Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-05-12
A Vile SANDER.

In an editorial in the american Mes
sen0er for April, the officers of the
American Tract Society thus stigmatize
the poor white women of our Southern
cities:
During the early years after the war
the churches were fully occup led with
the religious and moral and education.
al needs of the Freedmen, whose claims
upon Northern Christians certainly
took precedence of all other mission
work In that field. Then came the
awakening of interest In the Mountain
Whites, and now at last it is surely
time to recognize the needs Of the poor
whites in our Southern cities, and es
pecially of the women among them.
They are not an attractive nor g
hopeful class. Feeble OF body and al
a general thing weak OF mind, solder
with snuff through the uncleanly habit
of dipping" Utterly illiterate not only
but unframed to any useful employ
ment, these women are entirely with
out that romantic charm which invests
the girls and women of the mountains
The city women are as dull, uninvit
ing, thankless material az these ar,
the reverse. But they hdpe souls
They have eternal needs and eterna
ossibilities-eternal responsibilitie.
too, though these, it would seem, they
must largely share with US Christian
who neglect them. For the girls o.
our Southern cities there il at present
only one ndustry-prostituti They
are too sluggish and dull witted fol
factory work; they have not persever
ance enough for household work OF
sewing. Among these women the Nor
mon propagandists find their eaxies
work; hundreds OF them go to Utat
every year.
Shall this go on q Christian land
A very small sum would suffice to carry
on training school in such city al
NeWbern, n. c., where food and rem
are Ut their cheapest, the winters ar,
short, and the conditions more favor
able than in the larger or more south
erly cities. 1t would be necessary tt
provide board for only a few out OF ,
considera BILE number, for the true way
to work with these people is to uplif
them I'm their home Who will begiI
this work?
Here is a sample Of the "religioul
rot" which daily hourly, weekly, month
ly and yearly is printed about the
South. This printed stuff our people
are asked to buy, and the money O.
many of tEem doubtless goes into the
Golfers Of that slop tub the American
Tract Society. That society any bod,
who has the courage Of his conviction
knows and admits, is a sinecure for G
lot Of religious" buns, though VIZ
hate to associate the word religious
with any such fakirs, and mounts
banks. They have told about as much
truth about the women of the South
as it is possible for that aggregation tc
tell about any thing when their whole
lives is one of deceit, of plumber
and robbery, Of a set OF superstitious
credulous people whose blindness has
not allowed them to penetrate the
depth of the design to which these
blood-suckers resort. This article il
written to catch some credulous person
and obtain from him or her money to
cure this terrible condition assumed to
be prevailing ia the South, but which
when procured will be lavished upon
the sensuality of the officers of the
American Tract Society. DIR. Pierce
of the Golden Medicine Discovery il
not half so great a fakir as the
writer OF this article. So long as they
go their way and let US alone 80 long
will we do the same, but when they
seek contributions through utilization
of, and classifying the character of the
women of the south be these women
ever so poor, or the officers ever 80 rich
then we will no longer be quiet. They
ought to come down and see what
their teaching and examp pie have done
for their first loves the negro women
as from their manner it is presumed
they have finished with the freedmen,
and carried them to sufficient height
and must now come back after
the whites and take them up. The
snuff of the South il no worse
than the morphine and liquor of the
North, no matter how loathsome it
may be. But what estimate can be
put on people who write thus. "The
,ity women are as dull uninviting
,hankless o material as these are the
'everse. Bat they haze souls. They
nave eternal needs and eternal posi-
,ilities-eternal responsibilities too.
hough these, It would seem they
you'd largely share with us Christians
Who neglect them"
+" Us Christians," indeed! When the
went into the templs to pray
10 ssla, ''lsssa ! shsnk shss tbatI an ,