Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-07-22

world, 80 that cvory murder, suicide or other
crimo and every violent death, whether acci-
dental, intentional or providental. orc soat-
tered before tho people in few hours.
Again our population'in in q hundred years has
Increased from four or Eve millions to fifty or
sixty millions. How natural then that with
such facilities for spreading news and with
such population orimo should have increased,
though it ,nay have, and we think it has,
relatively decreased.
What is tho relative yaluo of moral forces
now and formerly2 Tho pulpit has for cen
turics boon great moral lover, but no one
will deny but it has been weak in numbers,
education and efficiency, or but it has annu-
oily increased in oil thoso clements of strength
and is still increasing. The Religious Press
has beon for years great faotor in morality
and progress but it, too, is annually wideu-
ing and deepening it's influence for good
Sunday Schools for two generations have
been moulding tho youthful mind in tho path
of Christian rectitudo, but what wonderful
progress have they made in tho last twenty
yearsl Temperance societies have risen md
| tallon, havo douo somo good, but to-day they
are stronger and firmer founded than ever
before. Wc havo then to-day all tho moral
forces that existed in the past in q botter aud
stronger condition than formerly. AS to
these their influence has always been limited
and will ever be 80. Tho pulpit reaches but
fraction Of tho people, who voluntarily put
themselves under its presence. Tho Religious
| Press, Sunday Schools and temperance
| societies nre still moro restricted in their
influence and extent and aro confined to
church members generally. They can rarely
reach or influence the great mass Of tho
world, and hencc can never fashion or direct
public opinion, tho unappealabe dictator
over NOUS actions and conduct.
Tho great and Irresistible moral power in
the land is tho Secular Press. Nothing can
supply it's place and all other agencies COM
binod cannot equal it in influence. The
Religious Press is not only limited in circus
| lation, but it's views are reflex of tho tcncts
of Christianity, which, we orc sorry to admit,
arc not Of much force in the social regulations
| of tho world at large. The Secular Press, on
tho other hand, finds its wny into every class
and condition of life. 1t has become me-
cessty to every active citizen, DO he deist tr
atheist, skeptio or infidel sinner or Christian.
lntcrmlnSlcd with current news on politics,
commerce, agriculture and other current
| topics, editorials and miscellaneous selections
uron temperance, education and morality,
| fll its columns and have their influence. In
this way it is tho latho in which public
OPT ion is fashioned and shaped and when
| wo consider that mon in their every day
conduct arc controlled more by public opinion
than by their innate convictions Of right, we
| can at once perceive the wonderful influence
for good welded by tho Secular Press. It
reaches society at large and moulds and
| directs its rules and regulations. Within the
memory of many of our citizens, to fight
duel was the shortest road to social rccogni-
ton rs well rs to power and influence, while
the rocont duel 10 our State has called forth
general expression Of cousnre MI over the
State and demand that the law should be
enforced. We believe that nineteen out of
every twenty citizens Of the State would to-
day pronounce ducling in the abstract bar
barous, un-Chrstan and criminal, and
would sustain any man who refused to fight
Look at the war against whiskey and sec to
what extent the Secular Press has controlled
public opinion. For years it lay dormant
and witnessed tho riso and growth of these
evils without word of censu,e, but now that
they have become SO great, this powerful
engine is being directed to their suppression
Our people can remember when whiskey was
found ut every muster ground and when
treating was the only way to Office. This has
passed away by tho influence of both legal
and moral suasion. The war against carry
ing concealed weapons has also been taken
up by tho Secular Press, and while the Le-
gislaturo refused to pass q statute on the
subject, nearly or quito half the incorporated
towns of the State have adopted ordinances
making it penal to carry them within their
limits. The moral inflaonco of the Press
with the action thus taken by towns will
likely lead to restrictive law on the subject
by tho next Legislature.
The Press is also through puolic opinion
potent factor in bringing about the obscrv.
ance and enforcement of law. No law will be
enforced unless sustained by public opinion
but would stand on the statute books q dead
letter. Such has been tho case with tho law
against ducling in the past, and also the act
of 1873, regulating the sale of liquor. This
statute is very stringent, but it has never
been observed or enforced. 1t may in the
future under tho great change of public
feeling on the subject. The Press, by reason
of i's power, has heavy responsibility restY
ing OH it. In the past it has not fulfilled its
whocduty but it is now marching into line and
unifying its influence in tho channel of law
and order. In few years wo trust that
cYila and crimcs Of oil kinda ,,;n L. ...As.l.