The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1905-05-18
1.-THE new NORTH"
A Striking Article by MIR. Hamilton
Wright Mabie.
1harlotte Observer

In the South Atlantic Quarterlyfor
April is delightful contribution
from Mr.. Hamilton Wright Mabie en-
titled ''The New North" There has
been so much, by Southern writer's
OF ''The New South"-some of it in
half-worded apology for the old-that
it is exceedingly agreeable to see
something from the pen of a gentle
man of Mr. Mabie's standing and
ability with the title given this article
and treating his subject with the
breadth and sweetness OF temper that
he brings to the discussion.
1.-The war; he remarks, "clOsed 40
years ago, for all save a few score
politicians on both sides whose stock
in trade is not new ideas and fresh
perceptions of the needs of a new age,
but worn-out phrases, a dying sec
tionalism of feeling and a perverted
use of splendid traditions; and Il
group Of men and women whose
hearts and brains had been so alb
continue to live in conditions which
have disappeared" Continuing:
''The battle flags have been ex-
changed; the President of the United
States in public address has not only
recognized the consummate courage
OF the men who fought against the
Union, but their passionate sincerity
as well; the war is finally and forever
over The day willcome when statues
of Lee and Stonewall Jackson will
find place in the squares OF Northern
cities as types OF ideal Americans,
stainless in character, heroic in self
sacrifice, following duty with I'M
shrinking loyalty and at an immense
cost; and statues will be erected in
Southern cities to Lincoln, the man
of largest and tenderest heart whom
the great crisis brought to the front,
and the best and wisest friend of the
South Oh either side the line. In his
spirit, in that of Stevens; in the tenn
per of Lee, not in that OfirrecOncilable
partisans. are to be found the soul OF
a heroic age and the prophetic lines
of the development which Was to fol
low the bitterness OF ancient strife. y
We quote at length:
''The new South has had much to
unlearn and to learn, and so has the
new North. A more radical reversal
of opinion and feeling on many points
than that which has taken place in
the North during the past decade is
hardly afforded in any other period
or section. 1t would be easy to point
out the changes of mind and heart in
the South, but that has been done
again and again; the country under
stands in a superficial way at least
what the new South stands for. 1t
does not, however, clearly understand
that there is a new North and what
the new North stands for.
1T stands, in the first place, for a
complete, honest and sincere recOg.
milton that the old South was as
, high-minded, disinterested and con
) scientious as the old North; that what
it believed it believed with kindled i'll
tegrity OF conscience and fought fOl
with a courage. self-sacrifice and at &
loss equaled probably, in range anC
: magnitude, only by the courage, the
, self-sacrifce and loss of the people o
the Low Countries in their magnifi
cent struggle against Spain.
''It believes, in the second place
that on the great question OF the rela
: tive powers of the nation and OF th'
States the old South was TECHNICAL!
+ right, though historically wrong
that CalhOun's argument, on strict,
} technical ground, was unanswerable
In the great debate Hayne spoke au
thoritatively for the trainers OF th
Constitution, while Webster spok
$ authoritatively for the necessities o
the nation.
at recognizes, in the third place
that the initial responsibility 10
d slavery was shared by the North an'
: South alike. and that in the earle
? stages of colonial development, sla
:. very disappeared from the North an'
v strengthened it's hold in the South a
d the result of circumstances rathe
d than of moral repugnance; and i
! sees with increasing clearness that t.
+ the isolation of the South, logical.
, brought about by slavery, was large
n ly due the arrest of the normal move
ment of the Southern mind, which
/. from the start, revealed Il nOtabl
S aptitude for dealing with publ
= affairs in large and statesman-lik
:, spirit.
g st recognizes, in the fourth place
that the policy of reconstructed
u u which subverted the order of societ
n in the South and placed the duties {
:. citizenship on the negro without edr
n eating them to bear them was blur
der OF tragic magnitude etc.
Il If is q matter of regret that we ar