.
.1;
2:
I .'
-term stars,
._,..l-._,-_ ..,.
Z;
.. -n..»,--.-r-
THE mrssioisanies’.-irxnnwnnh.
Land where the‘ bones of our fathers are
sleeping! ' T \ _[-,iv.'eiepiiig I
Land'w_liei'e'o_ti‘r dear ones and fund ones are
_ where the light ofJeh‘ovah issliiniiig!
We leave thee la_inenting,bnt not with repiiiiiig.
Land of our. fathers‘! in grief we forsake thee;
"Land of our friends! may Jehovah prote'ct
‘ghee; ' [around thee,
.' Land-of. tlte Church ! may the light shine_
Nor darltiiess nor trouble,nor sorrow confound;
- ihee. '
God is my God ; thou shalt walk in his
_’ " ’ ‘ brightness -! ' i [H6553
Gird thee with joy; let thy robes be ofwhlte-
God is thy God ! let thy hills shout for glad-
_ , ness! V [in sadness.
.Bnt ah! we must leave thee--we leave thee
Dark is our p_at_l_i _'o’er the dark ’rolling,oceau;
Dark areotiifi. hearts; .
S ‘Kiiidles within ;——and a far d_ist_an_t iiatiou
.Si:a'llle.:irn from our lips the glad song of sal-
vation. ‘ ' I j
- _ Hail to the land ofourtoils and our sorirowsl
‘Lanld of our rest’;-—'-when a. ‘few’ more to-
; iiiorrows 4‘ ‘ l ' [plll0lV5i
I’-ass:"o’e‘.r ‘our heads, we will seek our cold
And ‘rj,éjs_t, to our graves‘. far awvay 9’e.r the lill‘
' " ' lows. ’ . J '
J,esus,.we pray for thy Spirit to lead us, .
-_'['¢5u5_ wevpmy for thy Power-to succeed us;
Then, when thy grace from our toils shall
;-_eIea_gé.u§, , [shall bless us.
The prayers‘-and the songs of r’ede"em’"d;oues
.4
_ V ASTRONOMY. .
The ear_t_l_i is at so great a distance from the
sun, that if seen from tlience, '1t.!,!"l.S.l i‘PP.eal
lib larger than a point, of ‘YURI 006 of the re-
‘motesty Sta,-3 appgar tons. Altliough the cir-_
cunifere_iice of the earth l5 li0°.‘V“‘ ‘-0 be 25:‘
"Q09 miles, yet, that distance is sosrnall com-
pared with our distance from the fixed stars,
that if‘ our earth was_.as large as. the Wh9l.<’g 0"
bit round sun, viz. 290,000,000 of miles,
’gyjd_§een from the nearest star, it would then
appear no bigger than a point. ';l'l1¢§9.3_I_lll:
in going round the sun, is, at certain times of
the year, 169, million of miles nearer to some
stars, tliaiiat others -; and yet iheir apparent
magnitiides, situations and distances from
each other still appear the‘ same—aiid \vith._'-1
telescope which will magnify 200 times, their
size is not sensibly increased; which proves
them to be at least 400 thousand times farther
off than we are from the sun ; and there may
be as great a‘ distance between any two neigh-
boring -‘stars, as there is-between our stin and
the nearest star to that body. By the help of
telescopes, thousands of stars are seen which
are not discoverable to the naked eyefand
the better the glass, the more become visible
--so that no bounds can be set to their num-
ber or tlistancez. It is supposed, by 5.01116 ‘-15- -
tronoiiiers, that there are worlds, of “jhfli. We
' at such an inconceivable~distanc_e,
as that their light has not yetreaclied the
eartli; altliougli the velocity oflight is a mil-
lion times greater than that of._ a ball from a
cannoiils ni.ouili. The, sun appears bright
and large, in comparrison to the fi._xe,d sl_a_I's,
because we are so much nearer to. it than to
the stars; and-the_ iul_iabitaut;s ofone of those
bodies, sees tli_e nearest star to them as the
sun; and our sun as a star. The stars shine
with their own na fve and unbol.‘ro\.Ved l_ustre,
as the suit does ;. and
star, as well as the sun, isconfined to at por-
tion of space, it is plain that the stars are of
the same nature of the sun. \Vho_evcr ima-
gines that the stars are created only to give a
faint glimmering light upon our earth,_- must
have a‘ very superficial knowledge of astrono-
my, and a’ narrow view of Divine IVisdoni ;
since, by an‘ infinitely less exertion of creating
power, the Deity could have given the earth
one more‘ moon, and the sun's -light would
have been eternally reflected on our globe.
