首页 >出版文学> LETTERS>第53章

第53章

  thereforeabandonedbythepubliccare,asthatpartofthecountryitselfisinaconsiderabledegreebyit’sinhabitants。Wewishtoestablishintheupper&healthiercountry,&morecentrallyforthestate,anUniversityonaplansobroad&liberal&_modern_,astobeworthpatronizingwiththepublicsupport,andbeatemptationtotheyouthofotherstatestocomeanddrinkofthecupofknowledge&
  fraternizewithus。Thefirststepistoobtainagoodplan;thatis,ajudiciousselectionofthesciences,&apracticablegroupingofsomeofthemtogether,&ramifyingofothers,soastoadapttheprofessorshipstoouruses&ourmeans。Inaninstitutionmeantchieflyforuse,somebranchesofscience,formerlyesteemed,maybenowomitted;somayothersnowvaluedinEurope,butuselesstousforagestocome。Asanexampleoftheformer,theorientallearning,andofthelatter,almostthewholeoftheinstitutionproposedtoCongressbytheSecretaryofwar’sreportofthe5thinst。Nowthereisnoonetowhomthissubjectissofamiliarasyourself。Thereisnooneintheworldwho,equallywithyourself,unitesthisfullpossessionofthesubjectwithsuchaknowledgeofthestateofourexistence,asenablesyoutofitthegarmenttohimwhoisto_pay_forit&to_wear_it。Toyouthereforeweaddressoursolicitations,andtolessentoyouasmuchaspossibletheambiguitiesofourobject,Iwillventureeventosketchthescienceswhichseemuseful&practicableforus,astheyoccurtomewhileholdingmypen。Botany,Chemistry,Zoology,Anatomy,Surgery,Medicine,NatlPhilosophy,Agriculture,Mathematics,Astronomy,Geology,Geography,Politics,Commerce,History,Ethics,Law,Arts,Finearts。ThislistisimperfectbecauseImakeithastily,andbecauseIamunequaltothesubject。Itisevidentthatsomeofthesearticlesaretoomuchforoneprofessor&mustthereforeberamified;othersmaybeascribedingroupstoasingleprofessor。
  Thisisthedifficultpartofthework,&requiresaheadperfectlyknowingtheextentofeachbranch,&thelimitswithinwhichitmaybecircumscribed,soastobringthewholewithinthepowersofthefewestprofessorspossible,&consequentlywithinthedegreeofexpencepracticableforus。Weshouldproposethattheprofessorsfollownoothercalling,sothattheirwholetimemaybegiventotheiracademicalfunctions;andweshouldproposetodrawfromEuropethefirstcharactersinscience,byconsiderabletemptations,whichwouldnotneedtoberepeatedafterthefirstsetshouldhavepreparedfitsuccessors&givenreputationtotheinstitution。FromsomesplendidcharactersIhavereceivedoffersmostperfectlyreasonable&practicable。
  Idonotproposetogiveyouallthistroublemerelyofmyownhead,thatwouldbearrogance。IthasbeenthesubjectofconsultationamongtheablestandhighestcharactersofourState,whoonlywaitforaplantomakeajoint&Ihopesuccessfulefforttogetthethingcarriedintoeffect。Theywillreceiveyourideaswiththegreatestdeference&thankfulness。Weshallbeherecertainlyfortwomonthstocome;butshouldyounothaveleisuretothinkofitbeforeCongressadjourns,itwillcomesafelytomeafterwardsbypost,thenearestpostofficebeingMilton。
  WillnotthearrivalofDuponttemptyoutomakeavisittothisquarter?Ihavenodoubtthealarmistsarealreadywhettingtheirshaftsforhimalso,buttheirglassisnearlyrunout,andthedayIbelieveisapproachingwhenweshallbeasfreetopursuewhatistruewisdomastheeffectsoftheirfollieswillpermit;forsomeofthemweshallbeforcedtowadethroughbecauseweareemergedinthem。
