Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1840-12-31

o tons Il government like ours when faithful,
/ administered. 1t guarantees TO you persona
n security and personal liberty. freedom o
S action, speech and thought. The courts o
), Justice are open TO all. No man, however
d ich or poweItul,ca with impunity intlict in
v Jury or insult upon the poor, the widow
It or the orphan. The humblest hut is a castle
', TO lis owner,and under the broad shield of the
aw, his and his children's sleep is unbroken
4 The poor man sits lord of his little tenement
2 and no tyrant hand dare drag him thence 10
I ehaln9 or suffering. Vice alone is put I'M
1 der the ban, while Virtue claims anu receives
=, the protection of the state. Will you not
the see for yourselves whether these nsti-
tut'cns, winch guarantee Il you such pryile-
ges, be In truth endangered ! VIII vol not
enquire whether your servants and trustees
: have proved false 10 your interests and their
promises, have betrayed their trusts and be-
come your masters And will you not quail
9y yourselves for those duties by imbuing
your minds with the spirit of intelligence
besecch you go aboutit at once, and no Ion
ger pm your faith 10 any mans sleeve, or
trust your liberty, your property and your
happiness, in the hands of any man untcaicl-
| ed
But il is not alone in reference 10 proper
discharge OF your political duties that
would consider the advantages of Education.
/
relations Is yet more powerful and salutary.-
Even In III your ordinary intercourse with
your fellow its effects are manifold and
Invaluable. Itproiects you against the tricke-
| ry OF knaves-enables you TO appreciate mer-
1t, being an alchemy to soperate the true from
the false, the gold from the dross. 1t lends Il
chaTm to- your conversation and procures you
the society of the great and good--serves to
relieve the tedum of many an otherwise dull
hour in company and points the way to ia
yor and fortune. But when You come to sit
In judgment upon the life, the liberty, or the
property Of a neighbor, as you are daily cal
LED on to 90, how essential, how indispensa.
bic to the rendering Of Just and impartial
verdict that your minds should be highly i'm
proved distinguished jurst of England.
after prcnouncing ali elaborate and beautiful
culogy upon the "Trial by Jury" (Which was
no more than its due; for it is unquestiona-
bly, one OF the most active, efficient, and
widely useful of the hand-maidcns OF Lber-
ty,) proceeds TO cnumerate the various de- |
lecis OF the system, preiacing his remarks |
thereon with the following words-..If ins- |
tlce IS not done TO the entire satisfaction of
the people in this method OF deciding facts, |
IN spite of all encomiums and panegyrics on |
trials at Common Law, they will resort in
search OF that justice TO another tribunal, tho |
more dilatory, tho more expensive, tho more
arbitrary In its form and constitution. -fut
the defects adverted to by him, would add |
another, which, with us, is still more radical |
in its nature and injurious in its consequent
ces, viz ''tho want of intelligence in the |
Jurors ~ Their duty is often OF most az
duons and responsible character, demanding |
high attainnents, clear perception, a cool |
and collected mind, and well-iormed judy |
mcnt, III order TO its faithful discharge. Not
To IDr \ cOi
late numbcrless facts, and, reasoning from
them, to draw right differences and concu- |
sions-bu, not unircquently, the law is so
interviewer with those facts, that they must
decide upon its principles likewise.
In addition to this, the sophistry of ingeni- |
Gus counsel is. brought to bear upon their
minds, to bewilder and mislead thcm-and
the poor juror, perplexed before by the real
difficulties of the question, now becomes con-
founded by the continual cross-fire of the az
tiilery of defamation, technical terms and
hair-drawn distinctions and perhaps either
drops to sleep, iorgets the issue at Bar, re-
solves to cast lots, to be governed by the O.
pinion of brother Juror, or fayorite law
yer, or else to abide by some foregone con-
clusion arrived at before he mad heard the
facts in the case. The lamentable conse-
quence IS, that property is often wrcsted or
withheld from It's true owner, personal secur-
ty and liberty guaranteed TO the guilty and
denied to the innocent, and life itself wrong
fully sacrificed or continued. Honest suit
ors, seeing this, and fearing to trust 4 rood
cause in such Jad hands, are verifying the
prediction of Sir VIM. Blackstone by resort
ing Tor justice, in all civil cases Of moment,
to some other tribunal, whenever, from its ma
ture, il be possible to Withdraw it from the
hands of jury. If you would maintain
the dignity, purity, justice and popular favor
OF this much boosted form of trial; if YOU
would escape the morui ds well as icgnl re-
/ sPonsibiIitics Of error i'll your judgments and
/ 1t you would not suffer in your own persons or
property through the erroneous verdicts of
! your neighbors, come partake Of the blcs-
sings OF education, and aid in imparting it to
others.
again, in thisliie the end and aim of every
man Is, OF should be happincss-that true
and substantial happiness, the pursuit of
! which is lnculcated by the precepts of both
natural and Divine or revealed law. IT'S the
| bourne to which all our steps tend, the object
to the attainment of which all our efforts arc
drected--the land of promise, ever bright and
glorious to the longing vision of the pilgrim,
towards which he looks with the eye Of hope
and desire, and presses with the eager foot
steps Of traveller to the tabled Eldorado-
all covet, all seek it yet how few, alas, ever
reach its EiysiaDfelds III can show you
that Education will give you more ready ac.
cess TO this land of promise, and bring hap.
piness nearer within your reach. you cannot
you VIII not neglect to make use OF its aux.
Hilary aid. Bear with me d few moments
and nope 10 convince you that it is not onl,
an md, but that, if property ordered and di