Instead ofone sun, and one world only, in the
universe, we discover such an inconceivable
number of suns, systems andworlds dispersed
through bo'undless.space, that-if our sun, w.ith
all the. planets, moons and comets belonging
to it, were aiiiiiliila.ted,tl).8y Would be 110 m0l'e
missed, by the eye that could see the whole
creation, than a grain of sand from the sea
shore. Although Saturn. is the farthest off of
our planetary system, and revolves rotind the
sun in an orbit of 4884 millions of miles in
circumference, ..and some ofour comets make
a circuit of 100,000 of miles bey.ond the orbit
of Saturn; yet, at that amazing distance, 3
they are incomparably nearer ihesan, than.
to any of the stars,-whicli is evident from their
Iteepiiig clear. of all the stars, and returning_
periodically by the power: of the sun’s attrac-
tion. From what we k-now of our. own sys-
tem, we may reasonably"-conclude, that all the
rest are, with equal wisdom and power-, con-
tr.ived, situated and provided with accoinino-
dations, for raiio_nal inhabitants.—Boston pa,
A:;N.}J_C,D0_TE..-‘-Dullllg the Peninsular war,
a,,st,r_on_g detachment from the French army.
occupied one of. the principal cities in the iii-
terior..of Spain, The Spaniards have been
longicelebrated for their blind and supersti-
tious ailoration of the Virgin .Mary. Tliei_ii-
habitaius of this. place in particular, were no-
tedfor their many statues, dedicatedto herin
all th_e_ir churches.
all_.oihers in the size of the image, the splen-
dor__ ofthe robes,the jewels aiidpreciousstones, ‘-
thevotive offerings of misguided zeal. Eve.
_ry part of the iinage was studded with dia-
monds. and adorned with gold. A French
soldier was noted for his devotions, his con-
stant and-unremittingattention at the earliest
and-latest-mass; I e was one day accidently
left alone in the chui'cli, after the first mass
had concluded, by the priest and sexton. . He
immediately seized the opportunity ofconver-
tingthejewels ofthe sacred image to his own
use, and so completely did he strip her, that
when the nioiiks returned they found herhanlls
tmdfcet broken off, her eyes dugout, and not
"the value ofa single sous left.
Tliis horrid and inipious sacrilcge aroused
all the vengeance of the offended church.
-Immense rewards were offereil, and every
means were used to discover tho’ offender.
‘Theytat length succeeded in proving that this
soldier was the only person who had cominit-
‘ted the crime. A- deputation imniediately
W-aitediipon the C0lTlll‘l'.llit.lt.‘r in chief,'request-
ing-thisculprit-to be dcliveretl over to the se-
cular power. General I17 , who‘_ was one
ofthe illi.unina*ti of Frztiice, and possessed of
lilmsal principles, rc-$'uscd‘to deliver this man
ii; .i;§-cnragctl- r9.l;l,ilc, ‘who would undoubtedly
biit_ilic _fire_ofde,voiion,
since" each particular .
The cathedral exceeded '
' putrhini to death‘withou't the shadow ‘ofa tri-
‘_zl_l.- He replied, that he would try the soldier
by a military and ecclesiastical tribunal,would
. decide the cause himself, and if he was prov-
.si‘i'rr’ender him ; and appointed the neitt week
for the _li‘eari'ng of the cause. This proceed-.
ing was by uoineans pleasant to ‘the irritated
Catholics, but they had no remedy but pa-
tience. "On the appointed day, all the clergy
of the city, and every adjacent place assem-
friars, priests, bishops, arclibishops, and even
the Pope’s legate, who happened to be there
at the time, appeared among the ecclesiastics.