  Wishingyouthatpurehappinesswhichyourpursuitsandcircumstancesoffer,andwhichIamsureyouaretoowisetosufferadiminutionofbythepigmyassaultsmadeonyou,andwitheverysentimentofaffectionateesteem&respect,Iam,dearSir,yourmosthumble,andmostobedientservant。”ASUBLIMELUXURY”
  _ToDr。JosephPriestley_
  _Philadelphia,Jan。27,1800_
  DEARSIR,——Inmyletterofthe18th,Iomittedtosayanythingofthelanguagesaspartofourproposeduniversity。ItwasnotthatIthink,assomedo,thattheyareuseless。Iamofaverydifferentopinion。Idonotthinkthemessentialtotheobtainingeminentdegreesofscience;butIthinkthemveryusefultowardsit。
  Isupposethereisaportionoflifeduringwhichourfacultiesareripeenoughforthis,&fornothingmoreuseful。IthinktheGreeks&Romanshaveleftusthepresentmodelswhichexistoffinecomposition,whetherweexaminethemasworksofreason,orofstyle&fancy;andtothemweprobablyowethesecharacteristicsofmoderncomposition。Iknowofnocompositionofanyotherantientpeople,whichmeritstheleastregardasamodelforit’smatterorstyle。
  ToallthisIadd,thattoreadtheLatin&Greekauthorsintheiroriginal,isasublimeluxury;andIdeemluxuryinsciencetobeatleastasjustifiableasinarchitecture,painting,gardening,ortheotherarts。IenjoyHomerinhisownlanguageinfinitelybeyondPope’stranslationofhim,&bothbeyondthedullnarrativeofthesameeventsbyDaresPhrygius;&itisaninnocentenjoyment。I
  thankonmyknees,himwhodirectedmyearlyeducation,forhavingputintomypossessionthisrichsourceofdelight;andIwouldnotexchangeitforanythingwhichIcouldthenhaveacquired,&havenotsinceacquired。Withthisregardforthoselanguages,youwillacquitmeofmeaningtoomitthem。About20。yearsago,Idrewabillforourlegislature,whichproposedtolayoffeverycountyintohundredsortownshipsof5。or6。milessquare,inthecentreofeachofwhichwastobeafreeEnglishschool;thewholestatewasfurtherlaidoffinto10。districts,ineachofwhichwastobeacollegeforteachingthelanguages,geography,surveying,andotherusefulthingsofthatgrade;andthenasingleUniversityforthesciences。Itwasreceivedwithenthusiasm;butasIhadproposedthatWm&Mary,underanimprovedform,shouldbetheUniversity,&thatwasatthattimeprettyhighlyEpiscopal,thedissentersafterawhilebegantoapprehendsomesecretdesignofapreferencetothatsectandnothingcouldthenbedone。About3。yearsagotheyenactedthatpartofmybillwhichrelatedtoEnglishschools,exceptthatinsteadofobliging,theyleftitoptionalinthecourtofeverycountytocarryitintoexecutionornot。Ithinkitprobablethepartoftheplanforthemiddlegradeofeducation,mayalsobebroughtforwardinduetime。Inthemeanwhile,wearenotwithoutasufficientnumberofgoodcountryschools,wherethelanguages,geography,&thefirstelementsofMathematics,aretaught。Havingomittedthisinformationinmyformerletter,Ithoughtitnecessarynowtosupplyit,thatyoumightknowonwhatbaseyoursuperstructurewastobereared。I
  havealetterfromM。Dupont,sincehisarrivalatN。York,datedthe20th,inwhichhesayshewillbeinPhiladelphiawithinaboutafortnightfromthattime;butonlyonavisit。Howmuchwoulditdelightmeifavisitfromyouatthesametime,weretoshewustwosuchillustriousforeignersembracingeachotherinmycountry,astheasylumforwhateverisgreat&good。Pardon,Iprayyou,thetemporarydeliriumwhichhasbeenexcitedhere,butwhichisfastpassingaway。TheGothicideathatwearetolookbackwardsinsteadofforwardsfortheimprovementofthehumanmind,andtorecurtotheannalsofourancestorsforwhatismostperfectingovernment,inreligion&inlearning,isworthyofthosebigotsinreligion&
