Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-08-13
FROM rRr cuarLHsTon couKifr.

a
EVERY thing in this life IS big WIN
mirth Or instruction, or both, T men men nay Y,
but the skill to find it out. Among s.,e
anti. federal writer's there are few VINO 90
not afford Instruction ofone kind, # their
readers could but 6nd it And perhaps
there could rot be more appropriate IL
lustration of that kind, than the 1coinpan-
son of the rattle snake, which lnssfuet =.
the hearer that it must either be kept on
or crushed, under penalty OF death
Mirth ,heyhave rarely afforded we nave
never been tempted to laugh with them en-
very seldom to laugheven at them: , nen
du)ness prevents the one, their mlseh'ev-
Gus tendency the other; we cannon lausn
at the most ridiculous object It we COIL
ceive it to be highly dangerous ana ms
chieyous. We might laugh at the a q,
ward gambols ofan ass run mad Wiil,e e
distance, buff we are within reach q
its heels, our sensations are too serious loi
the indulgence of mirth.
An ESSAY, however, has lately appeared
which for once lays claim to laughter )
because It is at ence ridicul us enough 70
be laughed at on the strength OF ITS 40 :.
surdity, and too weak ana foolish 10 DC !
dangerous. Whatever the benevoltnef OF
the author may have intended, tor wi''ch
we give him abundant credit his execu-
ton has rendered it completely lnnoxlouss.
The muddlness of the head is often
found to counterfeit the malice OF the
heart.
By some accident, foreign to our pur-
pose TO inquire into, perhaps BY means OF
scrap of paper round a dozen OF SCARS
an ounce of tea, or quarter OF cheese
an extract from Longinus has fallen into
the hands of that author, who has, pfoba-
blv from want of bible, made text Ct
it. and upon that text preached most
conical sermon. 1t reminds US OF an fle-
| gaut song some years ago 10 vogue Ou'
now with many other good things forgot
ten.
! AucHY PawPAw IN pulpit stood, !,
He brsQeb'd a Sermon t6at qOas not go04'
| He took his poor mother by the hooi
! And he randIed her up in the corner.
| CboYus.
c..er A,r<s..s- p>sv..,,>s,y ----~ 70" walk
ing, YET, &c. sc.
This saine gentleman quotes the opinions
| of Longinus in favor Of democracy, with
out ever considering or inquiring whether
longinus was statesman and political PIN
losepher panegyrlzing democracy as go
| vernment, and accommodating instances OF
its beneficial qualities ,sand among the rest
the advantages it afforded to literature ane
cultivation Of genius, or a mere critic and
| rhetorician, complimentlng IN beautiful
apostrophe the republic Of Af6ens, under
which he and many great msn before hlm
had become great aad learned, and had
! flourished. The writer had better get
+ some one to inform him who and what
! Longinus was which he himself will ne
yer learn from translation, even with a
| commentary preface to II. AND WIEN nc
has learned those and all the circum
stances attending them, we promise him
he will Gf he has g a hook in his head
| to hang an Inference upon see his error.
I" Tie great LoNc1Nus! lexciaims this
| mighty many thou exalted genius whose
nina dif7afedaseatimeats which the learned
Of all ages since thy q0oyks 1oere pr0mal-
gateata if they could before) have proud
ly quoted to substantiate their principles"
Ii titum ttum, titum titum ii,
What principles could they substanrl.
ate by his sentiments? Why none but
those of criticism surely Whatever
works he may have written, not one has
come down tn US but his treatise De Su6
hmlate. As well then might the author
quote Burke on Rhetoric and Bellies Let
tiers, as Longinus, in political discussion.
Does the writer know that that very