VOL. II. NEW-YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1814. PRINTED AND PUBLISHED, EVERY SATURDAY, NO. 34 CEDAR-STREET; At FIVE DOLLARS per annum; payable by city NO. 1. against them, many. It could hardly be All the numbers may be had, from the most overwhelming proofs of their inca- commencement. A HISTORY OF THE ORIGIN, PROGRESS, AMINER. pacity. country from the consequences of such mis- Enormous and increasing national debt; From these considerations alone, there It Defeat upon defeat; Disgrace upon disgrace; involving, in The prostration of the national strength; The probable bankruptcy of the na- There had been long perceived, and by structed. In all things else, Americans most men, with regret, in the political were healthy, strong, active, patient, perpapers of the time, a style of resentful and severing: but then they could not endure acrid controversy, from which no good the fatigue, the dreadful torture of read, consequences could possibly result. The ing long pieces! