Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1838-06-12
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TU3gpAz. JUNE 4e.
TIE SOUTHERN LITERARY.
MESSENCER.

becoming more valuable, and It IS witt
Measure we observe that its circulation i
extending in Mississippi. It is edited with
great ability, and the articles Of its cor
respondents reflect high honor uponit j. i
! IS moi frequently that we have the oppor-
tunity Of perusing the MESSENGER, and
regret that it is SO but whenever we do
psTuse it, we invariably find something in
| its columns worth the price Of subserP-
ton. Ws-have just risen from the peru
sal Of the May number, and find i en-
grDssingIy interesting and, in endeavor.
ing to find something to re.publish, we de.
cided upon making an extract from an ar.
ticle entitled DesuEtoTy thoughts on Hu-
nan C.saMRy and HersatiEty,-by a
SOEthrOn." We would here remark
that the "MEssENGER" can be obtained Of
]. w. CARRoLL, Esq, who is its author.
lied agent in Columbus. But to the ex-
tract:
The human mind, emancipated in this
happy country from every fetter, riots in
its liberty and runs into extremes. The
trammels Of prejudice having been thrown
aside, we look to the benign light of rea.
son alone to direct our pursuit Of truth.
But unhappily the mists Of passion and
the igneS fatl1 of theoretic notions, en-
tice US from the paths oftrue wisdom, and
we wander backwards and forwards in the
trackless regions of boundless specula-
lation. The inevitable consequence is,
that all principles are unsettled and all
all opinions unstable. There is nothing
sure, nothing sacred, nothing immutable
among US. We have no axioms Tin poll
tics, at least which may not be contested,
no postulates which may not be denied.
The great problem yet to be solved BY
the statesmen of tn, country, is to give
steadfastness to opinions and stability to
principle to correct that perpetual ten
dency to change which gives some fitness
to the comparison Of republic to YES.
sci that is tossed upon the unquiet waves
of the never resting ocean. This prob
lem cor only be solved through the ageI.
cy of education; not in the learning oi
the schools alone, or in the acquisition Of
wretchcd smattering in ancient tongues,
but in the great lessons of wisdom and
virtue also, We must, in this respect at
least, take our model from the ancient
philosophers. Our youth must be taught
things as we'll as rordS. The schools Of
ethics must devote themselves less to the
metaphysics Of the science, than to the
great and practic Il principles of true wis
dom. The pulpit, instead Of being con-
fined to the mysteries Of theology and the
discussion of intricate points of doctrine,
must cOndescend to instruct their flOcks
in the great duties Of life. They must
mingle with the lessons of christianity, the
inculcation Of the beauty of virtue and the
temporal as well as eternal advantages Of
a pure and sublime morality. That, af.
ter all, is the only foundation upon which
political philosophy can firmly rest. The
principles of right and wrong are in.
grained in the nature of things. They
are as eternal and immutable as the heav
ems from which they emanate. VIVA
rests upon them will be steadfast and en-
during. instead of undergoing that perpet
ual vacillation which is fated to every in
stitution built upon the principles of ga
dulterated metaphysics"
/ shall conclude my "rambles" by I
short quotation from Edmund Burke
though his political speculations are in YER,
bad odor with us. In bis splendid declama
tons in defence of Anticipated error, ther
is nevertheless intermingled much pre-
found wisdom, which our. prejudice
against him and his opinions ought not /
lead u to disregard. Though he ma
cherish too far the growth of our preiud
ces, it behooves US to take care that in a
tempting to eradicate them, we do not ro'
out also our most valuable principles. L,
us not destroy the wheat in pulling up II
) tares. Letus be careful, while we dis
? buse the mind of pernicions preiudices,
fill their place with the sound and well r
fected opinions of wise and Virtuous mel
let US "engage the mind in stead
l course Of wisdom andof virtue" and f
it with good principles "of ready app
o cation in the emergency" so that the ms
n may not " be left hesitating in the nome
. Of decision, skeptical, puzzled, and unr
solved" You SEQ, sir,"' says N
= Burke "that in this enlightened age
Z am bold enough to confess that we a
u generally men Of uniaught feelings th
e instead Of casting away all our old pre-
y dices, we cherish them to a very console
Z able degree, and, to make more shame.
= ourselves, we cherish them because III
. are preiudices and the longer they ha
I. lasted and the more generally they ha
Or prevailed, the more we cherish them. Y
n are afraid to put men to live and trade ca
p on his own private stock Of reason,
y cause we suspect that the stock in ca
4 !; man is small, and that the indiVidu
would do better to avail themselves Of |
= General bank and capital Of nations a
al ares. Many of our men Of speculate
ie instead Of exploding general Prejudic
2 employ their saEacity to discover the
= ent wisdom which prevails 70 them;
4 they find what they seek, and they seld'
fail, they think Il more wise to contlI
be- the prejudice, with The rea-on inyolv
p thant to cast away the coat Of prejuO
~ and leave nothing but the naked reaso
= because prejudice with its reason hal
Il motive to give action TO that reason q
Of an affection which viii give i perm,
en- ence. Prejudiceis Of ready application
Be emergency i previously engages