The Columbian informer, or, Cheshire journal — Keene, N.H., 1793-08-21 00:00:00, page 1

THE benevolent heart is never more
ploafed than in viewing the piefperity and
happiness of mankind, and never more
pained than when beholding them droop
ing under any misfortune. Such an one,
therefore, cannot recur back to the earli
er ages of the world, a:d view the then
deplorable Rate of man, without dropping
a tear over their difad vantages and diftrefl
cs, and thanking his God that he has been
permitted to live in an age more refined
and happy. those foolilh prejudices which
formerly governed the mind, and thole
clouds of ignorance in which it was envel
oped, are now happily removed ; and man
kind are enabled to behold both performs
and things through ajulter medium, and
to judge of them with more propriety. A
founding name is no longer considered as
(efficient to in:*.e a man the applauses of
the world ; nor is the blood of a long and
noble ancestry, thought, at this day, a fuf
ficient passport for a fool or the villain.—
Those ages of^gnorance, of Slavery and
wretchedness, arc happily past, and man
kind begin to ad with a dignity more be
coming 'heir natures. Rezfon, instead cf
j,;:.v #nd pa^un, is new wm^cmes per
mitted to govern ; and merit instead of
riches and high birth, is Sometimes made
the criterion of refpeflability. Honors and
distinctions arc no longer confined to a par
ticular order of men ; but are permitted to
follow in the train of virtue, wherever She
may lead the way. He whois studious to
condud with propriety, and industrious to
ad well the part assigned him on the Hage
of life, will ever deserve the praise and
effeem of his fellow creatures,notwithftan
ding fortune may have placed him in the
huableft walks of life. Reason teaches us,
that a man is not to be estimated by the
number or value of the talents committed
to his care : but by the attention, or neg
led he has dowered in the improvement
of them, or the use to which he appropri
ates them. A man may be a worthy and
uftful citizen, who can guide the plough,
hr wield the dungfork with dexterity ; bu.
£ would make himfclf ridiculous, by sub
stituting, in their Head,the probe & lancet,
and undertaking to ad in the capacity of
a surgeon. While a man is content to
move in that sphere for which nature and
education designed him, he will be treat
ed will proper refpe& ; but the moment
he afpiies at any employment above his ca
pacity, he finks below the humblest pea
sant, or the meanest mechanic. Let the
employment be what it may, unless the
perlon has the oroper requisites for it, he
J had better cc "ent himfelf to grovel thro'
'life, unnoticed and unceeured, rather
than to climb up into aconfpicuous station,
to excite the pity and disgust of all behol
ders. An honest beggar, who is compel
led to gnaw the unmoiftened cruft of char
ity, is i finitely more refpe&able than the
knave who is pofcffed of all the graces of
mature, and all the embellishments of a re
fined and podite education. Even those,
there so e, whom fortune has beckoned
from the Shades of obfeurity, and permit
ted te wander through the pleasing paths
or fcience,have no hing to boast of,in point
of honorable dift<fti>n, unless their lives
h,ve been as much distinguished by their
Virtues, as fortune has diltinguiShed them
S,y her favors. That doctrine of equality,
vhich, as properly designed, has done
^nor to the present dav,& which will soon
become the adopted creed of all manned,
" Nobility rejideth not but in the fal ; nor is
there true honor, except in virtue.".
[No. zi. of Vol. I.]
From Thomas's Massachusetts
spr, de.
Tat NEIGHBOUR.
^tWfeUaiiy.
Printed and Published by HENRY EL'AK E, & CO. in KEENE; New-Hamps hire.
THE
Columbian Informer;
Or, C HESHI R E JOUR N A L.
Oh ! that I had the warning voice of an
eminent prophet, that I might penetrate
into the inmoil recesses of palaces, and ap
pal the harranguers of the senate : I w<uld
use no other language than that of rhe poor
market-women, 1 would cry in the ears of
the firft Magistrate, we are fconccd thiee
pence in the Filling,the fourth part of our
labors—for what ?—I would addrefsmy
felf to the deliberating bodies ; —we are
sconced three pence in the shilling, for
spinning conveys no idea to them. The)
knew not what a cottage is, they know
uot how the poor live—how they make up
their scanty meal.
Perhaps there may be feme one in the
house of commons, whose feelings are in
union with mine : communicate them to
your colleagues ; —imprefs them with the
horror attendant on their deliberations—
tell them what the deduction of 3 pence in
the ffiilling occasions among the myriads
of England and Ireland, and should any
grave Courtier, pitying the distresses of
the poor, be anxious to relieve them, fay
to him there is an easy method ; let the
firft magistrate, the Peer#, the Represent
atives of the people, the rich men of the
nation, all who arc for war,' be sconced
one fourth part of their annual income to
defray the expense of it. Let them be
the firft fufferers ; let the burden fall on
them, not on the poor.' Alas my poor
countrymen, how many years calamity a
wait you beforea single di/h, or glass of
wine, will be drawn from the tables of
opulence.