‘ The populace, also, eager to witness the pun-
isliment of so audacious a heretic. and ready
to sacrifice him, surrounded the place in
crowds. But the General had taken the pre-
caution to surround himself and the prisoner
with a strong detachincut. A reverend priest
addressed the court, and descanted at large
upon the enorniiiy of the offence; he repre-
sented to them the holy mother of God as in-
sulted, ill-treated,and sacrilegiously violated ;
and finally wound them up to the highest
pitch of fury against the devoted ofi'ender.——
His oration was received by the bigoted en-
thusiasts with ihunders of applause, and im-
precations of vengeance; already they saw
him tied to the stake and expiring in tortures
at an all-ulo dafc. But the judge, cool, collec-
ted, anti temperate, turning round to the man
V‘ asked him, You have heard the charge, what
is your defence? That I have taken the jew-
els and diamonds from the Holy Virgin’s Sta-
tue, I admit ; but I positively deny that I rob-
bed her of them. As I was praying to her,
and begging her interposition in my behalf,
as a poor and needy soldier, with a fzuiiily of
six cliildreu and uotliing but my scanty pit-
tance to support theui, I suddenly heard a
voice from. the statue exclaiin-—“ The,"-,Ho.ly
Virgin has heard your prayers, she has seen
your devotion, and pities your lot. Take these
jewels and other ornaments which .the piety
of my worshippers have presented me with,
and‘ relieve your necessities. Iain a spirit,
and need them not. My faithful followers
will soon replace them,ziud you will be reliev-
ed front want and inisery.” Astonished at
this heavenly voice, and not daring to diso-
bey it, Iconverted them to my own use, and
blessed the friendly interposition of our bles-
sed Virgin.
Abominable liar! audacious wretch ! ex-.
claimed the assembly. Thejudge ordered si-
lence and turning to the priests of the cathe-
dral, thus addressed theiii——lVas any one pre-
sent at this time ? No one, replied they.‘~ Do
yoti believe it possible, according to your arti-
cles of faith, that the Virgin has power to con-
vey her will in an audible itiauner, and to ani-
mate an image? This was a question involv-
ing .the miraculous power and sanctity ofthe
holy mother; and to deny it, would at once
overthrow her power and ‘reduce her toythe
‘level ofa mere mortal. They tlierefore,wiili
some hesitation answered, that it was not on-
;ly possible, but had frequently happened.-
Tlieii. I decree, as the man swears that the
Sacred Virgin gave these things to him, ands.
you cannot disprove his assertion, that the,
man is hereby. acquitted of the charge ; but,
addressing liimsclf to the soldier, ifyou here-
after accept any present, unless before wit-
uesscs, from any saint or apostle, even from
the holy St. Paul himself, I will instantly
hang you.—- Gospel Herald.
. AI~‘£i~:c'riNG STORY.
Ifwe carefully ascertainthe causesin which
family disseiitions and feuds have their origin,
we shall find, nine times out of ten, that they‘
originate in causes equally insignificant with
that menti_o_ned in the following story.
A gentleman received one morning, when
at the lneakfast table, a cup of coffee front the
hand of his wife, which contained the oil ofa
small piece ofbutter which had accidentally
fallen intothe cup. Louisa, said the husband
good humorously, I’ll iliank you to give me at
cup of coffee that is pure and unadulterated.
Henry, replied the wife, do you think it is poi-
soned. No, certtiinly not, but Isliould pre-
fer having another cup. Indeed you shall,re-
plied Louisa,but permit me to drink tliat'wliit:h'
"you complain of.‘ No, madam, you shall not,‘
replied the liusband sternly, and instantly
‘threw, the contents of the cup itito the b_osoin
fol‘ Louisa. She rose hastily from the table,
ilookcd wistfully towards Henry, and wildly
Qgazed on all around her. With lingering,
fsteps. she moved from the apartment, and for’
gthe last time looked a farewell to Henry.
Au uninterrupted silence ensued, but uli.-»n
Ethe coiisternatiou of the persons present sub-
5sided,,tlie distracted husband, in a paroxysm
§of despair, rushed into the street, and follow-
fed the footsteps ofcrazed Louisa. In vain
:he sought her in every nook and corner of the
city, for she was no where to be found, a_ud
Ztlie frantic husband returned hopeless and
helpless to his desolated mansion, where he
{indulged in excessive sorrow and despair.—
?Scarce had two hours elapsed before Mrs.'A_.
‘was returnetl to her husband,_not glowing in
{youth andbeauty, but a lifeless corpse. The
‘treatment she received from him she loved
'craze(l her, and in a moment of distraction
‘she committed suicide. Mr. A. survived the
shock a few ninnths, when he expired, and in
his last moments lisped the naineof Louisa,
and prayed for her f'orglveiiess.—-Pro'v. Jour.
From the Berks and Schuylkill Journal.
