Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1805-06-07
i From the Virginia Gazette.

| Deaborn says, $ more or less amused i
| Inth Enquirer OF Friday lasi, the ed;,..
INDUCES himself in some remarks On 4.
deficiencies Of the Virginia legislau,.
and atol9gizes for the weakness or 4.
blunders of the me mbers lua Ssrpre n,asns.
owbat cause are re 20 attribute H.
the want Of f2resight, and The wan, Of zsrl
which sometimes characterize the procs4a
ingso Of the Virginia Legislature p
Having askedthese questions, the f.,
quirer thus proceeds to state the cause Il
this want of foresight aud Of zeal.
"a considerable part of Ties: delec,,,
doubtless TO be ascrlbed to the general i,
bits of the members. Selected as .heya,.
every year from the great body Of the ,es
pie, and changing continually from wear +
year, they must be expected to possess h.
manners, the political sagaclty, and Ii.
intellectual energy Of their nation. Blessed
however as we are with the means of in
proving the scientific condition Of Oh.
country, and delighted as We may Be with
the bright visions OF excellence which a.
wait US; stilwe must admit that our INV.
steal condition does not as yes enable Us "a
realise these advantages. Our populsti.
Oh is too thinly scattered 20 ada.it the es.
enlistment of many schools in each nsiph.
borhood, and our citizens are generally too|
poor to be able to board their children from
home at some distant and enlightened Sc.
minary. Even at such schools the attain.
ments ofthe instructor arc not so extensive
and the system of education which he pur
sues is not SO energetic as as to promise
very rapid Improvement to the pupil
What then is the consequence? Most Of
our countrymen are debarred from the o.
portunities Of an early instruction, while ,h.
progress ofshe sudult is generallyarrestsdB
the calls of business or the satisfactons Of
pleasure. Tits certainly no disgrace upon
our countrymen to say of them that May
of them have been called, like Ciueinnatu,,
from the plough, to fill the honorable Office
oflegislator, but 1t would have reflected
much more honor upon them, if like that
illustrious Roman they had possessed the
means of acquiring The necessary quali6ca.
tions.n
We have two reasons for quoting An
largely: One is, to crafty the reader win
the reasons fered for the want Of "fn
sight Tor any other sight in many cases
and zeal" of the legislature of the Ancia
Dominion; the other is to notice the ylc
Gus taste of many writer's, who seem sS
tremely solicitous to form style Of writ
ing, but Indifferent what manner Of SEMI
men's that style may express. The followiF
might be called well-turned sentence.
lecsed as they are every year from the grf
body of the people, and charging conlinr
ally from year to year, they must be e'I
pected to possess the manners, the pcilt
cal sagaci,y, and the intellectual energy
their nation Now what is the dsad
this sentence Why this; that com'S
from the reopl-, they are like the FeoT'
There are many persons who think az
say much about writer's style. how
you like his style? is a question more c'
ten asked 5y many, than what opinion
entertained Of the beauty, novelty, fora
correctness or utility of his remarks. M
ton somewhere prays for /" answer
style" to his high matter; the rsfss
ought to be the incessant prayer OF soma
of our still gated writer's; they sh9u:
pray for matter answering their nigh sif'
If the language and the sentiments cG'
respond, the language cannot DC 400 n's
but when they Go not correspond, the ~
agre cement IS as disgusting as would be %
coronation robes of Napoleon on the O'
Of baboon.
Give me little Of the dast of that W.
cotic Indian weed, rtle titilation OF vl''
may tinsle the Papillse that line the sur'a'
Of the twin caverns of the nasal proronN
ry. 'Twere as well to ask at once ic'
pinch of snuff. This is the language o'oD
who labours for uorals. Blest as we :,
with the soft society ofthe gentle SEX =,
lightfully enjoying as we sometimes ~