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POETRY.
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HOME.
Not such their l\omo, whom love has taught to know,
From Hint blest source wh.it real transports flow.
IIomi; ! ’tis the name of all that sweetens life i
It speaks the warm uliection of a wife 1
The lisping babe that prattles on the knee,
In all the playful gr.ice of infancy i
The spot where fond paternal love may trace
The growing virtues of a blooming race |
Qh, *tis a word of more than magic spell/
Whose sncrCtlhower the wanderer best can tell—
lie who, longa.stant from his native land,
Vcels at her name her eager soul expand :
Whether as patriot, husband, father, friend,
To that dear point |jis thoughts, his Wishes bend—
*nd still lie owns, when’er his footsteps roam,
5*8 choicest blessings centre all—athomk.
RELIGIOUS.
l'he following letter (says the Connecticut Couranl,) is
ascribed tothe l’opc (ianganclli, Clement the 14th. On
account of his Catholism he was called by the Jesuits
the Protestant Pope. In his reign in 1778, that formi
dable order of men was abolished. It was conjectured
he was poisoned by them. It is addressed to an Eng.
liah gentleman.
“ I seldom see a person of your sense a dupe
to the modern Philosophy. Your knowledge
ought to secure you from its sophisms, which
would reduce us to the condition of brutes.—
If there be a God, as nature points it out eve
ry where, there is a religion. If there be a re
ligion, it cannot but he sublime, and as an
cient as the world, as it flows from a Being
infinite and eternal, and If it lias these char
acteristics, it is, without doubt, Christianity.
And if it be Christianity, we must absolutely
acknowledge it as divine,'and adhere to it
with heart and mind. Is it credible that this
intelligence that resides in us, that combines,
calculates, goes, beyond the earth, soars a-
bove the firmament, reeals all past ages,
pierces into times to come : whiclt, in short,
has an idea of what is to last, forever ; should
only beam forth for a moment, in order to
vanish afterwards in a light vapour. What is
this voice that cries within ourselves, and at
every moment that you arc born for great
things. What are those desires which re
new continually, and make you sensible, that
there is nothing in this world can satisfy your
heart ?
The same truth that certifies to you your
existence, certifies to you the existence of a
God. If there be a God he ought necessarily
to be beneficent; and if he is bcnificcnt, you
ought to thank him for his benefits. If the
religion of the established has taken different
forms, if it was carried to perfection by the
coming of Messiah, it is that God who has u-
nited with it, as with our reason, which at
first is only a feeble light, and which being
developed afterwards by degrees, appears in
its full lustre. Were God to manifest to us
upon earth, clearly bis designs ; if the mys
teries which astonish and thunder-strike us
were unfolded to us, this would be the intui
tive vision which ho reserves to us after this
life, and it will be needless to die. Full
knowledge is only reserved for heaven
shall then know God, as I am known by
him. Nature and religion both derive equal
ly from God ; and they have, tlio’ in a man
ner quite different, their mysteries and in
comprehensibilities. We shuuld not, there
fore, deny the existence of religion, notwith
standing its darkness. There is nothing here
below that has not a dark side. Our soul
being weighed down by the body cannot be
capable of seeing all. The gradations of re
ligion are admirable. It was first seen as a
dawn, that lowers from chaos; afterwards
as the Aurora that announces the day ; at
last the day appears, but overcast with clouds;
and it will not be perfectly serene and in its
full meridian until the moment wherein the
heavens shall be opened. Has the incredu
lous man a better system of religion ? Chris
tianity is a picture drawn by the hand of God;
and this he himself presented to men, when it
was only roughly sketched out, until the
time came wherein Jesus Christ came and
finished it; but he will give it the beauties
and colours in eternity. Jesus Christ is the
principle and end of all things, the key of all
the mystcijf.s of Grace and Nature ; so that
it is not surprising if a person should bewil
der himself in a thousand absurd systems
without that grand compass. Study thor
oughly that God-Man has as much as a crea
ture is capable, and you will fintlin him all
the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.—
You will perceive that he is the fi rst link of
the chain, that tics all things visible and in
visible,and you will acknowledge him for that
divine breath that raises up in our hearts the
seeds of justice and holiness. Sciences will
have an end. Lingua cessabunt, Scientia de
structor ; and there will be only the knowl
edge of Jesus Christ, which will swim over
the sur/ace wherein time and the elements
will be swallowed up.”