CHARLES TIIOh1PSON, Esq.-—A gentle-
man from the west, who has long cherished
a liighregard for the cliaracter of that irre-
proachable patriot and christian, the secreta-
ry of the American Continental Congress,
had a few weeks since no small gratification
in spending several hours with this venerable
saint of-patriarchal aspect, now on the verge
of heaven. Many are still living who retirem-
ber with what confidence every act of the old
Congress, to which his name was attached,
was at once received by the people of these
United States, in times of peculiar trial.
;He_is about six feet in height, remarkably
erect in his gait, neat in his person, dignified‘
in his deportmeiit, interesting in conversation,
in his 92d year. He resides about ten miles
from Plilladelphia, in an ancient and retired
but spacious mansion,’a very extensive and
well cultivated farm, to which he has given
the name of H_ai"riion. The traveller-"called
early in the ‘day a'nd found Mr. Tlioinpson
reading Young’s Night Thoughts. H e paus-
ed a little after entering the door before he
discovered htimse‘lf,being surprised and charm-
ed at the dist"m‘ct', emphatical, appropriate and
feeling manner with which the good old'man
_éd gi_iil_ty, he would then, without hesitation,‘
bled in cro.wds,the court was filled with monks,
and has outlived all his cotemporaries,‘ being’
qpronoiincedj one of the liuest passages in ‘that
-adniiredflauthor. After a due iiitroductioii,
tlieyentered into coiiversation,8r. the traveller
was muchpleased with -his m’iscellaneou‘s-ob-
servations‘, interspersed with .anecdotes of
former times. He was 's'i_i_rprised'to hear him,
at his advanced age, -spezik..w.ith. so much in-
telligenceon various subjects,’ philological, re-
ligious and political; yet occasionallv he no-
ticed sigus of a second childhood.
_ .He was the third son of John T-horripson,
aii_d was born in Derry, Ireland, in Nov. 1729.
He came to America with his father when a-
l_io.iit ten years old, accompaiiield _with his
brothers. His father died on board the ship
after entering the Capesof Delaware; and
by an actof injustice, his property was vith-,
held from his sons, who were thus left desti-
tute ancl fricndless in a strange land, yet they
amply experienced the protecting care of him
who isihe father of the fath.erless. Charles
had a great taste for learning, and was so for-
tunate as to secure the patronage and instruc-
tion of that distinguished scholar, Dr.Allison,
and became one of the greatest proficient: in
Latiii, Greek, and French, in the country.
The longevity ofhis family is worthy of no-
tice. Taking the children of John Thomp-
son, in regular order, these are their names
with their respective ages: 1. .William, who
diedat the age ofS_J3; 2. Alexander, who di-
ed attlie age of 80 ; 3. .,Charles, who is now
in his 92d year; 4.-tMatthe'. di_ed at the age
0f9l ; 5. John, who died at the age of 79;
and 6. _Mary,. who is in -lier..84th year, and
makes one ofthe family ofCharlcs.-
Mr. Thompson, in the course of conversa-
U011, Si1id,it wasstrongly impressed upon his
mind, that he should live until he eutcred»up-
on his hundredth year. The traveller asked
him how he felt under such al'l‘Illipl‘eSSl0ll,
and whether he was willing to be so long from
his Father’s house in this wearisome pilgrim-
age? He promptly replied, “I have no will
about it. I leave it all to my blessed Saviour.
He has been a good Saviour to me ;” and the
tears of gratitude started into his eyes.
At one time he nientidiied with tenderness
and respect, the two worthy ladies, who had
been his bosom companions in life. He then
made this remark: “I have been a happy
niau, a very happy man. .My family always
loved me, and I alivays loved them ;” the tear
of affection glistening in his eyes.
At dinner he asked a blessing with “Pulled
hands, and a solemn and reverential tone of
voice, using nothing more nor less than the
Lord’s prayer. -Recollecting his own critt-
cisms and versions, instead of saying, “lead
us not into temptation,” he said, ‘Fbriiig us
not to a trial.” -
He was an intimate and warm friend of the
late Dr. Franklin, and agreed with him in
every thing except religion. To counteract
the deistical sentiments of this great philoso-
pher, he devoted more attention to the Bi-
ble, and with a critic’s eye, than he otherwise
would have done. It was his diligent search-
ing of the S.criptures with a view to the con-
viction of his distinguished compatriot, which
first led him to contemplate a version of the
Septuagint.
