The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register., 1824-10-07
WILMINGTON, DEL. OCTOBER 2, 1924.

hesitation but Fancy was kind and gentle
FORTRESS, she held her gate wide open and vel
coined all equally to the district under her super
intendency, so that the passage was croudcd by
all those who either feared the examination of
Reason or had been rejected by her
From the gate of Reason there was way to
the throne of Hope, by a craggy, slippery, and
winding path, called the Strcight of Difficulty,
which those who entered with the permission of
the guard cndcavour to climb. But though they
surveyed the way very carefully before they be-
gan to rise, and marked out the several stages of
their progress, they commonly found unexpected
obstacles, and were obliged frequently to stop on
the sudden, where they imagined the way plain
and even. A thousand ntricacies embarrassed
them, thousand pitfalls impedcd their advance.
| So formidable were the dangers, and so frequent
the miscarriagcs, that many returned from the
first attempt, and pany tainted in the midst of the
way, and only avery small number were led up to
the summit of hope by the hand of Fortitudc. OF
these few the greater part, when they had obtain
cd the gift which Hope had promised them, regret
ted the labor which il cost andfct i'll thcirsucccss
the regret of disappointment, the rest retired
with the prize, and were led by Wisdom to the
bowers of Content
Turning then towards the gate of Fancy could
find no way to the scat of Hopes but though she
sat full in view and held out her gifts with an air
ofnvitation, which filed every heart with rapture,
the mountain on that side was Unnecessarily steep,
but so channced and shaded, that none pcrcciv-
ed the impossbty of ascending it, but each M
agincd himslf to have discovered 4 way to which
the rest were strangers. Many cxpedlcnts were
indeed tried by this industrious tribe, OF whom
some were making themselves wings, when
others were trying to actuate by the perpetual
motion. But with all their labour, and all Their
articles, thev never rose above the ground, OF
quickly fell back, nor ever approached the throne
of Hope, but continued still to gaze at distance,
and laugh at the slow progress Of those whom
they saw toiling in the strcght of Difficulty.
Part of the fayoritcs Of Fancy, when they had
5 entered the garden, without making, like the
, rest, an attempt to climb the mountain, turned
immediately to the vale of Idlcncss. calm and
undisturbed retirement, whence they could al
ways have Hope in prospect, and TO which the,
pleased themselves with the hope that she intend
ed speedily to descend. These were indect
!, scorned by all the rest but they seemed yer!
) little affected by contempt, advice, or reprooi
but were resolved to expect at case the favour o
the goddess.
Among this gay race was wandering an'
fonnd them ready to answer all my questions, an'
C willing to communicate their milth but tur1lint
round saw two dreadful monsters entering TIN
J. vale, one of whom knew to be Age and the othe
,f Want. Sport and rcvcng were now at an end
and an universal shrek Of iiightand distress buls
6 out and awokc me.
There is no temper 50 generally indulged
hope and it is well, for hopeis mcessaryn c,er
condition. II is indeed very fallacious, and prom
iscs what it seldom gives but its promises ar
more valuable than the gifts of fortune, and
seldom illustrates us without assuring us OF rt
compcnsing the delay by greater bounty.