Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1818-02-12
FOR TIE ENOuiNER.

Edncdti0n from the Doubts Of" Il C0nSti
tusnt."
IL =, highly Interesting to our conay and it is the
ohy OF ITS fnctonaIies to provide, that every citizen
II shcnid receive On education proportional 10 tie con
5itIoD and pursuits OF ais ijfe."
lLettsr from 7hoS. Ie6erSo. 10 p. Carr.
Whoever admits that there ought to be
system of Ynbc education in free state.
mast admit that 1t should be the most perfect
which the present state of human knowledge
VIII allow and that to he such. il should be-
contrived and supervised by the wiSest citi-
Le9s that the patton can employ.
once asked Adrian Turnebas. saws Mon
taigne. what he thought OF SeLonde's treatise2
The answer he made me was that he believed
II TO De some extract from Thomas AguiImS; for
that none but genius ike his was capable of
such ideas. Whether the author OF The prefa
toryremarks hchintroduced the ubra tions
off, 4 Constituent" had positive information as
10 tie authors name, or like rurnebas, formed
a's opinion rom the internal evidence and
pccnllari,y Of his notions, the writer does not
pretend 10 know he seems, however, TO he
clearly persuaded that this evidence is suffici.
snt TO guide every one else and somewhat
equvocally observes, " that the writer needs
not write underneath his name, this is
horse ! his Eame is inscribed in such bread
and legiDle characters in every line of it, that
no one can possibly mistake IT," But as broad
and as legIble as those characters are l, fur
Que. profess my inability to decpheI them !;
an Inability Which perhaps arises from an
IISno'ance of the authors former produc tions.
by reasoning, however, from the known TO the
unknown, il may he possible not ouy 10 ascer.
TAIN what mas been the character of all our
authors early compositions but to form
diagnosis Of the symptoms which NAV accompa.
ny hls future efforts; and although not fur
nished with the elements which would enable
us to calculate the orbit of his comet genius,
so as To ascertain the periods OF its visitations,
II VIII not be difficult TO determine lis identity
by the immense dispropOrtion between tile
tody aud the tail, the irregularity ofits motions
the hlEdryand mercuridl inclination of its plane
and above all, the length oil its terrestrial
transit and visibility. Ia effect, pursuing tie
mode OF reasoning from the r0tuNI TO The iyno-
fHm, II may be concluded that whenever the
pubic should feel a curiosity to know whether
our author has had any instrnmeh tality ia
any future publication with which they may
De aonored, their enquiries from the most
recent data, should be whether it displays an
acute and versatile mind which is always
" more ready TO start the problem than 10 in
yesigate the conclusion; a mind which is
fond of deduciBg remote and important CON
sequences from trivial and familiar causes;
hGbly enamoured of the heresies of para.
aoA,-apt to Indulge in incantious and preci-
2Iiate congratulations devoted to novelties
"hich IL supposes to consist ia the revival OF
obsolete and long exploded errors; ia arsu-
inent artfnl and ingenious rather than bold
anu logical; delghtins to perplex the judr
ment 0v the Snbtleties and Teduplicatious OF
:hs pTactised diaiecticiak and to bsw.lier il
:" all Tue mazes OF metaphysical abstraction
a mind OFTEN fine victim of its own sophistries:
Affecting great beneyoence more toIerantof
sosHrhitIe5 than beneV0lence requires most
sompiaceut of itself when least rational and
most profound when engaged about TRIES
not destitute of wit or bumor, but too prolnsp
Of lie latter, and apt 10 misapp!y them both
prone TO confound substances with modes, and
20 mistake what is essential for what is merely
accidental babiiuated to the forensic arts of
and establishment ; to
nyNlsg ftf,r.c - L
sis ct style, yet highly prolix and aggressive,
and apparently pleased With the mammal labor
81 composition. Should all these qualities be
united IN the work, then ifthe last production
ne SO graphical as has been said, the pub.
tic may infer, with something approaching
certainty, that opr authors hand has bpeH in IL.
koform SONS Kind of idea of the home f0i
OF our author, il Will b. proper to recur to his
own statement of the motives which have
cdHced him to assume the character Of a
i,attef. Not that he really does doHbt, for
most 81 bis DOUBTS have rlpened into strong
f1nricliOns - but that advice, especially il
coUched ia the form ef tanid doubts, the most
respectful aud lnofsasive of all others that has
occurred 10 him" viii the more readily he
bsteued to. | cannot however itclp thinking
tia, At least 4 part of the motive Was TO shelter
hlmself from responsibility for opinions which
have so much the character Of Oddlty This
Gtrepidity shiirks from admitting them TO the
M TITS frate rnty and he determines 10 throw
hei1 uijou TIE wQtld as the spurious bautings Of
.rentiC en- which although denied the claims
II lerithgaey, he wishes TO receive its credit
md resF.sei Tor their .pareniage. u would
,avs been ,,cc0nng and consistent after ASSN
Mig tie title ofsceptic, TO have preserved ihe
character; bWi he seems la his progress M
10 forget tue gau for which lic IS
-sst To- the dreWc'is persmsc, ard with kind
nf hist ionic deNCeuty 10 De metamUrph0sed
lrom tsc tiu6d fJabfer' 10 the dOcfOr dutUdn.
tim, and 90 Save sunk the character of tie
La ttaf If Tho hold Jree rfOg and .iow4o,.
t!sG al itss Yeuaius OF the sceptic, IS the
raailtg 70 Happily ascgibed 20 that character
i,y au 0ld English writer ct finding scrurlts
better than resolving them, and &C always
being TOO hard fcr mniseif' 80 far as The
obsefga flows cf Else COusNfnent deserve 90 be-
c04.id efpd ~. d0rbts, t.iey areas nrchcutiIlcd
10 be- cllle. i-uDis. concerning law politics,
religion philosophy. HA.l0logy, criticism. sc.
&C., ~ coAc-lDins the proposed system VI