  government,bywhomithasbeenrecommended,&whosepurposesitwouldanswer。Butitisnotanideawhichthiscountrywillendure;
  andthemomentoftheirshowingitisfastripening;andthesignsofitwillbetheirrespectforyou,&growingdetestationofthosewhohavedishonoredourcountrybyendeavorstodisturbourtranquilityinit。Noonehasfeltthiswithmoresensibilitythan,mydearSir,yourrespectful&affectionatefriend&servant。
  THE18THBRUMAIRE
  _ToJohnBreckinridge_
  _Philadelphia,Jan。29,1800_
  DEARSIR,——Yourfavorofthe13thhasbeendulyreceived,ashadbeenthatcontainingtheresolutionsofyourlegislatureonthesubjectoftheformerresolutions。Iwasgladtoseethesubjecttakenup,anddonewithsomuchtemper,firmnessandpropriety。FromthereasonofthethingIcannotbuthopethattheWesterncountrywillbelaidoffintoaseparateJudiciarydistrict。FromwhatI
  recollectofthedispositionsonthesamesubjectatthelastsession,Ishouldexpectthatthepartialitytoageneral&uniformsystemwouldyieldtogeographical&physicalimpracticabilities。I
  wasonceagreatadvocateforintroducingintochanceryvivavocetestimony,&trialbyjury。Iamstillsoastothelatter,buthaveretiredfromtheformeropinionontheinformationreceivedfrombothyourstate&ours,thatitworkedinconveniently。IintroduceditintotheVirginialaw,butdidnotreturntothebar,soastoseehowitanswered。ButIdonotunderstandhowthevivavoceexaminationcomestobepracticedintheFederalcourtwithyou,&
  notinyourowncourts;theFederalcourtsbeingdecidedbylawtoproceed&decidebythelawsofthestates。
  AgreatrevolutionhastakenplaceatParis。Thepeopleofthatcountryhavingneverbeeninthehabitofself-government,arenotyetinthehabitofacknolegingthatfundamentallawofnature,bywhichaloneselfgovernmentcanbeexercisedbyasociety,Imeanthe_lexmajorispartis_。Ofthesacrednessofthislaw,ourcountrymenareimpressedfromtheircradle,sothatwiththemitisalmostinnate。Thissinglecircumstancemaypossiblydecidethefateofthetwonations。OnepartyappearstohavebeenprevalentintheDirectory&councilof500。theotherinthecouncilofantients。
  Sieyes&Ducos,theminorityintheDirectory,notbeingabletocarrytheirpointsthereseemtohavegainedoverBuonaparte,&
  associatingthemselveswiththemajorityoftheCouncilofantients,haveexpelled*120。oddmembersthemostobnoxiousoftheminorityoftheElders,&ofthemajorityofthecouncilof500。soastogivethemselvesamajorityinthelattercouncilalso。TheyhaveestablishedBuonaparte,Sieyes&Ducosintoanexecutive,orratherDictatorialconsulate,giventhemacommitteeofbetween20。&30。
  fromeachcouncil,&haveadjournedtothe20thofFeb。ThustheConstitutionofthe3dyearwhichwasgettingconsistency&firmnessfromtimeisdemolishedinaninstant,andnothingissaidaboutanewone。Howthenationwillbearitisyetunknown。HadtheConsulsbeenputtodeathinthefirsttumult&beforethenationhadtimetotakesides,theDirectory&councilsmighthavereestablishedthemselvesonthespot。Butthatnotbeingdone,perhapsitisnowtobewishedthatBuonapartemaybespared,as,accordingtohisprotestations,heisforliberty,equality&representativegovernment,andheismoreabletokeepthenationtogether,&torideoutthestormthananyother。