The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-07-02

and more general want, and that IS, suitable
work to make living. There are countless
articles in daily use here, which are the pro
duet Of the female skill Of other countries
| Why shall We not produce them here? Ii
we lack the skill We can acquire IL Ii We
| lack the materials We can import them, as
others do. | said To a gentleman not long
since on this subject: d" Go into variety
store and see how largely The stock Is COM
posed of articles that are the handlwOrk OF
| women. Can we not introduce the manu-
| tacture Of such things hereT His reply,
was: % Don't you know that most of these
| things are made by machinery - 1t seems
| to me this is no answer From personal OBJ
| servation | know that in the manufacture OF
| these articles female skill presides over it
kali. They preside over the machinery 50
| far Is it Is employed. l venture to say that
| in any community, if the public-sPirited
men and women woIld organize themselves
into society to promote this object, they
| will find the remedy, because they will look
| for it. / once asked General Fremont how
| he accounted for the singular fact that the
| Spanish settlers in California, who tramped
| over that country for q century with gold
| il the earth and on the earth, without dis
covering il. For the simple reason said
| he. that they did not look for it. When |
| went there / organized a search for it, and
Of course found it," We have vet 10 or
ganize a search for the remedy We want,and
50 | might say of remedies for much else
that is wanting here.
Now. my young friends when you come
to take OH yourselves the duties of manhood,
don't suppose that you have fulfilled your
duty to the gentler sex by mounting the
high horse and riding into the lists of some
Ashley de Ia Couch of high society. but
with a nobler manhood and a more knightly
spirit, bethink you of the thousands of Lit
tie Nells who should not be left to the char
ity of the old schoomaster. No; nor to
charity at all. You will combine and per
sist until that remedy is found.
| am confronted in my plea for society
work by the failure of the Grange. That
organization failed everywhere from the same
causes 1t had naught to do with the meth
DDS Of agriculture. 1t separated one great
interest from all others and was in spirit
militant. 1t made war on those engaged in
trade and transportation, and IN the at
tempt to break down monopoly, menaced
free competition. 1t did not propose to
teach. but to govern and fell from its inner
ent defects. The societies which | recon-
mend proceed on the sound principle that
the industries which they promote, flourish
most when those which surround it flour
sh most | am also admonished that public |
spirit, taking the form of associated effort, |
sometimes prOvokes ridicule by Its absurdi- |
ties Mr.. Dickens amused his readers by |
the 1TlCkIANlDR DTdItl u lIlC bullCuOTduu
Junction Ebenezer Temperance Society, but |
this spirit is one of the things which can
never be entirely despised nor dishOnored |
however grotesque and absurd the forms in |
which at times it displays itself
This public spirit docs something more. |
IL upholds law and order. 1t flames up |
higher and fiercer than private resentment |
at an insult to public authority-a defiance |
Of law. 1t feels it as an insult to self, to |
Wi a and chi and |
and child, in the land, blow at govern
nent, law and order, and everything they |
promote and protect. 1t will urge, strive |
and combine. 1t will support the magis- |
tracy and never cease its efforts until the |
supremacy of the law shall be firmly es-
tabished and acknowledged. 1t inspires
that public opinion which is the strength of
the law.
The peculiar virtue of its exhibition is,
that the spirit of disorder and crime quails
before it, and the victory is won without any
violent collision. We saw how in New York
set of bad men possessed themselves of all
the seats of power and made spoil of the
public revenues. The machinery of the
law was paralyzed. A body of citizens or
ganized themselves into a society,". reused
up the sumbering energies of the people,
and when this was DONE the whole fabric of
systematized plumber fell TO the ground.
Society work has never had footing
here, and must be permitted to say, it is
partly from the absence of public spirit and
partly from another cause. We have no in
ternal traffic, notwithstanding our enormous
consumption. Such traffic keeps up the
contact and connections of a people, and if
we had more industries it would grow up
here. We have no great city, the centre of
intelligence and capital, and the focus of
our civilization. Manufactures would build
that for us. Our main product Is tributary
to cities of other States. There is not hele
a great consolidated public into which we
feel blended. We have not entirely freed
ourselves from another influence, which
slavery. The wealth of the country taking
the form of plantations and slaves, created
so many small communities. The master
was rnler-a law-giver and Judge He
had his workshops Sending his cotton out
of the State, he had his foreign rela
tons. He was in measure Independent of
home government and home connections.
The truth is, he was willing to let the gov
eminent alone if it would let him alone.
Men of this class had the usual share which
wealth everywhere has, of education and in
telligence. All these tendencies conspire to
weaken the sense of duty to the general
publc-to that public which is represented
By the State, which has come to be regarded
as something apart from us-as a high and
OEN political lu6d- rom all ILLS HAS sprung
an overweening pride of individuality, and
lurking dislike to associated effort. Let
US admit that this spirit has produced splen-
did specimens of individual men; yet it is not
the spirit which makes great common
wealth. 1t is not self-relance, for that is
never afraid of being lost in a crowd, or of
being interfered with by societies. This in
dividualism is very timid on that score.
Don't understand me, young gentlemen, AS
ms KING n assault the doctrine LET |
every boy spin his own top" [ mean to
stand by that, but mark you, | make this
point on it. When a boy is called on to
spin top, let him spin his own top by all
means, but don't let him be always spinning
his own top, and do nothing but spin his
own top.
One thing more. l remember that Mr..
Carlyle in his inaugural address as rector of
the University of Edinbulg, amongst other
things, dwelt upon the subject of health.
Without aspiring to initiate the great man,
| claim his authority for mentioning a sub
iect of almost equal Importance, and that
is the practice of individual economy. 1t
ought 10 be taught here.
That surplus of ready money which gives
to some States the power to build them
selves up is the aggregate of private savings.
We seem never to have known what are the
actual results of a systematic private econ
omy. The methods of this economy are not
in stinted food and raiment: it is in getting
rid of all expensive habits and follies. Try
the experiment of seeing how many things
you can, without disadvantage do without
The man of the fewest wants is the most in
dependent of men. OF all the virtues that
which produces the richest and strongest
character, is selfdenial. It will save you
from many notifications and embarrass
ments. A man by avoiding all habits and
acquired appetites, which do not advance
him and jet entail expense, will find that
he is able to be liberal and benevolent. He
may enjoy the supreme qualification now
and then of helping Others. This economy
therefore which strongly urge upon you to
adopt as principle of life is but the reten-