The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1880-04-29
miscellaneous.
MISTAKES CONCERNING THE PEo
PIE OF THE SOUTH.

Sweet lahu OF uDeIB'
The sermon was as follows:
sUBJEcT-"MIsTAKEs AB'UT THE SOUTH
CORRECTED "
Jndges l:l5; "Give me a blessing; for
Thou hast given me South land; give
me also springs of water"
Caleb's daughter, just married to Gen,
Othniel, had received Of her father as a
wedding present, farm at the South, in
a warm and sunny cline. She asks
for the further gift Of some springs
OF water near by, so that her farm may
be properly irrigated and refreshed by
the waters brought in tunnel or aque'
duct. Give me blessing; for thou
hast given me a South land, give me
also springs of water"
To our nation GOD has given a South
land. 1t is a vast and magnificent reach
of country, but it needs irrigation from
the fountains of divine blessing, and our
nation Cught to devotedly pray in the
words of the text: "Give me blessing;
for thou hast given me South land;
give me also springs of water"
A few weeks ago, to meet engagements
in nine of the Southern cities, and to get
a glimpse of the Southern springtime
and see how that region is recovering
from the devastations of war, l started
South equipped with a mind full Of ques,
tions, and hungry for information on all
subiects-social, political, moral and re-
ligious. Among other things, l had a
grave to visit in Georgia, the grave Of
my uncle, Rev. DR.. Samuel X. Talmage,
for twenty years the President of Ogle.
thorpe University, After walking amid
the ruins of the institution which he
founded, and from which a multitude OF
men went forth to positions of influence
in all parts of the land, but an institution
slain by the war, l went out to see his
last resting place. When our civil strife
opened, his heart broke, and he lay
down near by the scene Of his eminent
usefulness, the monument over him
adorned with his name, and the sugges.
tive passage; "How beautiful upon the
mountains are the feet of them chat
bring good tidings, that publish peace" d"
He was Of that band of contemporary
ministers of the South, who, after elo,
quent words and long service for Christ,
are now retiring from their labors: DR..
James H. Thornwell, whose life, written
by DR.. Palmer, is holy enChantment,
and DR.. Thomas Smyth, and DR.. Dun
can and DR.. Price, and host of others,
eminent ministers and scholars.
But my mission was not so much with
the dead as with the living. started
on the tour with no partisan predieC
tions and no prejud Ces, and resolved on
my return to tell what saw, whether it
might be nerally approved or de
nounced by one or both sections. | had
no political record to guard or defend.
for my chief work in the ministry has
been done since the war closed. My
admiration for the Democratic party and
the Republican party, as parties, is so
small it would take one Of MCA listers
most powerful magnifying glasses to find
any. American politics are rotten, and
that party steals the most which has the
most chance. | had all the doors of in.
formation opened to me, talked with
high and low, Governors and water car
riers, clergy and laity, lawyers, doctors,
editors, philanthropists, with white and
black, old residents Of the South and
new settlers from the North, AMI found
there have been the most persistent and
outrageous Misrepresentation in regard
to the South by many of the rorrespon-
dents of the secular and religious press;
and by men who, oyerbearing and dis
honest in their behavior at the South,
have had advice that their company was
not desirable. If man goes South and
behave well he will be treated well.
There is no more need of rigorous gov.
ernmental espionage in Atlanta, Angus
ia or Macon than there is in Boston or
New York. The present disposition of
the South has been so wrongly set forth
that propose now, so far as | am able,
to correct the stereotyped slanders con-
Cerning it.
/. II has often been represented to us
that the South were longing for the old
system of negro slavery. So far from
that being true, they are glad to have
got rid Of it. The planters told me they
can cultivate their fields with less trou.
BILE and expense under the new system
than the old. A gentleman who had
one hundred and twenty-five slaves be
fore the war, told me the clothing and
feeding them, taking care of the aged
who could no; work, and the provision
for helple colored children was an ex.
pense, anxiety and exhaustion, Now
the planters have nothing to do but pay
the wages when they are due, the famil
les look after their own inYalids and mi.
nors. So they all say without one ex.
Ception that | could find. If at the bal.
lot-box of the Southern States the ques-
ton should be asked: "Shall negro sla.
very be reinstatedP" all the wards and
counties and States would give thun.
dering negative. They fought to keep
eighteen years ago, but now there is uni.
Versal Congratulation at its overthrow.
Thank God that North and South at last
are one on that subject, and this effort
of our Northern politicians to keep this
subject of slavery rolling on is as useless
and inapt as to make the Dorr rebellion
of Rhode Island, or Aaron Burr's at
tempt at the overthrow of the United
States Government the test Of our fall
election. The whole subject Of Ameri-
can slavery is dead and damned. "How
do the Uolored people work under the
new plant" The answer was: "Well,
very well. We have no trouble. Just
after the war there was the disorganiza.
ton that naturally came Of new order
Of things, but now they work we'll. They
work far better than Northern laborers
that come here, because our colored peo.
pie can better endure our hot climate,
and on warm summer day, at incoming,
n n -. Il