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Title: A Collection of Essays and Fugitiv Writings
On Moral, Historical, Political, and Literary Subjects
Author: Noah Webster
Release Date: December 13, 2013 [eBook #44416]
Language: English
Character set encoding: UTF-8
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS AND FUGITIV WRITINGS***
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The headings in the table of contents do not always match the headings in the text. The subsections do not have their own heading, but refer to the page where the discussion of this topic starts.
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A
COLLECTION of ESSAYS
AND
FUGITIV WRITINGS.
ON
MORAL, HISTORICAL, POLITICAL and LITERARY
SUBJECTS.
BY NOAH WEBSTER, JUN.
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
Heureuses les villes qui, comme les individus, n'ont point encore pris leur pli! Elles feules peuvent aspirer à des loix unanimes, profondes et sages.
TABLEAU DE PARIS.
PRINTED AT BOSTON, FOR THE AUTHOR,
BY I. THOMAS AND E. T. ANDREWS,
At Faust's Statue, No. 45, Newbury Street.
MDCCXC.
SUBSCRIBERS
The honorable John Adams, Esq. Vice President of the United States, 2 copies. The hon. Pierce Butler, Esq. — Senators in Congress. The hon. Charles Carrol, Esq. The hon. Oliver Ellsworth, Esq. The hon. William Few, Esq. The hon. Benjamin Hawkins, Esq. The hon. John Henry, Esq. The hon. Ralph Izard, Esq. The hon. William Samuel Johnson, Esq. The hon. Samuel Johnston, Esq. The hon. Rufus King, Esq. The hon. Robert Morris, Esq. The hon. George Read, Esq. Hon. Jonathan Trumbull, Esq. — Representativs in Congress. Jeremiah Wadsworth, Esq. A. Nathaniel W. Appleton, Physician, Boston. John Allen, Esq. Attorney at Law, Litchfield. B. Isaac Baldwin, Esq. Clerk of Court, Litchfield. Isaac Baldwin, jun. Esq. Attorney, do. Mrs. Ruthy Barlow, Greenfield. Mr. Jesse Benedict, Fairfield. Mr. Isaac Bronson, Hartford. Mr. Caleb Bull, do. Mr. James Burr, do. Jonathan Brace, Esq. Attorney, Glanstenbury. David Burr, Esq. Attorney, Fairfield. Barna Bidwell, Esq. Attorney, New Haven. John Bird, Esq. Attorney, Salisbury. C. Peter Colt, Esq. Treasurer of Connecticut, Hartford. Mr. John M'Curdy, Merchant, do. Richard M'Curdy, Esq. Attorney, Lyme. John Caldwell, Esq. Alderman of the City of Hartford. Mr. John Chenevard, jun. Hartford. Hon. John Chester, Esq. Judge of the County Court, Wethersfield. Thomas Chester, Esq. Attorney, Wethersfield. Edward Carrington, Physician, Milford. Reverend Henry Channing, New London. Joshua Coit, Esq. Attorney, do. Mr. Lynde M'Curdy, Merchant, Norwich. Messieurs Coit and Lathrop, Merchants, do. Mason F. Cogswell, Physician and Surgeon, Hartford. Reverend John Clarke, Boston. D. Samuel W. Dana, Esq. Attorney, Middleton. David Daggett, Esq. Attorney, New Haven. Mr. Benadam Dennison, Norwich. E. Pierpont Edwards, Esq. Attorney for Connecticut District, New Haven. F. Mr. Thomas Fanning, Norwich.TO
The PRESIDENT,
The VICE PRESIDENT,
The SENATORS, and
The REPRESENTATIVS
OF THE
UNITED STATES of AMERICA,
The following PUBLICATION,
Designed to
Aid the Principles of the Revolution,
TO
Suppress Political Discord,
AND TO
Diffuse a Spirit of Enquiry,
Favorable to Morals, to Science, and Truth,
Is most humbly inscribed,
As a Tribute of Respect for their Karacters,
Of Gratitude for their Public Services,
And a Pledge of Attachment
TO THE
Present CONSTITUTION
OF THE
AMERICAN REPUBLIC,
BY THEIR MOST OBEDIENT,
AND MOST HUMBLE SERVANT,
The Author.
Hartford, June, 1790.
As the author was absent from the press, and the copy, in some places, obscure or not correct, some errors have unavoidably escaped the notice of the printers. The following are the most material.
Page 47, line 7, afterPREFACE.
The following Collection consists of Essays and Fugitiv Peeces, ritten at various times, and on different occasions, az wil appeer by their dates and subjects. Many of them were dictated at the moment, by the impulse of impressions made by important political events, and abound with a correspondent warmth of expression. This freedom of language wil be excused by the frends of the revolution and of good guvernment, who wil recollect the sensations they hav experienced, amidst the anarky and distraction which succeeded the cloze of the war. On such occasions a riter wil naturally giv himself up to hiz feelings, and hiz manner of riting wil flow from hiz manner of thinking.
Most of thoze peeces, which hav appeered before in periodical papers and Magazeens, were published with fictitious signatures; for I very erly discuvered, that altho the name of an old and respectable karacter givs credit and consequence to hiz ritings, yet the name of a yung man iz often prejudicial to hiz performances. By conceeling my name, the opinions of men hav been prezerved from an undu bias arizing from personal prejudices, the faults of the ritings hav been detected, and their merit in public estimation ascertained.
The favorable reception given to a number of theze Essays by an indulgent public, induced me to publish them in a volum, with such alterations and emendations, az I had heerd suggested by frends or indifferent reeders, together with some manuscripts, that my own wishes led me to hope might be useful.
During the course of ten or twelv yeers, I hav been laboring to correct popular errors, and to assist my yung brethren in the road to truth and virtue; my publications for theze purposes hav been numerous; much time haz been spent, which I do not regret, and much censure incurred, which my hart tells me I do not dezerv. The influence of a yung writer cannot be so powerful or extensiv az that of an established karacter; but I hav ever thot a man's usefulness depends more on exertion than on talents. I am attached to America by berth, education and habit; but abuv all, by a philosophical view of her situation, and the superior advantages she enjoys, for augmenting the sum of social happiness.
I should hav added another volum, had not recent experience convinced me, that few large publications in this country wil pay a printer, much less an author. Should the Essays here presented to the public, proov undezerving of notice, I shal, with cheerfulness, resign my other papers to oblivion.
The reeder wil obzerv that the orthography of the volum iz not uniform. The reezon iz, that many of the essays hav been published before, in the common orthography, and it would hav been a laborious task to copy the whole, for the sake of changing the spelling.
In the essays, ritten within the last year, a considerable change of spelling iz
Hartford, June, 1790.
CONTENTS.
No. I.
On the Education of Youth in America.
- Page
- General Remarks. 1
- Division of the Subject. Attention to the Dead Languages. 3
- Study of the English Language necessary. 7
- Use of the Bible in Skools. 8
- Study of Mathematics. 9
- Diversity of Studies in the same Skool. 10
- Local Situation of Colleges and Academies. 11
- On classing Students. 13
- Of good Instructors. 15
- Fatal Effects of employing Men of low Karacters in Skools. 18
- What Books should be read in Skools. 23
- On public Skools—their Importance in a free Guvernment. 24
- On the Education of Females. 27
- On a foreign Education. 30
- The Tour of America, a necessary Part of a liberal Education. 35
No. II.
Principles of Guvernment and Commerce.
- Origin of Guvernment. 38
- Of Representation. ibid.
- Of the Executiv and Judicial Powers. 39
- Distinction between Laws and legislativ Grants and Contracts. 40
- Of collecting Debts by Law, and of Money. 42
- Of Public Justice. 43
No. III.
On Bills or Declarations of Rights.
- Necessity and Advantages of such Declarations in England. 45
- Bills of Rights not necessary in America. 46
No. IV.
On Guvernment.
- Of the Distinction between a Convention and Legislature. 49
No. V.
- The Subject continued, with a Consideration of Mr. Jefferson's Arguments in Favor of an unalterable Constitution. 59
No. VI.
- The Subject continued. That the Freemen of a State hav no Right to bind their Representativs in Legisture by their own Instructions. 72
No. VII.
Remarks on the Manners, Guvernment and Debt of the United States.