Elegant thought.—In a speech at the for-
motion of a Methodist Missionary Society, in
Sheffield, E. the poet Montgomery has the
following beautiful rcntiiuent: “ In the Bible
society, (said he) all names and distinctions
of sects are blended till they are lost, like the
prismatic colors in a ray of pure and perfect
light. In th.; missionary work, though divid
ed, they ari not discordant; but, like the
same colors displayed and harmonized in the
rainbow, they furin an arch of glory—ascend
ing on the one hand, from earth to licaven ;
and on the other, descending from heaven to
peace ;*u sign that the storm is passing away,
and Lite Sun of righteousness with healing in
bis wings, breaking forth on all nations.”
DUELLING.
PItOM Tills NATIONAL HKlilBTKR.
Several duels have lately taken place in the
United States,, in which respectable youn
men have fallen victims to the custom from
causes originating in the most wanton levity
This unauthorized w aste of human life is a
public injury as well as a private wrong; and
the offenders, if in the employment of the
nation, ought to he degraded from office
stripped of their epaulets if they have any,
and advertised.as persons who have dishonor
ed their stations and violated the moral obli
gations of society.
We speak without any personal allusion
But is it not monstrous, that so vile and ir
religious a practice, which originated in
barbarous and superstitous age, should find,
at this enlightened day, legislatures that tol
erate it, and individuals who positively sanc
tion it ?
Our presses teem with productions con
corning Bible Societies and the propriety
of converting the Heathen : thousands of
dollars are annually expended in sending
forth missionaries to turn the infidel from the
error of his ways : but where is the Heathen
or the Infidel who at present countenances a
vice so gross, so repugnant to the laws of na
ture, so opposite to the dictates of the Gos
pel, as that of duelling ? It is a vice
wholly prevalent among Christians, that we
seek for it among Jews, Mahometans, and
Pagans, in vain.
To what purpose arc the cares of parents,
the instructions of tutors, the accomplish
moots of education ? The hopes of a fami
ly, the support of declining age, the pros
pccts of female and friendless connexions,
perhaps, depond upon the future exertions of
a promising youth. Frail foundation ! His
life is at the mercy of the first expert rude
ruffian that chooses to insult him. He falls :
and in one common grave are buried his ex
pected services to his country, the consola
tion of his family, and the happiness of his
relatives!
In the times in which we live we have no
pretence, except the licentiousness and bru
tality of our passions, for resorting to the
duel. Anciently, we find, on recurrence to
authorities, that duels were allowed by the
common law where proof could nut he had.
Fleta defines duel to he, “ singularis pugna
inter dur,s ad probandam veritatem litis ; et
qui vicit, probasse intclligitur,” It was, in
its commencement, a legal and judicial mode
of trial; for the custom, which, as Patercu
lus informs us, cainc originally from the na
tions of the north of Europe, was founded
on this principle, which was then generally
believed to be orthodox ; namely—that God
would give the victory to the innocent party
There is, however, no such belief now : on
the contrary, it is very manifest that the
most amiable, the most intelligent, the most
worthy, commonly fall a sacrifice to the un
feeling hardihood of ignorance, to the vio
lence of unbridled passion, or to an unre
flecting vanity, which, losing sight of the
higher attributes of our nature, seeks for
distinction by means of a physical and bloo
dy dexterity.
For a considerable time the duel, as a ju
dicial inode of trial, prevailed among the I-
talians, the Germans, the Danes, and the
Franks. William the conqueror, it is thought,
introduced it into England ; but he allowed
it only in three cases ; i. c. in the court mar
tial, or court of chivalry and honor ; in ap
peals of felony ; and upon issue joined in a
writ of right; biit, in this latter case, Henry
II. with the consent of the English parlia
ment, established the alternative of the grand
assize.
The absurdity of the practice, even in those
dark ages, soon became obvious. As early
as the year 855, duels were condemned by a
council held at Valentia 5 tbe victor being ex
communicated, and the victim pronounced
unworthy of burial. The kings of Denmark
abrogated that method of proof. Duels were
interdicted by several of the Popfs ; and
three of the French monardis, particularly
Louis XIV. prohibited duelling under very
severe penalties. Thus, we see that pious,
enlightened, and valiant men, have united in
condemning tbe practice.
But notwithstanding it has been banished
from modern jurisprudence, the duel has sur
vived, and exists, however strange it may
seem, upon the grounds of its first institu
tion ; if, indeed, it can he said to rest upon
any grounds at all: for it docs not prevail
upon the belief that God favors the party
who i* in the right, by what opinion is it
supported ? And if it appears, as it clearly
does, that the Almighty does not interpose his
omnipotent will in such affairs, is not duel
ling irrational and blasphemous, and ought
it not to be entirely abolished ? If the duel
is not an appeal to the judgment of God, what
else is it ? Can it be said, with propriety,
that it is a justifiable manner of redressing
private insults or personal wrongs ? Sup
pose wo graut it so : upon that admission we
ask, who decides upon the requisite measure
of satisfaction ? Why, every mail in his
own behalf; and thus, that impartiality and
disinterestedness, which, in every other in
earth—a bow of promise ; a covenant of stance, perradc all our tribunals in mutters
that affect persons or property, I* dispensed
with in an affair of life and death! Could
there be a greater inconsistency ? The raw
and passionate hoy, the blustering bragga
docio from twenty to forty, and the cool and
calculating duellist of every age, are all left
to follow the impulse of an ungoverned feel
ing or malignant envy.
