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THE REFLECTOR. MILLEDUEVILLE, G. TUESDAY. Al’lUL 21, 1818. NO. 24. BIOGRAPHY. MR. WIRT. from "Letters from Washington on the consti- lawa and public characters of the United States reigner”—published in the National Uegister. j t now introduce you to another pro- personage, who figures in this go ut, and of whom, you requested me some account. Mr. Wirt, the At- General of the United States, has lished himself hy his literary and fo- abours. In his person, he is more al and elegant, and in his manners raceful and easy, than either of the ion (Mr. Monroe and Mr. Crawford) mentioned. Mr. Wirt is a native ot and, and like Socrates, owes his being nts, who existed in the humbler walks It is reported, hut 1 shall not voir ii correctness, ttiat lie was •• conceived ture, and by fire begot.” Whether true or not, is a matter of indifference ietv, and if true, can only add to the of the man. Without regular or acad.'m- cation, without patronage, and without ntial and powerful connections, he has his way through the difficulties by which surrounded, to the sphere of cnii- in which lie now revolves. His exam- nislies another evidence of the exitl- of this government, which opens so way to genius, industry and exertion. Trt in his youth, was distinguished In liant and romantic fancy, and farilin e acquisition of knowledge. At tin of his father, lie was left under the dianship of Dr. Hunt, of Montgomery ty, Maryland, who is said to bave been versed in the Greek and Latin language diich he was so good as to instruct hr, d. In a few years the guardian paid ti., t of nature, and left his young charge to ct the storms of life as he could. The tli of Mr. Hunt not only deprived Wirt, the neighborhood of a good teacher, and excellent friend, and the loss was deemed -parable unless supplied by Wirt hiinseli knj iiiQiln nit i tirntwirl/Mvi lil:» nnrvft. o had made no inconsiderable proficient ) he languages and other branches of know- ge, and who, as he was now without 1W- e and destitute of other means of support, sented to officiate as preceptor. In this ation he continued only until he had made self acquainted with the principles of the al science under the direction of judg • wards, witli whom he had formed an ac- intance, and in whose house ho boarded the benefit of his instruction. It was dur- Jiis residence in this part of Montgome- , that he formed a juvenile attachment, ich was either not reciprocated, or which s not sufficiently ardent to exist for any gth of time ; it however, called forth the ertion of his muse, and the fire of his fan- , and the letters which he addressed to the ung lady are said to have been replete with the imagery of poetry, and all the com- n place of love. Being now prepared the practice of law, but entirely destitute funds, a nei^ibor, and a friend gave him orse, and money enough to enable him to iceed to Fauquier, in Virginia, his point - destination, where he took up his resi- nce, and commenced the practico of his ofession. He had not been long at the bar fore he entered into the connubial state, ami come the husband of a respectable young J y of the county in which he resided.— hethcr he conceived his marriage prenm- re and unfortunate, or whether an improp- association with some dissipated and dis- lute young men of the neighborhood, was ;e cause of his intemperance, I am not able say; but Mr, Wirt became attached to pleasures of the bottle, and for some ars led a life disgraceful to himself and inful to the more moral and virtuous part his friends. It was about this period too at he began to relish the visionary theories Godwin, and to imbibe the intoxicating, Ht deadly poison of infidelity. A cloud ung over his prospects, iiis wife left this orld, and his dissolute life ai*i dangerous inions excluded him from professional Ini- rness. To this melancholy blank in his car- existence, he alludes in one of the letters his “ British Spy,” written in 1S03. *• It he observes, “ at this gitldy period of fe, when a series of dissolute courses have ebauchcd the purity and innocence of the cart, shaken the pillars of the understand ing, and converted her sound and w holcsome perations into a little more than a set of fe- erish starts and incoherent and delirious reams ; it is in such a situation that a new angled theory is welcomed as an amusing ucst, and deism is embraced as a balmy mforter against the pangs of an offended nscience.” While under the influence of eso feelings, and leading this kind of life, composed a comic piece called the“ Coiiu- y Court Lawyer,” which has never I be- ve, been presented to the public. I have ;en informed that about this time, while ill trammelled by habits of intemperance, id floating amidst the dark and dreary ilds of scepticism and infidelity, he was prevailed upon to accompany a friend to the rustic church of the divine, he so elegantly and poetically describes in his •• Spy.” He entered and took his seat, he neither noticed the congregation nor the sightless Demos thenes that addressed him, and was fast sinking into the arms of the drowsy deity, when instinctively, and witli an impulse, he could n .ilier control nor repress, he started from the bench on which he sat, as if struck by electricity, and gave his whole attenti. n t> ihe discourse of the preacher; whose blasts of r’ >qn is .