Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1816-06-12
English Character.

The follon'ing extract from an article II,
Cobbett's Weekiy Register, Is at once al,
eshibition and description of the charac.
ter and strength Of England;
1t is much to be desired, not only for our
own sake, but that of the whole world, that
we should be actuated by just sentiments :
for strange as it appears at first sight, the
peace, happiness, and freedom of mankind
are, in great degree, in our hands. The
narrow limits of the country, its compare.
lively barren soil, its unfavorable climate
and its scantJ population, make it appeal
presumptuous to hold it up in this impor-
tant point of view. But, when we come TO
look more closely into the matter, we shall
not find the notion so very wild.
AnEDglishman, while he eats and drinks
no more than another man, labors three
times as many hours in the course Of a wear
as any other man. His life is three com
mon lives. People of other countries have
some leisure hours. AA Englishman has
hone. He always walks OF rides as fast a.
he can. You may know him from all the
rest Of the world, by his head going before
Infect; by pushing along as if going for a
wager, and his stoop and his round shoul-
ders. An American gentleman observed,
that, when he first came to London, all the
people in the streets Sc seemed as if they
were going on an errand. and had been
charged to make haste back" Never was
there better description. If we see
man walking at ieisureiy pace, in the
country, we suspect him to be a thief, or at
least, vagrant. Sunday seems TO be the
only day in the week when an English
man does not enjoy himself. He Tolls a.
bout, and is on ofspirits. The old saying,
that " when the Devil finds ont any one
with nothing TO do, he is sure to set hin. to
4cork," certainly had its origin in England.
! wonder such people should ever have
had Sunday or Churches. The Popes
have left us some Saints Days they have
been disregarded by the nation, al large
and though retained for a long while in
the public Offices, they have all been abol.
ished at last, by act of Parliament. the ma.
tion being too busy to indulge the whims of
the Holy Father any longer. To have an
idea of the everlasting industry of this ma.
ton, you have only to look at the garden
Ola laboring man. This is the scene of bis
leisure hours that is TO say. the t,ci,ight
and the Sunday, when he will cultivate
fours or shrubs, rather than submit to a
minutes rest.
The propensity to incessant labor is
common to all ranks.-The lawyers, doc
tors, parsons, merchants; all are alike {;
and, as to the shop-keepers & tradesmen,
they know not what leisure or pleasure
means. The Gentlemen are as bus, as the
rest. They are half their lives on horse
back. Hunting and shooting are their la.
Dor, and hard labor too. Every man also
aims at perfection in his way. He is not
content unless he has something or nno.
tier, In which he does, or thinks he does.
surpass all other men. Hence our fine
horses, dogs, sheep, cattle, the breeds of
which are attended to with such inflexible
perseverance, A score or two of gentle.
men riding fdll speed down hill nearly
as steep as the roof Of house, when one
tslse step must inevitably send horse and
rider to certain death, Is an object to be
seen ne where but in England. Nor are
these sports and that Of boxing and other
perilous exercises to be left out in an emu.
meration Of the causes Of national power.
though SHALLOW philosophers affect to des.
plse them. They tend to produce great
energy in individuals, and it is Of the uuion
OF individual energy that national powe,
principally Consists. TO what does Anne
fica owe the achievement and the pfeser
walton OF her Independence, but to the arm,
OF race Of men, brave because they ar,
handy and hardy, because, from their in