The gold leaf., 1901-07-18

VI ioioO OSonoIi uStlOll, anu IL, ds Tue
editor believes, the .'solid South is
about ''to yield" she is about to yield
to herself and to her "old-tims" de-
termination never to submit to tho
government Of an ignorant, and in
competent, and an alien race. No
where, unless in Holland, can be
found a parallel to the force shown in
the reorganization of Industrial pur-
suits; in the patient working out of
race problems under hard conditions;
in rehabilitating demolished institu-
tions of learning; in giving according
to Marion L.. Dawson, "forty million
dollars year for education, one thir-
tieth OF it contributed by negroes,
nearl y one-half Of it given to negroes"
With one hand building up waste
places. with the other hand parrying
blows Of prejudice, ruinous to the
nation as to the South, and lighting
her way to ust share in national
government. 1t required s'solid
South" to achieve those things, and
the whole attitude has been no 'sloss
to the nation," but a distinct gain.
Having obtained SO largely the rec
ognition of this fact, the South will
continue aid to the nation by sending
to New York and other cities her
sons endowed, by this forceful
mother, with the means which they
may use in establishing literary
magazines, to serve the country.
And she will expect in return only
hI hn, Il
truthful acknowledgment of her force
full character.
2. Having denied, and, | think,
disprovod that there has been any
''loss to the nation Of the old-tims
Southern force and character" it may
be regarded as useless to pay any
attention to the alleged cause of a
merely fictitious effect. But ust
here lies the authors grossest mis-
representation of himself, and, conse-
quently his greatest need of setting
himself right. Assuming an effect,
he dogmatizes as to threefold
cause: QD ''Politicians. (2) ''preach-
ers,' (5) (as herded by the preachers),
good women"
NJ" L Sudil liOO uIttl ldhc W , peak
for "politicians. ''Old-time Southern
force and character" have been wise
and powerful in confining ministers
to another sphere. 1t is no part Of
this paperto deny or affirm any politi-
cal tenets. 1t is enough for me in
passing to show that this editor, in
the very editorial, is in the role of a
politician, and that, so sweepingly
condemning others, he may well finch
under his own severity upon HIM
self.
And from this elf-condemnation
his own pareathetical exception. ''(he
it said with respect to all men Of
breadth and tolerance)'' cannot save
him. For this article excludes him
from the class which his exception
describes.
A man of breadth and tolerance -
if true to himself, has great respect
for the 'opinions' Of other men. He
weighs his words when he speaks OF
the religious ''creeds' of Jews, Gen
tiles, or Mohammedans. He would
rather hide another's hurt, and heal
it, than expose it or aggravate it. If
true to himself, the man of ''breadth h
and tolerance" is most cautious in
condemning by professions, avoca-
tlOns, or sexes.
He knows that even the Scholar 5
gown has not folds ample enough to
hide expanded narrowness when it
breaks forth with, "you lawyers, ,
''you preachers, "..you doctors, ''you
politicians" or even, in extreme cases
of mingled worst taste and arro-
gance, ''you herded good women"
1t is certain that if our Editor be
"a man of breadth and tolerance, for
his own sake this part of the editorial
needs to be withdrawn. 1t puts him
beyond the pale of his own exception,
and leaves him 4 self-condemned poll
tician. For, from start to finish, his
article is political.
To this last statement there is
one apparent exception in the Ian
guage which the writer applies to
..preachers, in connection with poll
ticians. Against this I may surely
offer some words of indignant, but
not resentful epostulation.
AS Christian pastor, | have seer
many of the honors of poverty"
know what '.epidemics' are, for
have stood between the living and the
dead during two of them, for months
at time, wherein 5000 people died
of yellow fever. Galvestson's fresh
and thrilling experience gives me 8
vivid conception Of ''tornado's'
power. I have mingled with the peo'
pie of the sand-hills, with mountain
eers who saw no books and could not
have read them if they had owned
them, have taughtIclasses in negro
Sabbath schools; and | know the woe
of ''illiteracy" and measure it by my
love of study and reading. Yet | an
seriously told by man whom none
but himself would exclude from the
number of men who have .'breadth
and tolerence,' that "preachers" have
wrought more injury to the land they
love than poverty, epidemics, Hitter
acy, tornadoes and even bloody war.
1T is they who are to blame for an
effect which, as l have shown, is the
authors own assumption. The loss
to the nation of the old time Southern
force and character is laid upon these
guilty preachers. And why? Be
cause Q) they have been the conserv-
ators of outworn opinions and creeds
and (2) they have suppressed intel.
lectual independence and they ''herd
good women by the most stagnant
waters Of theology"
For the very madness of self-eon'
tradiction and of inconclusive bitter
ness this passage surpasses any that
| have ever read.
II represents the '.preachers" as
being at once almost suPerhuman in
strength and infinite in despicabie
weakness. They can bring to pass
results exceeding those of the most
formidable agencies of the Almighty
At the same time they are stupid al
swine-herds or cowboys, and weak
and coarse as drovers of cattle. They