Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-09-08
For the Aleaa7ldrla Adveriser.
4 Hint to PsexAo Critics.

Of Critic, when he takes the attitade OF
a self created censor, and presuraes to ex-
ercise, in some measure, a kind of dItta.
torial power, it would be well for him to
be perfectly assured that he is not altoge-
ther unqualified for such an Office. He
may take il for granted, that his own per
Torrance is much fairer mark for tie
shafts of real criticism, than that of tie
vota,ies Of Thespis, who use their well
meant endeavoufs lin general successfully
too) for the entertainments, and sometimes
the Improvement, Of the audience When
persan is compelled tc an involuntary ex-
hibltion Of his literary talents, in the news
papers, the good nature Of an American
public induces them to view him with
mild and cornplaisant eye. But when he
voluntarily intrudes upon the community,
the illusions of his genius, and especially
when they meet US in the magisterial form
of criticism, we have al unquestlonable
right to apply its strlctesJ rules in ascer-
tanning their merit. A writer ought to
be very certain that in giving publicity to
the fond offspring Of his own brain, he is
not 50 far mislead BY parental partially,
as to exclude more valuable matter. He
ought to be very sure of its possessing
something we'll worth the Attentions OF his
fellow citizens. Ills 10 Justification to
say, we are not compelled to read-we may
exercise our own discretionary Judgment,
because how do we know the merit of any
work before we have read it Alas tie
nauseous stuff is swallowed before we are
aware Of its constituent qualities, and the
.disgorging is as disagreeabe as the srcep-
ton. have been lead into this train Ct
rejection, by seeing the public pestered
for some time by a succession of something's
in the Alexandra Advertiser, which the
writer has Thoughts proper TO dignity with
the appellation Of cra1qaes. Who tie
author is, or from what rhetoric he has
taken his rules Of composition, heaven
knows. TO me they are perfectly new
and sure j am, he has taken them neither
from Quinctilian, Longinus, Cicero or
Aristotle among The ancient Rhetoncians,
ror from Blair or Johnson among the mo-
dern writers on Bellies Lefre5. Perhaps he
has been amusing himself with Martins
SrriblerAs, and thus has acquired the very
essence of the Bafbos or arr. of sinking. |
am very sure that either as writer or dra-
matte performer, I would rather be the
obis6f of his censufe than of his applause.
Eulogy from such a pen would be stbe Sc
veresr of all obliquy. The only and best
security the author of the CuHqaes has
for escaping with lmpunity, is, that they
are totally beneath the dignity of criti-
cism. They contain nothing, either with
respect TO style or matter, for the genu-
Inc critic to operate upon. The rules of
criticism may, with propriety, be applied
to discover tie defects, or develops the
beauties OF Shaftesbury, Bolingbroke,
an Addison, or Johnson: but to apply
themto the writer of the criticisms, would
be like breaking butterfly upon the
wheel. His analogy between the :" Six
ty Third Letter. and the letters of the
Alphabet, is convincing proof of the
correctness Of the preceding observation,
and is what I should not have expected,
even from boy at bis Lordeni Colloqula,
or an old woman of the last century.
If tie author is a classical scholar, ]
recommend to his attentive perusal, the
Bellies Lettres, writings Of QuincsIlian, &
Longinus, of Blair and of Doctor Johnson,
and if he has nov an immoderate share Of
,btuseness, he may very easily discover
sbathis style is completely deficient in pro.
Priety, perspicuity, strength, neatness, or