Literary cadet and Rhode-Island statesman. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1827-1829, 1827-09-19
A REVIEW, REVIEW ED.

When an individual ventures TO place the !
productions of his mrd before tie pnhlc, 10 |
receive its gaze, admiration, condemnation or
applause, he should remember, that he pre-
sents himself as an object, towards which crit
icism may direct its aims and he who at
temp,s TO criticisc, should be willing that hs
performances should meet with the same fate
! that attends those which offered by others.
To these propositions, pubic writer should
ever accommodate lis mind, and asserting
, TO them, should always be ready 10 be tried by
the ordeal, which is established for the trial
of all, who come before tic world in TIE gdsc
of public writer. Without stopping to eH-
tend these Introductory remarks to any con-
siderable length, We shal. proceed TO notice.
an article which made its appearance in the
Manufacturers and Farmers Journal of Mon
day, purporting TO be a Review OF II recently
! nublished work, entitled Key 10 tie Indian
Language, BY Roger Williams;' and II What
we shall say, shall in the least offend the SEN
sibiites Of the writer OF the article in allusion,
or disturb his good nature. we shall exceed
ingly regret the circumstance; and here 1t be
comes US TO say to him, that VIC shall trea
him, with that respect and regard which w
" are accustomed to extend 10 all, whose writ
- inps happen TO come under our observation
a, and further, that in saying what we shall say
we shall not be actuated by i'll will, i'll nature
cnvy,or any OF those improper emotions whic
. too often govern the actions of mon. W
= shall be candid, ffani; and independents, an
J treat the writer, rlst as we would be treated.
Z The Reviewer common e his essay with I'll
> following paragra ph, which. if it be not vel
u faulty, certainly is very ino!cGan:; and, in OF
= opinion, it is nc. Grannatical'y correct:
5 "The obscurty that involves the priinevi
70 annals Of most nations, has been unilorInly Ii
D. n,ented by their historians and eul2hicne
~ posterty BY the former, because oil theif h'
., ing compelled to substitute vagnr conJcc'uF'
IL and stpers,itioas legends for authentic narr.
DO tive, and by the latter. on account OF the crai
n applyinS these empty whispers o' rnn'9F, cage
~. ly son hit for and implicitly believed by II
'y ignorant, to dcltde and oppresS thcm.'
tits to the second sentence oftho parasr:p P
ai- that we particularly object and we contol
W. that i; does not convey tho meaning OF /
! a writer, and is nothing moro OF less than 40"
he rirI,t nonsense TIE sentence, as /; stare
cx- contains a downright paradox; an absolute i
on. probability, and m nbsurdi'y. That oh'c1r'
al that rwhich1 in, Olives Tie annals OF most
his tons, says the writer, is regretted by III
as historians and enlightened posicrity. fy
out farmer, because Of their being compelled
ere snbs.i.c,c vague conjoctnrcs for authentic n
and ratiyc; and by the latter, because OF " cr"
rip o,,yyipr" these empty whispers Of rnT
.c,s eagerly sought for, and implicitly believed
and tho irnoran,, TO dcludc ana oppross them
ran We think, we can discoYor what the WI
yio- moan, to convey, and if VIC arc not m's'ak
c OF /, is ,his:-It is deeply regretted, by the hi
he rim. and the enlightened citizen Of every
and that the carly annals Of almost every hou
arc arr involved in o5scurty by the h'stor'
gree because in compiling his works, he is ooi'
au- TO rely upon tradtionary tales, rather 'hah
TINT ,hon,,e documents by the enlightened
d in z,n. because these tradtionary tales, are
and l;oyed Inv the ignorant anI designing, ana
GIVE made us Of, TO induce the vindictTe 10
,,,,r. and oprress, a harmless and unoien
-.od rcorlo: for Instance, the Aborigines oi NJ
n,,o- America, and the negroes of Africa IL 'n
. 10 ~, ,hc meaning of the writer, we must
,i,h. ress, that We cannot understand HIM ... ,.u
we LANGUAGE, as it now stands, oonve!s 'h''
meaning. and the only corrce' ih'''0'''
- can be- drawn from it is, that an 0pP''
p'tr people, eagerly seek for the "e"p'y
simply nors" " and cr,nily applying 'hT" 10 u