Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-06-06
alexandria, June 6, 4SAS.


"relI me what company you keep
and I will tell you what you are" 49,
like every other saw founded in truth, Y
practical good sense, the fruits 81 Wis
dom and experience. Mr. Locke speak
ing of the gr'a, advantages OF CONVERSE
ton, says, "There are scarce any two
men who have perfectly the sane view
of the same thing, till they GENE with at
ton and perhaps with mutual assistance.
TO examine it; consideration that
makes conversation with the living, a
thing much more desirable than consult
Ing the dead, would the living but tc in
qui'itive after truth. apply their thoughts
with attention t. the gaining Of it-and
be Indifferent where il was found, 50 they
could but Ii d it"
Astonished and incoEsi'>rate auditor.
have often said that they coald not have
believed, il they had not witnessed, the
never failing elegance and correctness OF
TIE late Mr. Pits language /; so that the
reporters vino attended the house OF com.
mons have uniformly declared tina, 10
many years, during which they dig nifty
attended him for the purposes Of their
profession, they never once heard him
pause for q moment to think of a word,
never even in the whirlwind OF his eio
quence, make slip or misfake-never
use one word or phrase that was not Sc
lect, apt, and the most elegant that could
be formed-never in a single instsnce
violate the most precise rules Of speech
never utter 4 vulsarism-neyer trench
upon an absurdity. But those who re-
garded thi, with wopde-, would have
thought more philosophically if they had
asked themselves how II was possible 70,
him to speak otherwise-how or where
he could learn any other language. Clio.
seted up in training. with his illsstrious-
sire, and exclusively Infatuated to the
company Of those who spoke no other
than the language Of elegance and erudi-
ton, he must have been inspired, and
drawn his inspiration from below, ifh
could, though he were willing, utter the
words of vulgarity or low lie. Here then
we have an admirable lesson for parents
and for youths too, If they had the Wis
dom to understand, or the grace to follow
tin short the most powerful disshasive
imaginable irom keeping bad company.
We ourselves are personally intimate
with gentleman who passes with the |
world for man IF very considerable
e!udition, and upon reasonable grounds
too; for he writes with Huency, and can
pour forth, both on paper and In cenrer-
sation, a great deal of interesting matter,
replete with knowledge and in eloquent
language. He can quote 90, illustrate,
and draw embellishments from the elias
sizes, poets, and mOralists, in such sor: as
to be frequently complimented upnn the
extent Of his learning and the diligence Of
his study: but these compliments he al.
ways, to his bosom friends, canjidly de.
clines F; avowing that he has not been a
great reader but that in the earlier part
Of his life he had the advantage Of keep
ing good company, and consorting only
with gentlemen, not your rich knaves.
nor new-made men-but GENTLEMEN in
the virtual sense of the term, and excel.
lent scholars.
From the Charleston City Gazatte Of
May so.
CONFIRMATION OF THE DEATH OF GEN |
MoRILLo.
Kingston, Jam. May 10.
81 have only time to write you the fol-
lowing important notice.
"By the arrival here yesterday, or "a.
Their at Port Royal, Of H. 3. NJ. brig
~. n o. u