Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1803-10-22

we are old fashioned enough to think nv "Aleh
worse, bit mach, very much the be,t.r ~ Ing
It IS Arlstotie's, and hecause i. is Old, ". aa'
to have considered as part of our p,l;,;cal WISH
Thus We shall get rid Of the endless cons,s-
which must arise in Argument ICON nv, 'n
supposed 70 mean FREE lqQfes, when we .,s.I
their reverse, democrscies. And thus. al :,
fon1d real0nfRg OF the /o1ad ,raJoaer. a. ,,rr.s
to us, falls to cureless run." So muck r. ss
the application of the piece to our p,,.r,,s -.
Let us now try the /aand4.d of the r.aJox;ng !.
contains upon ts own Intrinsic merit wi,Lsan.
Ielat on TO the'hng to which it isspetended 70 :.
applied. We beg Gun readers to ,ecur m 49,
last limb of the sentence We have Quoted. sc a.;
are r0,ely nxgrafefnl bat4o tbqjf aobo .h ,S..
unsratjnlJ." 1t is scarcely possible ,b,, ~, ~.
confusion of intellect displayed in these f.n,
words sheuld entirely escape any reader of mode.
rate understanding ; bur there ]. in ia comm;
edinyoluson OF bluuder which might e,cep. IN.
observation OF May, and wa'ch therefore ",
wl endeayourtn expain. If the Common hull,
of poor giddy Hbcrmans an productive of :,
much mirth; the bull of a laundering ph,losoDb.,
must be rlch subject indeed. And thar 70
which we allude is, as honest Pat said Of We,
minister Abbey, " Uery rate Esk tbis, IN.
9ted." OurJsxud reasoner admits that s.a,.,
have been nngraseful /; but says he, I" rarely bu.
TO those who used them ungratetuly."
lngratitude means, in IFS weakest sense, MAXIM
no retrlburon for benefits; in its strongest re-
turning evil, for good received. Now, before an,
OF the subjects or citizens Of state could haze
incurred the guilt ofingrati,ude, they mus, have
received good that is, benefits or Arvices, from
that state. How then that state could be unprss
ful to citizen who instead of centerring upon had
received benefits frop it, and had beside. been
guilty of ingratisude for those benefits, We are &C
a loss to divine. Admitting ingra,itudc, and
then attempting to Justify il, BY showing that
there was no p,o,ivc or obligation to gratitude,
is precisely the same as if barristdr, defending
an accused person should say, own John Nokes
is guilty of the theft with which you charged IN
but will justify him by showing that it was i'm.
possible Tor him to steal the things, because TO
such things were in the way for him to steal :;
and to the full as absurd as it man artagned for
murder were to say, acknowledge the murder
OF Gtegory Guobns :" but then I insis. was
not to blame, for here is Gregory himself waiting
here in court, and ready to swear that he is not
dead, bnt on the contrary was thousand miles
OFT at the time am charged of killing him."
Ihsse gross absurdties lying across in the way
of clear discussion, and obstructlng the march Of
reason and ruth, like rotten logs of timber and
tees fallen across road through our Swamps,
would discourage an Intelligent mind from pro.
ceedlng, if it were not thar while they cause de.
lay, they pro ote nirth; and who is he, so sour
and so cynical. as while making this weary ur-
icy through life, not to lay down tis load, and
refresh himself with laugh when fortune, among
its many alterations of human miscries, throws
good joke in his pathway. Re that cam. with
grave apathy, march on with unrclaxed muscles,
or turn back with surly disgust, must be unht
and unworthy of its comforts, and ought in JUS
ice TO be condemned TO the fate Of Diogenes, POI
verify and tub.
So much for democratic logic; nov for specl'
men Of democratic sagaci,y.
"Hn the ebi1f and fyR ambi'iou If FIRE Ra'<'
.Eys Oar sound reasoner) TO rRgsgRvs THEM.
Selves. As the former was Slgna BULL Oh
one kind, here is a very pretty ONE of another !
tfat is TO say, Gfr4ilm. Here is oracu'ar wisdom
propoundlng self.eyidcrt proposition with all the
grave seIf.eomplacency Of an alchyniss who ti1'
lied he had found the philosophers stone, or an
insane almanac maker who hattered himselt that
he had found out the longitude. Kere our phi
osopher gets beyond himself, and steps out OF the
humble road ofsazsl rra(oaixg upon the soft green
sod ofimagination for surely it is no tHfng &c
Fort of the imagination to suppose that any one o.
common sense would doubt thar position, even II
Ne had not gwen it the sanction of sit bigs aa0'-
riy. For our parts, we are and always were
ready to give ample credit For an abundant snare
D. that sort of am5itioa to which he alludes, TUG
ambition of preserving SELF, to all states wfe'Ns'
rec or no, free, to all persons whether freeHeH'
u