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

it to make laws for the government of its
members. Ono 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
l advocate an aristocracy in society and
In State. Not an aristocracy Of wealth
nor blood, but au aristocracy of moral
acorfh l take the word, not in its per-
versions and abuses, but in its original
sense. IL means a government where the
best, most moral and pure bear rule.
Should not the purcst, most cultured
most gentcel in society make laws for the
government Of the body7 Should not
the most moral most intelligent and most
capable rule the Commonwealth The
evils OF the destruction of caste are far
reaching. Our children are brought up
to think one calling or condition as hon.
orable as another. We allow them to
associate with all people promiscuously
The moral sense in them, i. G., the CHI il.
dren, becomes bluntcd while it is imma.
ture, and they will moro 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 es
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 oil tho
germs of dishonesty within him put into
hot-bed and rapidly developed He who
"puts the bottle to his neighbor's mouth y
for living, will almost surely learn to
put that same bottle to his own mouth.
We may palliate sin and gloxe indccency
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 us heinous in Gods sight
rs dishonesty and adultery; but one il
just rs bad rs the other. Let us not con-
done otienses in any one, anywhere :;
neither in society or Church or State. II
We do, the moral recoil will be sad for
US, and God will visit the iniquity of
| these things OH our children. Well did
the poet say:
"Vicc 10 q monster OF such hidcous incip
That to be hated needs but TO be seen;
But seen too Oft familiar with tho fnco,
we hrst enddrc, then pity, thon embrace"
Woe with the day when society or
| Church fold to their bosom the vile, the
sinful, the reprobatc.
3. Reforms are also demanded in COM
mon honesty. The war, among the many
produced the monsters, laziness and dis
honesty. For years men drew rations"
and clothing, working ono day in fifteen.
Many of them arc trying to do tho same
thing yet. They say: SThe world owes
me u living. and I intend to hare Hn
| When hear man talk that way, and
live on in idieness, inMtinctiyely feel to
see if my pocket-book is safe. The
world owes no one living. The God of
Nature has blessed men With strength
| and intellect, and has ordained that In
dustry and economy shall not fail of their
reward; but healthy, strong beggar in
this land is an uDmitigated nuisance.
To-day labor ranks higher than cotton or
corn OF 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 30, laziness is crime,
and ought TO be punished. The armies
Of tramps that infest the land are but
ulcers on the surface Of our demorali.,d 4
body polite. While the feeble, he
widows, the orphans and the HELPLESS
are to be assisted, do insist that it is a
sin to assist those who can work and
wont. There is no charity to God or
m an in giving bushel of corn to man
who is able to work for it and yet is un.
willing to do il. Paul said: eff any
would not work, neither should he eat.h
-t2 Thes. 3:l0.) That doctrine sounds
healthy to me. 1t should bo put into
practice rigidly. Laziness lives near
neighbor to theft, for he who must eat
and won't work, and has no money to
buy with, must be sorely tempted to
break the eighth commandme !. The
Prodigal Son deserves u highet respect
than people are wont to give him. We
place his reformation at the point when
he was obliged to live on husks with the
swine, and since no one would give him
anything better, he decided to 20 back
and live on his old fathers bounty. No
SO. Go back to the time when the famine
arose, and he "6egdn to be in want
Here was the crisis and point of turning
Did he say, "the world owes me living
and must get it somehow" Did he
curl his nose ct any rough or menial
work? Did he fear to soil his soft, 'lily.
white" dainty hands? Did he sit still
and "wait for something to turn up f'
Did he turn tramp and make it his trade
to live off of others? No. He niethel
turned thief nor beggar. He took the
first work that came to hand. 1t was
base, low, degrading to jewish sensibil-
ity, but it was honest. His manliness
comes out here: ''He went and hired
himself to citizen of that country, and
he sent him into the fields to feed swine. u
and he aren't. He was honest, and there
was help for him. If he had not been
manly enough and honest enough to
work, ho never would have found his
way back to his fathers house penitent
There is hope for mana tramp-it
there be manliness enough in him to in.
duce him to work. Let this DO the true
test: "If any would not work, neither
should he eat" When all the men, and
women, too, who are able to work for q
living, are induced by law or moral sua.
sion or necessity to &c at it, you will see
moral resumption in honesty, industry
manlincss and eelf-respecti "In the
sweat of thy face shalt thou cat Bread u
Too many people are trying TO eat their
bread in the sweat of other peoples
faces.
4. In the last place, there Is need Of
reform in political and governmental
circles. The words statesman and poli.
iicIan ought 10 DO uiudo SYNONYMOUS
We ought to elevate our purest and
ablest men to Office. It is sad com
mentary on our government and people
that the men who will stoop TO spend
money and encourage intemperance can
control more votes than the high.toned
sober, capable man. "Ask ye for the
old paths, where is the good way, and
walk therein" 1t was Henry Clay ahc
said, 81 would rather be right than Pres
ident" And when our own Calhoun