The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-12-04

uehtHy attempt, winch is made to extend the
empire OF the fciences You dwell upon thefe
with complacency fbould they even fail, then
the ie,erty Of critcfm will be difarned Of half
its terrors; but f,ould they b. fuccefsful, and
fill more ihould they emanate from mind
which had been long difinsuiihed by its re-
iearches and ITS powers, you will fcarcely with
to withhold from IT the full tribute of your ap-
probation.
DonbtlefS you are acquainted with the charac-
ter OF Mr.. Jefierfon. | do not ipcak of him as a
philosopher, but rs the ftudeut and defcribcr of
nature. Ills Notes on Virginia has already un-
folded to your view, mni capacious, active
and proerehlve, whole powers have been 10 of
ten admitted by the philosophers OF Europe.
And now let me ak You, what would you think
OF that critic who fditcns upou the preceding let
ter of Mr.. Jcfcrion to Mont: Lacepede, 10 un-
affected IN its ityle and 20 attentive to the pro-
sreis OF icience, and without Jingle cuiogiu,n
pouring upon IT the mott illibcral itrictures. and
the mott ridiculous witticifms. Let me ak Won
rather, what Is 70 be thought of the influence
OF that party ipirit which attuates the critic O.
that ipirit which contemns philosophical mo-
deration, and which fees nothing that is not
goodorb adinthe extreme afpirit, bv whole chy-
Inic power, eems eeniustran(inst ed int dullneis,
thc ipirt of liberty ntothe phrcnzy of lcentiouf-
neis' aud implicitly of manners into the mott
contemplate hypocrify.
Yet fuch is the fat1. This very letter, in
which if we cannot fee much to admire, there
Is little to condemn, has drawn forth a common
tat"r IN the Port Folio, who could have better
handled better caufr. And what docs this
critic md worthy of reprehen!ion in this fhort
x 'node!t letter? That Mr.. Jeferfon adopts the
idea or an original difference Of mental faculty
among the ipeceS of men and that this contra
diets the icriptural account ofthe origin of man
ard the Declaration of Independence, that all
mcn are horn equal.
On thehrit point ii may be obfcrved that
there may nozo be 4 difference in the tribes of
n'en, and yet that this difference did not origi-
naiiy exit. Some of the various caurcs which
a9 upon man, may have given to fome individu-
ais particular modification, and not TO others.
May not this have been propagated TO facet
1--we generations; and thus may it not have
formed the hiitory OF tribe? Thofe, who ADOPT
the biblical account, admit fuch an influence
upon the colour of the fcarf f;n and why not
then upon the faculties of the mind Way NAV
not this difference be generated with different
tribes: and thus why may not every Individual
be born with dilimiiar faculties, although his
anceftors were not at all diGinguifled from the
general race? | believe, that this influence
doesreaiy exit; hutthatit is not 10 important as
the iubiequent operation OF other caufes, which
affect his education. Why then may not this
aiiertion be completely compatible with the
fcriPtural theory of Jingle pair ?
:; ali men are born equal,'' tlys the Declare
ton of Independence, but Mr.. jefferfon its au-
thor iuppotes that they may be born unequal.
And is the Declaration of Independence then
natural hiitory of man Does it compare indiyi-
dual men together, and declare that their hair.
brain and limbs are all originally perfeIl !?
Or is 1t not this Declaration rather a boIt;laI
document Docs IL NOT mean that however the
microscopic eye of naturalift may make hair
breadth diftinctions, it is the object of the poll
tlclan to group al! men together, and form
code OF laws, adjufted to their common nature
This declaration or the Bill of rights declares,
not that all men are equal in their faculties, but
IN their rights. 1t declares, that one man who
is born with the faculty of rea!on, is as much
entitled to the protection of government as any
other man. In faes i was intended to defroy
that odious diftin6tion between the ,ceu and
the qUeli-6ora, which is emba!med and preferyed
oy the privileged governments OF Europe.-It
Is only when the difference between natural IA
culties becomes vaft!y great, that their political;
rights are made unequal. Was there any ma
ton, the half of whole population coniRed OF idi
OTIS, that nation might have probably introduced
into its Bill of Rights fome fpeciic exception.
Other criticifms have been palIed upon the
preceding letter or MIR. Jefferton but they arc
unworthy of ferrous notice. E. r.
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