The traveller had mentioned tot\Ir.Tlioinp-
son-a gentleman with i_vhoin,uiany years since
he was well acquainted, Gen. R. A****, now
of M. who was one ofthe revolutionary oili-
ccrs, and who had held a.dcpartnic_n_t under
the order of the old Congress. Mr. Thomp-
son recollected him well, and as the traveller
took his leave of him he said, in reference to
General A. “tell him Iwish him prosperity‘
and happiness, peace with God and peace
with the world. Tell him to bear lightly on
the world. Money, moiieyfiiioiiey, is the
God of this world.”
The last sentence he had several times tit-
tered with great einpliasis, in the cotirse of
the interesting review, which the traveller
will not soon forget.
slit CHARLES ASGILL,
Lately died in England, aged about 70. It
will be recollecied that this officer, when a
Captain and a prisoner to the Aincricaii arms
in the war of the revolution, was designated,
by lot, to be executed in.,retalia-tion for the
‘barbarous execution of Capt. Lippciicot, of
the American army, by the British army in
‘New-York, in case the niurdcrers ofthe A-
inericau captain were not given tip, or. pun-
ished. It will also be recollect-ed, that the de-
lay of the execut-ionwas owing to promises
o_ii the part of the British General. to seek out
and punish. the authors of the outrage; that
. tlie_pcr_ilous situation of Capt. ASglll0CCRSl0fl-
ed a great sensation in England, France and
all Europe; and that his ag_oui,zed mother,
Lady Asgill, repaired to Paris,_and supplicat-
ed the beaiitiftil Maria Antoiiietie of France,
(one of the best friends America then had in
Europe) to intcrpose,-.her powerful solicitation
to our great Coiiimander-in-Cliief, to revoke.
his order, and liberate the devoted officer;
and that the petition of Lady Asgill. to the
Queen was considered as one ofthe most pa-
thetic appeals in the Englisli langu_ag.e. This.
iiiterpositionbftlie Queen and of inauy oth-
ers, were received by Geri. Washington, it is
well known, with the respect they merited;
but it is ‘equally well kuown,.tliat.tliey had no
efi'e_ct on his great ini_nd. to divert him fora
iiioinent from his inflexible resolution to put a
stop to the enorinities oftlic_eneiny ;and when
-lie found-—as he did fiud—-that the conduct
of the enemy had been wholly changed by
' Eihc measure he had adopted, and had assur-
jances tliatihe executions would not-be repea-
ied, that then, and their only, the Christian
§Cliief;voluniarily andofliis own accord,coun-
ltcrnianded the orders given for. the execution.
iofhis prisoner, autlrestored him to his.affiic-
;ted fauiily and friends. It is known, that this
gfaniily, and nation of Capt. Asgill, tit first,
jwcreso ignorant ofthecliaracter of our great
iChief,. as to believe and report, that Asgill
jowed his life to the powerftil applications
;made for his liberatioii, and not to a sense of
!duty in the American General. But it is due
éto hi.-tory to repeat, ‘what is well known to
iliuudrcds now alive and well acquainted with
:the motives which always governed the con-
.duct of VVasliingtou,tliat theeveutual revoca-
:tion of the order was dictated wholly by that
moral prineiple—thc attainment ofa great ob-
ject by the least sacrifices, without fear, favor
or afi‘ection.—_—_Boslon Centinel.’
From the Ncw- York Patriot.
J Mn. C;u.ii'ouN.—'.[‘he people of the United
States are now called upon‘ to examine the
public and private conduct of one ofthe most
tlisiiiiguislictl citizens ; and _to select for the
first office in the_Uniou,tlia,t man whose whole
course of conduct, and whose talents and‘nior-
I
al qualities, eiiiiile liiiii toilie ‘gie.-it‘est'sliai"e
of confidence. Nothing will be gained ofthe
people by detractioii. All caluiniiy, all illib-
efjlllly, will re-act upon the patron yvlioni its
a_Ulll0_i's would elevaie.- Before the contest
for tliefresideiicy is over, ample justice will
be done to the pretensions of Mr. Calliouii,
M.r.‘.. Clay, Mr. Adams, General Jackson, and
Mr. Crawford ; and it is iriatter of humility
to lieliold atteinpis from any quarter to mis-
guide or pervert the popular seiitiriients of
the nation.
