San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1884-01-31
SANMA HAYsC TEXAS
NOS.


Henry Ward Beecher, IN his
Thanksgiving discourse at Plymouth
church, Brooklyn, said; f.&
"In Texas, / told the people that
their state was largo enough for three.
and thay held up their hands in hor-
ror and said: No, only one state.
I said: Gentlemen, there are at least
six citizens who will want TO bo senn-
tors of the United States, and they
will be moro powerful than your de-
sire to keep the stnte in its present
form. In Texas, as in every one Of
the southern states where ! have leo
tured, was received with more than
hospitality--with cordiality, and the
managers Of tho lecture tour had no
reason to complain. do not desire
to go among people more friendly.
I spoke in every one Of the southern
states through which I passed, and ]
had not the most remote conception
that / should be so we'll received.
There are o great many foolish peo-
pie in the South: there are in the
North. But I was surprised and de-
lighted to see how the people had
survived the sectional feeling. The
war and all its issues are substantially
forgotten, and they are busy building
up again what had been wasted and
destroyed, and there is now more
wealth in the South than there ever
was appealed to audience after
audience, il they could, would they
bring back slavery, and there was not
q single instance where they did not
say they were delivered Of q great
curse, and that they would not bring
it back again. l had no trouble ia
speaking, and when I told them that
/ hoped General Butler would be the
democratic nominee for president,
they received it with good nature, as
you do, More than that--young men
in the South who used to have. their
living as pleasure-seekers are now
workers. Manufacturing is springing
up 30 generally that the attention Of
political economists has been directed
to it, and they are going to show that
untaxed industry in this land can
take care Of itself. ] also found in
tho South great interest in schools.
They do not fare as well in this re-
spect as we do in the North, but the
wishes of the people are for the
schools, and they ore pushing them
out in every direction. The pros
pectS Of the South are admirable il
that direction, and I can say the same
as regards religion. New Orleans is
itB old ascendency as COM
mercial center.
"As regards the negro, I received
testimony most welcome. The color
ed people are increasing. The mix
ture has declined throughout the
South; the white folks are white, and
the black folks are black. We are
not going to have as much mixture as
we used to. Education is going on
md the southern people Of good
sense and feeling are desirous Of hav-
ing the black people educated. Where
the colored people own land they
prosper. The whlto people object to
selling it to them, and for the same
reason that people do not like to sell
land to be occupied by on objection.
able class. ! was asked to give my
views about sociality. I replied that
The theory Of religion is that all men
were equal, but thnt practice indicat-
sd that social equality should not be.
gin at home, that men should grow
INTO social relationships that are nec-
sssary. The road Of the colored peo-
pie to equality is by intelligence, yir-
the and religion, and they are on that
road. believe that thoy haveachiev-
I'd liberty, responsibility, and as much
Iocial equality as is good for them