho rooms being loft
open, that her spirit might be comforted whio the
process Of personal decoration was going on.
Something in tho ChaplRins prayer happening to
displenso her, she ordered one Of hor women 10
close the door, upon which lie stopped praying.
Tho Queen ansrily dolnnndod why bo did not pro-
coed. because" said WINSTON, ~ do not choose
| to whistle tho Word Of God through the koy-hole."
Tho fashionable world of to-day il just ready al
Qucon ANNE was to close tho door against any doc
trino that conflicts with its passion for show. IF
picty nnd parade can DO duyotaied togothor, woli
and good; if not, parade bofore piety, and lot
Scripture be whistled through the key-holo
Wuy t.OLD BoY2" Can any casniHt give a plaus-
iblc reason for tho be atowa or this nickname OH
tho arcli-fcnd2 MOSES introduces him n snake;
MILTON, as q adebauched-looking spirlt-"an arch
angel ruincd;" and most of the early Fathers de-
pict him as a Protoan monster, without single
engaging shape in his repertoire OF transforma-
tions. In German legends, wo meet with him, oo-
casionally, disguised q gentleman but always
with sardonic glare in his eyos aud liydncsa Of
complexion incompatible with the idea Of boyhood.
Wherefore, then, 'Old Boyi" Tho title applios
much moro legitimately to an ''othereal intcli-
gcnce" of q very different nature. The poetic
Crooks embodied Lovo in the form Of fascinating
little urchin, with fllot over his oyes and the
pretty brat of paganism is such apt embodi-
| mont Of tho Hontilnont that the imagination of
Christondom has adopted him just as ho has
como down to us in shirtess innocence. Cupid
| ia tho oldest boy c1tant, and just IA fresh
| to day as ho was thousanla OF ycars ago.
Paphos, however, was not his birthplace,
| nor was ho cradled in r:se. Thnts ''fsh-
story" He was born in Eden, at tho very
| moment whom EVE aud ADAM first looked into
| each others eyes; and the tears of rapture which
| thoy shed on that happy occasion woro tho eiirtr
v,ttc in which lie Was baptized. From that day to
this, his purple wings have mover lost feather.
nor hlh checks dimp!o. Six thousand years be
| tho samo moro or less-hayo loft him still tho
Brightest Baby IN tho world. Glorious old boy
Ho laughs ut "Timos cfaclng fingers" and shakos
his curls defiantly i'll tho face of Fate. Tho same
old story that ho told to JACOB and BoAz, and
RACHEL and Ruin, ho tells to-day. And, wonder
of wonders, ii ia staleI Cynics insist that,
babyish he socms, tho ttlo follow is not exempt
from that vice OF old ago called covoousnoss that
| notwithstanding his apparent blindness, he has
keen cyo for tho mnin chance; and that, when Pow
erty comes in at tho door, ho makos way through
| tho window. But thlta slaudor. There ie, in
dood, vile lttlo mercouRry impoHtar, no moro
| like him in principle tan n pickpookct is hko q
priest, who assumes his nRmo and trades on il,
but Cupid hin solf has not moan streak in his
composition. Ho is tho quintessence OF all that is
dislntcrcstod and unsellsl--nn ''old boy" pure
and without roproach; and We protest against the
tito that OF right belongs to him being bestowed
npon his internal antthesis.
TIE 1EDrPENDENT, looking at the rogues and
pigmios who now follow politics as n trade, gives
tho following indig gnant explanation OF tho phe-
nomenon: "It certainly seems anomalous that As
tho country grows great, tho men who mnnagot tho
affairs grow smaller. But it Is not 80 strange ~
it seems, for ii grows out OF tho conventions OF
later times, which have put tho nomination Of can
didatos into the ands OF small mon {or worao than
emily, who naturally 80 manage mattors al to
answer tho purposes OF themselves and thoir class
The smallnoss of the electoral datriots has had a
marked object in forcing tho growth OF email men,
When tho districts were larger. il was essential
that the candidates should be mon OF some mark,
OF whom everybody in all extensive district should
have hoard at least; and the great mass Of voters
nover dreamed of renching those heights them
aelves. By the subdivision Of the constituency lit
tle mon look larger; and by well-nnderstood mr.
rnngement many OF then aro to onjoy the legsla-
Two Offices, in duo rotation, as tho limitations ofhu
man lilo will allow. This constant succession ofn-
significant men, invested with fearful powers for
good and OWL, creates the material for tho bribcry
and corruption which threatens to eat out tho ysls
ofthe State. They never heard Of before, thew
pocket what they can get, thoy disappear TO make
way for frosh supply of hungry mediocrity, and
arc hoard OF no more. Their temptation ia great
Just in proportion to their obscurity. The remedy
is so 10 arrange mattors that none but mon with
characters to lose shall be sent to make laws for
tho State. Tho corruption which wo all lament and
doprooate ia imtod mainly to tho larger branch of
thoilogislaturo and is mover oven suspected as to
tho: executive. Why is this Because the sonators
hayo larger constituencies, and tho Governor the
whole State for his; go that they arc necessarily
men Of established characters, and to whom the
temptations Of vulgar bribery arc Of little account
when weighed with what they must lose by yiold-
ing to them.
THE AMERICAN Freedmen's Union Commission
and its nuIiliRries are laboring with enlightened
zeal to open tho way for the introduction at the
South OF the free school system Of the North. At
the present tnc they especially anxious to 30
euro the cooperation Of the freed people in the
support of tho schools. conference Of delegates
from tho vnrious societies latoly held in this
cityt-Judgo BOND, Of Baltimore, in tho chnir-to
devise plan for carrying this object into offcct.
Tho result arrived at is embodied in the following
resolutions: l. "Reso1ued Thai the bost intcrcete
OF tho freed pooplc require tho permanent estoh