The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1821-1823, 1821-07-25
From the Northern Whig.1

The following brief sketch of the most impor-
tant epoch in the life of man, is taken from a
lately published novel, entitled, the 6 Earth
quake,n and written by one of the contribut-.
ors to Blackwood's Magazine. The author,
we think, has touched upon a theme familiar
TO every heart-for here the heart may we'll
cl&im precedence of the mind. To adopt (for
only once) the language of Ossian, his
thoughts come over us as the visions of days
that are gomez
"Perhaps no incident in the fortunes
of men occasions more painful contrast
Of feeling, than the tanned and subjected
state of mind with which an adventurer
revisits the scenes of his youth, wheth-
er his career has been prosperous or
unfortunate for, among all the truths
which experience teaches, there is none
more manifest than this, that mankind
universally set out in life with false
estimate of that world into which they
are entering. This is so apparent, that
even the most inattentive observe it
and those who are least in the practice
of moralizing, cannot help sometimes
making it the subject of their remarks.
Every man, however humble his station,
who has encountered the shock and
contention of active life, must be sensi-
BILE that he now views mankind, and
their condition, in very different light
from that in which, he once saw them;
and, however unable he may be at first
to describe to himself the nature of the
change, he feels that it is real and inn
portant, and knows that it is the result
of his experience. Let him examine
himself more closely, and he will find
it to be this :: he has discovered the world
to be much more serious, trying, and
difficult scene and those who live in
it a more severe, rigorous, and unfriend-
ly set of beings, than he was previously
aware of, or could have at all imagined.
This ungrateful lesson is indeed gradu-
ally learned; and seldom without a de-
gree of indignant surprise, and pain
fui revulsion Of former feelings. The
ingenious mind of youth struggles long
with the unwelcome information; ad-
mits it slowly and unwillingly; and often
wholly rejects it as false, before If final
ly adopts it as too. certain to be any
longer doubted There is, indeed, some
thing in the situation of a young man,
who has just taken upon himself the d.
rection of his actions, we had almost
said hard, if any thing could be Justly
sailed so which is the necessary result
of the natural constitution of man and Of
society. The contrast betwixt his con-
fidence and bis inexperience, his securi-
ty and his danger, is striking. and affect
ing.
g Accustomed to be guided and d.
rected in all things by the judgment of
his parents-to receive from their hands
the supply Of his, wants, and to fly to
their affectionate bosoms for refuge and
consolation. In: his little distresses-to
suffer only a. slight and unwilling chas-
tisement for his most serious offences,
and to be Immediately restored to more
than former favour-he cannot, for
long time, conceive the vast weight of
responsibility which he takes upon him
self by becoming his own master, nor
convince himself of the hard necessity
that rules in the world Habituated
from, his earliest years to connect safety
and protection with the attachment of
his friends, he is unable to disjoin ideas
SO firmly linked together, and, with the
liberty of man, continues to act with
the unthinking security of a, child; not
rejecting that every man is constituted
by nature his own sole protector, and
can have no other safeguard than his IN
dividual frmness and prudence !; nor OBJ
serving what he may one day feel, that
in all the most essential points of human
interest he stands as much alone. as en-
tirely separated from all effectual sup
port, as the most friendless and destitute
Of mankind