The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1905-10-07
STINGvNG
MEDICINE

MEDICINE
The South has too lcng been the
victim of he gal of IL trends.
When one o. itss peakers and witt
ers attempts wha- should be j pTec-
teal, matlt- ot-fact representa- ton of
its conditions, resources or ci,arac-
teristics, he IS apt to become posses
sed by a fantastic spirit of bonbast
and rhetorical bloat which makes
himself and his subject absurd.
The South becomes the sun-kissed
Southland; Southern men and women
appear as cEivalric Southrons, and
the fairest flowers OF earth's most
perfect wmnenhood. Don Quixote
mounts Rosinante, and every wind
mill is a giant, every tin basin a gilt
tering helmet, and every washeTwo-
man a ID .lcinea del Toboso.
We love our native land 1t is mete
and right to do so. "Breathes there
the man with soul SO dead
We would all like to be chivalrous
Soutltrons. We believe our women to
be the ''fairest flowers" etc; but why
such insistence upon it?
The sentimental solidifying OF the
South is an amable weakne :. but
does it not cut us off in measure
from the rest OF the nation?
The following article stings a lit
tie. 1 t il is good medicine II comes
from the very practical Manufactur
ers' Record, a steadfast friend to the
South. but which is published far
enough to the Northward TO es&pe
the sunkissing:
I'm circulating from Chattanooga
the call for the Southern Conference
on ] immigration and Quarantine. ;.
even the mighty Associated Press
was unable or unwilling. because it
doubtless knew how it would color
the whole thing with practical men
to carry far from It's home garden
the most ighly-smelling and most
significant portion OF the call~Jt dis
missed 1t i'll the prosaic clause. after
rec1tlng the prosperity and business
growth of the South and its pros
poets. We are unwilling that such a
flower should be born to blush un-
seen and waste its fragrance on the
desert air, and so cast it to the WOO
ing winds Here it is
In the development of the South
vital questions are Involved aside
those wllich tend solely to its ma
terial growth and progressIts match
less climate. generous soil, riches in
minerals, fields and forests; its beau
ty i'll hills, the valleys, fruits, flowers,
its wealth in fountains. streams and
nature treasury. yet they are only
some OF the factors that contribute
to the advancement and welfare of
people.
The possession of health, the cult
walton of mind and morals, the es>
tablishment of right rather than
might, and the reign OF jdstice-these
are the things more to be priced than
all others which mankind should
strive. for these are the foundations
on which the highest attainment OF
which the human race is capable un-
der the aegis of Christian civilization
must ever rest.
From time immcmorial these acr
the standards by which the people OF
the South have sought TO be meas
ured. and there is no stronger obli9I-
ton resting on its citizens today
than to earnestly desire and honestly
endeavor to uphold these standards
for the benefit of the present and FIJI
ture generations.
ITO the thoughtful observer of pass
ing events this proud heritage is be-
ing menaced from two sources at this
time, and it is to emphasize this fctI
and concentrate public sentiment
thereon that this call for Southern
immigration and quarantine confer
ence is sent out"
Take this, o winged winds, and
watt it down the fume through
which has just passed, majestic, "a
land the faircst that e'er the san
shonc on"
1t is a bit highly scented else we
should not doubt that any one OF the
IL governors or of the 10 officials OF
commercial bodies whose names ore
signed to the call had mounted hi
Pegasus and chased coy Calliope
athwart the uttermost reaches of en-
pyrean cerule.
1t is indeed so highly scented that
nostrils alert detect the odor of the
cerements OF the Southern Industrial
Convention. obit. June 3, A. D., 1907
Philadelphia. Pa
Some Southern Governors and
some Southern organizations are
erasping at a ghost, which naturally
started on its walk by way of H tnts
Vile. Ala, its old birthplace.