The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-31

the south-PIain Talk from am lnde-
pendent Western Man.
Don Piatt, the witty and plain spoken Wash
ington correspondent Of the Cincinnati Com
meroial, recently alluded, in one of his letters,
| to the strong love Of home that prevails at the
South, as forming the basis of much that he
regards as admirable in the Southern oharao.
ter. For this he was bitterly attacked by the
Cincinnati Gazette. From the spirited re-
jonder Of Don Piatt we make 8 ome extracts
THE TWO CIVILIZATIONS.
kind friend sent me the compliment of a
column clipped from some issue Of the Gazette,
in which the leading editor OF that solemn old
organ takes to pieces q part Of my. Arlingt ton
letter. wish he had not done it. Like the
famous COON, would have come down had he
given me q chance. was ready to admit that
was under ''stress Of composition" and gave
cudgeling "to bring forth sentiment" There
is SO much delicate poetic fancy in the columns
Of This venerable organ-there is such a guam
tity Of tender touching sentiment in the soul
Of this great financier, that hasten to acknow-
ledge my master, and beg forgiveness for the
sin Of attempting sentiment on the heights of
Arlington. / say again. "An' thought he had
been valiant. and 80 cunning in fence"-by
Jove, had known that he would even conde.
scend to read my poor stuff, would have cut
the entment, and given him some solid fg-
ures, on which to feast his statistical soul.
NAY, would have gone further, and confess
in strength all other love known 10 hum anlty
I would have ceased to indulge in that impious
belief. once nay favorite, that, had Adam and
Eve been Yankees, they would not have waited
Eden, but would have emigrated long before,
and gone to speculating in wild lands.
would have sworn that the love Of home
was great love IN New England, and found
AL1ol .oll
that was without par allel in the annals OF hu-
mainly. would have denied that 1t was COM
mon for children to quarrel over the support Of
the aged parent, or that the aged parent ever
charged the dear children q weekly stipend for
board. would have repudiated with lndigna-
ton the charge that the calendar OF horrible
crimes instlgated by love or money shown by
New England, is heavier than that Of any other
civilized people known to the world. I would
have shut my eyes to the matrimonial infideli-
ties and divorces, that make that Yankee COM
munity, called Chicago. SO famous. would
have sworn that the love Of the homestead was
80 intense, that it passed down from genera
ton to generation Of tender Yankees, who
would die in cold blood rather than part with
foot Of the loved locality, for slight advance
dos9s would have a sworn to e. this and more. if
stretched in torture along the loaded length Of
a column in this ancient Journal.
could have admitted much il not oil OF
this, and yet maintained what meant to as
sert. had no idea Of running comparison
between the moral condition Of the North and
that Of the South. man may be as pure
and upright as Charles Sumner, and yet have
no love Of homo or attachment for the locality
home has made sacred. He may bea wicked
man, and yet be attached to the little sur
Ionndlngs made dear by feelings we hold in
common with the brute creation. The Arab
in his tent may be as good creature, III q
moral point Of view, as the Swiss peasant IN
his cottage. What endeavored to say in my
letter was that the love Of home existed at the
never heard this disputed before. Aud in this
love Of home find the foundation for u better
civilization than one based on force, pride or
property. The very illustrations off red by the
A man may adorn his dwelling with ali
that art and taste can supply, and vet sell the
houee to strangers Without pang OF regret.
Paintings and statuary and architecture may
The fact that IN our little town we have made
our fight with the world, that there the wife
loved, believed in and trusted, and the dear
children were born, or grew up and sickened
and died, make it and all its surrounding dear
to us beyond the mere valuation in money.
helped to burn houses in the Shenandoah VAL
Icy that were on farms held by the same fami-
lies since the days of the colony. Our New
fingers at the loss, for the value In money was
small; but the people Of the valley fought to
the death for those homes, because they were
homes.
Of course, my friend will sneer at this, and
call it another gush OF sentiment, gotten up to
order. It is common to do so, with people
who. not feeling it, fail to understand and ap-
preciate.
Nor is his reference to emigration any hap
pier. A New Englander sells out to strangers,
an seeks new LANDS. from wish to better his
condition, In pecuniary way. The Sou hern-
or leaves his nome, as q son goes out into the
ing OF the family, ana cherishes its memory
with life. And in this way the south has come
to be one great family. And Virginia seemed
to reach out and embrace the vast territory
such emigration had conquered. This is not
the civilization Of New England. A man there
does not have Q love for his b om but as the
learned editor tells us, with suoh charming
sa0tuete he has pride in it. He adorns 1t with
beautiful things and then sells to the highest
bidoer.
The learned editor, who never gushes. differs
from me only IN the facts he is pleased to
the true definition Of patriotism is o love of
family widened to ernbra % G community we
call country. A civilization based on this is
the better civilization. We cannot base 1t on
property, and have the true thing; and the
evils Of the one and the good Of the other rrns
through all departments. A distinguished
statesman, lately called to public life, after an
absence Of twelve years, said to me, not long
since:
'.Those Southern fellows were very unreas
enable and troublesome, but they would not
STEAL"
The government now is run on stealings, and
fraud rots it's foundations.
The Southern soldiers marched without pay,
and fought with poor food, and slept without
tents. and sometimes without blankets. .
Every soldier OF the government cost us O
million, through the frauds OF contractors and
the stealings Of officials.
We build on property. and take pride in dis.
makes our government o vast machine to crush
the poor and build up the ricla. The able edi-
tor, day after day. deplores this state If affairs,
and calls aloud for reformation. But then he
does not Rush. he has no sentiment. Cool as
o dogs nose, he rehukes those who feel sad to
weeping; and, with tho cheap wit Of good
memory for Dickens. laughs to scOrn the
mOurners.
I do not propose being driven, in my d,Asr-
ence, to extremes. agree with the Gazette.
that there is much in New England civilization
TO DO pt oud or % ana tnst was very pretty u
fashionable watering places at the North In