Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1818-10-13
MISCELLAN Y.
From the Connecticut Courant.
THE BRIEF REMARKER.

E# l. 1AkAALf AGASkAAA A~AN AN~~'
80 The nature Of mankind is prone,
To see and Judge of the affairs of others
I Much better than our own"
The above. cited sentiment has not
abated Of its force, nor is it the less appli-
cable to human nature at the present in
stant, though two thousand years have
BASED away since it came from the pen oil
Ference, the poet OF Carthage.
In one respect very few, if any, are
altogether free from the inputation OF
making use of deception. 1t is one OF
The strange properties Of our fallen ma
ture, that We deceive ourselves even
mere easily than We are deceived by
others and that though we are nightly
offended when others deceive us, We are
pleased with the deception which We palm
npon ourselves. We love flattery, be.
cause it enables us TO Hatter ourselves,
md we dislike honest reproof or censure,
Because, it impeIs us to fix our eyes upon
our own faults or fraihies. We weigh
our own actions, ard the actions of others,
not in the same balance, or else in dif-
ierent kinds OF weights. We judge our
selves and our neighbours by different
rules which always gives the advantage
10 our own side. Imperfect We readily
confess ourselves to be but If one happen
10 impute to us any particular imperfec-
non. we deem ourselves insulted, and
Instantly take fire. Mortal we know we
are, and yet seem scarcely to expect
either death or sickness for these events,
perhaps for the most part, come unawares.
Peradventure there is not one nell man in
4 hundred, but secretly thinks the fatal
arrow is more likely to bit almost any
body else than himself. The young con-
fidentIy expect they shall live to be old ;
and the old who have already seen one
generation pass away, are not without
I hopes that they shall survive the greater
part Of another. The mass of mankind
are, in short, perpetually deluding
themselves one way or another !; mol
are the wisest and the best quite free
in all respects from self delusion. Per.
haps if life were not in any wise guided
BY The enchanting power of imagination
there would be but little relish for most o.
those things which God has given us to
ENJOY under the sun.
A very ancient writer has told us of 9
poor labourer, who fancying himself q
king, repaired daily to hillock, where
as on his throne, he sat in state, and exer-
cised regal authority over the imaginary
subjects that surrounded him; who being
ct lengtf cured of that pleasing error Of
the imagination, cemplained hard Of his
doctors that they had physicked him back
again to poverty. Nor is he solitary
Instance. The most of mankind, 10 some
period or other of their lives. had per.
haps INDUCED vagaries of the imagination
quite as groundIess, if not quite so ex.
travagant !; and which, if they led them
not astray from either duty or prudence
did them benefit, by sweeteniDg their
tolls and smoothing the path Of life. The
illusions of hope, which no sooner is dis
appointed than it springs anew in the hui
man breast, constitute large portion oil
Tie earthly happiness of mankind, and is
the handspring of their exertions in
worldly affairs.
q Dream after dream ensues;
And still they dream that they shall still succeed,
and still are disappointed
However, speaking Of worldly good
only, their dreams afford them more sat.
isfaction than they ever find 10 realities.
But when the illusion relates to the
moral qualities Of our hearts, flattefing
liz that our vices are virtues, or at least
that they are the less culpable for being
Ours it is then that it is pregnant with
infinite mischief.
OF all human knowledge, selfkncwl.
edge is accounted the most difficult Of at
tainment? And why Assuredly it is moi
80 very difficult in itself, We are con-