Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-09-15
Lord Chesterfield.
from the Cornhill Magazine. !


Chesterfield was no mere fatuous coxcomb.
No Scotchman could have had a keener eye
for the main chance. Strip off his gold lace
and his full -buttoncd wig, and you lind a
shrewd man of business, with as little Scntl-
ment as 4 stockbroker, and perhaps little more
principal than 4 professional gambler. 1t you
despise the trihes on which he lays so much
stress, he despiSes them quite as heartily, eX-
cept as the counters with which he plays his
game. In the sight of heaven, man who
gets his sword between his legs many he equal
to the one who keeps it in the normal position;
but there will be considerable difference in
the sight of kings. Now heaven is long way
of, and kings, whose our courters tell us
are almost universally fools, are very near, and
can reward their worshippers Substantially
Why not carry on tra6c as merchants do IN
Africa and pass off a little tiusel and Brum-
magen wares for good solid gold and ivory :?
The savage chief takes set of beads, and
fine bow, or a delicate parallel between himself
and Cesar, and pays with bit Of blue ribond
and pension of three thousand year Who
is deceived, and who has any right to complain ?
The people who have to pay the taxes ? Their
time is not to come for two or three generations;
and in all ages no wrong can be done to people
who can't make noise But the whole
system is immoral? Well, if you insist
upon enthusiasm and devotion to the good
of humanity and belief in social progress
you may probably be disappointed. Yet
the Chester6elds had their merits. They
had no desire to he martyrs it may be, but
they did not desire to make other peo-
pie martyrs. They were tolerant, cool-head-
ed, and rather cool-hearted Gallios., They
were selfish, and mean, and corrupt; but with
certain limits Of personal honor. If they look
ed on the country as their private estate they
had some flashes of proprietary. pride which
served indifferently we'll for patriotism. Lord
Chesterfield mourns sincerely over. the bad
prospects of the country at the beginning of
the seven wears war, though his remedy is
characteristic enough. Nothing could save us,
he sighs, but Machiavel at the head of affairs.
aud even that remedy would be doubtful. 10.
trigue and treachery may yet be powerful
enough, but all teebler agencies are worthless.
Luckily for US, this pious aspiration was ans,
wered by the appearance Of Chatham, and
popular orators have learnt to talk rs II IN
those days all statesmen were patriotic, and ail
corrunton unknown. The truth is, We see,
slightly different; Chesterfield, tkoug h far
more respectable than the Newcasles and Bubb
Dodngtons of his day, was not remarkable Tor
the loftueSs Of his views. Let US however,
try to feel some gratitude for such patriotism
as he could show, though he certainly prefer
red, on principle, the worst OF quack medicines
to any genuine remedy. We cannot with the
best of good will, make him out a hero or saint
10 religion he makes his bow with characters
tic grace he reminds us of johnson 5 friend
Campbell: He is good man, pious man !:
[ am afraid he has not been in the inside OF Il
church for many years, but he never passes Il
church without pulling off his hat. That is
about the Chestertiedian theory; if his son
wants any religion he may 60 to his tutor Tor
supplies of that uudeniably useful article; but
to mock ut Christianity shows thoroughly bad
taste. Indeed, if that supeIstitious belief were
once thoroughly eradicated, desolating scepti-
cism might next raise doubts as to the valne
of British peerage Noltaire was clearly
wrong for attacking Institutions which
save us so much in police expenditure ;
and even the clergy are not necessarily
worse or more foolish than their neighbors.
That, indeed, is not saying much for them.
The moralist in whom Chesterfield really be-
clan is De Retz Hc begs his hopeful son to
ponder his maxinls by day and night, and to
learn that the one key to knowledge of men IS
the conviction that every passion is merely a
form Of sel6shness Women are all contempt
ible, and may be guided by the grossest fatter-
les. Kings are worse and perhaps the class
of mankind of whom he speaks with the SIN
cerest respect are the Jcsuits, for the very rea,
son that he fully accepts the popular view of
their character To be wicked, however, is
generally bad policy, or, at any rate, to be very
wicked The pith and substance of great
many maxims is simply this Don't get drunk
too often, or you will die of delirium trcmens !;
most vicious practices carried to excess will in,
lure your health and therefore a wise man will
calculate his pleasures cautiously, so as to ex-
tract the maximum of enjoyment at the time
and make them subservient to his advancement
afterward. And all this advice is given so COM
placenty, and with such perfect unconscious
ness that it is in any degree defective, that
somehow one is almost taken in. 1t sounds tor
all the world like sermon, and If VIC dose q
bit, We fail to observe the cloven hoot.
NOTICE is HEREBY GIVEN, That appli-
~ cation will be made to the Second Auditor