The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1875-05-29
PREJUDICES.


A correspondent takes exception to that
part of "Tax Payers" article on "Public
Schools published in The Wing last week,
which goes out of the way to anathematise
"Yankees," while heartily endorsing all
that was german to the subject. He thinks
that "Tax Payer" at some period of his
existence has come in contact with I" SUI
perior Yankee mind and suffered by COM
parson, or in some way has been worsted
by Yankee intellect" We can't answer
for this surmise, but it is not at all neces-
sary for people reared in this latitude and
further south, to have even seen lankee,
to be able to speak evil of them. 1t is
rather an advantage in this case to be en-
tirely ignorant of the New Highlander, in
order to be we'll qualified for criticising
him.
Our correspondent, in conclusion, falls
into quite as grave an error as the one he
starts out to condemn, and says: " II had
read the article in The Democrat, | might
have excused the writer as prejudiced
mind, but to read in The Wing an article
like the one under discussion, | say the
editor is responsible to his readers y &c.
We don't think our correspondent has
very we'll defined ideas of an editor S respon-
sibility Editors don't propose to be re-
sponsible for the-often very crude-ideas
of their correspondents, because they are
liberal enough to aid them in speaking to
the public. They are only responsible for
their own utterances editorially.
A genuine Marylander is excusable in
a great measure for his harmless sings
at Yankees. He sucked in his unprofita-
BILE preiudices at the knee of slavery, and
what has been instiled in infancy and
youth is almost sure to cleave to man or
woman through life. The generation born
within the last ten years, when it reaches
maturity, will be influenced by entirely diff
ferent views on many questions. 1t re-
uuires the time necessary to raise up new
generation, to eradicate erroneous preJu-
dices and teaching This fact is illustrated
in the wanderings of the Israelites for forty
years in the little desert on the borders of
Canaan. The only necessity for such a
prolonged stay in the wilderness, was that
the vile notions engendered 10y the slavery
of Egypt might be entirely rooted out OF
the minds of people intended to be free
And it is remarkable fact that an entire
generation who drew breath in Egypt had
to pass away with the exception of two
men, before this was accomplished.
But this theme of unlearning what has
been learned amiss, is so fruitful of thought
that what was intended to occupy but few
lines, has heightened out into something of
an ethical disquisition; and for the advan-
tage of our correspondent, who censures
Tile Wig for the error of others, we will
remind him of the anecdote told of big,
burly, good natured fellow who had little
termagant of wife. who, when her chronic
tantrums came upon her, found vent for
her rage in beating her husband The good
humored giant on being reproached by a
comrade for allowing his wife to abuse him
so, replied that it didn't hurt him any and
seemed to do her a great deal of good
Our injured correspondent can substitute
the New Englanders in place of the burly
husband, and the school of "Tax Payers y
for the irrate little woman, and philosophy
cally rest in the assurance that the next
generation of Marylanders will be much
more fortunate than their fathers in having
escaped all the evil prejudices engendered
by slavery.