Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-12-04

who governs them! The same that governs the
cart which has taken the rens into its own hands
and is charioieer to its own horses the hill, that is
10 say guides it, and its Uis iaerf@ or love of
ieyellng attracts to the bottom contrariwlse TO
Were II was going when horses pulled end drivers
pushed. 1t is remarkably easy way TO travel,
tins downhill of learning and of law !; and great,
consequently, is the laud of our " progress, our
precipitation, the facility of the falling, the Of
letting ourselves CO. OF all the arts and sciences,
pe'haps the science of sinking is the simplest, whe
TIER IN literature or government 1t is the only true
secret of qualifying every body to rule and to write
It the grand democratic method and mystery Of
soconducting public affairs that all men may I'M
destand them and no wisdom be needed to tell
Were they are going TO. Let your Government
decend in all its design, doings, and sayings to the
level OF the lowest understanding, manners, and
morals for if it is any wiser, steadier, more rea
zseAabe, better informed, statesmanlke, more
Patriotic, honeser, soberer, and the like, than the
averge capacity and principle of militia muster
held r of the /" independent voters of a uniyer-
val Suffrage constituency which elects besotted or
worthless Representative, why, plainly then, your
Gover@ent cannot be truly representative one,
and, notexpressing the public wisdom nor wishes,
will not b the popular image, and consequently no
democracy All this is asplain as pike-staff
Well, noN, Government is the Peoples, for the
people to NIKE themselves happy with. Life,
liberty, and t\e pursuit Of happiness" are the ends
Tor which "goernment was instituted among men,"
and OF course Fch is to pursue these after his
own fancy, tasts nose, or judgment. tits following
these that is to Make him happy; who but himself
can tell what win render him SO And, having an
lndeieasible rghtN this end, he has an equal one to
Whatever forms TIN necessary means TO that end
Now foremost of slhh means is knowledge, science
learning, literature. NThc sovereign elementary peo
PEE therefore, are TIN true lords of literature as of
ppitics, and can be TIE only competent as they are
the only rghtful judges of what is for their good in
ttat line. Who but themselves can tell what are
their wants, what will bs for their happiness? Are
they not as skilful in letters as in Government?
Shall an autocrat of art or science impose his yoke
On their free-born souls Shall an aristocracy of
critics sit to dictate to them the laws by which they
are to think Forbid it all the lights of this age Of
lfason! Down with the self-created critics Away
With the Aristarchs Ye blind old scholiasts, we
sfurvy commentators, ye cropping grammarians,
ataunt! Dogs, We have had your day! But, 10 !!
another light hath risen, new lustrum in letters,
grand Ultimate era in erudition! Ye Aristotes and
AlEons, Quinctilians, Kameses and Campbslls, Boz
leans, Burkes and Blairs, sink back into your ma
tive night! Come forth, Goblet thou Lucifer of
the new day! Rise, Rousseau Shine out, Sue !!
Emerge, Respondent Emmerson Dawn, Dudevant,
whom mere mortal booksellers call Madame George
Sand Glow, Goodwin! Sparkle, Shelley And
oh, We nameless phosphorescents, radiant with rot
tenness, give with the sandpaper OF your Morals a
touch of friction light the locofoco matches of your
htest work, and put mankind promiscuously to bed