The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-06-18
Hard Times and the CrOakers.

A correspondent of the Associate Reform
Presbyterian suggests the thought that people
might be in tolerable, if not in a prosperous
condition, and not be aware of it. He says:
The CRY of hard times may be heard almost
everywhere, and in the lips of persons in al
most any community.
We have heard planters complaining that
they were on the down grade, that their ex-
penses exceeded their income, that they were
making poor crops and that at this rate they
would fail in few years, when at the same
time the facts would lead US to conclude they
were in self-sustaining, if not really in pros
porous condition-being blessed in their bas-
ket and in their store, in the fruit of the field,
in the increase of their herds and iocks.
A similar complaint exists with the mer-
chant. He is not doing we'll, he thinks. He
is sinking money as he imagines. He almost
envies the planter. In his Judgment no one
does such poor business as himself. But ap
pearance would indicate that he lives as we'll
as his neighbors that he drives as fine horses,
dresses himself and family as genteely, keeps
as good a table and maintains as nice domcs
tic establishment as others.
Professional gentlemen also complain Of
their condition. They are not we'll paid for
their services they say. In some instances
they arc not, but as class they are, perhaps,
on as fair footing in this respect as others. A
community complains of the public burdens
and of grievances.
We remember very we'll how it was in this
respect befor the war. The taxes were lig ght.
They were nominal in comparison with what
they are now, but the people complained.
They we're dissatisfied with the Federal leg
islation. We heard, one day in the cars, a
citizen of some political prominence, assert
that this was the worst government under the
sun. We wondered if he meant that our gov
ernment was more tyrannical than Austria,
Turkey, Spain, or the despotisms Of the East.
If our people had grievances then, what have
they now? We were in prosperous condition
then, but we appeared not to know it. We are
not able to predicate such prosperity of our
county now, but at the same time we would
say that if we would suffer ourselves to be car
ried away with the views and prophecies of
some of our contemporaries, we would feel as
though we were the most destitute of all peo-
pie, as though there were not one single element
of desirable kind in our condition, as though
there were absolutely nothing about us for
which we should be thankful TO God but our
existence.
We have, it is true, a baptism to be baptized
with, but it is far from being such as more
worthy persons have experienced. We have a
cup to drink. but the ingredients are not all
bitter Next to the rebellion of the children
of Israel, their murmurings were offensive to
God That we may form some adequate con-
ception of the measure of guilt connected with
such murmurings, we will refer to the state
ment of the Apostle in his Episte to the
Corinthians, where lo comments upon the con-
duct of the children of Israel in the Wilder
ness "Neither murmur ye, as some of them
also murmured and were destroyed of the
destroyer" And we may appropriately sub
join the verse following the one we have already
quoted: "Now all these things happened unto
them for ensamples, and they are written for
our admonition upon whom the ends of the
world are come" We are afflicted with some
social and political evils, it is true, but this
does not justify us in ndulging complaining
spirit as though we had no mercies to be
thankful for, and as though our condition were
absolutely desperate.