Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-01-17
To the men Of Newspapers, ,oho call them
sefpes tie Editors of me Morning Courier

10 ne men " ''cOSpupefS, oO"o CdH SNe"S
sefpes tie Editors offhe Morning Courier.
Esteemed fr,cnds-As ye seem TO be less ad.
die ed 10 the fashionable vice Of lying than most
Of thy brethren Of The broad shee:, ! think il
NEE, 10 Carry my COM clemens unto thee touch
Jug that sort Of ialsehoods called compliments,
hich men and women in this misc allied "age
Of intellect" delight 10 indulge in. file tina,
write,h letter nova days to a common ac-
quain,ance ordinarily tflleth two lies-one a,
the beginning and the Other at NE enh Of his
leues, besides tie manifold unIru,hs which may
he contained 10 the body Of it, to wrt:-'My
dear Sir or madam And 81 am your faithful
or mos, humble servant" Sc that 10 Judge
Of this people by their correspondence stran
ger would suppose them filed with love one 10
wards ano, her, aud with all humility snd faith
fulness How lar such a Judgment would be
from the truth thou knowest, and all men
may know nv an example which l shJ,l now
mention. The man Of war, Arthur Wellesley,
" tho calls,h himself the Duke Of Wellington,
did in the year 1927 4th month, write certain
letters unto noth.r man, who has since been
taken out Of time, and whom h. called my dear
Mr. Canning, The purpor, oil those letters as
20 inform Gcorg, Canning that he was So lutte
dear untu he writer Of them, that hardly any
could be less so. II was moreover plain tina,
the i,.r thought il dishonoI able serve
the king I'D r he instructions OF the
man to WHOM he wro'e, aud ye' ne ended onr
Of his mos, angr, letters with this conclusion
81 have The honor 10 bt, my dear MIR. Can"ing
yoar mos faithful! and obedien, servant"
leave ,hec TO Judge how he could think Il an
honor to be the servant Of man whose fellow
servant he disdaned To be: or how he could
pronounce himself obedient unto him whose
authority IN that very letter he did utterly alb.
lure and r. iect LIZ, so much suffice Tor the
ruth Of "polite letter writer's" Common con-
versarion is not J BIZ more sincere. The first
saula,ion one neighhor gi'eth to another is
most usually lie, or rather may say two lies
- am glad To ST. e thee, hope thou art well, I"
seeing that few care whelh their neighbor be
well or sick, or feel any manner of Joy al be-
holding him. This day man called gentle>
man, who Is my debtor. said unto mel am
sorry was not at home when thou calledst
Yesterday" Friend" replied, "do not lie :,
thou cans' not be sorry for that which thou
knowes' did not happen. t~ish thou wer, at
home, for overheard thee when thou oldest
lhy serving maiden TO tell the lie in thy behalf
The man WA unreasona bic enough 10 fall into
mighty passion hereupon, and 10 revile me as
thou h were person Of no civiliy. But ci-
vili,y des,royeth not knowledge am obliged
by tiviliry neither 10 believe or speak lie.
Mex, comes slanderous lies, Of which an ex.
ample very hurtful 10 my feelings occurred
lately in 4 young lawyer telling me that! was
a I'D lood fellow" whereas neither by
loose talk, nor uhclean living, had given him
cause TO entertain so uncharilable an opinion
about me. Yea, rather, may say, had shown
the lad no small kindness. But verify believe
he did DOT mean the thing he said. The same
youth Che is native Of IreIandD 5eholding my
sister with look Of admiration, and, it may be
Of desire, declared she is "de,ilish pretty
girl." Had he called her harlot, he could
not have used more injurious or groundess
imputs,ion. The damsei, # TRUTH is sober,
and OF modest carriage, and, as far as can dis
Germ, hath nothing diabolical in her natuie more
han her traducer Nay, peradven,ure, moi SO
much, for she belonge,h no! to the profession
Df The law.
I desire that thou woulcst reprove thy truth
1esp,sing readers for these AND s'chiike rams
,ressions. No more at present f.om i'y friend.
TIMOTHY TELLTRUrH.