The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-07-24
A YANKEES OPINION OF v1Re1NIANs.

A correspondent ofthe Boston Aaeer-
ttse', writing from Lexington, says: =
"But you will find in Virginia nothing
more remarkable than Ethe VIrginians.
Truly they are Il race by themselves,
| not to be COMPOUNDED with their south
ern any more than with their northern
ileighbors; though Virginia has been
the New England of the South, and you
find its children aud its customs from
the Potomac to tie Rio Grande. ! en-
tered the State from the southwark,
| after soiourn of months among the
people of the other Atlantic States; yet
| was at once struck by the peeuliari-
ties of the people. There are three
classes of observation-disclosures,
soutEerners. and VirgInians; and per-
haps the Virginians form the moss dis
tlnct of these classes. And yet this
class Is distinguished, not so much by
what it does as by what it elaims.--
Selt-appreclation is the cardinal virtue
of the Virginian. L is not concelt; 1t is
not even offensive, like coneeit. The
tone in which he says Il am Virgin
IAN betoken pride perhaps, but not
haughtiness, and more reverence than
pride; as if the Virginiaa were some
thing superior to a mere man, a species
yetgraeiously taking cogaizanee of the
existence of human beings, and even
thinking kindly efthem, and willing TO
live among them. The expression of
his feeling is somewhat imposing to one
who has always thought imself made
OF common clay. He regards these COM
placent Virginians with feeling akin
to awe, until he knows something more
of them than their opinion concerning
themselves. AfterN ards, when he finds
that these men who take his announce
ment of his northern nativity as an adj
mission ofinferiority are rather remark
able for their inability to adapt them
selves to circumstances than for any
thing else; when he sees the State in
habitated by these people, one OF the
richsst by nature, and one of the ear
lest settled in the Union, yet one of the
| east devel oped, and one ofthe poorest;
is people lacking energy and lacking
culture; its agriculture of the rudest; it's
manufactures Insignificant; its schools
rare and poor, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. with
out statesmen, with no great men ex-
| cept soldiers; and when he reflects that
the pride of the modern Virginian rests
on great names, not great men, the as
sumption of superiority seems ridicu-
lous rather than imposing"
| REMARKS. Pride of character and
love of ones native State, are so foreign
to the Yankee nature, that they pro-
duce, when seen, mental confusion and
distress. That there Is or can be any
thing more loveable in State than but
ton factories and apple-corers, is some
thing SO surprising, that the Yankee, in
capable of compromising the fact, re-
lieves his distressed mind by discharg
ing its chief contcnts--lies and abuse. -
The reverence with which Virginian
says: 81 am a Virginian,'' is not rever-
ence for himself or for his kinsmen but
for his State, which he has idealized as
his mother and which he worships.-
May the day never come when this wor-
ship shall give place to love of ones
pocket-book, veneration of tilt ham,
mers and idolatry of free negroes.
|