Does it require great courage to fight u
duel ? Wo should suppose not. Notorious
cowards, it is known, will risk the encoun
ter when well pricked up. Men have been
beaten, horsewhipped, ridiculed ; and, yet
exasperated at last by a scornful hue and
cry, have turned upon their antagonists, chal
lenged them, and, aco irding to the rules of
duelling, have killed them fairly.
Alter the abrogation of tbe duel as a legal
mode of trial, it was continued in Europe by
a proud and arrogant nobility, ,who disdain
ed to be controlled by any law but their own
will. Some modern gentlemen, or those who
would be modern gentlemen, ape this auda
city. But in a country like ours, where.the
laws are paramount, they should he taught
another lesson. Besides, if the custom be
proper, it is, under a republican form of go
vernment, as proper for one man as for an
other : But do we not find tnat it is a prac
tice appertaining exclusively to those who
assume a certain air and consequence in soci
ety ? If two chimney-sweepers were to re
fer their quarrel to the event of a duel, it
would occasion only laughter and merriment;
and this is a clear proof that it is in no wise
founded in reason ; because, if it were a ra
tional mode of deciding disputes, it would be
applicable to one man as well as to another,
whatever might be his profession. The trial
by jury never excites mirth on account of the
meanness of the object. It is so just, so ap
propriate, so well founded in the nature of
tilings, that it is impossible, in any applica
tion of it to human affairs, to turn it into
derision.
That the legislature lias a right to prohib
it duelling by exemplary punishments, can
not be questioned, because it produces a dimi
nution of valuable citizens from the republic.
What difference docs it make to the common
wealth whether a man consents to be shot, or
is shot against his will I In either case the
individual is lost to the community. If sui
cide be a criminal act, as good men affirm it.
is, how much more criminal is it that one
person should take the life of another ?
When the subject is closely examined, it
will be found that those are most inclined to
duels who have the smallest share of under
standing and wit. They fail in argument,
in repartee, or humor, and entrench them
selves behind a pistol. The Athenians, who
were the wittiest people in the world, and
whose courage will not be doubted, never re
sorted to the duel: the point of honor with
them was, who could say the best thing. —
The Homans, brave, enlightened and judi
cious, were equally strangers to this modern
usage. They sought to excel one another
in great actions, in the arts and sciences, and
not in single combat, except it was against
the public enemy.* Indeed, it may be safe
ly asserted, that the readier an individual is
to refer the determination of his quarrel to
the result of a duel, the greater blockhead
he is. There arc few insults or injuries in
life which may not be satisfactorily and am
icably settled by the in 1* Terence and arbitra
tion of honest and rational men.
The fair sex have it in their power to do
much in affairs of this kind. Their frowns
would tend greatly to put duelling out of fa
shion. In truth, we do not perceive how a-
nv lady of delicacy or sensibility can recon
cile it to herself to take to her arms a duellist,
who has by a successful shot, probably blast
ed the hopes of a family or covered a widow
and children with mourning, and consigned
them to wretchedness and despair. The cou
rage of a di: **• st is not of that kind which is
essential to the happiness and protection of
women in society ; and the females who view
it in that light, and confide in it, are, in gen
eral, wofully deceived. It is the mind that
does not yield to difficulties, the heart that is
attuned to soft and benevolent sensations, and
yet firm and steady in the pursuit of a virtu
ous and honorable purpose, that afford to the
•ex the blessings of domestic enjoyments and
the pleasures of social intercourse. Wise and
well tempered men shun the person who car
ries a dirk by his side or a pistol in his pock
et, prepared to stab or fire upon the slightest
provocation.
The practice, however—wc arc glad that
wc are enabled to say it—is declining among
us. In the states north of the Hudson it bus
always been rare : the late law of the Virgi
nia assembly, excluding duellists from office,
lias a very salutary effect, and we now sel
dom bear of duels in that commonwealth.—
Indeed all that seems to be wanting complete
ly to extirpate the evil, is the energetic in
terposition of the government of the United
States. When we reflect that officers high
in rank, and of great importance to their
country, may be taken oft - by the felonious
custom of duelling, and the public service
thereby sustain irreparable injury, will it be
controverted that the offending and surviving
party ought to be severely punished ?
