Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1830-07-13


amenabe TO military criticism. In other res
meets the SQUADRON was fine one. CONSISTING VI
bapdsome men. we'll mounted and armed al their
o,vn exnense. NV attention 10 the corps TOOK
up a good deal of time; and while II occupied
many Of the happiest hours of my life, II furnish
ed an additional reason for my reluctance again
"a encounter the severe course ct study indiSPeh-
s,bIe 70 success in the juridical profession. oh
tbe other hand. nv father, whose feelings might |
have been hurt by my quitting the par, hau oeeh
for run ar three wears dead; so that L hau no
control 10 thwart my own inclination; ana my
income being equal TO all the comforts, ana some
of the elegancies of life, was not pressea 10 an
irksome labor by necessity, that most powerful VI
motives; consequently. was the more easily Sc
duced to choose the employment most asreeaoie'
This was vet the easier. that IN ioou nau oota'h
ed the preferment OF Sheriff OF eeiSiFSsnire'
obov+ psn0 . wear n value. and which was the
mnre agreeable 10 me as in that county had
aa,.srsI friends and relations. But did not a.
bsndon the profession to which had been edu--
catad. without certain prudential resolutions,
which at the risk Of some egotiSn, Will here
mentions: not without the hope that they NAV De
useful 20 Young persons who NAV stand IN clrcum'
stances similar 10 those in which then Stood
In the fr.t place, upon considering the lives and
, fortunes Of persons who had gwen themselves up
10 literature or to the task oil pleasing the Puolic'
" seemed 10 me that the circumstances when
chiefly effected their happiness and character
| were those from which Horace has bestowed
upan authors the epithet Of the irritable race
| II requires no depth Of philsophlc reflection
to perceive. that the petty warfare OF rope win
the ounces Of his period could not have been car
RED Oh without his suffering the most acute tor
tnre. such a. a man must endure from musqul-
toes. By whose stings he suffers agony, although
| he can crush them in his grasp by myrlads. Nor
is il necessary TO call To memory the many hl-
Imiliatiu, instances in which men Of tie greatest
Genius have. to avenge some piufu quarrel, made
| themselves ridiculous during their lives. to be-
come the still more degraded objects OF pity 10
future time. Upon the whole. rs had no pre-
lrension to the genius of the distinguished persons
who had fallen into such errors, | concluded
there could be no occasion for initiating them IN
these mistakes, or what ] considered as such;
and. in adopting literary pursuits as the prncl-
pal occupation of nv future life, resolved, II
possible TO avoid those weaknesses of temper
which seemed TO have most easily beset my more
celebr a,ed predecessors. With this view. 1t was
nv FIRST resolution to keep, as far as was in my
power, abreast of society; continuing TO main
ain NV place in general company, without weld
IN to the very natural temptation o! narrowing
myself to what is called literary society. Bv Sc
doing, imagined | should escape the besettine
s!u of listening to language which. from one mo-
indeed, the business. rather than the amusement
of If. The opposite course can onl, be com
pared TO the iniudicioIs conduct of one who pam.
pefs himself with cordial and luscious draughts,
until ne is unable 10 endure wholesome bitters
Like Oil Bias, therefore. resolved 10 stick BY
the society of my contiS. instead of seeking that
OF more literary cast; and to maintain nv ee
neral interest IN what was going on around me.
reserving the man of letters for the desk and Ii.
hTarv. Nv second resolution was corolIary
from the first. determined that. without shut
uCg my ears 10 the voice of true criticism. would
pa, 40 regard TO that which assumes the form of
satire. ttherefore resolved 10 arm mvself with
the triple brass Of Horace. against all The rovin.
warfare of satire, parody. and sarcasm; 70 LAUGH
II the Jest good one, or il otherwise. to let
it hum and buzz itself to sleep. Ii is to the OBJ
servance Of these rules, according 10 nv best
belief that. after life of thirty wears engaged
in literary labor, Of various kinds. attribute nv
never having been entangled in anv llrerary quar-
rel Or controversy: and. which is moro pleasing
result. that | have been distinguished Dv the
personal friendship of my most approved conren-
poraries of all parties.
adopted, ar the same time. another resolution.
on which it may doubtless be remarked, that it
was we'll for me that had it in nv power 20 do
so. and that. therefore, it is line Of conduct
which can b. less generally applicable in other
cases. Yet fail not TO record this part of my
plan, convinced that. though IL NAV not be in
every ones power To adopt exactly rhe same reso-
luton. he NAV nevertheless, by his own exertions
in some shape or other. attain the object on which
it was founded: namely, TO secure the means of
subsistence, without RELYING exclusively on lite
rsry talents. In this respect. determined that
literature should be my staff but not nv crutch:
and that the profits of my labor. however conve-
nient otherwise, should not become necessary
10 my ordinary expenses. With this purpose l
resolved, if the interest Of nv friends could so ia
vor me, 10 retire upon any the respectable Offices
OF the law IN which persons of that profession
ae glad TO take refuge when they feel themselves.
OR are Judged by others. incompetent to aspire
to its hisher offices and hcnors. Upon such an
Office an author might hope TO retreat, without
any nprcpDtihla alteration of whom