• had thus roused him from b s . tu| -r and riveted his every faculty as if bj enchantment. What moral effect the eloquence of Doctor Waddel had upon Mr. Wirt, I have not been able to learn, but it is certain, that soon after this event, he a- handuned his former associates, and removed to Richmond, where he underwent a radical change in ni.s religious opinions, and moral feelings, anil was i hosen by the then govern or of the state, Mr. Monroe, one of his privy c.'iinceil irs. I nun that epoch he rose rapid ly in h.s profession, and in the estimation of the put-lii. IIis •* Spy” gave him a recep- 'ion, w uicli his eloquence at the bar tended ; > establish, and the fortune and respectabili ty of the lady to whom he is now united, en larged the circle of his friends, and extend 'd his spore of action. He has recently en deavored to add to the just fame he has ac quired, by the publication of a life of Pa trick Henry, whose eloquence he seems to admire a little too much, A whose character he ti;,s on all occasions been fond of portray ing. As an evidence of the respect hi which lie is in Id by his adopted state, the vacant situation of senator of the United States ,vis offered him by the legislature of Virgin ia... few sessions ago, but he refused to ac cept it. Since that, he has been elevated by the President, to the post he now holds, w hich l presume is more agreeable to Ids feelings and more consistent with his professional pursuits and studies, to which he has been, far many years, assiduously devoted. 01 the literary productions of Mr. Wirt, the ge neral character is brilliancy of coloring, re dundancy ot i irfforicul embellishment, and a loudness for poetical imagery. The char acteristic feature of his mind is fancy, the iiiicontroiled indulgence of which often leads him into extravagant hyperboles, alike in consistent with the sober dictates of sound sense, and the. canons of correct taste. The remarks w hich Jotinson applies to Collins, may be, 1 think, not inaptly applied to the subject of these observations. “ He loves fairies, genii, giants and monsters ; he de lights to rove through the meanders of en chantment, to gaze on the magnificence of golden palaces, and to repose by the water falls of Elysian gardens.” Mr. Wirt does no. seem to search for imagery or to labor after the splendid but fugitive coloring of fancy. From the native fertility of his ima gination, this is rendered unnecessary, and new creations spring up in his mind unex pected., hut not, unsolicited. There is a want of simplicity ami chastity however in his compositions, which can only be imputed to .is occasional love of extravagance, and his fondness for poetical embellishment. The subje ",s in which lie excels, and in which he displays the best specimens of his style of writing,arc those of elocution and oratory, which may be found interspersed throughout all his literary works. His sty le of speaking bears a strong affinity to his style of writing, and blazes not unfrequently with the efful gence of Curranian eloquence. Whatever were the errors into which Mr. Win may have fallen, at the conuneuccmeiit of his oratorical career, from false imitation, and a brilliant fancy, his good sense has since enabled him to shun them, aud to adopt a more chaste and correct style of speaking. As you have never had an opportunity of see ing any of his speeches, 1 w ill send you i few extracts from one of his specimens o oratory, in the case of Aaron Burr, who was tried some years ago, for treason. The ora tor, after describing the character of Burr proceeds to give the following picture of Blanncrhassct, an Irishman, who hud come to this country to avoid what lie called perse cution, and who had retired to a beautiful island, in the Ohio. But lie carried with him, says Mr. Wirt, taste, science, and wealth, and “ lo the desart smiled. Possessing him self of a beautiful island in the Ohio, he rears upon it a palace, and decorates it with every romantic embellishment of fancy. this tranquility, this feast of mind, this pure banquet of the heart, the destroyer comes ; lie comes to turn this paradise into lu ll ; yet the flowers do not wither at his approach, anil no monitory shuddering through the bosom of their unfortunate possessor, warns him ol the ruin that is coming upon him.” Blan- nci'hasseU is ranght in the toils which the arch traitov has set to ensnare him, and hi becomes a willing accomplice in the conspira cy. The result is thus described by the orator. •• No inure he enjoys the tranquil scene; it has heroine flat and insipid to his taste ; Ins books are abandoned ; his retort and cru- eible are thrown aside ; his shrubbery blooms