Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1843-08-12

and that they supreme. and
that knowledge, public spirit, shall henecorth be
honored and unsuccessful in competition with the
tricks OF industrious to adopt and heighten
| instead OF correcting Drawing the mulumde's
freak fury OF the hour, what follow IN
your public affairs but general disorder and dsorganiza
tonf IT, originally the OF men, yet uncorrupted by
of license, giddy aud unskliu il state OF things
like this capable Of thing but aggavatng their faults
No the progress then only be from public
another still dcpluabe. First, and lose
their influence, and without virtue seizcs upon it,
But the Supreme Being has ordered that where virtue
has ceased to be valued too will presently lose
credit that speedily of no of the first and less
OF tho second will suppant with the peopehe of
pncplcd capacity who first debauched their undcrsta.
dings Thus day, with the deprivation of the pub
lie mnd, more and moro destitute oany eminent quail
grow able win the popular favor until alas may
reach the highest honurs that State confer without
understanding, morality. eoquence, decency; and
lac who the best buioon best whiskcy dnkcr, sings
the best vulgar son tells nbad stories best will be the
highest favotc Such the condition of things towards
which country exhibits strong tendency.
The which thus bring about the downfall oi good
government fatally upon sound literature. For
what literature but the image o the national thought us
that Of the national will and aeon1 Both
every where, of positive necessity, adapt themselves
the and the of the governing Glass; and il the
Government sinks into the expression OF the public
pervesion the literature OF the day become equally
nonscnsca and icenuous. In either alike the good, the
true, the pure the elevated, will have lost their power
please, because knowledge and refinement alone
prchond them. First, Them knowledge (Which live
pleased will have degrade itself from its natural office of
enghtoning, and minister ingeniousy the gross
which have the acendcncy will have distoTt
10 produce daubs, the udcrou the strange the horrid
satisfy taste that the simple the correct, the elegant
than any thing else whatever incapable ct affecting
Mere novelty and the rage for change will grow be the
supreme impulse ii the public mind, in letters in GO
NeTnmen literature without tastewithout the pcrcep-
ton of the goodin which the clever sudiously write like
FOOLS land iOos be clever any body) will thus
gradually arise, ineui only further beoong the pre-
yailing folly As Nature wonderfully economical in all
her operations and talent will have become suPeru.
Gus, and moreover the stupid will now write stupidity
and trash with less effort and more naturally than the nen
ous talent viii be shouldered Of intellectual pursuits
out of politics, by btawrer and brawling duress.
and folly undsputed regent Vi letters of liberty and
ct law, OF the stage OF the state OF poetry of politics
When the household books of great countries be.
when the young and fair soace their oudr uncios with
the loose Byron and OF Moore; when the thieves
literature OF Buwer and of Dickens the universal delight
OF old and young; and when every moment that be
snatchcd from these indugeuccs ut corrupted imagination
the daily Gevouring OF class OF newspapers
which the reads the less will he know when
matrons and chase virgins hang delighted the
most shameless columns of the lcenous press; when the
very children gloat the last aThing iblry and
cite among their playmates the revolving details OF the
freshest criminal trial; when fine, the public mind has
lost all soundness and the propagation OF intelligence itself
has besides being just enough degree 10 t for
rather than truth cngendered but incapaciiy be
tent ouch with his lot life and diseased
cessiY for something that shall continually supply the
mind false excitement like that OF alcohol 10 the body
what expect in literature but what we see