Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1892-01-26
THE RIGHT SPIRIT.

tDO 0VutuCAu cOvuCs
'One of the cardinal faults of the
American character" writes the editor
OF the Texas Iconoclast, who appears
to have fought on the losing side in
the war, sis propensity to brag.
Brother Jonathan's egotism long since
passed into proverb. In no section
Of this land of the alleged free and the
homo OF the ism does the blowhard
blow longer and louder and with less
excuse than in the South. We are
the people-the nonpareil; there arc
none like unto US beneath the sun!
From the empyrean we look down
upon common humanity. talk turgid,
and swell up with the vainglory OF
young turkey. cock with bis first tail
feathers!
"Perhaps it were well for us TO drop
the King Cambyses vein long enough
to inquire what We are chanticleering
about. What have we ever done
that entities us to assume airs OF SUI
periority? Nothing 10 Gods great
world; absolutely nothing. We are
SO far in the rear OF civilization that
we foolishly imagine ourselves to be
IN the van, with the whole world be-
hind US struggling desperately to
catch up! We speak sneeringly Of
the Yankees, and yet the same de.
spised Yankees are our guardians aud
tutors, even our protectors. Without
them we were but lost calf running
foolishly about in circles until some
political prowler lassoed US and led US
to the shambles.
"rake the South proper, south of
the 35th parallel-V,rginia and Ken
tuoky, Tennessee and North Carolina
are Southern only in namc-and how
will it compare with New England?
Here we have veritable Eden, broad
and fertile savannahs, land of pe.en-
NAL summer, the richest in natural
resources in the Western world. New
England is q cold and sterile land,
where nature is ever at fierce war with
man. Yet New England was devel-
oped a century ago. Her rocky hill
sides were made to blossom like the
Vale of Tempe; her mountains were
ransacked for ore; her forests trans
formed into stately ships or still more
imposing buildings; the hum of the
factory rose in city and hamlet, and
the rich commerce Of world rolled
in mighty waves over her wharves.
Now we are stretching out our hands
imploringly to that storm-cursed,
frost-girt land, praying that she will
send brain and Drawn to develop our
rich mines, utilize our vast forests,
build our RAILWAYS, teach our children
the magic art of industry; that she
will do for US what we have been TOO
indolent or too inapt to do for our.
selves. We look to the Yankees for
every thing; for our machinery, our
very household utensils, our capital,
our books, our higher education; for
brains to plan and skill to direct our
great enterprises.
"While New England has been
making reapers aud sewing>maohines,
srinning>Jennies and telearaphs, we
have bean making foolish stump
speeches and moonlight whisky.
While New England has been breed
ing statesmen, scientists and poets, we
have been breeding 'yailcr niggers'
and Cheap John politicians! We
cannot boast half q dozen men born
south OF the 35th parallel in the South
proper whom historians century
hence will consider worthy Of dozen
lines. We have not produced dozen
hooks W r~h burning; in the field of
Invention we have done little more