and breaths its fragrance upon the air in vain ; lie likes it not; his ear no longer drinks the rich melody of music ; it lougs lor the trumpet’s clangor, and the cannon’s mar; even the prattle of his babes, onro so sweet, n<> longer affects him ; aud the angel smile of his wife, which hitherto touched his bosom with ecstacy so unspeakable, is now unfelt and unseen. His enchanted island is destined soon to relapse into a desart; and in a few months we find the tender anil beau tiful partner of his bosom, whom he lately ** permitted nor the winds of summer to visit too roughly,” we see her shivering, at mid night, on the winter banks of the Ohio, and mingling her tears with the torrents that froze as they fell. Yet this unfortunate man, thus deluded from his interest and happiness —thus seduced from the paths of innocence and peace—thus confounded in the toils w hich were deliberately spread for him and overwhelmed by - the mastering spirit and genius of another—this man, thus ruined and undone, and made to play a subordinate part in his grand drama of guilt and treason- tins man is to be tailed the principal offenti- er ; w hile he, hy w hom he was thus plunged and steeped in misery, is comparatively in noceut—a mere accessary. Sir, neither the human heart nor the human understanding will bear a perversion so monstrous anil ab surd ; so shocking to the soul; so revolting to reason.” MISCELLANY. FEMALE EDUCATION “ An impression at once erroneous and in jurious to society, prevails in many parts of our country, relative to the importance of education to the female character. This im pression lias given birth to a system produc tive of so little good, that it is totally over whelmed in the flood of evils which attend it. Nature designed woman to be the companion of man, endowed her with u quickness of apprehension, sensibility of feeling, strength of intellect, which eminently qualify her for that station, if it were not for the injudicious system of education adopted for her. disdain, when decayed beauty ceases to pos sess charms, and when fortune, which is li ver subject ton thousand casualties, shall have lost its attractions. With no longer a disposition to engage in the giddy dance, and without that education and those mental en dowments which command attention, they find themselves supplanted in a few years iu the estimation of former admirers, and al most totally neglected hy them. When daughters are so much less capable than sons of hustling through an uncharitable world, iu the event of misfortunes overtaking their best grounded prospects, is not that parent neglectful of his real interests, who d dips to iiis daughters an opportunity of improving themselves in useful and polite literature?— Prodigal and lavish in their expenditures up on their sons, parents are too often regard less of that of their daughters : Since woman was designed to he the companion of man, why abridge the pleasure they ought to feci in each others society, by improving the in tellect of the one in every p dite and useful branch of knowledge, and limit the natural capacities of the other, hy denying her an opportunity in early life of improving her mind ? To move with grace in a minuet, and touch with nimble hands the notes of a sonnet, is thought hy some to be the sunanuni bonuui of a lady’s education. True, there is a something wonderfully attractive in the female figure, something bewitching in her attitudes and graceful movements in a draw ing room or assembly ; yet there are attrac tions still more poworf l ihan these upon the enlightened part of the community. So contracted are the notions of some pa*, rents on female education, that they would not blush in a daughter's betraying so much -ignorance of the geography of ner native country, as to bound the state of Ohio hy the Atlantic ocean, and pour the waters of the St. Law rence into the Gulf of Mexico, and empty those of ih- Mississippi into ‘:c Ray of Fundy ; and yet would oe ready to sink with shame to sec her mistake a single step in a hornpipe, or movement in a waltz. Fearful least they should contract pedantic habits, by an acquaintance with books, parents often deny them the very opportuni ties of making them respected in the socie ties in which they are destined to mov •, vltich above all others is best call uiuted to insure it. Without heing a politician a lady might be allowed to make herself acquainted with the character of thegovernment of her native country ; without being an authoress she might make herself acquainted witli the beauties of rhetoric and composition : w ith out setting herself up fora philosopher, she might derive pleasure from the study of the elements of philosophy ; and without risk of sinking into the. pedant, she might find Men if fortune, who move in the first circles of amusement as well as advantage in the stuuy shrubbery that Slirntone might have envied, blooms around him, music that might have charmed Calypso and her nymphs is his ; an extensive library spreads its treasures before him ; a pliylosopliical aparatus offers to him all the secrets and mysteries of nature; peace, tranquility and innocence shed their mingled delights around him, and to crown the en chantment of the scene, a wife, who is said to he lovely even beyond her sex, and graced witli every accomplishment that can render it irresistible, had blessed him with her love, and made him the lather of her children. In the midst of all Utis peace, is innocence. society, feel a pride in having their sons in structed in science, and polite and useful li terature, and at the same time almost totally neglect the education of their daughter.