The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-04-10
The Price of Liberty is Eternal Vigilance"
AnDEvLLE SOUTH MORNING. ApR11 TO- 1856

.oria"s anil philosophers, too, are translated
-brtter or worse.
English literature is the first in the world,
with the single exception Of the Greek. A
man who has made himself completely mas
ter Of Shakespeare and Milton alone-that
Is, has got them almost hy heart-possesses
treasure Of thought, knowledge and sub
lime poetry. to he cquallcsl hy no other Ian
gnagr ever spoken by man. Shakespeare,
especially, stands IL public speaker instead
everywhere. In some Of the greatest causes
| ever argued, have used passages Of his,
Ivy way Of illustration, in argument, with
an effect not to Lc overrat,a. The same
nay be said OF our matchcss English BIZ
bic.
You see, dear sir, I am for thorough
work, at least when find a subject capable
OF 1t. In most cas,.s, when am applied
to for Suggestions about a course of study,
| say throw away hooks and turn ont
among the people. The truth is, i'll this
county. above I'LL others, bo"ki>l men are
rather Stunned 10y pruciic"l ones; and if
man he IL student, he is required to give
very strun. proofs Of his Efficiency, or it
will be taken for granted that he is good
for nothing in affairs. This is the rock you
arc TO avoid. l have been consulted re-
l"a'c'lly by young mon, even when w;s
one my~clf-I have always told them their
studies would stand i'll their way This has
been my own experience at every step |
have taken, although circumstances Of Il
peculiar kind enabled me to 90 into public:
life in South Carolina twcnty-on wears
ago. that is as soon us [ returned from nv
studies ahro;"l, AMI to take II le,,lin. part
IL tl,:: legislature, until, when I was turned
%! thirty, WIS elected Attorney General
"f the State, WAS afterwards minister abroad.
then mrmbcr Of Congress, and now at
length, eleven years after my clrct;,n to ihe
same office in South Carolina, find myself
Attorney General Of the United States, so
much occupied with business as to be OH
|i@'rl TO study twelve hour, IL day, AMI no.
thing hut law. 1t is for this reason | have
scarcely hccn able to write you these !.ur-
rird lines. But, then, there can hc no great
excellence without great labor, and gre;..
excellence is seen to slime forth sooner or
later.
would advise Won ut all events to prac-
tice AS much as possible public >pealiim9
hy going into all assemblies of the people,
hn'! never on nay occasion to make
l';,r;.,le Of your attaiun"nts. Show what
YOU know hy its effects upon your manner
of speaking AMI thinking, rather than
toy direct citation or alln<ion--:,s the old
philosopher sail, don't show NE what your
pigs c"i, only let me have them fit. Study
is precious only as IL discipline knowledge
is valuable only as the instrument "f wis
'lon, and nothing IS really worth the pul-
suing but 7ruth.
| Il" not know how far you will find
these random hints at all profitable. but
will just add to them that YOU will of course
study the writings Of the political econo-
m;'!s, especially the English masters, from
Adam Smith to Senior and Mccullough,
and that "'' the sn'jett of political phiIo>o-
ply tie French writers are worthy Of par-
t'cu'ar attention.. not SD much for the justice
of their conclusions as tie holiness of their
speculai"ns anil the insight which r,volu-
H.
impulses. a'l management of men in
masses, in the absence Of any acknowl.lr.
ed authority or controlling power. Besi.lcs
M"ntcsq"icu. o"errnted by the last CEN
tury, u"drrotel by this.) Rousseau is en-
titled I" your special attention. His Con-
Hut !Socinl and other political writings
formed the terrible school of the French
Ja"ln. So is Thicrs. the JacoLin historian
Of J.sc"linism. Tocqurville. &c. Above all,
re.i our State Papers, revolutionary his
tnry. anl other annals. Mr.. Ban.rolt's adj
mir.hle work will afford good introduc-
ton.
! must apologize for not making this
letter what it ought to he-a systematic
outline Of course Of study for yonng
p"hIicist and statesman. My stint of time
w"nlI not admit Of it. but if you find any
us"f" hints dropped in the hasty scrawl
which have been tempted to write by
the pleasure have in complying with sucI,
request from one Of whom. though l
hav" not the pleasure Of his acqu .intance,
yet received n very favorable idea. I shall
I've fully compensated for the little trouble
l have been put to in throwing them upon
paper. HUGH S. LEGARE.
-dn Ertensi1e Dinner.-The Marchioness
Of Londonderry, (England.) owner of the
famous "Chiton Moon" recently gave a