Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1810-12-25

we can hope ta effect, is TO mend Il.
The press may be likened unto an ar .
my, in which there are individuals who
Pi1nder, assassinate, and commit the
most outrageous crimes, whilstthe main
body may be still controlled by the laws
of honor. -
Much of the ribaldry proceeding
from the press can be traced to no.
tion which many individuals entertain
tsas the community may be written in
to any sort of project, which is as much
as to say that the community can be
scrubbed out of It's wits. This reminds
Us OF the raw collegian, who undertook
to prove every thing by logic but in
attempting to shew that two cartridges
made three, was complimented with
the third for his ingenuity, and so got
nothing for his pains. For any writer
to succeed he must adduce, at least.
plausible reasons in support of his o.
Piniops. The great art of writing well
IS the enabling readers to perceive wi h
facility the real truth of subject, and
what comes nearest to this art without
being the art, is to persuade men that
what they read is true when it is false
or only partly true. This latter is a
species OF phantasmagorid, which, by
keeping you pretty much in the dark,
attempts to impose shadows upon you
for realities.
Men are not so much in the power
OF falsehood as is generally, imagined.
The freedom of the press sharpens the
understanding, & libel must be pref
ny well contrived not tosbe cut up by
the scrutiny which is SO prevalent.
Hence, those who get into an i'll humor
on the appearance of any little scandal
fret themselves at disadvantage. One
sure mark of a calumniator is that he
deals in inuendoes, which shews that
what he asserts is not only in all pro-
liability untrue, bur proves that he does
not from any proof believe it himself;
for, if tie believed the story he tells.
upon good evidence, he would not IN
s,',nafe, he would assert. This refec-
sion occurs to a great many people, and
blunts the edge of defam ticn. Il
Magnanimcus minds disregard the
censures OF the fress, where TREY are
founded on falsehood, because the
strength of their characters is too grea
ter the force. Of such assaults. Dirt
thrown att huge rock may dc file it for
few days, hut it will be oleans-d a.
gain by rain in the naturyl course of e:
vents: feeble minds only are irretated
at printed SANDER; for, like pebbles,
they yield to the spattering of 9Th and,
being easily moved, they are at the
mercy of every scavenger that chooses
to befoul them.
Another class of men become lu.
dicrous by their vanity. They are
proud TO have their names in the news
papers; consider every philippizing
paragraph inserted against them as a
feather to their re patations and, these
feathers mul iplying, they at length
display political all so spreading that
II would vie with that of a peacock.
The irritable politicians and the IAN
tail patriots, are the genuine food of IL
centlous presses.
These observations, miscellaneous
as they are, may serve to satisfy a
doubling mind of the real utility of a
tree press; and that although it is, like
other hnman inventions, susceptible OF
Perversion, It is very extensively bene-
teial 20 society.
Extract Of a letter from a Member of Con.
gress to the Editor, dated,
WARRINGTON CRY, Dec. IA, 1910.
The view of our Foreign relations
presented b. the President metthe un-
divided appreciation Of the republican
party. We presumed Of course that
the withdrawal of the Berlin and Milan
DEGREES had left our commerce with
France and its dependencies in the
state it was, previous to their being is
sued. There is however Just ground
for believing that although the Berlin &
Milan DEGREES are withdrawn, our TO.
bacco and cotton is at present exclude
from the ports of France and it's Deepen
denotes by regulations of municipal
character. Ifthese regulations are con
L