The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-07-11
STILL sLANDERING THE SOUTH.

In considering what it calls The
Secession of Senator McLaurin,"
Worlds Work, a New York magazine
edited by former resident of North
Carolina, says that war, poverty,
iliteracy, epidemies and tornadoes
have all done less hurt to the South
than (be it said with respect to all
men of breadth and tolerance) the
politicians and preachers. For these
have been the conservators Of out
worn opinions and creeds, and they
have suppressed intellectual indepen-
dence. 1t is they who are tc blame
for the loss to the nation of the old
time Southern force and character
since the war They have suppressed
thought and prevented growth -
these unscarred colonies who wear
long hair and white ties and frock
coats, and these doctors of divinity
who herd good women by the most
stagnant waters of theology"
Could those words have been written
by Walter H. Page? If so be shows
an astounding lack Of good taste in
thus slurring at his native section.
How any enc who knows Southern
conditions can speak in such slight
ing manner of the clergy and charge
ministers of the Gospel with response
bility for the South's alleged political
narrowness is uncomfortable, even if
the sense of propriety and reverence
did not prevent one from making a
contemptuous allusion to class of
men that is universally honored and
respected. AS matter of fact, the
preachers in the South have bothered
less with politics than is customary
in any other section of the country.
They have gone on preaching the
Gospel and have not interfered in
political matters. Nothing could be
further from the truth, more I'm Just
by WOrlds Work.
And as far as the "unscarred
| colonies, who wear long hair and
| white ties and frock coats" these are
creatures of imagination. 1t is ad-
| mitted that colonele have been rather
more numerous in this section than
the records justify, but these colonies,
| justly or unjustly SO entitled, have
| not been unsecured. At least those
who have been particularly prominent
in public life have generally been men
who did faithful service, as officers or
| privates, in time of war Here and
there spurious hero may have OBJ
tanned office but to do this has been
nothing like as easy in the South as
in the North. The Southern people
have been slow to tolerate the men
who refused to fight when war was
raging and have been ever ready to
honor those whose bravery and daring
were undoubted.
If Northern Republicans and their
Southern sympathizers really wish to
break up the solid South" to foster
"secession' such as McLaurin leads
they will do we'll not to speak con-
temptuously Of the South's past. Such
references as we have quoted will
only recall the time when the chiei
capital of the Republican party was
SANDER Of the South. when the Con
federate brigadier" was held up tC
Northern Constituencies as the great
bogy that must be kept down, and
when never chance was lost tc
humiliate the veterans whom the
South will always honor. To con
tinue such tactics will be to pepetuate
the Solid South and to keep the
Confederate brigadier" in the saddle
as long as he has the life to si
| there.
Nothing could be more foolish from
a political standpoint than for these
apostles of the New Democracy" t,
cast slurs at the Southern soldiers O
the Southern preachers. Their doing
so will convince the Southern voters
more quickly than anything els
could that the New Democracy
is the "Old Radicalism" is disguise
conviction that would not be ia
wrong-CoIumb ia State.