The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-09-22

dncovery or faults, but ron i l:acsre viii OF
1mrrGing yonr paper. IL 4 ferverit attarhmen,
70 the benefits Cf free and active pref: and IN
| III attachmeiit to the intereRs Of The. Enoui1.r,
there IS icarcey any one, Mt even y1r vaurGiE
Mr.. Editor, who can properly claim Hyperion
ty over me. With this preface, proceed to
my Critic;in and my plan.
You have given US, ST., moit of the irrror-
tant news thai relates to FOREIGN countries. Y.u
have told us how Pitt became drit rn;.incr If
England, and how Bonapartc became hereditary
emperor in France; hCw this negotiation proA
gre!ied, and when that iSirnih AT fta took
place. You have alto given ms a pretty conJ-
dcrahe Cock ofion:5fic news. When this hroe4
rican vei'el was taken, or that American fcanan
fnpreEed BY otlr good friends the Brtiih what
is the foundation Of our difference with Spain
when iuch an election took place in the difts
rent States, and who were elected. thefe an,l
imilar articles Of intelligence, have not efcaped
your notice. But there are certain things. Sir,
which you haye not told us of at all, and which
mott OF your. readers would be anxious to ri.a
derHand:
The republican party having become vi6tori.
GUS by the election of MIR. Jeferion, have now
broke out into ichifms among themfe.ves and
divided themielves into ditinet feefs in fome Of
the ttates. Such are the Burrites and Clinton.
ans IN New-York, the friends and opponents of
Breckenridge in Kentucky, the advocates of
Leib and Penrofe in Philadelphia. Theft div.
lions in the republican party will certainly be
moi interefing to the -ftates themfclves, where
they exit but without doubt they will st,
in certain degree, the political condition of the
other fates. Yet, notwithstanding this circurn.
ftance, Sir, you have fcarcelv noticed them.---
Here then is one fault in your paper.
The federal party have been very bufy in
throwing centuries upon Mr.. Jcfferfon's adn,irif.
tration. In Virginia, where this party is 70
fanIl and II I'll 4 4
murmers. Thofe who with 10 be acquainted
with their complaints, mutt confcquently fcek
for them principally in the Northern papers.
But even we ouriclves fhould fOmetimes liften TO
the language of reproach. Whatever excellent
opinion we may form of Mr.. Jeferfon OF his ad-
minlttratIon, we cannot deny, that he is iubie6t
to lmperfe6tlon. There is no government I'M
der heaven, that is altogether fault!efe; becaufe
we have men, and not angels, 70 conduit is
operations. Yet even if ourPrefdent ike fome
of the eatern kings, could do no wrong il would
fill afford us iome fatisfa6tion 20 know, what
are the INTAKES attributed 70 him By thofe who
differ from us in opinion. You, however, Sir,
have ieldom given us any account of thefe con-
tentionS. Were we to Judge by the contents of
your paper, we fhould be apt TO conclude that
Mr.. Jefferion's administration was as conienta-
neous to the feelings of the federal party, as
we conceive il to be agreeable to the friSfcn
ftandard of policy. Here then, Sir, is anotbey
fault in your paper.
Thefe fatements may fometimes fnrninl the
mott important fnhje6ts of enquiry for an haui-
iitive mind. Indeed there are many facts which
occur IN the foreign or domeltic intelligence of a
newf-paper, which point to great principles,
ard iuggeft curious cueftions. Thefe might he
offered as 70 many problems for the invehigati-
on ofyour readers. Excite the fpirit of enquiry,
MIR. Editor; and you will contribute very much
towards the cf n n
you ought to place next your heart. Need
tell you, that it is the improvement the pub.
lie mind Yes, Sir, the man who wiihes to inn
prove the public mind, NUT fubieet it to
the fame fyfematic progreis, by which the
enlightened inftructor natures the fill more
mbecile mind of his pupil. 1t mutt not
only be taught b0zv to think and qu5at
to think, which DR.. Price has faid are
the two great ends of education but, Sir,
it mutt be infpired with delire to think, and it
mutt be provided with fomething on which TO
mediate. How many men are there whole e.
nereies have been diifipated in the mott frivolous
puriuIts, becauie they wanted fome higher OBJ
ject to aroufe them, and call forth tier dor.
mant genius How many men are there who
know nothing, becaute they have nothing to
think about! Set man once to rejecting; make
nm as deiirous offolving certain problem, as
mott OF us are de6rouS of fleeing monher, or
an oddly; and you have more certainly con-
tributed to that mans Improvement than ifyou
had poured thoufand valuable truths into his
palive intellect. l know, Mr.. Editor, that when
expect you to difcharge this office, you may
think me exorbitant in my demands. You may
perhaps ak me to point out n Jingle editor,
who aiiumes fuch privilege, or performs fnch
duty. Suffer me however TO tell you, Sir, that
iuch an antwer would not be altogether fttisfac
tory to mr. mind. You are not to do what other
printers have done, but what you yourfelf are
competent to do. Not having entered into
thoie dlicufionS yourfelf, which the facts YOU
nave communicated to the public would ur4
doubtedly fuggef, was It not vour duty to ex.
tract from them ferries of predetermined ducti
ons and to Prefent them to the public! But YOU
nave neglected this duty. Here then is a third
fault IN your paper.
You mutt not take me, MIR. Editor, for one oe
mole men who delight in doing nothing, exec ut
IN hnding fault with other people. As have
taken tic liberty to make few criticifms on
your paper, I'M Wiling 10 f,couei my iuggefti
ons by doing any thing in my power to remedy
its lmPerteclions Hear then the propoftion by
which am willing to tet the inceiity of my
wiil1es.
Like yourfelf, have accefs to a great num-
Der OF newspapers. II is in my power alto TO
catch " the manners living as they rife will