The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-10-20
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
WIN
BE Il II " B o W.......No. X.

w the Ef6f'i.H7isDf or ChdFHy ScccciS re-
pe.?tt'eiig aadyff:d 10 TIE good jtae efib- ipso-
pie qfY;esi4ia.
MoST IF thoie, who have hitherto def:ribed
TO you the condition and the claims OF the poor,
have generally conterted themielveS with adj
dycfiirg your teribility, and moving your com
PATTON. Their imagirations have conducte,;
You 70 the flades where poverty aud Ignorance
prciide where the .inef endowments ofnature
are fettsred At their birth, or perverted in their
progreis. They think they have done enough,
when they have excrtcd Their pathetic eloquence
IN fitrrating you TO relieve thofs diare'ieS, from
which YOU are fortunately exempted aud when
they have iucceeded in drawing forth one fym-
pathetic iigh or one tender tear, they piea!e
themielves with thinking, that they have OBJ
isined the grpatelt and mott utcfaI triumphS of
which their cauFs is iurceptible. They obferve
indeed, that roo frequently is the tear forgot as
ioon fhsd,' and that the iigh which is givento
the pllhng winds, has more than once rIhevedthe
PAINFUL fyrnpathicsof the boiom, from which ite-
fcaped, But then the means of coniniation are
eaiy to D. met with. They 2>riuade the,nlelves
that II was from 20 want OF pathos, or the mott
itpreiive c,ocution that this melancholy Change
took place. In the fickleuclS ard iinbecility OF
human nature, they will readily find the mott
ample means Cor explaining the lainentable
To fash iublime exertionsI ihouidnot venture
to wing an uncertain fight. / know too we'll
that ii is not every fancy which can create, every
eve that beams, or every tongus which can ex-
prefs the conceptions of cloqueuce. Ii is not
every poet that can awake 10 CcItacy the living
lyre.'-Autl vet, eve, If iuch affecting efforts
were completely within my power, ihould al
MOT dfdain to employ them on an location like
the preient. When arguments 10 various aud
|. - =. l..
would flrely be improper 10 wander from the
high road of the understandings, and go in ftarch
OF the meretricious arts OF Application. Ii is
not for me 10 draw before rour imagination the
weeping form OF Charity, fu.rouaded by her d.
couf0late family, who, with upi,tted hands and
broken voice, petition you for 4 tcanty relief.
chooic rather IL bring before YOU the venerable
figure of JUSTICE, bearing alOf the indeI-
tructible balance, inwhich are weighed the NOT
comprehensive meaiiires Of nations. and the mi
nuteft actions OF individuals. | mean not that
fu6ordinate Jnitice, who writes i'll the fatute-
book, ard prefideS in the courts. / fpelk of
tat general Juitice, who extends her vigilance
to all the concerns oF man WHO decides upon
al thOle private actions, which the law is not
fubtle enough 10 embrace who criticiles tbs
very laws of the itatute book and re-iudESs
the judgments OF the Judge. May I, venerable
Divinity eXpe3 to eicape my diappTobation,
while for a moment, | fiiume thy attributes /;
while dare 70 cxpound thy holy nature, and
employ thy principles for the uie of thof- who
mott want thy aid of the heart-broken, the ig
noraat, aud the poor.
No man in {ccety itands alone. There is
not an individual, who has not drawn out and
fatteaed his lines of connection 70 lnnumerahle
others, by which like the divergent rays OF
fpdeg's web, he communicates and receives ten
thoufand feufations. There is not an individual,
whole Talents, temper and employment have not
certain ihhuence upon the happinefs of others.
The very meanef and lowea of mankind have
their circles TO fiji ups Il family to felicitate or
difurb, foIne little friendships to cultivate, or
fonc petty reientments to revenge. But if we
with TO fec the extent and attenuation OF this in
fluence completely unfolded, we mutt feek it i'll
the hifory of thoie extraordinary characters,
who have filled valt fpace III the eye of man
kind" We mutt look for it in the hiltory of
rulers, who have depopulated whole provinces
BY their ambition, or enno6ied their country by
virtuouS administration. We muif teek it in
the volumes of authors, who have diflipated the
errors of fcience, OF enlarged her truths, whole
works have traverfed the countries of the earth
or defended through ages.
This iniuencemay be various in different midi
viduals; & yet il is equally clear, thatthere is
only way, in which this influence can be bef
exertsd The capacities of any thing re-
ceiye but one direction, that is productive of the
greatelt polibIe happine1s. Apply it to a
different purpofe, and you perVert its proper
tendency you 70 far iniure the welfare of foci-
ETY.. Would any prudent man content to " hew
blocks with Razor" Should man, whole
endowments are rare, admirable and extenGye,
Whole wifdom might enlighten the ignorance of
his c6untrymen. and "fcatter plenty o'era fmil-
ing land" fhould fach man be doomed olan-
puii1 under the labours of the oar, and perth a.
mil the da,nps of mine Could any one APP
prove ofthe dsitnaton of capacities even lefs
ufefulin degree, TO purpoies even LET'S improper
in their tendency? / ak whether flich A per-
verIion could be conidered as moral May /
not then be permitted to FAY, that no mans IN
nuence can be regarded as perfectly moral, that
is not cyerted TO produce the greatef polble
habDnefs, with which he IS efficiently acquaint-
ed aud that his actions only become 70, when
they tend 30 that obje6t?
In this fenie, morality may be defined The eco
nomy oil the general happineis. 1t is then that
the moraliR puts on the mot auguf attributes,
with which the human character can be adorn-
ed when he hrvesto fulfil this facred fun6ti-
on. Like the curious bee, he becomes active,
fagacious, and p6rfeverlng. No fortunate COM
binationofevents can clcape him inwhch hedocs
not perceive ard gather is mott hidden fweets.
P,Ofperjty furnilbce him with new means OF en-
lardng the ipherc Of his benificence and even
ft.c L,lo,,n ,C ldvpr(ifV he extracts fbr