The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-29
LEl7IERS FROM THE PEOPLE ON CURRENT TOPICS

| 4 lUIl lOO,..
is'rHE SOUTH tNTOLERANTr
Reply BY S outhernW Woman 70 a North
ern Woman's Charge,
Editor Of The Times. Dispatch:
Sir,--It, Il recent issuo Of the New York
independent appeared a ok etch writ by
d Northern woman residing In louisiana.
entitled Free Speech in the South.
IN order to give to this writer perfect
freedom OF expression the editor permit
she used It for tho most vicious criticism
possible to compress Into condensed form.
will he evident to all WHO feel inclined 70
ncuuaitit themselves With her sentiments.
Her scoring comes under three distinct
heads apart from q profuse lnterlnfdi NE
% bitter feelng). entitled "isx It4
Pride, t'.Intense Jealousy and deter
snined Resistance to the lnronds OF Civil
lat Ion. :" (, IS w
Il has seemed expedicnt To mako some
| reply toitthe unrullcd for and cOwarilyi
attacks Of such writer's, who are gwen me
privilege OF publication In leading NORTH
Tern mn gazines. 4 II 4. s, IL Z. 3.
per In reply to '1tree Speech" thai. I. being
from the mild pen OF the chancellor or
the Vanderbilt University. Tennessee, pr l1
| i. III kirkland, whose southcrn schlyairy
withheld tf,is pen from the fun dcnuhcl;t-
ton OF the woman writer OF inc S 'f,
which It was evident to perceiVei, ~ nv,
| Ing between the llncs Gnnlnn Ted his Wotr1tthy
lYbreast. S$ ii III N (. u y /. ~. .
, SThs sub1oined reply TO tho present writer e
| Il cvldentiy too pointed to please the cti-
tor 81 the independent: therefore, y y
submitted TO the leading paper ol.un,sI
State With the hope that Il may inspire
other southern writer's to follow ner ,ehu
n dcfcndlrr the South in any position
Ana may choose for herself upon social
5u,,estio,is against the 5agg rcssions OF the
! North. , III ! !, !, I, i ~
land promulgated In our midst by Ger
I. tain class Of literature that should %
'eradlcated from tho annals Of S story u
consideration OF "a crying need, &recoR-.
nIzed ~ Nil ncople Of kindly feeling, Tor
7; m B nmel lorn ton OF the bitterness that
cxiata between the North and tho South
/! The nrst IS the GUS ritlcism OF
! those who for reasons know n only u?
themselves, come voluntarily from 4 ing gtl
| North 10 seek homo lie among southern 1l
:. people The second isHthe free express
! sion ofjthat criticism through the medium
| 81 wldespread periodicals.; sometimes-as
| IN tho present case under view--a ppoa III a
Hing In the Gform8o OF an ANONYMOUS pap or.5
IN all circles OF polite society annoy.
! nous writing containing personal or so-
cial luminosity, has been G assed among
| tho cowardlyl acts F'ignratlvely SPEAK
| the cownrdly acts. T1gurativelyS $ peaklng
ing It Is stab In tho dark, and the faotg
| tho writ er 4 Of Free Speech In the South
being denied the right OF her signature
should have \ stayed her pen. II, her:
writing were calculated to create reform.
or did 1T hold, through any special merit
IA definite value to he world %S..at
large. there might be some exon ratio,7
for Its publication; hut on tho conrtary,
i5lna reading tho sketch. tho queHat'1ls:S
ii"yvhat value can It I prove to any, q S.
OF people What convincing quality does
| It possess !? What form could It possibly
cren to 2. r. ise involuntnrllystos the minds
OF thoughtful read era. I'll S (. * IN
| * No writing Is valuable to mankind that
| Is void OF the 8dunlityifof sSbcnevolenc
and that mercy which IS Seasons tustlce.
which It droppeth as the gentle rain from
Heaven and i'll "besseth him that gives
and him thattakes.,"'5 is absolutely neces-F
sary In depicting a people whose habits.
| customs and 9manners-whie representing
4 1.-THE best OF their section Of country
! differ from those who undertake the
depctment. But the writer of free
/; speech. which she claims is denied her
\ through the med um OF the tongue, l5 Is
evidently too far removed lin sympathy
I from the people who surround her, to be
enabled to exercise the godllke qualities
| of Justice and mercy, even should they
exist latently in her nature.
| Such paper were scarce worthy Of
| notice or criticism, save that appearing
! in the pages OF as prominent magazine,
as the Independent, entities II to notice.
Z III -+ 4n~pyxy iv,fN
space and finding Judgment in the heart
| OF a sturdy oak, becomes worthy Of ex-B
traction tor scrutiny! .iss * IL If
The three chief attributes accorded to
| the Southern people by the hidden lance
are excessive pride, intense Jealousy and
resistance to the inroads of civilization.
! The first attribute belongs to all tho
high class peoples Of earth. It is the ele-s
ment Of character, which whom allied
to principles, eleyates humanity; above
| lgnoble deeds and the desire to live up to 4
| the record of ones forefathers who were
proudly honorable citizens In their day
and generation, Is one Of the highest In
stlncts Of that PRIDE d @
The second attributes moro serious
one-the present writer has never dis
| covered to be more prominently devel-
| oped In Southern people than in other
representatives Of her race /; and It has
been her privilege to live among many
| OF the civilized races If of the world.
Truly the vicious germ cannot be claim
Fed to exist In the hearts Of southerners
In connection with their Northern broth
/ er and sisters, for were It pointedly
developed in the masses of such n large
community rs the South embodes. the
consequences of 1t would be felt through
out the commercial and literary life of
the North, It being nm established fact
that the South offers unreser vedly her
best to Northern merkets. Had she been
in the history OF her people, rs conser-
vatiye Ms is claimed for her, she could
easily with her wealth and talent have
established exclusive marts for herself;
but New Fork and Boston are now. rs
before the war emporlums for the lavish
expenditures Of Southern men and wo-
men. The superiority of the North In
many Vital matters relating to business
and finance, has always been conceded
by the South, and withla frankness that
held no Jealousy. }. -. f
Since tho war the South has developed
largely upon literary and dramatic lines.
vet she Is content to furnish her trans