Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-05-30
TRENTrS BENT.

gagged In winning the hearts or northern
audiences by attacking his own people
their institutions. and their traditions
Recently he dashed into the Panlneon
OF southern giants. brandishing hs LIN
nutlan battle-axe OF criticism, and In
frenzy Of iconocIasm hacked and he"eu
RIGHT and left. not even sparing WASH
,ro,on entirely. So indlscriminate was
he I'm his efforts to produce wreck aIiu
ruin that no less hostile a critic Oh inc
South than the Nation felt colstraiileu
TO intimate that his zeal outran MS u's
cretlon-it certainly outran his knowl-
edge-and carried him TO extremes. The
exhibition was fearful one for Pro-
fessor Trent.
Professor Trent is now engaged IN
writing series OF articles for the At
lantlc Monthly, and the latest OF these is
entitled Tendencies Of Higher Life IN
the South" In this article there are
admissions that something good may
come out of the South; That, indeed
there are germs Of something good IN
this section, but the contribution IS
case OF damning with faint praise
throughout. This extends even 10 PROBES
sor Trent's treatment of religion at the
South. to say nothing Of his remarks on
our educational system and southern
literature. The article is patronizing to
the last degree. According to Professor
Trents theory. the cause OF the South s
attaining TO n higher life-the higher life
that has developed at the North-is not
altogether hopeless, for in closing his
article he says: eve have seen that po-
litical and religious intolerance Is slow
~. but surely, waning" that IMAM
ners and customs are losing the note
of provinciality." and that "the south
erner's basis Of character ia fine one
and he is becoming year by year more
thoroughly nationalized." None the less,
Professor Trent would not encouraget0
us TO believe that anything more than
the reflection of the dawn OF this higher
life vet bathes our brows. We are stBl
I'm semi-darkness and It will be some
time before the full sunlight Of hyper
borean development irradiates our counte-
nances. and crowns us with an intel
lectual educational, literary. political,
moral. and religious halo that Will en-
title us to seats among the nationallzed
saints Of the North. According to Pro-
fessor Trents logic, our regenera-
ton and preparation for translation to
the higher sphere involves the breaking
away from our most cherished tradi-
| tions. the reputation of some Of the
noblest principles that ever inspired
people, and the tramping under foot OF
some Of the strongest safeguards OF our
| social structure and civilization. That is
the process through which he would have
us attain TO the beatifed nationalzed
| brotherhood. His reasoning carries no
other conclusion.
1t has been suggested that Professor
Trent's critics do him injustice in
charging that his object in his lucubra-
| lions on the South is merely TO cater to
northern audiences. His apologists claim
| that he is a philosopher. In all sincerity
and kindness, we would fain believe that
the suggestion referred to is we'll founded.
But If we accept it as well founded,
we cannot admit he is a philoso-
pher. Eplctetus tells us that "all philo-
sophy lies in two words-'sustain' and
! abstain. Professor Trent does not
sustain his contentious by history. and
does not abstain from showing ignorance.
| Philosophy presumes knowledge. II
has been said that knowledge IS Of two
kinds. We know n subject ourselves
or we know where we can find informa-
ton upon it," We respectfully submit
that both Professor Trent's Southern
Statemen OF the Old Regime" and his
article in the Atlantic Monthly fail tC
Indicate that he has profound knowledge
Of either kind. otis true It's pity
and pity it's tits true" that some
OF the new school Of southern
authors have done more TO rem
der it necessary that a comprehensive
history of this country. from a southern
standpoint. should be written, than have
the Goodwin Smiths. IT'S pity we hav
not such a history now TO guide the new
school southern philosopher who has
not time or does not know, how to CLEAR
his facts from the general mass of his
tory.