Perhapsitmayendintheirestablishingasinglerepresentative&thatinhisperson。Ihopeitwillnotbeforlife,forfearoftheinfluenceoftheexampleonourcountrymen。Itisverymaterialforthelattertobemadesensiblethattheirowncharacter&situationaremateriallydifferentfromtheFrench;&thatwhatevermaybethefateofrepublicanismthere,weareabletopreserveitinviolatehere:wearesensibleoftheduty&expediencyofsubmittingouropinionstothewillofthemajorityandcanwaitwithpatiencetilltheygetrightiftheyhappentobeatanytimewrong。Ourvesselismooredatsuchadistance,thatshouldtheirsblowup,oursisstillsafe,ifwewillbutthinkso。
  *60。wereexpelledfromthe500,soastochangethemajoritytheretotheotherside。ItseemsdoubtfulwhetheranywereexpelledfromtheAntients。ThemajoritytherewasalreadywiththeConsularparty。
  IhadrecommendedtheenclosedlettertothecareofthepostmasteratLouisville;buthavebeenadviseditisbettertogetafriendtoforwarditbysomeoftheboats。Iwillaskthatfavorofyou。ItistheduplicateofonewiththesameaddresswhichI
  inclosedlastweektomr。Innes&shouldthereforegobyadifferentconveyance。Iamwithgreatesteemdearsiryourfriend&servant。
  ILLUMINATISM
  _ToBishopJamesMadison_
  _Philadelphia,Jan。31,1800_
  DEARSIR,——Ihavereceivedyourfavorofthe17th,&
  communicatedittoMr。Smith。IlatelyforwardedyourletterfromDr。Priestley,endorsed`withabook’;Istruckthosewordsthroughwithmypen,becausenobookhadthencome。Itisnowreceived,&
  shallbeforwardedtoRichmondbythefirstopportunity:butsuchopportunitiesaredifficulttofind;gentlemengoinginthestagenotlikingtotakechargeofapacketwhichistobeattendedtoeverytimethestageischanged。ThebestchancewillbebysomecaptainofavesselgoingroundtoRichmond。IshalladdressittothecareofMr。GeorgeJeffersonthere。
  Ihavelatelybyaccidentgotasightofasinglevolumethe3d。oftheAbbeBarruel’s`Antisocialconspiracy,’whichgivesmethefirstideaIhaveeverhadofwhatismeantbytheIlluminatismagainstwhich`illuminateMorse’asheisnowcalled,&hisecclesiastical&monarchicalassociateshavebeenmakingsuchahueandcry。Barruel’sownpartsofthebookareperfectlytheravingsofaBedlamite。ButhequoteslargelyfromWishauptwhomheconsidersasthefounderofwhathecallstheorder。Asyoumaynothavehadanopportunityofformingajudgmentofthiscryof`maddog’whichhasbeenraisedagainsthisdoctrines,IwillgiveyoutheideaIhaveformedfromonlyanhour’sreadingofBarruel’squotationsfromhim,whichyoumaybesurearenotthemostfavorable。WishauptseemstobeanenthusiasticPhilanthropist。HeisamongthoseasyouknowtheexcellentPriceandPriestleyalsoarewhobelieveintheindefiniteperfectibilityofman。Hethinkshemayintimeberenderedsoperfectthathewillbeabletogovernhimselfineverycircumstancesoastoinjurenone,todoallthegoodhecan,toleavegovernmentnooccasiontoexercisetheirpowersoverhim,&ofcoursetorenderpoliticalgovernmentuseless。ThisyouknowisGodwin’sdoctrine,andthisiswhatRobinson,Barruel&
  Morsehadcalledaconspiracyagainstallgovernment。WishauptbelievesthattopromotethisperfectionofthehumancharacterwastheobjectofJesusChrist。Thathisintentionwassimplytoreinstatenaturalreligion,&bydiffusingthelightofhismorality,toteachustogovernourselves。Hispreceptsaretheloveofgod&