The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-09-09
To TrOtWOOd,

MY DEAR FRIEND: Your literary
notes, hOmely thrusts, and common
dRtioLs of a fine horse l always ead
with fond appreciation. But there
are spots OH the sun, and sometimes
even blots Oh an EDITORS copy and
minister's manuscript. Your re-
cent article on John l.. Sullivan
had few stains on 1t. 1t may be,
however, that the spots are on the
readers specks, and yet | have
rubbed my glasses repeatedly and
still the spots appear to be on the
article.
My first objection is that you APP
pear to put John on a level with Hal
Pointer. Now, IS loyal resident OF
Maury County, and All sdmiTer of his
royal hOrseship, / seek To rush with
pointed Juill to the rescue Of the dig
nitird Hal from SO foul and degrading
cumpaniOMship. Hal Pointer never
gets drunk, never gets on a three
weeks round of debauchery, and has
never, to my knowledge, been ar
rested for violating the laws OF Ms
sissippi or any other state, by desc
Grating it's soil with british prize
fight. In other words, Hal is q gen.
tieman, and is beloved by all Who
know him, while the lovers of purity,
law and social advancement, have
but little use for John l.. Sullivan.
You seem also to Glars Johns name
with that of Notwithstanding him
in connection with tho American
flag. This is another parallelism i
cannot endorse. / think his name il
rather synonym for thugism,
rOwdyism and brutality-qualities
entirely un-American. 1.-THE citizens
of the United States were all OF the
John l.. Sullivan type, our flag would
be very much tattered, despatched
and in every way rePuisive. Our flag
represents the glorious convictions OF
the noblest OF eArth's sOns-the cream
of old England, who left all, that they
might follow westward their Christ
of moral, religious and political man
hood. Men who were not fi-tic giants
and moral dwRrfs. The best SELF de-
Tense is a kind heart and civil tongue.
Fighting of all kinds-whcther
from behind the pulpit, an editOr's
desk or in the enclosure of degrading
prize ring-is wrong, unless the fight
is waged against ignorance, crime
and immortality.
The prize ring has been condemned
by the good and great of all nations.
Ii is entirely repulsive to our refined
Christian civilization. 1t should
never be mentioned either by preach
er or editor-the educators of the
people-except for the purpose of con-
demning it. An editor, like preach
er, should give the people what
they need and not what they IOdnt
So long as pulpit and press lander
to the sensational cravings OF the
lower strata of society, moral, reli-
ligious and political advancement
will lie impossible. Down with both
pistol and fistics! They are relics Of
| a ban barian biological form which the
| best of people have thrown off in
tbeiI manly struggle for a higher
manhood. The prize ring Is two
| thousand years behind the times. 1t
should BE relegated to the old musty
! Roman Arena. Let us talk OF the
new ''manly art"-not the brutal art
of "self defense" Let US 'defend
ourselves and others from al that
debases, corrupts aud renders ignO-
bic the sons and daughters of men.
Newspapers come into the hands oil
our boys and girls. Let us ban.sh
! from them everything that sugg' SITS
| impurity or awakens in them pu-
gilistic animalism
We will leave John l.. and turn to
our precious TennysOn:
| Ring i'm the valiant man and free,
| The larger heart, the kindlier hand;
| Ring out the dark ness OF the land
| Ring In the Christ that is 10 be.
| GALILKAN.
We publish the above from nn es-
teemed preacher friend with much
pleasure and take great pleasure III
adding our sanction TO II. We fear
he has taken our fun about Jno l..
Sullivan and Hal Pointer too seriI u.s.
ly. The real point of the editorial
mentioned was, that it was far better
to cultivate fist fighting than to have
so much OF this sO-called carrying
concealed weapons" i'm the pOckett
and the boon companion, concealed
malice and murder in the mind. by
referring to the article our friend will
see that was the point we made.
TROTWOOD.