Mr. Calliouu’s acts as zfstatesnian, are on
record. Previous to his becoiuing a member
of Congress, in 1811, be was the advocate of
universal suffrage iii the State of S. Carolina.
.In the Legislature of that State, he acted a
coiispitzuoas pait. He entered Congress int
181:, and was appointed on the committee
of foreign relations‘. Of that comuiii.tee,Gen.
Peter .8. Porter was cliairiiian : he left Cori-
gress at -an early stage of the session; and
John C. Culhouii. was the man who then took
the labor and responsibility ofall future inca-
sures which would have devolved on General
Porter. Itwas John C. Calliouu who repor-
ted_—ihe ./Yul declaring War against Great-
Bri.lain—the second declaration of indepen-
dence; aiid it was he who boldly and elo-
quently sustained its expetliencyoii the floor
of Congress. It was Jolni C. Calhoun who
stood forth, opposing. a flood of prejutlices,
and advocated the expediency of building a
Navy to defend our shores. It was John C.
Calhoun who stood foremost on the floor of
Congress, in favor of raising troops, and cori-
tracting loans, to carry on the war, which he
had .rccoiniiiended in his report as acting
cliairiiiaii of the coiiimittee of.l'oreigii rela-
tions. It was John C. Calhoun who took the
lead in Congress, on the plans devised to cor-
rect the currency of the nation. It was John
C. Calhoun who vindicated a repeal of the
Restrictive System, in a speech which the
late Mr. Grosvenor, of N.York, (the personal
enemy of Mr. C.) pronounced to be one of
the ablest efforts of parliuinentary eloculiou
and reasoning, which had ever appeared in
Congress. It was John C. Calhoun who,
while in Congress, advocated the encourage-
ment ofDoinestic Maniif-iictures. It \VaSJOIIII
C. Calhoun who made a spirited and perse-
vering attempt in Congress to promote the
_advanccmeut of Internal Improvements, by
means of Roads and Canals: and it was he
who, with ,Mr. Clay and others, contended
for the consiilutioiial power of Congress thus
to augment the prosperity of the nation, and
strengthen the ties of the corifederacy. In
fact, if any one will take the trouble to exam-
ine, the proceedings of Congress, from 1615.’.
to law, he will find John C. Calhoun one of
the most able, active, and efficient nieinbers
that ever held a seat in that body. His zeal
and industry were unsiirpassed—liis- talents
were conspicuous-his apprehension quick-
his firmness uushaken, in the darkest periods
of the war. ‘ ‘
As Secretary of War, Mr. Calhoun has
done much. He found the War Department
in confusion. He hasintroduced system, har-
mony, rtertainty, and proinptuess. The staff
ofthe army has been re-organized, on the re-
commendations of his report to Congress, in
1817. The Engineer Department, the Ord-
nance Departineiit, the Q_u:irteniiasters’ De-
partment, the Paymaster’s Department, the
Coiiiniissaries’ Department, and the Medical
Departinent, have all been organized anew,
in a inost- admirable manner, inider the wise
and vigilant administration of Mr. Calhoun,
and upon his own views. Allexpenditures in
the VVar Department are rigidly regarded.
No losses or defalcations have occurred. All
contractors have their accounts settled iiionth-
ly ; and every dollar is accounted for, six
times a year, and the most of disbursements,
twelve times.
As Secretary ofWar, John C. Calhounlias
- promoted National Defence in two ways: lst,
by fortifications; and Plclly, by attracting the
attention of the government to roads and ca-
nals. The couutry has been explored by
members of the Engineer Corps, in different
places, and the routes for roads and canals
pointed out.
Jefferson wrote the Declaration ofIudepen-
deuce at 33—Adains was ilien but 41——-l{_an-
cock and Jay were under 40-and Livingston
was but 30. At the adoption of the Consti-
tution, Hziiiiilton and Madison were under the
age of 3.’) !
At the pi-riod of the ncxtPresitleiitial Elec-
tion, John C. Calhounwill be 43 years of age
—-eight years beyond the coiisiitiitional peri-
od oflife, when the framers of the Constitu- '
tion deemed a man old enough to govern the
nation. Ifa man is not fit to be Presitleiit of
the U. States at that period, he is never fit:
years cannot render him more so.
- From the .N'etv-Haven Register.
lVASI'II-NGTON COLLEGE, ‘No. 4.
