Mississippi Democrat. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1875-1???, 1876-06-10
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GsAfIemea of tAs Historical S0rie
~ Of MeckIeRbug-Onr President
has appropriately introduced the ~s'
ries OF historical lectures with the
inquiry Why 40 icw have attempted
a. preserve the record OF the great
events II the history Of North Tar
olina, aud cmhalfn the memories oi
the lllustr'oas actors therein. Per
haps u may bnt be ami-s in mr g.
pursue the same line OF thought.
For, u the nrgle,t oi our past his.
terry be due Ia the lack of materials.
then our organization - ~ VAIN, ai,d
our time and our labnr will be
thrown away. The truth, however,
u that our materials have been rich
aud lu-triOus, and the causes which
have led to the neglect Il them can
only be explained BY an rxamina
ton into the characteristics of our
people aud those surroundings Which
have moulded their thougts aud ne.
tions.
We look for ~ explanation Of this
neglect. In part, to the inhaencc ex-
erted In the State by the scotch Irish
population. These people have
ever been God-frAring, law loving,
law abiding, honest, truthful encr.
getic. aud courageous; but they are.
TO the last degree, unpoctIc aud
ayerse to hero worship. They never
CanonlHe saints, nor idOliEe warriors
aud statesmen. This rugged race
bore the bruut of the contest Ia
North Carolina. They fought the
battles of freedom tor FrvedOm :
sake, and when that gucrdon vas
won, they cared not a. rxalt the
merits 0t the prowess uf this or that
leader, each conscious Ot hls uN a
equal worthincss. TIE Scotch Irish
disdained the laudations of herues
a. much a. their great religious lead
er, John Knox, disdained ito fear
the iacc ot mortal man" Such a
people would b. slow To build mon
umcnts, erect statues aud write his.
torres To- commemorate deeds oi high
enterprise. Perhaps this halirclIaut,
scli-a-svrtiug aud an-entimenial pv0
pie would regard everything that
looked like hero worship, as unman-
N aud contemplate.
THIS partial explanation Of the
neglect Of history applies only 60
the two tarulinas, and in looking
over the whole Southern field. wv
must -cvk more general oxplana-
ton. Dr. Charming, of Boston, one
of the ahlcst aud laircst of the many
gifted men oi the North, said, thirty
four years Ago, that the great pas
sion ot the South was for political
power, while the great passion of the
North was tor money. We give his
language in the contrast which he
made between the North aud the
South. The South, said be, "has
abler politicians, and almost necos
sarily ~, because lts opulent class
makes politics the husiness Of lite.
In tie south, an unnatural
state Of thugs turns mems thoughts
20 political ascendcncy, but in he
free states men think little Of Il.
Property j. the god tor which they
toll perSeveringly from morning to
night. Even the political partisan
among Va has an eve To- property,
aud seeks Office as the best, perhaps,
only way Of subsistence" THIS Is a
pretty hank confession from a
Northern scholar, that Northern pol
iticians seek Office mainly In order
10 make money thereby. IL reads
very much like prophecy in the rev.
elations Of the last few years Of Cred
u Mobilier, Emma Mine stock, Sen
eca Stone contracts, whiskey ring
frauds, Pacific Mail subsidies, and
sales Of sutler's posts, etc, etc. Bat
while Dr. Channlng gave the distine-
ton In the characteristics Of the two
sections with great fairness, he did
not give the philosophy of that dis
junction. We might still inquir,
why does the North covet money
and the South political power' We
think that the solution OF the prob
lem IL 20 be found In the density o.
the population In the one section
and the sparseness Of population 10
the other, with all the modifying IN
tiuence brought In by this differences
OF population. The North has dc
voted itself from necessity 10 com
merce and the mechafic arts; th'
South has devoted itself TO pure AZ
riculture. In rural districts, Their
may be great stinginess and mean
ness, but greed Of money 10 not |
prominent vice. and great wealth Il
almost unknown. The temptation
is wanting. Literature and the art
and scienccs are not cultivated 10
high point among an agriculture
people. Theee studies require de
bate, discussion and sntagonism. l
Il true that the great thinkers Of th'
world have generally been born am
reared In the country, hut II y equal
IN true that they did not becom'
distinguished anti their minds hs'