- State of America after the War. 81
- Causes of Public Unhappiness. 84
- Pernicious Effects of Introducing foreign Manners.
No. VIII.
- On Paper Money. 119
No. IX.
- On Redress of Grievances. 125
No. X.
- The Influence of the Devil. 127
No. XI.
- Desultory Thoughts on the Tranquillity of the Guvernment of Connecticut, Emissions of Paper Currency, Union of the States, and Popular Complaints respecting Lawyers. 132
No. XII.
- Advice to Connecticut Folks. 137
No. XIII.
- An Address to the Dissenting Members of the late Convention in Pensylvania. 142
No. XIV.
- On Test Laws, Oaths of Allegiance, Abjuration and partial Exclusions from Office. 151
No. XV.
Sketches of the Rise, Progress and Consequences of the late Revolution.
- Ground of European Claims to North America. 154
- Origin and Progress of the Controversies respecting America. 155
- Causes of the late War, between Great Britain and America. 158
- Massacre at Boston in 1770. 161
- First Congress in 1774. 164
- Battle of Lexington, and Progress of the War. 167
- Appointment of General Washington to the Command of the American Armies. 169
- Letter from General Washington, explaining the Circumstances which led to the Capture of Lord Cornwallis. 180
- Treaty of Peace. 182
- Consequences of the War. Defects of the Confederation. 183
- Popular Tumults on Account of Half Pay to the Officers of the Army. 184
- ---------------- on Account of the Cincinnati. 186
- Failure of Public Credit. 187
- Insurrection in Massachusetts. 189
- Regulation of Prices. 192
- History of Paper Money. 194
- State of Commerce. 198
- Origin of the Convention in 1786. 199
- Convention and new Form of Federal Guvernment. 200
- Processions in Honor of the Constitution. 203
- First Congress under
No. XVI.
- Remarks on the Method of Burying the Dead among the Nativs of this Country, compared with that among the Ancient Britons. 205
No. XVII.
- On the Regularity of the City of Philadelphia. 217
No. XVIII.
- A Dissertation concerning the Influence of Language on Opinions, and of Opinions on Language. 222
No. XIX.
- Effect of Music on Society. 229
No. XX.
- On the Morality of Savage Nations. 233
No. XXI.
- A Letter from Constantia, with the Answer. 239
No. XXII.
- Letter on the Education of a Young Man, with an Answer. 245
No. XXIII.
An Enquiry into the Origin of the Words Domesday, Parish, Parliament, Peer, Baron, with Remarks, new and interesting.
- Etymology of Domesday. 250
- Probable Etymology of Parish. 252
- Etymology of Parliament. 258
- --------- of Peer. 261
- --------- of Baron. 268
- Extract from Camden's Britannia. 291
- ------- from Sir William Temple's Works. 297
- Postscript, with Remarks on Juries after the Conquest. 299
No. XXIV.
- The Injustice, Absurdity, and Bad Policy of Laws against Usury. 304
No. XXV.
- The Grounds and Extent of Allegiance, Natural and Local. 317
No. XXVI.
- Explanation of the Reezons, why Marriage iz prohibited between Natural Relations, designed to determin the Propriety of marrying a Wife's Sister. 322
No. XXVII.
Miscellaneous Remarks on Divisions of Property, Guvernment, Education, Religion, Agriculture, Slavery, Commerce, Climate and Diseezes in the United States.
- Connection between Property and Power. 326
- Tenure of Lands in Europe. ibid.
- --------------- in New England—its Effects. 328
- Causes which may in Future change our Governments. 332
- Karacter of the First Settlers of New England—their Institutions—Support of Clergymen, Skools, Newspapers, Parish Libraries, &c. 332 to 339
- Constitution of Connecticut—Origin—Excellencies and Defects. 340, 347
- Remarks on the State of New York. 347
- ----------------------- New Jersey—Territorial Controversy between East and West Jersey. 348
- Pensylvania-Territorial Controversy between that State and Connecticut. 355
- Maryland.
No. XXVIII.
- On a Discrimination between the Original and Purchasing Creditors of the United States. 378
No. XXIX.
- An Address to Yung Gentlemen. 387
No. XXX.
- An Address to Yung Ladies. 406