Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1801-12-03
FROM TIE COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER.
No. XIII.
I, E T T E r
From a Hindu PSis)apber, rsfdfNgg m
PbAaAcLtbia, to bis friend IL DELHI.

rom his o:,ovel Hinduean. In my hrt
erter | dropped ione hints refpeeting the
modern philoiophy. l met yesterday with
a philofo2her of this ichool Whole tenti-
men,s upon one fubjet were entirely no.
vel TO me. he was a grave man about tor
ty yeais old; affected the character OF a
p~hiloiopher, ard talked much in abtraet
and underlined language. l met him walk
ing alone upon the banks of the Sc1uyl-
kill his appearance attracted my attenti-
on, and finding him courteous in his man
ners, l ,equeRed the ~pleaiure of his iocle-
ty in a walk to and fro along the banks OF
the river. He opened his remarks oy
an elaborate ~eulogium upon the Progreis
of republlcaniim ; which words, as l at
forwards found means modern pha2lopsy.
" Ihrores (iaid he) are lettering ; kings
tremble at the p~rogre(s of liberty mobiles
and prieRs are conipiring, but in vain, to
prop the altar and the throne !; they mutt
and they will fall-never to rife again.
Republicanifm has made a glorious pro-
srels in America; a philosopher and PHI
san,hrophiH is in the chair of fupreme ma
siitracy, and the minions Of aritocracy are
Aulking into private life.
But what lcortinued he) fgnifles this,
70 long as a ~diRempered and unnatural
fate of civilization continues to corrupt
the original innocence and cramp the ma
tive freedom of man. l fgh for the PR
mitive fate of nature, and confidently
true tina, this century will fee it retored.
The earth, the great parent of man, beait'
fowl and herb, has been wickedly appro-
priated to the ulc of individuals. lnltead
of ranging at large over the ample tace OF
nature, | am now forbid to enter my
~neighbor's field, left / hould tread down
his grais | am confined by fences to a
narrow road, and compelled to travel In a
prefcribed track"
Sir, (rejoined 4 60 youn not trave! with
infinitely more cafe in an etabllihed road,
ufuallv the hcrtef diltance between the
places which it connects, than you would
over mountains and crags, and thro' mo-
RATES., delsrts and dehles ; and does NOT the
earth, when encloied and cultivated pro-
duce an hundred times more TODD, than
when over. run by BEATS OF the toreit andco-
yered with heath and Jungle! Does not a
cultivated country alto exhibit to the eyea
landicape beyond companion more beauti-
tul than the barren wildnefs Of nature!
" But, faid the Philosopher, this is no
concentration for the lois of my liberty /;
the liberty Of rambling jua where wild
unheeding fancy leads. :,
How oppreaive is the whole fytem OF t.
laws bv which this arbitrary adumptionot
nroperty is defended. Why ihould my
NEIGHBOUR ride an elegant Engliih courier
breathing fire fromhis noitrlls and shak'ng
che earth with his tread, while l, a better
man than he, becaufe a greater philosopher,
mu,t travel on foot and hould l take his
horfe for my W ute, l mutt fwing on the
oallows or toll in the mines. Kings, mobiles
and prieis conf il .ng againft the liberty Of
man have enacted fyttems of laws, on
nurpofe to en,angle the unwary. There Is
no crime where there is no law. "A pure
fate of nature where man is innocent,
dors nor know a crime, becaufe crimes
have never been here created by the inttl-
tution of laws. What but a diitemPer-
Cd civilization has rendered 1t criminal
70 obey the dictates of nature in Promli-
cous concuoinase! Why ihould l be con-
S,s5 70 ore woman while the whole ami
nal world betde, obey the impuae OF pal
Gon ard feek sra,iicaticn wherever 1t
nav be t.und Why hould be comPeil-
ed 70 iuppor, ard educate tho'e beings
whom nv phyG>al energies, operating &C.
cord;ng 70 he eaabliihet laws of nature,
w;,hou5 the aiiRance of mind, have pro-
duced. l arm no more accountable tor
,hs;r exiaence ;han the mountain ter tie
cedar which it bears, Or the ttream fo' the
,vhee, which i. turns. As therefore the
cedar is Gu, down and the mountain Goes
40, mourn the wheel is removed, but the
a-s,m fill continues to flow; 10 thoie
beings may be born, grow up afa ole
.withou, my atitance, and with no claim
TO my love nav grief"
~ L.