— Universities of the first respectability arc se lected for the education of their sons ; while on that of their daughters they bestow no o- tlier care, than to give them the mere rudi ments of an English education, with a little smattering of French, music and dancing. With these few advantages they are ush ered into the world at an age when their minds are too little improved, and too ten der to withstand the allurements of gay so ciety and temptations of dissipated life.— Flattered and caressed for their beauty, the elegance atid grace with which they lead down the dance, and the sprightliness of their wit, and the gaze of admiration which is be stowed upon them, at an age when flattery operates with its greatest force upon their vanity : they are often seduced from that particular course of conflict so ornamental to the sex. With no knowledge of the ar- ranrements of domestic''pursuits, or the eco nomy of a family, they often contract en gagements for which they are so illy quali fied as to embitter their own lives ,as well as ull others around them. The art of deceiving is one of those accomplishments enforced with great energy upon the minds of some females by parents of contracted feelings—but this seldom fails to excite dis gust and pity with the enlightened part of the community. Why will a parent thus cruelly treat his daughter ? Why will he de ny to her those opportunities of cultivating her mind, which arc of so much greater va lue-than the decoration of her person, and which alone arc calculated to enlist the ad miration and respect of the other sex, and afford herself pleasure at a more advanced period of life, when licr taste for frivolous accomplishments have entirely subsided, aud when the violence of her passions for dissi pated amusements shall have been allayed hy the cares of a family continually multi plying upon her. Should they not succeed in early life, through the influence of fortune, beauty, and brilliancy of wit, in arriving at the object at which they are particu larly directed to aim their attention, a few years will shew yiem the effects of cold of history and geography. We can no m -ro expect that every lady can make herself a Madame dc Stacl, a Hannah More, a Lady Morgan, or a Miss Edgworth, than that e- very man Induing a seat in our national le gislature should make himself a Solon—yet are those branches now too much neglected, which are absolutely necessary to givu fe males that rank in the opinion and estima tion of the learned and accomplished of the other sex they ought always to hold. A pro per course of female education cannot be completed in that period to which it has been limited by fashion, when the mind is yet un settled and tender, when hooks are la;-, a- side for the toilet, and the sweets c.far- ;em- ic life are exchanged for a round of fas toll able pleasures. Having once embarked in to life, where either a round of gay amuse ments or a multiplicity of domestic cares crowd themselves upon the attention, ladies have but little time to devote to nicuul im provement, and repair those losses which neglect of youth may have occasioned. Give them an edui ation suitable to their rank in society ; instill into their minds the princi ples of virtue and morality, and endow them •«ilh a knowledge of polite literature, for which the female mind seems admirably a- dapted, and you prepare them for any situ ation in life to which they may he calied.— Oruameuts to their tamilics and the country, they become companions for men of cultivat ed minds ; liberal and chaste in tlteir ideas, they are alike the friends of every society in which virtue and taste are respected. Parents must certainly he insensible of the injustice they do their daughters, by neglecting their education, or in other words [inscribing a course to he completed by the tune they have reached the twelfth or thir teenth year of age—It is at this season a- bove all others, which should be assiduously devoted to study, and which would be par ticularly favorable to their advancement.-^- A few years more of application, under the superiutcndaucc of able instructors, would prepare them to step forward into society un der circumstances of far greater advantage to themselves, aud would enable them to ac- qurie a character far more valuable than the ephemeral admiration which is elicited hy beauty aud external accomplishments^”