Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-10-14
Fron The BALANCE.
ON EDUCATION
No. XIV.

" government, mas a Daneiui tenuency dnu
pernicious effects. Envy, jeAloufy, ha-
tired and difcord naturally fpring from this
p~oifonous root. The f%avorite child often
fuRisrs by the partiality thar is fhown it.
Ii is viewed with an evil eye and thwarted
with a a careleE malignity by the other
children; whole affections, in the mean
while become alienated from their pa
rents.
The tragical tory of Joleph is an af.
feaing illuitration OF this point. |oteph
was abhorred by his brethren. Their
diaboiical malice againf him was wrought
up to fuch a pitch that they at tirit con-
ipired together to fake away his life but
afterwards, at the Intersection of the eldeff
brother, committing the p%uniihment OF
death, they feized him, and totally IN
feeling and deaf 70 his tears and intrea-
ties, they aripped him and caft him into
a horrible pit. From thence they drag
ged him out, and fold him TO a compa-
nv of Arabian Slave dealers, who were
travelling to Egypt expecting and in
tending thar he fhould confume his days
under the mott bitter bondage, In a
FRANCE land. The unnatural and attro-
cious cruelty Of this deed was almoft be-
yond parallel and it was directly occa-
Toned by parental partialitys-The cauie
of the impiacable and murderous hatred,
which Eofeph experienced from his bre-
thren, is briefly mentioned by the facred
hiforiau, in the following Words
Now Ifrael loved Jofeph more than ali
his children, becauie he was the lon of his
cid age and he made him a coat of many
colors. And when his brethren faw that
their father loved him more than all his
brethren, they hated him, and could not
fpeak peaceably unto him." What a
fund of ufeful inlfrudion TO parents is
contained in theie few lines ! How exact
ly do they characterize human nature,
which is weak in good men, and wicked
In others !
The favoritifm of pious Jacob towards
his youngea fon, was irrational IN Its
ource. It Eems to have originated, nor
IN the real merits of that amiable youth /:
but in a circumeance wherein there could
be no merit at all. He loved him more
than all the Others, {" Becaufe he was the
fon Of his old age" This preference of
the good minded father, thus fpringing
from a blind impulfe, was marked BY fuch
overt acts of partiality, as could not fail
to produce family difcord ; and which
brought upon JofePh the hatred of Ms
brethren, to fuch a degree, that {" they
could not fpeak peaceably unto him."
One inaance OF the favoritifm Of Jacob
is particularly noticed by the facred pen
man.. He made for the favorite fon Ca
coat of many colors - which difinguilheG
him from his brethren, who had been clad
in the plain and coarfe garb Of hepherds.
This, alas ! proved to be afatal coat both
to the wearer and the giver. 1t was this
coat tina, Jofeph wore when he went to
feek his brethren, and found them at Do
than. 1t was the hated fight of this coat
that Aimulared their murderous rage. But
for this badge of parental partiality, fe-
~rocious as they were, they might, perhaps,
have relented toward the hapleis youth,
when they faw the bitterness of his
FOUL and when with Bonded knees, with
folded hands and dreaming eyes, he be-
fought their compafion. This {" coat of
many colours" torn OFF with Indignation
and reeking with the blood in which it
had been dipped, was finally a fpeaacle
of inexprefible horror TO the father. Il
pierced his foul with the deepca agonies,
which were not t~ranfens, bur laRing; in
fomuch that he refufed to be comfort
ed" and refolved "to go down into the
grave Mourning Never, perhaps, fince
the fig leafe covering of our frf parents,
did a garment location 70 many rragical