New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-01-23
False PfcjuilicfS Against Labor.

The great incubus Of the South Is prejudice.
Were it possible for the recollections Of the
past to he hiotted out, erased entirely from
the minds of the people Of this country, and
that they could he placed in this beautiful
land, with all the intelligence and energy
they now possess, with the opportunities they
here have for making prosperous and happy
country, and for making themselves u5etGl
ANA comfortable, there can hardly exist a
doubt that the exercise Of their reasoning
faculties would at once prompt them to the
active use Of all the faculties that nature has
given them. Here is Il nation Of men who
have shown, in an emergency, that they have
IS much brains and energy as the best peo-
PIE on the globe, who, when that emergency
has passed, sit gl0omily down and dream Of
what has been, until they lose from sheer
lethargy, Or misdirected energy, the little
that is left them from the conflict through
which they have passed.
If it IS the part of wisdom to learn from
cur antagonists, WIN is It not better for us at
once to give up our old line OF conduct, and
at once avail ourselves Of the ideas and course
of action of those who have been successful
by pursuing a directly antagonistic course :?
When we compare the appearance Of our own
section with that Of the North and West, we
cannot but be struck with the vast difference
..
Here each man seems to wish to Isolate HIM
self, and keep the boundaries Of his neigh
Dor as far as possible from his own Re-
membering the days only, when lie could
surround himself by people who were slaves
to his will, and who he could at all times
make to do his Bidding; he cannot forget
that such things exist no longer, and that he
only possesses his barren territory which
gives him no power for good, either to HIM
self or others. At the North and through
the West, all the land by being subdvided is
made the abode Of active producing men, who
by their close proximity rest upon one an
other, and thus enrich one anothers active,
energetic life. This gives to their country
the lively busting appearance that it pre-
sents, while ours seems only a gloomy soli-
tudc. When will we be wise enough to en-
courage similar subdivision of our territory,
with view to having them settled up by men
who after all constitute the real wealth of Il
State. There still exists in the minds Of the
people Of tie South, a false pride that gives
them distastc for what was in former times
the peculiar province of slaves. hardy toll,
and humble drudgery. Could this prejudice
against labor and its connection with the
eraGicated condition Of slavery be brushed
from the memories Of the present generation,
they would have made long step forward in
the career OF prosperity. Why should the
active, hardy young men Of the South row
look upon labor as something disreputablc?
There is no longer class upon whom the
manual labor may be thrown for the benefit
Of a superior class. The result Of the patient
assjdueus labor Of such men in the commune
| ty now enures to his own benefit and secures
to himself comfort and wealth, and if those
| who were formerly slaves now become the
workingmeu Of the country, they VIII .o0!i
| become the wealthy ones.
| 1t would seem that true pride Of race would
| therefore instead Of enervating the white
men. stimulate them to active, persistent In.
Dor that wealth might remain IN their hand:
instead Of passing into the hands Of those
whom they have heretofore deemed their in
! f.linra - N'rtchrz NIiSl Ns,c N.n.tL