Alexandria daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1803-1808, 1807-04-01
s ron THE D.fILY I'D YE R7ISEge.
EUPRRONIAN ESSAY.
No. Nv.
o Nc 80 u.

WHAT torrents Of human blood has the
restless ambition OF mortais shed, and III " hat
complicated distress has the discomfort OF pow
cru. lIllividuais involved a great part OF tAel
species foe melancholy retrospect that MS
torv affords OF the caiamitles OF past ages, mas
besn rnuch augmented through the dspraved
tastetof men, VINO have In att ages, since inc
practice OF war WAS introduced upon eartn, un-
happ;ly iavished the bewitching reward OF
! praise on the aestroyers OF men; ana the ca
per desire for false glory, whica has stimulates
poor nortals to their mutual destruction, ana
necessarily swelied the historic page with rue
fir, ,eAts OF arms, seems to have almost pre-
GUIDED from IT,. records of antiquity any ac-
count OF the sweet fruits of peace Nations
have seldom desired TO be accounted all lnglo-
rious propio, living in quIetRess and ease
waiie their exploits In battle nave been extra
yagantiy dellrested The pious philosopher,
Spending MS tille and himself tor tAe gcod OF
mankind, the tiusbandman, Mechanic ahu
PHYSICIAN, win all their useful laborS, cut but
apoor figure In the annals CT tlf2e--Whlie the
hero tHe Man Of War, rises sAaring'y 20
view, mounted On trophies, the wreck OF ns-
tiGns Aegce history, 10 ieelng MIND, Will
appear iittle more than Catalogue OF human
woes: IL onu page we often see lhousalas Nc
vsst@d to the sword, and the victors triumph
ralsea at an expence OF blood, WHICH a refhote
neulon nouns with foods Oh teafs-Wil1e the
sweet intervals OF peace when all nations nave
PROBABLY en,oved greater share Ell than d mere
superficial view of history would encouraee Us
to believe, have often been Passed over In 81
lenee, and buried in oblivion.
The United States are situated at remote
distance from the Earring interests OF the ma
tons of Europe and this country being the
asylum for the oppressed of all nations, this
government is formed on principles different
from, all others, and is calculated for the hap
Diness of all its citizens-the War system is
discarded from our councils. Then II we ex-
anime the history of modern Europe we shall
find that one of the most powerful natlons IN
that quarter has been the prlrae mover Ia those
bloody contests for the last four centuries. o
draw your attention more closely to the subject
/ wish you to observe that what follows IS par
ticularly applicable to that nation.
War is State in which all our feelings and
our duties suffer total and strange inversion
Ia state IN which
ssLite dies, death Hues, and Mature breeds
.s3Perverse, allmonstroaa, aAlhro9Fgrous tAinss&.
A state in which it becomes cur business to
hurt ana annoy cur elghbof by every possible
means inssead Of cuiivating, TO eestToy m
stead OF building, to pun down. instead OF
pcop.ing, to deqepulate q state IN which We
drinS tie tears and feed upon the misery. OF
our fellow creatures: such state therefore,
reasllres the aHtreInest necessity to justify II
i j,l:yht not TO be the common and usual State
otSsociety. both parties cannot be-ln the
riht, tnere is an e9ustt chance, at least, to Ell
tie. &c them, OF being III the wrong; Dut as
b { a. ties NAV be to bIanle, and NEST COM
n}oatY a5e, the chance Is very great indeed a
O. iaSt,its being entered into i o = any adequate
cause vet war may be said to e wltAreoard
IN natlo S, the sin which mos easily besets
them. Wien we carry our eyes bach through
the long records of their history, we see wars
of plander, wars of conquest, wars or reigl-
on. wars OF pride, wars of succession, wars OF
idle speculation, wars of unjust interference,
and hardly among them one war of necessary
self.defence in any of their essential CT very
important interests. Of late years, indeed
tbev have known none of the calamities OF
war in their own country but the woetul ex-
penoe of it; md sitting aloof from those cir
cuns,ances of personal provocation which In
some measure might excuse It's fury, they
have tamely voted slaughter and merchan-
died destruction. So much blood and tears
for SO many rupees, or dollars. Their wars
have been wars of cool calculating interest, as
free from hatred as from love of mankind
The passions which stir the blood have had
no share in them. They devote certain
number of men to peiish-on land and sea, and
the rest of them sleep sound, and protected
in their usual occupations talk of the events
of war as what diyersi6es the fat uniformity