Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-05-11
ron TEE ALEXANDRIA oAzErTE.

the volumes, as containing a profound
truth of which few of US in this life seem
to be perfectly aware 1t is in Greek, and
therefore | will not give it in the ords Of
the original. which it might cost some
trouble to print, T. after all notbe under
stood perhaps by one reader in hive hun
tred. Construed into the most plain
and exact English. it is this" 1t is not
facts but the opinions Of men respect
ing those facts which disturb mankind
Hence it is that happiness is said to con-
sist in the mind--or as the old wise law
has it "that every mans mind is king
dom TO him" And truly when we see
such a diversity, and cuntrarie'y Of cpl
Mons respecting what is good, and what
bad, in every thing connected with hu-
man affairs, we must be compelled to &C
knowledge that whether any one Of d
multitude Of things in this life touching
the good or bad quality Of which. we are
so apt to worry and tear each others eyes
out, is in itself positively good or ball.
NAY REASONABLE, be doubted.
Let US for example tike the single ar
ticle of civil government, that happy SCI
ence Of which SO many think themselves
ready made masters on their entrance in
to life-aud you will find that there is
scarcely one Of them respecting the IN
trinsic value of which there are not such
decided differences Of opinion, that nf
three able men, well yersed in such
things, one shall be sincerely. firmly, and
unaIterably OF opinion that ii il 2ooH--
another hat it IS execrsh|g bad, AMI a
third that Il is neither the enc nor the o.
Their, but very nullity. While each Is,
ready to maintain his opinion at the IA
zard Of his life--nay is too often, nothing
lcath to cut q fellow creatures throat on
the occasion. We, in this Union, think
that democracy is the only system under
which man eau be safe and happy. and
regard as little superior TO brutes, in in
tellect and spirit, those who trnckle toa
nv other kind Of government-abso'u'"
monarchy we regard as so utterly iutale'
rable that we wonder how the wretches
subj .cted to il are able to livc--that they
do not expire with horror ard sink be-
meath the hardships and Calling of their
chains. Even The mixed government OF
Great Britain seems scarcely tolerasle TO
US: and we cannot imagine Spaniard.
a Portuguese or an Italian to walk thro'
the streets without hearing the ciank OF
his letters rafting in our ears. All the
while the Spanisrds and Portuguese feel a
similar percussion respecting US, and
think TIA. as republicans we are consign-
ed to state of ineffable misery here and
hereafter 1; and do actually endure con-
dition which We think would be worse
than death without murmuring or even
imagining it painful or degrading All
this difference Of condition subsists
purely in the mind. They believe it TO
be good, and are happy in that belief
At q time that the government OF England
was regarded by every philosopher and
enlightened man in the world as the
most perfect and free Of all others, the
people of England were provcrVibially
discontented and miserabie-incessantly
bemoaning the hardness Of the times, the
corruption Of ministers, the danger OF the
constitution, and breaking their hearts
Individually at the approaching downfall
IF Liberty. Meanwhile, the gay French
man. bending to the dispotic will of the
grand ~onurqse, and whom his nelghbor
John Bull, regarded with contempt and
pity, as a slave vas for ever as happy
and as blithe as bird, in spring morn
ing, and sung in his cage as merrily as a
lark. Now, what sort Of a casuist must
ne be, who would say that the condition
Of the Enslishman growing in discon.
tent over his uneqsalled means Of felicity,
and amidst all the blessings which liber-
ty aad plenty aud independence could
supply, was superior to that Of the
Frenchman, who under the name Of