The decree is gone forth for war. Let
others talk of glory —let others celebrate
the heroes who are to deluge the world in
blood, the words of toe poor m&kfl-Wfr
I HREE days after the debate on
the King's message, I was walking from
my friend's house to a neighboring town ;
on my way I joined company with two
men of the village, who being employed
by the wood-staplers to let cut spinning to
the poor, had lately received orders to
lower the price cflabor. We were talk
ing on this fubjed, when the exclamations
of a group cf poor women going to market,
overhearing our conversation,made an im
pression on ray mind which ail the elo
quence of the houses of Lords and Com
mons cannot efface. We are to be fcon
ced three pence in the fhillin^ ; let others
work for mt. I'll not. We are to be
sconced a fourth of our labcr. What is
this for ? 1 did not dare to tell them wh t
it was for, nor to add iufulc to misery.—
What was the beheading of a monarch
to them? What is ,he navigation of the
Scheldt to them ? What is the freedom cf
a great nation to them,but matter cfjoy ?
Yet the debating only or. these fubjeds has
reached their cottages. —They are alrea
dy sconced three pence in the (hilling.—
What must be their fate, when we fuffer
under the most odious scourge of the human
race, and the accumulation of taxes takes
away half of that daily bread which is
scarce fufficient at present for their fop,
pert!
will never allow of any other diftin&ions
in society than what merit claim, and
teafon joftifies.
Let those, therefore, who are peculia--
ly favored by heaven, who have an oppor
tunity of enlarging their minds with ufe
fal knowledge,of cultivating the social vi<-
cues, and of making themtelves ufeful in
life, consider, that barely the name of hav
ing had these advantages, will not give
them a lading currency in the world.—
Men as well as trees, matt be judged by
their fruits. The thin varnilh of hypocri
sy will wear off by constant fridion in soci
ety, and the counterfeit will be difeover
ed by the moit fuperficial observer,
The EFFECTS of WAR on the POOR.
From A late IRISH PAPER.
W"EDNESD„A 2', August zi, 1793.
men will still rewound in my ears, aue are,
forcedthree pence in the filling, one fourth of
cur hhr—for achat ?
A.YE, and a liar too. —“ Hiccough
—l —l—l have not drank a drop of Li
quor to day ; what—hiccough—what can
ail me?" said John, as he was ftacgering
in the room the other evening. " By your.
fpee<h and actions I should judge you bad
not," said the good woman of the houle,
accompanying her reply with a sar
castic inter. " I have not—hiccough—by
—hiccough." here I wiffied the cffedsof
rum might hinder him from getting out
the oath, but he made out after several at
tempts to hiccough it out" by G "so
load as to make my hair Hand on end,
The taxes collected amount to the a
bove sum, though when the expence of
colliding &c. is defrayed, the surplus
dees not much exceed feventeeen mil
lions.
Lord Sandwich, Mister of the Hounds,
locol. per annum—Marquis Cornwallis
(refries in India) Conttable of the Tower,
oool.—Marquis of B ith. Groom of the
Stoiezcool. Twelve Lords of the Bed
chamber, 10001. each.—Twelve grooms
of the Bedchamber, 5001. etch. Lord
Ayelesford, Captain of the King', Beef-
Liters col—Mr. Pitt, A:ft Lord of
nr Treaf^y, 4000!.— Mr. Pitt, Chan
cellor of the Exchequer kßoo!.—Lord
Chatham, firft Lord of the Admiralty,
jocol.—Duke of Richmond Master of
cne Orcance, ijool.—General Howe,
Lieutenant, itool.— Mr. Dundas, Se
cretary cf State, supposed to be worth to,
0001. a year.—Mr. Dundas, Treasurer
of the Navy, 4000 I.—Mr. Dundas, Pres
ident of the India board, Salary and Pa
tronage unknown.—Lord Walfingham
ind Lord Chefterfield, Puftmafters Gen
eral, 20001. a year each.—Mafler of
Greenwich Hofpital,ioool.—Lord Cham
berlain of the Houfhold, 1200 L —Vice
Chamberlain, nsol. Treasurer of the
Hculhold, 1200k—Comptroller, 1200!, —
Captain cf the Pensioners (Lord Fal
mouth) 1000'1.—His Lieutenant, 500!.