VARIETY.
* They lud quarrels, differences, feuds, only with en
emies : Citizens with citizens contended ah; at virtue.—
S-u.ix.vr. —He speaks of thecommonwenlih.
THE PRINTER.
“ I pity—I pity the printer,” said my un
cle Toby. “ Ho is a poor devil,” rejoined I.
“ How so,” said my uncle Toby—“ In the
first place, he must endeavor to please every
body, and ten to one if lie pleases any body :
In tbe negligence of a moment, perhaps a
small paragraph pops upon him ; lie hastily
throws it to the compositor—it is inserted—
and he is d—d to all intents and purposes !”
“ Too much the case,” said my uncle, with
a sigh, “ too much the case.” Nor is that
all,” continued I, “ lie sometimes hits upon
a piece that pleases him mightily, and lie
thinks it cannot hut go down with his subscri
bers—but alas ! who can calculate ? He in
serts it, and all is over with him. They may
forgive others, but they can’t forgive a prin
ter—He has a host to print for—he has fools
and he has wise men : and every dunce that
knows B. from a bull’s foot, sets up for a cri-
tric. The pretty miss exclaims, why don’t
he give us more poetry and bon mots ? Away
with these stale pieces. The politician claps
his specks on his nose, and runs it over in
search of violent invective ; he finds none ;
he takes his specks off, folds them, claps them
into his pocket declaring the paper good for
nothing hut to burn. So it goes. Everyone
thinks it ought to he printed expressly to
please himself, as he is a subscriber, and,
thus, weekly, it is brought to the grand
ordeal.” Trim could no longer contain him
self, but rising and making a stride to tbe
middle of the floor, with his arms akimbo,
and with his head upright, exclaimed with a
loud and audible voice, “ If I was a printer,
an’t please your honor, I’d please myself.—
I’d never gjvc up the ground to any one, or
renounce one sentiment. I would not be
swayed by the whim, caprice and fully of eve
ry one, but would mark out a straight line,
and pursue it.” (Here Trim traced with the
point of his stick a right line from .my stool.)
“ If I could not succeed in a plain, indepen
dent course, I’d freely kick the beam.”
That's Music—To the Bucks and Lasse*
of this town the violin is the best music—To
our merchants it is music to hear the purse
chink on the counter with—* I’ll take a cou
ple of patterns, if you please.’—1 just cause
and good fee make harmonious music for our
lawyers. * Will you take a ride to ,
next Monday, Miss,’ is music to our ladies;
but * Will you marry me, my pretty maid,*
when it comes from the favorite lad, posses-
ses all the harmony and melody combined.—
And to us Printers it is the sweetest music to
be told ‘ 1 have brought you half a. dozen
new patrons, or I have brought the subscrip
tion money for all my neighbours.’
The “ Soul of the Soldiery. 9 '—The follow
ing are the toasts, given by the Ciffttpany of
Sergeants in Boston, at their late celebration.
1. The Day—May each surceeding anni
versary find us on the march of improve
ment. Mas. qrick step.
2. The Fresidontj of the U. states—Hi*
life-guard is the affections of tin- people.
Pres. March.
3. His Excellency the Commander ia
Chief—in his youth he stood in the front rank
of patriotism—and has never deserted hi*
post. brook's March.
4. The Army of the U. States—They have
scaled the heights of glory, and made a per
manent lodgment in the fortress of public ap
probation. Wreaths to the Chieftains
5. The Navy of the U. States—Its muster
roll is inscribed on tiie fairest page of histo-
■’}■—and posterity shall acknowledge its va-
Udity. Siege of Tripoli.
6. Our Country—May she never fall in the
rear, when duty gives the word-forward !
Yankee Poodle.
7. The Citizen Soldier—When called upon
to defend the soil of his fathers, may he not
forget that he is a citizen soldier. March.
8. A well-disciplined Militia—The safest
defence of a free people.—Mention the whole.
The long roU.
9 The Heroes of the Revolution—Thf
lapse of years has not withered, but added to
the freshness of their laurels, time's March
10. WASHINGTON !—“ Uis remember-
nnce belongs to all nations—ltis glory to e-
ternity.” ,
11. Massachusetts—The eldest daughter
of Liberty-May she never relinquish her
birth-right. Mas. March.
12. National Character—The Corinthiaft
pillar which supports the fabric of National
Independence. Mams and Liberty.
13. The Fair Sex—The only conquerors
acknowledged by freemen— Stack arms.
Come haste to the wedding.
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