The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-01-03
Reecher on the South.

In his discourse in PlymouthChurch
on Thanksgiving-day Rev. Henry
Ward Reecher gave brief account of
the circle through which he swung
during his vacation last summer. His
description of the condition of affairs
in the South and the disposition of the
people of that section hardly tallies
with the blood and thunder stories
told by the Republican leaders. On
that subject he said:
their State was large enough Tor three,
and they held up their hands in horror
and said: No, only one State l
said: Gentlemen, there are at least
six citizens who will want to be Sena-
tors of the United States, and they will
be more powerful than your desire to
keep the State in its present forul.' In
Texas, as in every one of the Southern
States where lectured, I was received
with more than hospitality-with col
diality, and the managers of the lee
ture tour had no reason to complain.
do not desire to go among people
more friendly. L spoke in every one
of the Southern States through which
| passed, and / had not the most re-
mote conception that 1 should be So
we'll received. There are great many
foolish people in the South. There are
some in the North, but L was surprised
and delighted to see how all the people
had survived the sectional feeling.
The war and all its issues are substan-
TALLY forgotten, and they are busy in
building up again what had been
wasted and destroyed, and there is
now more material wealth in the South
than there ever was. | appealed to
audience after audience, if they could
would they bring back slavery, and
there was not single instance where
they did not say that they were de-
| livered from a great curse and that
| they would not bring it back again. l
had no trouble in speaking there. and
when | told them that | hoped Gen.
Butler would be the Democratic can-
didate for President they received 1t
| with good nature, as you do. More
| than that, young men i'll the South
who used to have their living as pleas
ure seekers ore now workers.. Manu-
featuring is sprlDging up 50 generally
that the attention of political ecOno-
| mistS has been directed to it and they
are going to show that untaXed indus
try iii this land can take care of Itself
| | also found i'll the South great inter
est in schools. They don't fare as well
i'll this respect as we do i'll the North,
but the wish of the people is for schools
aud they are pushing them out in
every direction. The prospects of the
SCUM are admirable i'll that direction,
and | say the same a% regards religion
New Orleans is regaining its OLD as
| -
"As regards the negro, | received
testimony most welcome. The colored
people are increasing The mixture
! has decilued through the South; the
| white folks are white anu The black
folk are black. We are not going to
have as much mixture as we used to,
Education Is going on and the South
ern people of good sense and feeling
are desirous OF having the black people
educated. When The colored people
own land they prosper. The white
people object To selliuy it to them, and
for the same reason that people in
New York and brooklyn do not like
to sell land to be occupied by All objec-
) ii .nable class. | was asked as TO my
vie " about social equality. | replied
! ,ha5 the theory of religion was that all
men were equal, but that practice in
Dictated that social equality should not
begin at home, that men should grow
into relationships that are necessary
The road of the cOlored people up TO
equality is by Intelligence, virtue and
religion, and they are travelling on
that road. | believe that they have
achieved liberty, responsibility aud as
much social equality as is good for
them.