The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1809-10-06


which know to belong to yours, should sure
ly have suppressed the engraving.
You must perceive by this time, that YOU have
mistaken my principles and feelings in another
point otview. You suppose should be greatly
offended "to see the symbols ofliberty, so dear
to me, trampled under foot before my eyes" Not
at all, my friend. Leavs to me and my country
the great realities of liberty, and freely give
you up its emblems. There was no time in the
American revolution, though was then young
and enthusiastic, when you might not have cut
down every liberty pole and burnt III the red caps
IN the United States, and 1 would have looked
on with tranquility, perhaps have thanked you
for your trouble. My habits of feeling and rea-
soning, already accounted for, had accustomed
me to regard these trappings rather as detrinen-
tai than advantageous to the cause they meant
to support. These images we never greatly null.
hplied in this country. have seen more liber.
ty caps at one sitting of the Jacobn club in Pa.
ris, than were ever seen in all America.
You viii say perhaps that it is the difference of
national character which makes the distinction
This IS doubtless true but what has been the
cause of this difference in the character of our
two nations Has not the universal use of EN-.
blems in one, and the almost universal, disusc of
them IN the other, had as great if not greater
effect than all other caus ., in producing such
difference do not say that our national cha.
racter is better than yours far from it. Ispeak
frankly, think you undervaue the French cha.
racter have high esteem for that nation.-
They are an amiab!e, intelligent, generous, hos
Pitable, unsuspicious people. say nothing of
their government, whether regal, revolutionary
or imperial. In private friendship, they are a.
disinterested and mistaken, al least as any PEG.
pie have seen. Of this could cite numerou.
examples, both within my own experience and
that OF others; though it would establish my posi-.
ton in my own mind, if I were able to mention
none but you
1t would indeed be paying too high comp,i-
ment to any nation on earth to cite Gregoire a. q
sample OF Its moral and social character. II all
catholics had been like you, the world at this ds y
would all be catholics. And may say, hone
without offence, that if all pagans had been like
you, the world had all been pagans there m ght
have been no need of catholics, no pretext for
the sect of puritans.
This is an amicable discussion between you &
me. The suavity of your manner does honor 20
the forttude with which you defend your primer,
Piles; though 1t is not easy to perceive agaisst
what opponent you are defending them. Your
letter expatiates in a wide field and embraces
many subjects. But really, my friend, the great
er part OF 1t has nothing more to do with me than
one OF CIccro's letters TO Atticus. You begii, by
supposmg that lhave renowned christianity my
self, and that attempt to overturn the system BY
ridicule and insult. Neither of which is true ,
Tor neither of which, have vsu the least color of
proof. No, my honest accuser, the proof is not
in the book. Review the work with sill the accu.
men OF your discernment, and you must, you
will recall the hasty accusation. | defy you and
all the critics of the English language to point
out passage, If taken in its natural, unavoidable
meaning, which initiates against the genuine
principles, practice, faith and hope ofthe christi.
an system, as inculcated in the gospels and ex-
planned by the apostles whose writings accom-.
pany the gospels in the volume of the new tesla.
ment.
On the contrary, Ibelieve, and you have com
PEELED me, on this occasion, to express my belief
that the Columbiad, taken in all its parts of text,
and notes and preface, is more favorable to sound
and rigid morals, more friendly to virtue more
clear and unequivocal in pointing out the road TO
national dignity and individual happiness more
energetic in its denunciations of tyranny and op-
preston In every shape, injustice and wickedness
in all their forms, and consequently more conso-
naDt TO what you acknowledge to be the spirit of
the gospel than all the writings of all that list of
christian authors OF the three last ages, whom,
you have cited as the glory of christendom, and
strung them on the alphabet, from Addison down
to Wlnkeiman. Understand me right, my Just
and generous friend ; judge not my poem as q
work OF genius l cannot judge it nor class it
nor compare IT IN that respect. because it is my
own But knsgu If as moral work / can Judge
and dare pronounce upon its tendency, its beneii.
cal effect upon every candid mind and l am
confident you will yet join me in opinion. But
let me repeat my prayer that you will not mistake
the spirit Of this observation 1t is not from va.
nifty that speak, ny book is not work of pc.
MUS the maxims in it are not my own they are
yours, they are those of good mes that have gone
before us both they are drawn from the gospel,
from history, from The unlettered volume of mo.
raj nature, from the experience and the inexperf.
ence OF unhappy man in his various struggles af.
ter happiness from all his errors and all his OBJ
jects in the social state. My only merit lies in
putting them together with fidelity My work i,
only transcript of the tablet of my mind i'm
prest with these images they pass before il.
You will see hat have nothing to do with the
unbeiievers who have attacked the christian sys-
tenn either before the French revolution or du.
ring or since that monumental period | am not
one ofthem. You say resemble them not in q.
| ny thing else you will now add, that resemble.
them not in this
So far as you have discovered cause of tb.
failure of that revolution in the remuneration of
the christian faith by those who held, in stormy
quick succession, the reins OF your government,
thank you for the discovery. was in want of
more causes than had yet perceived TO account
tor the unhappy catastrophe OF that gigantic srug-
gle OF all the virtues against all the wees that DO
iitical society ha. known. You have discovered
q cause !; but there such thing i'm logic as the
cause OF a cause. have thought, but perhaps
1t is an error, that the reason why the minds OF
the Frenchpeopls took the turn they did on the
breaking out oi the revolution, was to be found
IN the complicated ceremonies of their worship,
nd what you yourself would term the nor. essen.
sentials ofther religion.
The reasonable limits of a letter will not allow
me To do justice to this idea To rive it the pro-
per Development would require five times the
Y"iume thst shall give to the present commni.