Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1816-08-20

land It is thus 8 great many millions live
| who are by no means savages, but have
attained considerable degree of ciyiza
| ton. A large proportion of the peasan
| try in Europe have but barely enough for
1.-The supply of mere natural wants, AND
must labour hard even for that. Hapless
|mortals we are ready to exclalm: and
lhapless they would indeed be il they had
our artificial cravings. But the most OF
them thinking they have enough, are bet
! ter contented than those OF higher elias
ses who really having enough for the COO
Iveniencies as we'll as. necessaries of liie,
do still crave great deal more. Many,
whose circumstances are every way con-
Portable. and some that are really ITCH.
|are more dissatisfied than the poor; and
;. il this one respect they are poorer than
the poor.
! Our artificial wants are numerous, and
| if we include ameng them the wants OF
avarice and ambition. they are endless.
| Ciyil society is aluays artificial more or
less; and it always gives birth to aftin.
cial wants in greater or.less degree ana
extent according to tie different modes
lof is structure, and to the smaller Or
lgrealer number Of persons to whom 1t
gives hopes Of advancement in rank Or
fortune. The society in which we hive
extends these hcpes TO greater proper
ton of the population than does any 9th
er age civil societyin the known world;
and of course the varieties of artificial
wants are Of wider extent, or more gen
orally ielt, with US, than with any peo-
PIE else.
i Two Important things result from this
state of society touching the subject Of
. education.
! /. We do our children essential harra
: when we foster in them artificial wants
. too numerous or expensive for their pro-
bable prospects in life. Its in 30 wise,
the proper object of education to repress
altogether the warmth of desire in the
young mind; for if that were practicable,
1T weuld be absurd and fatal. But. in the
present condition of American society
the danger does not lie here; il lies on
the other side-in the early intrusion of
a multitude of wants beyond all practica
bic means OF gratifying, and which uatu-
rally render the subjects OF them restless
:. through tiie, if not desperate. The err
ror of which | am speaking is source Of
iwrefchedness to thousands Of the present.
}generation.
! 2. There are but few greater kindness
!; ses, IT any, that parents and instructors
lean dc their children, than to learn them
hetimes to regulate their desires; and
that not oaly in moral sense but also
In regard to worldly economy. In this
last respect, the early habit of regulating
the desires is of much greater Importance
than we are generally aware Of; nor hae
~ been ega ded, in the theory and prac
ice Of education, with the attention
which it really deserves. IF cur desire
be not under some due Regulations, they
iwiii multiply faster thar our means OF
satisfying them can increaseia even pros
porous circumstances and # this discip-l
line OF the mind be aItogette. neglected.
Ii the early periods Of lie, it very sell
dom Is seriously attended TO afterwards.
The ungoverned child GENES at length to-
be ung vernable: ard by how much tle
more his desires have been enlarged
through excess of indulgence by SO much
the more he IS to be dissatisfied. Rest
lessn, IS of desire grows into an inyeterate
and incurabe habit His desire to en-
joy far exceeding his ability TO procure,
he is soon u done by his extrayagance:
for, like the storied simpleton, he cuts
down the tree in order to pluck thei.
fruit, /,
Jersey lsrn.--A countryman returning
with great haste into store in Trenton,
which he had just left, enquired with
much earnestneas & Has not no body
seen no box no where that no body left
without no kiyer IN II AZ M hodV knouc