The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-08-20
"CHIHALROUS AND SEMI-CHITAL-
ROUS SOUTHRONS."

correspondent Of some Northern paper, anc
must write sketches" he msde repeated at
tempts to force himself into Charleston sost
ety, all Of whica failed utterly. It was appa-
rently> necessary, however, that sketches o
Charleston society should be written. and they
were-the author having never seen what he
sketched.
The article before US reminds us very much
OF this gentleman. The author commences
by enumerating the characteristics Of the
s'chivalrous and semi.chivarous Southrons,
and among others, remarks that "they have
fewer of the virtues of modern society,"" We
are somewhat at q loss to find oat the precise
meaning of this phrase 'virtues Of modern
| society,"" as indeed We are at the word semi
ch,valrous. He explains that by chivalrous
and semi-chivalrous he does 'snot mean
crackers, sand-hiIlers andother low-downers,
and again he says, 'l speak Of the gentry, the
educated, the socially influential the class
which, before the war, governed the South,
thaclass which may soon govern it again.
OF the said class we feel ourselves perfectly
safe in saying that Mr.. DEF. knows nothing at
ALL except, perhaps, either what he may have
learnt from his .semichivslrous bv- downars,
or as locker on, in official capacity. Social
intercourse with them he could never have en-
joyedswhile "Bmesui Major" nor, indeed, lin
any other capacity since the war. The people
| OF the South have become too suspicious Of
the Northern ''virtues Of society,"" to mingle
| ct III with its representatives.
But to return to these ''virtues Of modern
society" II by this phrase he points out the
happy attribute Of the Yankee to be pleased at
sn'insult, and highly delighted at the mere
prospect Of blow, since he hopes always
through its means to FILL his pockets; If he
means by virtues the still moro Christian char
acteristic Of accepting pay from the seducer
OF ones wife, and claiming ones rights only
when the said pay is no longer forthcoming;
il, in short, the gentleman refers to the incor-
rigible propensity OF the Yankee to ignore ut
terry all honesty or veracity when placed in the
scales against the almighty dollar" We agree
with him that the South is much more free
from these virtues. and We hope utterly de.
void of them. If this be virtue, we pray to
Almighty God to be preserved from its infiu-
epce.
The gentleman has devoted . great deal Of
paper to description Of what he calls the
sspuenacities" of the schivalrous Southron." ="
he says 'the weakest man by nature, the
-mxu Who, es th1 rUrrn, aJuid NO 1no1e -ngnt
than he would jump out Of a second-story
window, will, at the South, resent an insult by
allow, or, perhaps, o stab or pistol shot"
Here he brings IN as instances several street
rows, bar room rencontres, &C., which, at the
south, are confined, to the low-downers OF
whom he speaks.
The southron he sketches would not be
found here. He has mixed up strangely. too,
this pugnacity with selfrespect, and, appar
rentiy, without understanding the difference.
We do not propose to explain it, nor to discuss
the merits Of dusling. We can only he-e
again regret the necessity which compels North
srners to sketch society Of which thoy have
seen nothing. "The superior civilization aud
higher culture at the North have done away
with duelling and taking to smashing each
others noses aud pulling out ech others
eyes in genteel and artistic manner. Where
such innocent little amusements are enjoyed
it is absurd to spsak Of the outrageously bar
barous custom of putting weaker antagonist
on an equal footing with oneself. In reference
tn duelling, however, it has evidently been the
intention and desire Of the authorize draw some
horrible picture-something terri6c-to at
tract thex ttention OF readers, and be himself
the hero who can escape through the mighty
dangers. He says: "Fhe pugnacious customs
OF Southern society explain in part the extra.
ordinary courage which the Confederates DIS
played during the rebellion. A man might as
well be shot doing soldierly service at Bull
Run or the MildernesSas go back to Abbevllle
and be shot there in the duel or street en-
counter which awaited him. The bullet hole
was a mere question of time, and why not open
ones arms to it on the field OF glory" Oae
might suppose from this that all men at the
South died By the bullet or bowie knife. How
terrible it must have been TO this gentleman
himself to in such constant expectation OF a
bullet among hi. ribs; and then in the end to
be disappointed. To theshame Of Gfeenville
be it spoken. "Ohy ye brave who fight fer glory >
ios, the Freedpaen's Bureau, 1 fear veracity is
notoneot the ..y,rtues" Of your Society"
TT prove all his bloody assertions, however.
he mentions, as an instance, "a digniieS old
planter who won IN his youth, by dint of fre-
aucnt fights ard ouels, the siname OF Tiger
Bill In one famous encounter, this antique
worthy, disarmed, PROSTATE and neld down,
doubled mis- legs over his adTersary's back,
and rowelled, from loins to knees, with Span
ish spurs." We should like to. witness the
wrath OF the SAID dgnIfe planter upon hear
ing his little 'affalres d'honpeur" described in
these words. We can almost imagine him be-
fore US expressing his desire that the author
had died at the South, where all men die BY
the same means.
1t is needless to say that this is utterly
false. There is an old saying that no falsiti-
cation is so injurious as that which bears the the
appearance OF truth. The "Carohnians OF the
seacoast," upon whom he calls, will perceive
directly that this assertion is one OF that cha
racter. But the gentleman proceeds. and OBJ
serves that 'sthe high-toned gentleman is not
civil TO outside barbarans. BE was not always
civil to our Congressman in the old days when ne