In the last Register, I took occasion to‘ ad-
vert tocertain improvements in- our system of
education, which were designed to be adopt-
ed-iu the organization of \’i'ashiiigtoii College
and which seemed especially to be requi-
red by the circuiiisiaiices andcondition ofour
country. I’ now beg leave-to.2tdd a.few further
remarks on.the. same subject.
The circumstances of our country do not
call upoirus to educate iliemass of our youth
for.litcrar_v. leisure and enjoynient,liut to per-
form their parts in the active business oflife.
In. a.Reptiblic like ours,where tlistiuclioii is.to
be obtained by the suffragesoftbe people there
is no surer passport to cininence,‘tliau an abil-
ity to ‘ speak well.’ It is not the man who is
.skilled in Classic lore, it is not the ingenious
'inatlieiiiziiician, orilie profound philosopher,
who beiirstlic "sway in ouitlcgislative and con-
‘gressional Halls, and attains the highest. lion-
ors of the Pulpit, and the Forum ;-,—it is the
eloquent speaker CEITIES-llll before him. With
us, therefore, the cultivation of eloquence
_Sll0lll(l be regarded as a matter-ofthe first im-
portance. Itlo not mean that sort ofeloqueiice
swhicli is frequently acquired at our public
schools and Colleges,und which consists in re-
peating, with ilieairical inouihiug, or in a sing
jsong tone, pieces previously coinniiited to
.menior.y: nor will this discipline be siiflicient,
even though the discourse be delivered ‘ witli
‘proper emphasis and discretion’ The elo-
quence to wliicli I allude, consists in the abil-
ity to utter oue’s own sciitiineuts with ease, el-
egance, and energy. This faculty can never
be acquired by the uiere-repealing ofpieces
by rule. It must be_obtaiiied by frequent ex-
ercises in exlemporary speaking‘. This forms
no part of the system of education pursued in
our Colleges ; and the liitle proficiency wliicli
prising students through thelrneditini of vol-.
untary Societies. The consequence is, that
the greater portion ofthose who recieve a Col-
legiate education are never able to utter their
‘sentiineiits at all in puhlic;——Those‘ who de-
sign themselves ‘for the Bar, are obliged to ex-
ercise themselves to the habit of exteinpora-
neous speaking after they leave. College’, and
a few others, perhaps, arrive to eminence in
the Senate, by slow degrees. We must go
‘back, then to the disipline of Greek and Ro-
man Schools. We must have our .Maslcrs of
Oratory, in our Colleges, to tiain the youth in
exercises of exiemporary discusioii ;—first in
small divisions, then in the presence of the
Class or before the whole College till‘ they
acquire a facility and frecdom,iu expressiugiu
public, the sentiments which arise sponta-
iieouly in their mintls.—--That-tliis is practica-
ble to almost every young man of ordinary
lfllemsi l3 Hlmlltlanlly evinced by the success
tifiliosc who are obliged frequently to speak
in public without the opportunity ofpremed-
itation :—-liut perhaps there is no facility that
we possess, which is so entirely depeudisnt up-
on exercise and habit, as that ofexteniporary‘
spcakiiig.-—-'I‘licse views of the subject are un-
derstood to have been adopted by the trustees
of Washington College,‘ and it is expecteif
they will organize the tlepartiiieiit of Rheto-
ric ii_i the Institution with au,espccial reference
to them. "
- To those who are acquainted with our sys-
tem of public etlucatioii, it is a well known
fact that most of the young men who study
the rS'cicnccs,kuou but little more oftheirprac-
licul application, when they graduate, than
they did when they entered’ College. ”1t’lieo.‘
.r_y seems to be considered the province of the
School, and practice the business ofsuccediii
life. This isitoo much the crse in every dc:
partment of education; auda much greater‘
portion ofa college life is spent in disciplining
the mind, than in the acquisition of knowl-
edge. Tlie truth is, the former ought to be"
done and the latter ought not to be left uni
done; and both objects will be more readily cf-
fected by pursuing them together.
