Waco evening news. (Waco, Tex.) 1888-1889, 1889-03-09
NORTHERN VIEWS OF THE
SOUTH.

erroneous opinions tnat prevali among
the people there concerning the South
aud the Southern people, and more es'
pecially regarding Texas and Texans
The average Northerner believes to
this day that the spirit Of rebellion
still rankles in the Southern breast,
and that the hapless "yank" who ven.
lures among them is liable to do duty
as target for some unrepenting reb's
pistol practice. Texas is esteemed a
wilderness and Texans are supposed to
be race Of cowboys, outlaws, thieves
and cutthroats. The typical Texan
Of the Northern Imagination is walk
ing arsenal, going about seeking a
chance to slaughter his fellow. map
especially yankees.
Nor are such mistaken ideas by any
means confined to the unlettered and
ignorant. They are entertained to a
surprising degree by the public men,
the politicians and statesmen Of that
section. Abundant evidence Of this is
furnished in the speeches of Northern
politicians in congress and in political
campaigns, as we'll as in the sensation.
al utterances Of some Northern papers.
We believe the Misrepresentation and
abuse Of the South from such sources
is more frequently the result Of ignor-
ance concerning the South and South.
eru people than from deliberate dc.
sire to do them injury.
The fact that our Northern cousins
are woefully ignorant concerning the
true character, condition and tenn
per Of the Southern people
is patent not only to one who chances
to visit the Northern states, but also
to him who has even casually
noted the utterances of the North.
ern press and Northern politicians.
1t does seem remarkable that in this
enlightened ago such mistaken views
concerning one section should prevail
in another section Of the same country;
and the philanthropic observer begins
to cast about for the treason Of this
thusness."
Concerning this we have an opinion
Of our own, which we believe to be cor
rect. It is that the newspapers, po-
tent agents as they are for moulding
public opinion, are responsible for per-
petuating in the Northern mind the
impressions concerning tho South and
Southern people that were formed dur
ing the civil war. The Northern peo-
pie read only northern papers. South
ern papers would be genuine curiosi-
ties in the North, and one never thinks
of finding them on sale at news stands
there. Tho northern papers confine
their attention almost exclusively to
northern interests and foreign news,
and when they chance to discuss mat
tiers pertaining to the South, their
treatment is from northern stand
point, is partisan and nearly always
tinctured with prejudice. 1t then fol-
lows, as a matter Of course, that public
sentiment, formed under the exclusive
tutelage Of sectional press, is
distorted and one sided.
Not SO in the South with reference
to the North. Not only do Yankee
publications find extensive circulation
among our people. but the headquar-
ters Of our news-gathers-the associat
ed press-being in the North our South
ern newspapers contain large pro-
portion of news from the Northern
states prepared by Northern reporters.
In this way we Southerners are in
structed by Northern teachers in mat
tiers pertaining to that section. Hence
it follows that the Southern people be-
ing better posted concerning the North,
their views are not so illiberal and Sec
tional.
The sectional prejudice against the
South, which prevails in the North, is,
to large extent, the offspring of igno-
rance concerning our section. 1t is
this, that makes it possible for the
demagogue to inAame the Northern
mind against the South and renders the
waving Of the bloody shirt tolerable in
this day Of peace. When the day