Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-07-26
THURSDAY. JULY 90, 1921.

biers to a writer they admire anu oy
kind of grand militaire menouore, to
force themselves into a comparison with
the same, which but for such art would
never have been noticed, and even when
noticed, has always had the effect OF oc-
casioning contempt, as the reward OF I'M
beetle competition, Under such circum-
stances has a writer, who styles himself
~Cassius, ushered in his letters. After
the rich and dainty repast, had been serv-
ed up by the elegant Sulpitius, the public
mind could i'll turn to his indifferent re-
marks. and more Indifferent language
However he comes out with an unblush-
ing ~couatenance, regrets the comparison
that may naturally occur, between him
and his classical ally, and insinuates that
the learned Secretary, is too highly culpa-
bic to be utterly discounted, without the
assistance of his most luminous pen
What excuse can he alledge for such un
pardonable vanitye Can he get over that
which is expressed in terms so gross and
bareiaced? if he can he is wiser than l
thought he was, he is possessed of more
subtleness, and a larger portion of rivaci-
" of intellect, than from the compositions
of his brain, i had any right to expect. &
from the trite periods of his pen and rea-
son 20 imagine. Let him not however,
suppose that he has past unnoticed. The
toad is frequently observed on account OF
his deformity, and admiration and disgust
have often the ike power of rivetting at
~tention. He must not hope his style is
free from error, or his opinions from crit
icism; the critic he must have known
vas in as much danger of being dashed as
the criticised, and that it is only he who
wantonly sports in abuse, that is incapa-
bic of withstanding the shaft of the abu-
GER FaIsehoods have eienow owed their
origin to 4 hebescency of understanding
and the fact seems 70 be strengthened IN
the compositions of Cassius. For where
could have been the propriety OF his say
inc that the Intelligent part of the commu-
nifty were against Mr.. Adams delivering
his address" unless he wished to say
something that SulpitiuS had not previous
ly said, or to make up the deprivation of
thought " the aid of deliberate mendaci-
". Bat let US examine his letters.
With merely mentioning the tautology
of " vacant spaces" and the presumption
of fully stating what Mr.. Adams ought
to have said, we will proceed to notice
the obscurity of the sentence, warmed
with the triumphs, pkich succeeded the
bright epoch he was celebrating, he would
have pointed to others, uhich they might
hope, and ahieh they were bound to at
chieve." Here besides the inelegancies
of using the relative pronoun SO frequent
" in the same sentence, there is an un-
meaningless and obscurity in the whole,
and we are doubtful. whether, in the last
instance it is meant to refer to "others'
as agreeing with persons" understood,
or 10 sothers' as connected with
sstriumphs" Two or three sentences be-
low this, we have an enumeration OF the
principles that Mr.. Adams, ought to have
embodied in his address, and the follow
ing remark. "That by these the Joun-
dations of a mighty empire had been
laid, and heaven and earth demanded OF
the present and future generations to
complete the magnificent structure" A
foundation is generally succeeded by a
structure, so that, if there is more than
one foundation, there must be as many
structures. Towards the close of his last
letter he SAYS that by instilling virtues of
this kind, "he would have hoped and
with reason too, that they might be pro-
ductive of permanent good; the conscious
ness of which SC" That the conscious
ness of a mans having hoped should be
productive of good, is certainly a view that
has never been taken by any of Cassius's
epistolary predecessors, and on that &C
count he may lay claim to the title of orisi-
nAlity, tho at the expence of truth, for no
one will affirm that hope is any thing but