The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-12-06
WILD ASSES IN THE sOUTH.

WILD ASSES In THE SOUTH.
The South would make great stride,
toward civilization if it We're TO ADOPT
some radical measures for the extinction
or at least suppression, of the wild asses
that roam about down there seeking
whom they may devour, and finding
plenty of provender.
One of those bipeds, that go about the
country trying to convince people that
they have not an extra pair of legs un-
der their waistcoats and pair Of long
ears under their hats, has been writing
a book. What's worse, he has pub.
lished it. He calls it history of the
United States, and his agents are assid-
uously travelling up and down the
Southern states selling it to men whose
faces are still turned backward toward
their beloved lost cause and who are
still talking through their hats about
the divine right of secession.
lie us get an idea of what this prec-
ious history is. The Montgomery, Ala.
advertiser kindly furnishes us with n
column of extracts, from which we
select few:
To say that the South seeded and fought
for slavery is to accuse her of political i'm
becility.
TO the last, hatred of the slave-own as
secessionist and as aristocrat had far more 10
do with the abolitionism which spread
through the Northern people and armies than
compassion or Justice for the negro.
Regular pacific heedful of precedent as
was the English revolution OF 1855 the
southern secession OF 1861 preserved yet more
closely the continuity of law and history.
a lapse OF twenty years has consigned TO
oblivion the cruel slaughter and wholesaie
ravages OF the most ruthless war waged on n
kindred people since the days of Charles v
Inc North fought for empire, and for an
empire which was not and never had been
hers; the South for an Independence She had
won by the sword, and had enjoyed i'm law
ana shir Iact ever since the recognition of the
England--if not since the foundation OF
Virginia.
This is the tenor of the whole column
of extracts from this "history" pub
lished in the Alabama newspaper They
are there called crystallized truths
and are quoted with an evident relish
and entire approval.
1t is pitiful that such things can be.
IL is discouraging to be forced TO be- |
lieve that such rancorous spirit still |
exists in the South. 1t is more discour.
aging to be forced to believe that there
is still that degree and quality of ignor-
ance in the South that makes such
books possible.
The book itself is of no smallest con.
sequence. 1t will never he accepted as
history" IL will never influence the
opinions or conclusions of the men who
will in the future write history. 1t is a
bit of evidence that forces
is to believe that the crop of wild asses
n the South has not yet been sufficient
y reduced. These pestiferous creatures
oam over the whole surface of tbe
arth. They infest all communities.
nd they brow Sc OH the sweet and suc.
ulent foliage of the plants of progress
nd good-fellowship among men eyarv-
where. Their hateful work is every
'here apparent, but if one of them
hould attempt to palm upon the peo-
lie of this region book like
ne one under notice, it would be
)tally unnoticed on the shelves of its
and would find no mo~e han
readers in each thousand
habitual readers of books. It would
'rn for its author a place i'm oblivion
zen more remote aud hidden than. that
lat from which he hatched the sent.
ents he put in his book.
What the South needs is a plan TO rid
of its wild asses. The rabbits are
ing driven out of Australia. and the
lid asses can be driven out of the
'uth. Until that is done the South
i'll be a country by itself and "AIason
I'll Dixon's line" will be maintained.
lHE jejune and carefree young fresb-
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