The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1820-11-08
@isreiiany.
From The Conneelieut Courspt.
THE BRiEF RE.u.7RKER.
Ht. ioiioW mg Inc Of Pops,

y,
IS but vulgar virtue, as common to the
rneanest rs to the creates, abilities.
Honesty, though commendable, is 80
lar from being one ofthc nchlcst OF hui
mm qualities, tha, the honest man may,
nevertheless. be but plain simple mant, :
Of contracted m,clects, OF very little edt
ucation, and OF a low condition. This
the noblest work OF God Fic upon
such nonsense !
Now, to adjust this matter between
the poet and the critic, it viii be necessa,
nv 10 take cursor, view oi the difIsress
standards OF honesty according to onc cr
other Of which reputedy honest men
square their conduct. and Of the differ.
ent principles by which they arc gov
erncd. is2
Men sometimes act honestly from po.
hey, rather than nom principle OF prob.
ity. hey believe and believe ancht,
that honesty is the best policy .'.-A-Ac.
cording 10 the sound maxim, they rlean
to act, and they greatly find their &C.
coun, in il. In short, none are Wiser in
their generation than those who are hcn.
est altogether from policy. Whilc
carefully minding to keep themselves
within the hedge Of the law, they, with.
out mercy or pity, take every advantage
that the law will let them. They cs.
cape the inIamy and punishment which,
commonly beial the impoiiHc wights
who arc versed in the black art Of down.
right rcguey. Thus they walk in .
plain and safe path. An honest reputa-
ZION is their passport, and the laws Of
society are their protection These are
your hard honest men, who are honest
merely for their own safety and profit
and arc just as selfish in their honesty as
in every thing else. True enough, the
poet is worthy OF apprehension il hE
meant ,hcm. But though the fear u
disgrace or punishment. and the desitt
ol a far character may give birth to 8
crcditablc but contracted ana spurious
kind of honesty, which has in j, nothing
Of the dignity Of virtue; yet the truly
honest man, however low in circumstan,
ccs or mean in parts, is one Of Virtues
nobility.
The truly honest man would he Just
as honest without law as with it. Guid..
ed by the paramount authority Of con.
science, he neither withhoIds anght nor
exacts aught on the mere plea that civil
law is on his side.
The truly honest man is he who
makes it a cardinal point to do TO others
as he would be done unto; and who de-
cidcs with justice, when self interest and
justice are in opposite scales.
The truly honest man is never osten.
ta,ious Of his honesty. OstcntaioD of it
is always an i'll sign: it looks like put.
ting on patch to hide pimplc,
But enough Of defnition. One GOOD
example is worth score of definitions
and the following example oil will allow
to be good one. The anecdote is Civ.
cn in St. Picrre's Studies of Nature.
"In the last war in Germany, a cap..
tain of the cavalry was ordered out on q
foraging party. He put himself at thS
head Of his troop, and marched to the
quarter assigned him. 1t was solitary
valley in which hardly any thing but
woods could be seen. In the midst Of
it stood little cottage on perceiving il.
he went up and knocked AZ the door |:
out comes an ancient HernouieD,s with
a beard sivcred with age +" Father"
says the officer shew me field wbere
I can set my troop a.fofaging." Pre-
sently," replied the Henouten. The
good old man walked before, and con-
Quoted them out Of the valley. After .
quarter OF an hours march, they found a
fine field Of barley :--" There is the
very thing we want" says The captain.
90 Have nat,ence far q Es.,v minutes -