The Mirrour — Concord, N.H., 1794-01-06 00:00:00, page 1

Miscellany.
PHILANTHROPOS, N: 2.
FQ^ THE MIRROUR.
Mr. Russell,
As Calumny istye of the reigning vices
of the present day, if you think fit,
please to give place in your paper the
following Speculation on that m?JI de
testable practice, and you will oblige
your friend,"
PHIL ANTHROPO^
Hafbat fall rail againf bis abfentfriends>
Orbears tbem,vandaliz'd, and not defends ;
Smarts Qitb tbeir fame, and ffeaks wbate'er be
can.
And only to be thought a mitt, man:
Tells tales, and brings bis friends in dijefleem :
That man's a knave ; before beware of bins.
CREECH.
WERE all the vexations of life put
together, we should find that a
great part of them proceeded from those
calumnies and reproaches which we spread
abroad concerning one another.—There
is scarce a man living who is not, in some
degree, guilty of this offence ; though, at
the fame time, however we treat one an
other, it muff be confeffed, that we all
consent in speaking ill of the persons who
are notorious for this practice. It gener
ally takes its rife either tom an ill-will to
mankind, a private inclination to make
curfelves esteemed, an ostentation of wit,
and vanity of being thought in the secrets
of the world, or from a desire of gratify
ing any of these difpofiuons of mind in
those persons with whom we converse.—-
The publisher of scandal is mote or less
odious to mankind, and criminal in him
felf, as he is influenced by any one or
more of the foregoing motives. But
whatever may be the occasion of spreading
these falfe reports, he ought to confider,
that the effe& of them is equally prejudi
cial and pernicious to the person at whom
they are aimed. The injury is the fame,
though the principle from whence it pro
ceeds may be different. As every one
looks upon himfelf with too much indul
gence, when he passes a judgment on his
own thoughts or actions, and as yery few
would be thought guilty of this abominable
proceeding, which is so universally prac
ticed, and, at the fame time so universally
blaimed—l shall lay down three rules, by
which I would have a man examine and
search into his own heart, before he
stands acquitted to himfelf of that roil dis
position of mind which I am here men
tioning.—— First of all let him confider
whether he does not take delight in hear
ing the faults of others. Secondly, whe
ther he is net too apt to believe such little
blackening accounts, and more inclined to
he credulous on the uncharitable than on
,tbejpod-naturfd fide, . Thirdly, whether
tiefe not ready to forked and propagate
such reports as tend to the difreputation
of another. These are the several steps
by which this vice proceeds, and grows
up into slander and defamation.—ln the
firft place, a man who takes delight in
hearing the faults ofo hers, thews fuffici
ently that he has a true relish of scandal,
ppd f^nfequently the feeds of this vice
within himr-if his mind is gratified with
hearing the reproaches which are cast on
others, he will find the fame pleasure in
relating them, and be the more apt to do
it, as he will naturally imagine every one
he converses with is delighted in the fame
manner with himfelf, A man should en
deavour therefore to wear out of his mind
criminal curiosity, which is perpetually
heightened and inflamed by listening to
fan gorier as te@ to the difreputation^
others. In thefecond place, a man fhou|d
yonfolt hisfown heart, whether he be not
apt to 6e4^ such little blackening at
counts, and (pore inclined to be credu
lous on the uncharitable, than on tfc
good-natured fide. Such a credulity is
[Vol. ll.— -Num. 63.]
Wfe^itro#
very vicious in itfelf, and generally arises
from a man's confeioufnefs of his own se
cret corruption. It is a pretty faying of
Thales, falfehood is just as far from truth,
as the ears are from the eyes. By which
he would intimate, that a wife man (hould
not easily give credit to the reports of ac
itions which he has not seen.—l shall an
,der this head, mention two or three re
? markable rules to be observed by the
celebrated Abbey de la Trape, as they are
-published in a ligle French book, The
fathers are there ordered, never to give
ear to any accounts of base or criminal ac
tions ; to turn off all such difeourfe if
possible ; but in case they hear, any thing
of this nature so well attested that they
, cannot disbelieve, it, they are then to sup
pose, that the criminal adion may have
proceeded from a good intention in him
• who is guilty of it. This is, perhaps,
. carrying charity to an ,extravagance, but
is certainly much more laudable, than to
. suppose, as the ' ill-natured part of the
,world does, that indifferent, and even
, good adions, proceed from bad principles
land wrong intentions^ In the third place,
, a man ffiould examinphis heart, whether
, he does not find in iia secret inclination
so propagate such reports as tend to the
difreputation of another. When the dif
[eafe of the mind, which I have hitherto
, been speaking of, arises to this degree of
, malignity, it difeovers itfelf in its wu<ft
, symptom, and is in danger of becoming
, incurable. -I need not therefore infill
, upon the guilt in this last particular,
,which every one cannot but disapprove,
;who is not void of humanity, or even
Icommon diferetion.- I shall only add,
. that whatever pleasure any man may take
lin spreading whispers of this nature, he
. will find an infinitely greater fatisfadion
/in conquering the temptation he is under,
>by letting the secret die within his own
; breast.
b iia=^^
;Congressional Register.
In the House of Representatives.
) December 13.
[Tburfday, tbe IZtStf Dec. Congress did not
meet —that da, being: appointed b, Governour
,Mifiin a day of Tbatygiving.]
A MOTION Was made and fec
' oned that the house resolve it
felf into a committee of the whole
house to take into confiderarion the
present situation of the United
States. Agreed.
Mr. Trumbull in the chair.
