Brenham weekly banner. [volume] (Brenham, Tex.) 1877-1907, 1884-02-07
THE WEEKLY BANNER.
Beecher on the south.

Henry Ward Beccher, in hi:
Thanksgiving discourse at Ply
mouth church, Brooklyn, says:
"1n Texas, l told the people that
their state was large enough for
three, and they held up their hands
in horror and said: NO, only one
state | said: Gentlemen, there
are at least six citizens who will
want to be senators of the United
States, and they will be more pow
crful than you desire to keep the
state in its present form. In Tex
as, rs in every ohe of the southern
states where | have lectured, /
was received with more than hos
pitality-with cordially, and the
managers of the lecture tour had
no reason to complain. l do not
desire to go among a people more
friendly. l spoke in every one of
the southern states through which
1 passed, and l had not the most
remote conception that l should be
so we'll received. There are a
great many foolish people in the
south; there are in the north. But
l was surprised and delighted to
see how the people had survived
the sectional feeling. The war and
all its issues are substantially for
gotten, 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. l appealed to au-
dience after audience, if they could
would they bring back slavery,
and there was not single instance
where they did not say they were
delivered of a great curse, and
that they would not bring it back
again. L had no trouble in speak
ing, and when l told them that l
Ioped General Butler would be
the Democratic nominee for presi-
dent, they received it with good
nature, as do you. More than that
young men in the south who
used to have their living as pleas
ure seekers, are now workers.
Manufacturing is springing up so
generally that the attention of po-
litical economist have been direct
ed to it, and they are going to
show that untaxed industry in this
land can take care of itself. l also
found in the south great interest
in schools. They do not fare as well
in this respect as We do in the |
north, but the wish of the people
are for the schools, and they are
pushing them out in every direc-
ton. The prospect of the south
are admirable in that respect, and
l can say the same as regards reli-
gion. New Orleans is regaining
its old ascendency as commercial
center.
GAS regards the negro, I receiv-
ed testimony most welcome. The
colored people are increasing. The
mixture has declined throughout
tho sauth; 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 and southern
people of good sense and feeling
are DESTROYS of having the black
He4ple educated. Where the col
ored people own land they pros
per. The white people object to
selling it to them, and for the same
reason that people do not like to
sellland to be aeeRpisd by M OBJ
jectionable class. | was asked to
give my views about sOciality. II
replied that the theory of religion
that all men were equal, but that
practice indicated that social
equality should not begin at home;
that men should grow into rela-
tionships that. are necessary The
road of the colored people to
is by intelligence, virtue
and religion, and they are on that
road, / believe that they have
liberty, responsibility, |
and as much social equality as is
GOOD for themO