The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-02-20

it to make laws for the government Of it's
members. One OF the great factors in
the moral deterioration Of the American
people has been the breaking down and
overriding Of the laws that govern society.
/ advocate an aIistocracy in society and
in State. Not an aristocracy of wealth
nor blood, but an aristocracy of moral
tcorth. l take the word, not in its per
versions and abuses, but in its original
sense. 1t meaus a government where the
best, most moral and pure bear rule.
Should not the purest, most cultured,
most genteel in society make laws for the
government Of the body3 Should not
the most moral, most intelligent and most
capable rule the Commonwealth 2 The
evils of the destruction of caste are far
reaching. Our children are brought up
orable as another. We allow them to
associate with all people promiscuously.
The moral sense in them, i. O.. the chill
ture. and they will more naturally glide
into vice and sin since we, by actions, at
least, tell them that one way of making
money is as honorable and respectable as
another. evil communications corrupt
good manners." He who associates with
the unchaste will himself, moro than
likely, become unchaste too. He who
associates With thieves will have all the
germs Of dishonesty within him put into
bot-bed and rapidly developed. He who
"puts tho bottle to his neighbor's mouth"
for living, will almost surely learn TO
put that same bottle to his own mouth.
We may palliate sin and gloze indecency
till we cease to condemn them in our own
hearts. You may allow profanity and
blasphemy to SO unrebuked, till you
forget that it is as heinous in Gods sight
as dishonesty and adultery but one is
just as bad as the other. Let us not con-
done olenses in any one, anywhere !;
neither in society or Church or State. If
we do, the moral recoil will be sad for
us, and God will visit the ipiquity of
these things on our children. Well did
the poet say:
myice 10 . monster OF ouch h,deouu noin,
That 20 be hated, needs but TO be seen;
But seen too oft, familiar with the face,
We irGt endure, then pity, then embrace"
Woe with the day when society or
Church fold to their bosom the vile, the
ainful, the reprobate.
8. Reforms are also demanded in com.
mon honesty. Tho war, among the many
evils that it generated and developed,
produced the monsters, laziness and dis
honesty. For years men "drew rations"
and clothing, working ora day in fifteen.
They learned to live without work.
Many of them arc trying to do the same
thing yet They say: "The world owes
me living, and I intend to hare it."
When hear man talk that way, and
live on in idleness, I instinctively feel to
see if my pocket-book is safe. The
world owes no one living. The God of
Nature has blessed men with strength
aud intellect intellect, and has 0Tddained that In
dustEy and economy shall not fail of their
reward but healthy, strong beggar in
this lend is an unmitigated nuisance.
To-day labor ranks higher than cotton OF
corn or sugar or bacon or clothing. I'M
migration societies are encouraging labor
to come among us. Any man who will
can lease land and make himself farm.
These things being SO, laziness is q crime,
and ought to be punished. The armies
of tramps that infest the land are but
ulcers on the surface of our demoralized
body polite. While the feeble, the
widows, the orphans and The helpless
are to be assisted, do insist that it is q
ain to assist those who can work and
wont. There is no charity to God OF
| man in giving bushel of corn to o man
who is able to work for it and yet is un.
| willing to do il. Paul said: eff any
would lot work, neither should he eat.'
70 Thes. 3:l9.) That doctrine sounds
! healthy to me. 1t should be put into
practice rigidly. Laziness lives neal
| neighbo. to theft, for he who must eat
| end won't work, and has no money to
buy with, must be sorely tempted tc
| break the eighth commandment. The
Prodigal Son deserves a higher respect
than people are won't to give him. we
place his reformation at the point wher
| he was obliged to live on husks with the
| swine, and since no one would give him
| anything better, he decided to 20 bach
! and live on his old fathers bounty. No
SO. Go back to the time when the famine
arose, and he slogan to be in want
Here was the crisis and point of turning
Did he say, ''tho world owes ms living
and must get it somehow" Did ht
curl his nose at any rough OF menia
| work2 Did he fear to soil his soft, "lily
white," dainty hands2 Did he sit still
and "wait for something to turn up p
Did he turn tramp and make it his trade
to live off of others? No. He niethe
turned thief nor beggar. He took tn,
first work that came to hand. It wa
base, low, degrading to jewish sensibil
ity, but it was honest. His manlines
comes out here: "He went and hirec
himself to citizen of that country, ant
he sent him into the fields to feed swine.
and he agent He was honest, and ther,
was help for him, If he had not beer
manly enough and honest enough t.
liwork, he never would have found hi
way hack To his fathers hcuse G peiiitons
| There iB hope for man-a tramp
| there be manliness enough in him to in
duce him to work. Let this be the tru
test: eff any would not work, neithe
| should he eat" When all the men, an,
l;71s;cc::..en too. who are able to work for
living, are induced by law or moral sua
zion or necessity 10 60 at it, You will ne
moral resumption In honesty, industry
manliness and self-respecti ''In til
sweat OF thy face shalt thou eat bread.
Too many people are trying to eat thei
bread In the sweat of other people
faces.
| 4. In the last place, there Is need @
reform in political and governments
circles. The words statesman and poll
Eiciec e.:sl. :;si.. - 55 s.,i.l.v synonymous
We ought to elevate our purest an
ableat men to Office. It is sad com
mentary on our government and pcopl
that the men who will stoop to spen
money and encourage intemperance CT
control more vctes sslliisrs The high.toneS
sober, capable man. "Ask ye for th
old paths, where is the good way, an
walk therein" It was Henry Clay VIII
said, ~ would rather be right shan Pre-