The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-03-27
NEW xxaIAaD coaaEsroxDKNoz.
NATURAL HISTORY OF THE YANKEE.
Editors Morning Star and Catholic Messenger:

ana money. Nature mas not been lavish OF
bounties to her soil. Strip her of what the in
dustry of man has planted upon her surface,
and there would be very little to entice the ex-
Ploring settler to make his homo on her hard
places in strange contrast the wealth with
which industry has clothed her surface. She
does not flow with milk and honey, but she
abeunds in boarded riches, active capital in
prosperous towns, great factories, in colleges
and schools, in churches, in an industrious, in
telligent people, and in thrifty, comfortable
homes. Where the obstacles of nature are
thus surmounted, and wealth is made to take
the place of poverty of the soil and material
comfort supplants hard privations,
naturally led to seek in the community that
exhibits such a result the Over-ruling, the all
engrossing principle in their lives, that fitted
them to accomplish this result. Now we will
give the Yankee only his duo in examining into
his social history, and that we must give him.
1t is not of the Yankee alone it can be said
that he reverses the word of our Lord, Seek
first the Kingdom of God," etc, but of him it
SO earnestly, intensely and practically works
out the reversal in his life, conduct and max
inns. Seek first all these good things-the
goods of this earth-and let heaven and the
| is branded on the soul of New England, it is
assimilated with the vital organism of the
Yankee and is transmitted from parent to child
| with the mental traits produced by it..
Other people seek the good things of the
earth in preference to the Kingdom of God,
but among the good things of the world with
| lard or Irishman, will be relaxation, pleasure,
| amusement, fun, and good time generally. Not
SO with the Yankee. His desires are not dissi-
| solely grapples his sonl and keeps it riveted to
it-riches. If he can build up pile of gold
and perch himself atop,of it, honor, position,
will be laid at his feet. Underline tyranny of
| this maxim his character is developed traits
are good if they square with it, are bad if they
| defect the individual from it. Habits e,vir-
tines q vices moral immoral ~ they
with or diveCge from this maXim-seek first
| the goods of the earth. This is made the
standard whereby mans life is judged praise
worthy or the opposite. In a word, it is the
| standard of right and wrong in human actions
Certain practices that are exalted'in the eyes
Of other menIand sven in the eyes of Cod
consistently so. The Catholic, whom picty
| would prompt to go to mass at five in the
morning, to practice fasts and prayers, would
to go to market at five in the mornin e, drive a
good bargain, eat and drink heavily, do the
work of two men during the day, count his
| be the model man, fulfilling the highest des-
tiny of manhood In the one case the King
dom of God was placed first; in the other, the
good things of earth. st. Francis of Sales or
St. Philip Neri would be in low esteem; but
Franklin; for his debasing economies, has the
highest pedestal for Yankees to contemplate
and worship. BUT from practices-to inter-
more intimately into the moral life of this
being-we will find there the sentiments like
wise transformed by this over-ruling maxim.
Virtues are commeniablc and vices are repre-
hensible only they subserve or oppose it.
Crimes, even painful and shameful to mention,
such as are revealed by Drs. Slower and Allen
of Massachusetts, have no horror for the Yam
kee when they retard not the attainment of
the house and lot his eye is fixed upon, OF do
not diminish the deposit in the savings bank.
And yet the pulpits and rostrums and plat
forms skriek with lamentations over intern
perance-not because it is o sin against Gods
law, but because it entails poverty, want and
the poor-house. The tipsy 1rishman and his
slattefnly, slovenly wife, DIETER if the one |
were not tipsy, and the other were more tidy |
and thrifty with their boisterous, ragged chill
dren, are depraved, degraded beings but there
Whose crime never permits their spruce, neat
cottage to resOund with the cry of q live-born
infant, or be enlivened with the mirthful play
of little ones. All, no! depravity is not here
this crime does not burthen with expense, it
does not diminish the deposit in the savings
bank-it subserves the pursuit of gain, there
tore 10 1t is not depravity. Law, that is invoked
main blind to the latter. Society was once
supposed to be regulated by God here it is
regulated by man, and only such acts as retard
mans material well-being are cognizable as
crimes. Acts, impious before God, may pass.
We have to do the best for ourselves, and de-
wise safeguards for our own well-being, let
God, If He please, watch over the observance of
His own law; mans wen-beng, within the
natural limit, is our aim, and we think we can
build the structure and devise the apparatus
III accomplishing ny iueduS aiCOSeUner With
in mans natural power, independent of any
divine aid or sanction. 1t would be unfair to
deny the Yankee good intentions for humanity
generally, or n sincere wish for human we'll
being, according to his own ideal-he won't
admit happiness or progress on any other
standard. In his notion the mass of mankind
Is still in childhood, and kept there by its half
grim, half jolly old nurses-barbarism and
He is the schoolmaster orda aimed
to emancipate infant humanity from the tutel-
age of those nurses, and rear it up to full de-
In Ic lDr Will th,,l H., !
of the ethereal spirit; he monopolizes almost
the whole reason of the species it is his voca- /
ton to instruct, to guide to preserve he is
the destined tutor, the guardian of mankind.
When we arrogate this claim, this high des-
tiny, need the South be surprised that we labor
so seduiously to reconstruct and to instruct
her, and to preserve her from the suicidal
effects of her own ignorance and barbarism |
The elevation of humanity is the grand work
we preach-we discuss. We care nothing about
the individual man but the elevation must be
according to our own ideal, and we will have
the South and the rest of mankind happy when
we bring them up to our own level. We will |
give thousands, in aid of any institution de-
signed to educate men up to our standard-but
we will not bestow a look, much less dollar,
on the individual beggar-ho is atom, and
not a wholesome one, in humanity. He NAV
offer his prayers for kindness bestowed, but
his prayers have not helped himself and can
not be very profitable to us; moreover our own
goods and prosperity are not gotten of PRAYERS.
1t may be asked how are such practices and !
maxims to be reconcilcd with Christianity, or
with the Bible ? do not know how. l know
we talk Christianity and talk Bible a great
deal, but do know that the spiritual and sub
lime maXims of Thomas Kempis are in little
use and no less esteem among us, whilst we
know by heart, or by instinct, the sayings of
Poor Richard, and what is better, we practice
them. 1t is true have the Bible and read
it; but then Gull it for uSe and we |