Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-08-08

Is,rn;,,. me.. who by the spfis hlly ge-
( Z. n;,s have ante tanned the public with some Oh
8. the most amusing and affecting tales thar ever
| 6. Ed boror tn the neart and who ny their poe
8. tcal PRODUCTIONS have raised the literary rsPu-
g tstion of their country at home and abroad
As the understandings OF ne Gentlemen thus
xmnInv.d nv the government are pro badly
more respectful leI.nan that OF their champion,
ii mean mo 1ispara cement TO them by The
frank confession that am i2noran: OF these
s,upendous facts. II the iucubratIon OF va
Isrius flaccus truly evemplhes his taste II
is not impossible tia, by the PoeticsI pro-
" du,tions which have raised the literary
" reputation Of our country, DC. &c " ne
NAV mean the trayesiy rhymes OF Mr. Pauld-
ing. In limiting that the propensity OF the
citizens of Washington TO convert placemen
in,o orators was 2 cbronical disease. stated
tact which subsequent intim alton IN The
National In,elIieencer confirms. and suggest
ed resource TO be used when he whole
cabinet had been exhibited. The clerks and
aldermen were mentioned, without any DIS
position to offensive sarcasm, merely as spe-
cifcations under the Ofhca genus, and II they
are dispiay.d in ludicrous attitude. ii Is III
the indiscreet panegyric OF their colleague.
The excupat,on OF The Secretary from the
charge OF using the servile language OF ad-
ulation.'' and .'crouching under the smile OF
sycophant affabili,y" is, il correctly solve
this conundrum, altogether superogatory,
for | never ascribed TO that statesman any
thing like address. On the conlrary.l willing.
" admit the total want, in bis instance OF
the Z" suayiter in modo" but It is so amply
compensated by an excess of the ''foriter IN
re" that abstracledy would applaud his in;
dexibilIty in pursuing single oolect, anu
bis fertility in providing eXpeoienls for sue.
cess. His political bark has constantly
sought one barbor. bu, the skiful navigator
has consulted and obeyed the veering wind.
Though certainly deemed great caution ne
cessary in the expression OF any sentiments
by the Secretary of State, Valerius Flaccus
errs in supposing that | inclined to re-
commend a "Jesuitcal policy" to that
personape The mouition would have been
superfuuus.
I In averring that no extraordinary expec'a!..
lions we've entertained Ui The " Address,,
our eulogist invites a controversy when Is
now idle, unless The object be to rindIcate
the perspicaci,y of the Washington sd1dns.
His illustrative succedaDeum to- An argument
Els snguIarly unhappy. Because those great
docto,s OF rhetoric, Aristotle and Quinlilian,
were not practical orators, Va,erius FLAG
Gus opines that tie former sCholastlck occu-
patton of the Secretary did not authorize The
hone of a future Cicero-a position in which
entirely concur. But denial lh,t his Cir
cumstance would suggest an expectation that
the orators obedience TO the rhetorical Ca
mons would be exemplary, or at least that
he would not Iicenliou>ly J. wade them. can
proceed only from that hallucinatlon to which
aIdisastrous cause always suhects.a feeble ad.
vocate. Both of the worthless to whom the
Sec'ry has been thus adventurousiy COM
pared were eloquent writer's, and never
violated their own rules. The qualitica-
tions of scholar VINO had been he Mer-
curry of the "hterary emporium and its
adjacent University, were, 1T might be
presumed. suitable to that character, and
no prophet could foresee that enmity to
England would stimulate him to disre-
gard the laws of criticism, because her au-
thors had established or observed them
1t was then, let me reassert, quite natu-
raj to expect unusual elegance Of diction
from a teacher Of Rhetorick.
Though did not say, as Valerius FLAG
Gus would insinuate, that the Attorney
General refused on principle to "pro-
nounce haransue," really doubt wheth-
err under circumstances Of complete lels-
ure that this accomplished and magnanl-
nous orator would, while member OF
the American cabinet, have consented so
to exercise his abilities. lie would proc
ABLY have refused to countenance prac-
tice which may hereafter make the ce!e-
braton of our anniversary an election
eering sequel to the anti republican eau
Gus But had he accepted the invitation,
his efforts would have produced not a tu-
mid and libel Gus rhapsody. but an ora
ton honorable to his country and to his
own illustrious and increasing fame.
To attemp, justification OF the Secreta-
rvs enterprise by the precede ut OF the Fed
eralst argues ignorance or iOrge;fulness OF
the object which Influenced the enlightened
patriots who composed that work.
With his usual tecundity of epithtts and
contempt TOR facts, the Washington Cobbett
asks -
"Why this sorrowful complaint, this detected
visage and irascible protest, when an American
Secretary in his private character, retorts upon
:. the tansgressors, and chastiscs them bv his
"keen and pointed irony, for their insolence and
{. contumely"
Without attempting to reconcile some Of
these phrases with the previous accusation
of" indignant dislike" and " rancorous hos
tility," | have only to remark that any ex-
pressions betokening apprehensve humility
are so unfaitbful to my feelings that cannot
possibly have used them. As to keen y poin-
led irony" certainly never ascribed such
qualities to the address," and if the con.
cession of an adversary is valuable, cheer
fully aft that wit is by no means its be-
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