—Matter of the king's Horse, 12661.—
The Keeper of the king's Hawks (though
he has none) 1574!. per annum !—
The paper will not permit the lift to be
extended.,
The annual amount cf taxes is twenty
millions of pounds ; the weight of it in gold
would be upwards cf 156 tons. Upon a
moderate calculation, the town cf Bir
mingham pays more than 200,000 pounds
yearly towards it ; a cor.fiderable share of
it is applied to the fuppport of useless
placeman and pensioners
":he WONDERE R.
fI^ONG the evils predominant at the
prefect day, and one I much weeder at, is
ddlenefo There are a set cf drones in the
world who never with to do the least thing
t, support themselves, but are willing to
be fepported at the dearest rate by other
people. There cannot be a more con
temptible character than that of an idle
man ; and when you fee him you may
know that idleness is not his only failing ;
for idleness is the father of many ether
evils. I wonder for ray part, how any
man can content himfelf to be totally in
active, but it seems there are such ; and
to them 1 would earnestly recommend a
lleady pursuit of some lawful calling, and
not fuffer themselves to be any longer the
wonder of the world.
Britif Salaries to the HEJDS of Depart-
From the Farmer's JOURNAL.
The METABA3IS T.
" Wine is a mocker,"
fernth Maffaebufetts Mercury.
ments.
To my brethren in poverty a few words :
Dear Friends, you wiffi to be rich, or at
least to have enough of this worlds goods
to be comfortable; Solcmon faith, The
drunkard feall come to poverty. The Mefa^
bafift fays, the drunkard shall never be rich
—even if he fnould own lands by town
ships and gold by bushels, yet he fnall be
in poverty, and all his life long be bar
raffed with attachments and execu ions—
ffiall finally die miserable, and in the next
world—! (Here let the preacher take up the
fubjedl, " Let him cry aloud and fare not."
Beware r then myfrieads of drupkermeft—•
avoid ardent spirits as you would the tee:h
of a ratile-fnake ; they are calculated to
take from you your bread, your money,
and then to poison you to death : /orbcar
to buy that liquid fire called Whifky and
Gin, and the distillers will forbear to,,
up the bread corn into that hellilh liquor.
You will then find bread corn more plenti
ful will be healthy to labor to procure it,
and calm in body and mind to enjoy it. —
You will then psi the waves of this irou-
t , Wine, said Solomon, is a mocker, frong
drink is raging ; and vsbojoever is deceived
thereby is not wife. Solcmon, in all proba
bility had never tasted of ardent ipirits, if
he had he would have altered his expref
Sons ; he would have said " Rum it a fla
ming fire, whi&y is hot brands of lire
from hell ; and wholge^er drinketh there
of Ihall be degraded below the beafte cf
the field—(hail have his body fetched to
a cinder, and his foul well dried for ever
lifting burning."
Is it not ashame and disgrace,to the en
lightened inhabitants of this country, that
they have a hand in diltilling the breads
granted by,he bounty of heaven, rotoa fi
ery poison to promote the kingdom cf hell ?
, It is not my province to examine what ef
-Ifed this horrid liquor will have on the
fouls of the people who fwaHow it ; that is
the business of the prea hers ; my bubnefs
is to confider its fatal effects on the body.
For every hundred gallons cf this poifor,
diriilled from grain, I think we may com
pute two perfens loft to the community ;
one having bis vitals burnt up by the ufo
of the liquor, and feat to his account:
in the other world, there to answer
(here is rosin for a very dffiaing/ermon ;)
the other fop want of grain which h's been
destroyed to produce the liquor is forced to
seek his bread in other lands. The effedn
cf drunkenness on the economy of this life
are well known, meager locks—mournful
wives—ragged children—fluttered houfe#
—neglected fields —deserted (hops—dwel
lings empty and avoided by all vifrors,
but fhenffs and constables, are the nev
er failing attendants of the dram-drinker^
Oye owners offills ! put out your fires,
fell your large hoards of grain to the poor,
and convert your distilleries into brewe
ries, unless you would have the country
depopulated and the beautiful cultivated
fields become a wildernefr. Knew, O,e
rich, that it is on the poor & middling fore
of people you must depend for fufpert ;
deftroythem,& all the gold & all the lands
in America will not support you. Os what
service is la^d when there is none to give
it culture ? Os what service is money when
there is nothing to purchase r—There arc
many ufeful manufactures that may be cf
tablifhed in this country, where the rich
man may lay out his money to advantage
both to himfelf and his country : He may
employ a number of poor people and there
by put it in their power to support them
selves without seeking an asylum in the
wilderness among Indians and wolves ; the
profits cf their labor will add to his riches,
and if rightly used, will benefit himfeif, &
his posterity : Thus fha!l wealth become a
blessing to the community at large. But
when money is used to turn bread into pci
fon it will become a curse to the inhabi
tants of the earth, and had better be still
buried in the mountains of Peru, from
whence it was dug.
[Whole No. 21.]