Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1821-05-28


an erteot of eight feet, and its entrance was
guarded by The tyrant Of the American 10
rest.
A comyarative uiep Of the Dispositions
and Notices Of Mankind.
found my subjects amiesbly join
To lessen their defects by telling mine.
Prior.
The best of men have their imperfections.
and the worst love their virtues. l never
knew a person in whom the eye OF CAM
dour could not discover something to be COM
mepded, or one with whom the tongue Of H.
libe.slity could moi End fault with. 1t IS rare
that the trus character of person is given;
II is usually taken ez porte; his beauties are
displayed and his tstormilies concealed; or
his vices are remembered, and his virtues
forgotten. Mankind are apt to run upon
extremes in all things; but in nothing more
than in the opinions they form, or express OF
one another. Passion and prejudice. party
spirit and zeal. are very ofic,ous intruders
in this business; humanity and philosophy
sometimes blushingly step forward, and with
persuasiv emotions bias the mind, while
envy and malice, and their serpentine wind
ings, crawl in and corrupt the judgment;
and pride and malice are as yociferous as
harpies.
Every man who appears upon the stage OF
life, especially if he has all important part TO
act, is most critically observed on bis first
entrance, and as be advances be becomes
the more conspicuous; a be rises, at every
step he lskes he becomes more and more the
object of attention; every motion is observ-
ed. Some look for perfectioLs, but more for
imperfections; fewlook equally for bolh.-
II be happens TO begin bis ascent in pros.
porous gale of fortune, be is hoisted up by
universal applause; every one expects, as he
approaches near the summit, 10 see him i'm
maculste; thus partial, they expect in him
that perfection which is not the lot of blu.
mainly; and when their prejudces have sub
sided. they discover that be is mortal; they
see him heir to human imperfections. Dis
appointed at the discovery, they view him as
dangerous and corrupt; not considering that
the change is more in their own inaginaiions
than the person who is The Object Of them;
they now watch for.faults, more eagerly than
before for virtues land the most pure OF man.
kind has too many blenishes to conceal them
all from eagle eyed Jealousy; the cry is ne
yer turned, and he is illuminated by the
crowd.
A very sensible and good man, and an ex-
empIary divine, once told me, that when be
was presented to living, bis Pensioners
looked upon as a sort of angel; lew years,
he said, convinced them of their error; and
then, said he, they all agreed that must be
devil. The truth was, that this man was
neither devil nor angel; but if viewed with
an impartial eye, and bis projections and
imperiectioBs both considered, would have
been found to be very worthy man. Men
in high stations in lie are too often treated
in this way: sometimes they have too much
merit ascribed to them. but oftener too lit
lie. Envy is very officious on these occa-
sions: people are apt TO imagine " hen they
see person rising in the world, that he is
risi.g from their ruins. The applause gi-
ven TO rising character, seems to echo re-
proach TO then; they Immediately set them
elves to work TO retain their supposed me-
rled importance; and as is always The case
with weak minds, they begin at the wrong
end: instead Of correcting their own faults,
their whole time is employed in hunting FIR
toibles in the man oil emnence. the object
Of their envy; and il in him they can disco
yer bl-misbes, they are spread as wells for
their own. Unhappy mortaIs! pi,iful is
your employment! Well would it be for ye,
did ye consider that The washing of your
own hands would make you much more
clearly and comely, than defiling them the
more, by dwelling ON the faults of others.
ANONYMOUS.
Norfolk, Mag g.
EPISCOPAL AONvENTION
The Convent ion of tho prota,tort E,;,