The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-31
THE TWO CIVILIZATIONS.
Don Piatt Contrasts New England and
the South-Platn Talk from an lnde-
pendent Western Man.

Don Piatt Contrasts New England and
the South-Plafn Talk from an lnde-
pendent Western Man.
Don Piatt, the witty and plain spoken Wash
ington correspondent of the Cincinnati Com
mercial, 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 nc
regards as Admirable in the Southern charac.
ter. For this he was bitterly attacked by the
Cincinnati Gazette. From the spirited re-
jonder of Don Piatt we make some extracts
THE TWO CIVILIZATIONS.
A kind friend sent me the compliment of q
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 Arlington
letter. wish he had not done it. Like the
famous coon, would have come down had he
given me a chance. was ready to admit that
| was under 'stress OF composition" and gave
forth ''tho troth OF dull imagination" alter
cudeelng ''to bring forth sentiment" There
is so much delicate poetic fancy IN the columns
OF this venerable organ-there is such 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
slu Of attempting sentiment on the heights OF
Arlington. 1 say again, SAN thought he had
been valiant, and so cunning in Tence"-by
Jove, had I known that he would even conde-
scend to read my poor stuff, would have cut
the s:ntiment, and given him some solid hR-
| ures, on which to feast his statistical sjul.
Nav, would have gone further, and confess
| ed that the Yankee love of locality surpassed
| in strength all other love known 10 humanity.
would have ceased to oindulae in that impious
bulief, once my favorite. that, had Adam and
| Evo been Yankees, they would not have waited
| for the Lord to expel them from the Garden Vt
| Eden, but would have emisrated long before,
and gone to speculatingi in Wild lands.
would have sworn that the love of home
was great love IN New England, and found
expression in the quiet repose Of the house hold,
that was without parallel in the annals OF hu-
manity. would have denied that 1t was COM
mon for children to quarrel over the support OF
the sgcd parent, or that the aged parent ever
charged the dear children weekly stipend for
board. would have repudiated with lndigna-
ton the charge that the calendar of horrible
crimes instlgated by a love OF money shown by
New England, is heavier than that of any other
clyiliged people known to the world. would
have shut my eyes to the matrimonial infideli-
ties and divorces, that make that Yankee COM
muuity, called Chicago, so famous. would
have sworn that the love Of the homestead vas
30 intense, that it passed down from genera
tion to generation OF tender Yankees, who
would die in cold blood rather than part wish
foot of the loved locality, for slight advance.
I would have sworn TO this, and more, il
could have thought OF it, rather than be
stretched in torture along the loaded length OF
a column in this ancient Journal.
I could have admitted much II not oil OF
this, and yet maintained what meant to as
SORT. had no idea of running comparison
between the moral condition OF the North and
that OF the South. A man may be as pure
and upright as Charles sumner, and yet have
no love OF home or attachment for the locality
home has made sacred. He may bsa wicked
man, and yet be attached to tho little sur
loundlngs made dear by feelings We hold in
common with the brute creation. The Arab
in his tent NAV be as good a creature. III
moral point Of view. as the Swiss peasant IN
his cottage. What cndeavored to say in my
letter was that the love of homo existed at the
South in way unknown to New England.
never heard this disputed before. And in this
love OF bone find the foundation for d batter
civilization than one based on force pride or
property The llussIa!lops u of red BY the
man may adorn liis dwelling with oil
that art and taste can supply, and vet sell the
house to str,ngers Without pang OF regret.
Paintings and statuary and architecture may
make it valuable without making it precious.
The fact that IN our little town we have made
our fight with the world. that there H. wife
loved, believed in and trusted, and tue dear
children we're born, or grew up and slckened
and died, mako it and all its surrounding dear
to us beyond the mere valuation in money.
helped to burn houses in the Shenandoah VAL
lev that we're on farms held by the same fimi-
lies since the days OF the colony. Our New
England friends would have snapped their
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.
or course, my friend will sneer at this, and
call it another gush OF sentiment, gotten up 10
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 Nea Englauder 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 son goes out into the
world, leaving the old homestead in the keep
ing OF the family, ana cherishes its memory
with life, And in this way tue South has come
to be one great family. Aud 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 love for his h ,ms-but as the
learned editor tells US, with such cnarmlng
,aafpele. he has pride in it. He adorns 1t WITH
beautiful things, and then sells to the highest
bidcer.
The learned editor, who never gushes, differs
from mo only IN the facts he ls pleased to
question. We both believe, [ presu nc, that
the true definition Of patriotism is love OF
family widcned to enlDra @ u community VIC
call country. civilization based on this is
the better civilization. We Cannot base 1t OIL
pride, nor u sense Of possession, nor upon
property, and have the true thing; and the
evils Of the one and the good Of the other rnns
through all departments. A distinguished
statesman, lately called to public life, after al
absence Of twelve years, said 10 me, not long
since:
'Those Southern fellows were very unreas
enable aud 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, aud sometimes without blankets.
Every soldier IF tho government cost us
million, through The frauds OF contractors and
the stealIngs OF officials.
We build Oh property. and take pride in dis
play. We are blessed with civllIzL ion that
makes our government vast machine to crush
the poor and build up the rich. The able edl-
tor day after day, deplores this sta!o II af lrs,
and calls aloud for reformation. Blu. then lie
does not gush, he hos no seutlmeut. Cool as
dogs nose, bo rebukes those who feel sad to
weeping; and, With the cheap wit of good
memory for D:ckeus, laughs to scorn the
mourners.
I do not propose being driven, in my differ
ence, TO extremes. I agree with the Il z;tte.
that lhers ~ much IN New Eng civil zltlon
to be pr oud If, and that 1t was very pretty, IN
ono out of thousand at the Sou'h: u visit
fashionable watering places 1T the North III
summer | wish the So til had better knowl-