Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1825-12-24
with neighbor nations: nobody agrees,
nobody knows what it is. AT least we

do uOt-that is CERTAIN.
There is civilization in arts, civlllza-
ton in laws and government, civiliza-
ton in dress, civilization in war, civil
liza,ion in courtship, civilization IN
marriage, civilization in eating and
drinking, civilization in music, and SO
ON; but the fighting, and the marrying,
| and the legisIating, and the counting,
| and the drinking, differ between pole
and pole, just as much as the latitudes
do; and if some people think others un'
| civilized, in these and other matters
| in return, other people are of opinion,
that they are the sole possessors OF cl'
| yilization, and that all The same peo'
ple are barbarians. 1t is really very
difficult problem. Who shall decide!
The Persians have been a civilized
| people since the time of-Rustam per-
haps-certainly before Cyrus. Aha
| suerus was highly civilized person
| age. Every one knows that there is
no stronger proof Of civilization than
to possess gallows: we need not quote
the we'll known story in confirmation.
Now the gallows of Hannah washtty
feet high. Besides, he was very CHI
valrous parsonage; he gave his lady
love not only the lives OF ali her friends
but those Of all her enemies. But why
talk of the civilization of ancient Per-
STA, or of modern Persia? They are
dandies in dress and in horses: they e
vince their civilization as Solomon did,
BY the abundance OF their wiyes-by
their seats in religion-by their poetry
by their Ministerial intrigues-by
their attachment and submission to
Monarchy, that most gentcel and civil
lied Of all the modes of government.
And what do the Same people think
Of Other people? They handle their
| meat with their fingers, s others prick
their mouths with horrid forks; they
delight in sitting still, as becomes gen.
Etility and nothing-to-do-ishness; Other
people are always vulgarly busy and
walking about-always in a fuss. They
use language for the very purposes Tor
which i, was intended-to concea their
sentiments; Other people do the same.
But when it is discovered that Other
people do so, by the other Others, the
gentleman must submit to be shot that
he may prove his-what? his falsehood
or his. veracity: and the shooter is al.
lowed to commit second injury, tina,
he may prove he has not committed
the first Persia thinks this barbarism
England civilization. Thus opini-
ons differ.
| In Arabia, he who has eaten Of his
friends dinner is sacred, though ht
were an enemy. In Europe, the safest
and oest way officiating your friend is
10 dine him well. Dine him as much
as you may, you may cheat him al din
ner, cheat him before dinner, chea,
him after dinner. Abuse him after he
is gone-vote him bore-ask him fol
the sole purpose of binding his eyes
Stab him at dinner, as the civilized and
chivalrous Eighlanders did. Poison
his drink, as they did in civilized We
nice. Seduce and abuse his wife, a:
they do every where. That is civiliza
ton in Arabia: this is civilization ir
Europe. So civilizations differ.
In Negroland, Mumbo Jumbo keeps
all the bad wives in order; the people
are too civilized to penetrate the mys-
terry which they know. In England
the Chancellor * the House Of Lords
and Doctors Commons, and the She
riffs Court, and Juries special and non
special, labour at the same trade; and
the wives will not keep order, and eve,
ry body prizes into the mystery, and the
"murtler is out" and one murder
makes many more, and-so civiliza
tons differ.
In France, if fYail woman errs, all the
sex strive to conceal the error in which
all the sex must reilcctieely participate
Civilization argues tina, no good Car
arise from persecution and disclosure
that nothing but evil can follow if i,
be untrae, and that no good can accrue
if well founded. Civilization, in Eng,
land, raises up in arms the whole sex,
to denounoe the lapse from virtue
.Acharnement pursues the reality, and
SANDER and scandal the suspicion
Thus do civilizations differ, by the
short interval Of ola Manche Britain
nique."
In the matter Of wives again: in Tur-
key, the man permits her no liberties;
but now and then he sews her up in a
sack, aud throws her into the Dospho-
rus or the Black Sea. In England she
is permitted all liberties; and when
she has taken one too many, the mat
ter is arranged by means ofa woolsack,
in somewhat more operose manner.
Each is esteemed, in each land, the es-
sence Of civilization.
Thus also do civilizations differ, in
other matters; greater and less, less and
greater. In Arabia Felix, bag of
sand goes for as much money as any
one chooses to say that it contains; in
England it sells for halfpenny. A