Q The Chairman read a motion
Imade by Mr. Parker, agreeable to
!notice, which he gave on Wednef
, day last, that immediate p^
be made for security of the ports
and the harbours of the Unit#
States, and that a committee be
appointed to report the most ef
teaual measures for that end.
A variety of obje&ioms were
made to the wording of this mo
tion. Mr. Clark observed that if
the mover intended that the whole
@ft Ihould be fortified, from tyew
hampfhire/he attempt was of in
finite difficulty. It was obfetved
also, that it would have been more
accurate, to have re ftrifled the mo-1
tian to the principal ports and bar-1
bours of the United States.
; Another member observed, that 1
perhaps a navy might be found the I
most effectual mode of prote&ingi
the coast. At the house did not i
BY E. RUSSELL.—CONCORD NEWH AMPSH IR E.
======^^ : _
seem to have prepared themselves
, fofficiently for this motion, the
member proposed to withdraw, it,
till Monday next.
Tbe chairman of the committee
reported to the house, that they
had made some progress in confid
ering that part of the President's
Speech, which relates to the defence
oi the United States ; and he re
queued lsflve for them to fit again.
Mr. Clark of Newjerfey, agree
able to his two notice, on Wedoef
day, moved that a committee be
appointed to prepare and bring in
a bill for eftablilhing an uniform
fyflem of bankrupt laws in the U
nited States ; and also a committee
to prepare a bill for the renewal of
defttoyed certificates. Agreed.
Mr. Goodhue moved, that when
the house break up, they shall ad
journ till Monday. —Agreed.
dec. 16.—Mr. Dexter, from
Massachusetts, Messrs. Coit and
Swift from Connedicut, and Mr.
Winn from Southcarolina, appear
ed, were qualified, and took their
feats in the House.
The Speaker laid before, the
;Houfe a letter from the Secretary
of the Treasury, requesting, that a
1 new enquiry may be had on the
charges exhibited against him the
last session, ordered to be laid on
the table.
Mr. Gilet moved for and obtain
ed leave to lay certain resolutions
on the table, the object of which
is to bring the above business be
fore the House.
Mr. Smith (S. C.) called up his
motion refpeding the appointment
of another per son to fill the office
of any of the Judges of the United
States, who may have been render-|
ed incapable of executing their du
ty by infirmity or any other acci-|
dent, the only provision made for!
removing a Judge by the cooftitu-1
tion, being an impeachment ; thisl
motion was withdrawn by Mr.
Smith, to make room for another,
more comprehensive, one drawn
up by Mr. Jeremiah Smith, which
will take in the ad for regolafogi
bail, process and costs in the court)
of the United States. Seven mem-l
bets were appointed accordingly.
Two meffXgqs were received!
from the President of the United
States, by Mr. Danbridge, hit Sec 4
retary, the firft confifled of a Vo-|
lume refpefting tome negotiations 1
with Spain, the second, an accountl
relpeding a peace with the Empe-4
ror of Morocco and the Dey of
Algiers. These messages were 1
nocre^d, w hen the galleries Were 1
(hut. ' 1
'The Speaker laid before thel
House a letter from the Secretary<
for the department of war, cover-ft
ing sundry communications froml
the Goverocur of Georgia, Majorif
^Gaither, Gov. Blount, Mr. Sea
!grove, and others, refpeding In
, dian affairs, together with a state-
Iment of the arms, and military
^ftores in the forts and magazines,
[belonging to the United States, his
flatter communication was of nature
foot to be read before the publick.
4 The Clerk continued reading
Ithe cprrefpondence between the
War Office and the above persons
relative to the Indian affairs, until
three o'clock, when a motion for
clearing the galleries was made
and carried.
dec. 17. —The Clerk read a re
port from the commissioners ap-
Ipointed for the reduction of the
Idebt of the United States. They
had purchased certificates to the
lamount oftwo million and nineteen
thousand nine hundred and odd
[dollars, for which they had paid
one million three hundred and
[ninety four thousand fix hundred
and sixty four dollars and forty four
cents.,
Reported from the committee, a
bill for completing and better sup
porting the military eftablifhmeht
[of the United States, and to increase
the pay of the soldiers one dollar
per month. Agreed to refer it to
la committee of the whole house to
[morrow.
I The house were then proceeding
[to read the communications from
the President to the house of Rep
[refentatyes, refpeding the negoci^
ation between the United States
[and the government of Morocco
land Algiers. As these were of a
confidential nature, it was proposed
to clear the galleries.—At twelve
we left the house fitting.
I dec, 18.—Mr. Smith, (South
carolio^) from the committee of
elediorig bro't in a report, which
ends with declaring, that th§ elec
tion of John E. Van Alien was
proper, and that he was jufti, en
titled to his feat ; read a second
time by special order, and made
[the order of the day for Friday
next.
Tfetyeaker informed the house
that he receivedfrem A. I. Fraun
ciq @tetter, covering fondry pipets
and documents tending to criima
ate the condua of the Secretary
of the Tresfury ; and submitted to *
the house, whether the letters and
papers should be read. Mr. Fitz
firoons oppdfed that made of ar
raigni^g the conduft of officers,
ana moved to have the papers laid
on the table, fubjed to the inipec
cion of' any member ; and added,
that any member might, at any
tifoe call them Up.—, Agreed to.
''Mr. Smith of Maryland, observ
ed, that the Secretary of State had
put sundry papers into his hands,
for (he purpose of laying them be
fore the house. These, he obferr
[JANUARY 6,1 794.]