Impressed with these sentiments, and with
the consideration that the present wants of
our country call rather for practical ‘knowl-
edge, than for more theoretical learning, the
trustees of the Institution have determined so
to organize itthat the Sciences shall be taught
in a more practical way than in our existing
Colleges. and that, as far as may be, the pn-
pils shall be taught actually to per_/"om all
those opcrationsof which they learn the ra-
tionale. For example : while they ‘are pursu-
iug the study of Ti igbnonietry, they may go
into the fields with their Instructor, and with
the’ proper instruments measuie the angles or
sides of 'I‘i'iaiigles, and make the proper coin-
putations, through all the various Cases. In
the like manner, in learning the theory of
Surveying, they may actually measure plots
of ground, in the various ways, and calculate’
their coiiteiits; and even in the study ofNavi-
gauon, they may measuretlieir. courses and
distaiicesiii the fields, (using the c-h'a‘1'u instead
ofthe log ;) they may take their solar and hi-
nar observation, and go through all their ric-
cessary calculatioiis for determining their lat-'
itude, and their longitude. At it more advan-
ced stage, they may learn the use of Astro-
nomical I'nstrum'eiiis, and the methods of OI)-
taining the clemcnls for the coniptitatioii ofthe
magnitudes, distances,‘ and revolutions of the
heavenly bodies. .In the department ofNat-I
ural Philosophy, it is desirable the depository
of Morals sho'uld.be formed by means ofwhich
ixiay be illustrated the application of the me-'
chanical powers to the various kinds of Ma-
chinery. .
Such, I believe, are the views which the
trustees eiitertaiii. If they should be carried
into effect, I venfure to predict that they will .
be attended with the most beneficial results.
A healthful and instructive occupation will be
foundfor many hours, which are devoted to
recreation, productive only of idle or dissipa-
ted habits ;' an interest will begiveu to the pur-
suits of science,.whicli abstract theory corrid-
iicver excite ; otir youth will acquire a taste
for the active business of life, and will come
forth fitted: and prepared to. become useful-_
nieinbers ofsociety. . ~-
In addition to the employment afibrded by
the scientific operations. just mentioned and
to the practical husbandry refered to in a for-
uicr number, it is the iutcntioii ofthe trustees‘
to introduce other useful gymnastic exercises,.
‘and as far as practicable to afford a salutary
occupation for all the hours usually devotedto
idle relaxations. '
There is anoilier point which is understood
to have occupied the attention ofthe trustees
ofilie proposed College. I allu'de.to the ex-
travagance and the expense in which so ina-
ny students indulge tlieinselv-es,iii most ofour
Colleges. This is a monstrous and growing
evil. It is subversive of all literary improve-
nient,and leads to every spe.cii‘.s.ofdissipaiion.
If the ext-ravngance were confined to those.
alone wliosejwealtli could siipport it-, it woultl
be_ less pernicious in its consequences; but its
influence, iscoutagious. It ets to be thought.
essential_'to the cha-racier ofga. lad of spirit.
The simple, country boy, whose parent can
barely afford to defray the necessary expenses
of? his ediicatioii, becomes emulous of the"
character ofthefancied gentleman. He either
ruins an indulgent father, or resorts to. tricks
and expedient: for getting money, which sub-
vert his iuoral priiiciples, andlead to his ut-A
ter destruction‘. ' ,
Doubtless this is an evil..which it is difficult
to suppress; but it is, hoped that the trustees.
of VVasliington College w~ill.be_.-able at least.
‘to set bouudsto it. They. have determined to.
Zinake it a f.undaineuial regulation in ih.e.pro-
fposed Institution that every parent and guar-
ilian shall stipulate to furnisli the Sllldent 00-
inoney, but_\vhat passes through the liamls of-
;a judicious officer appointed for the piirpose,
gaud that ilie disbursments for no individual
sliall e_xceed a certain fixedaiiioiiiit.
I have many other things to say onytlie sub-,
ject of education, and in. relation to the cnii--
teinplaied College, but I will not intrude fur-_
ther on the coluuins of the Register. I hope,
the reiiiarlts I have made may be useful to-
some who-a re engaged in the business of in— ,
struciion._aud that I have presented such it
Prospeclics of W aslilngton College as shall se-
cure to,-it.ilie patronage of-tliepublic.
The Trenton True American recommends",
from. long obsevation,_the Wild Carrot, as a
remeily for IIle.GffiVeI and other disorders ofa
similar character. A tea cup full taken before
breakfast. and a like quantity before dinner,
coiiiiiiued for two or three days, will gene-
is acquired there, is obtained by a few enter-
rally eflect a cure, and willrelieve in all cases‘,
-.
Norwalk Chronicler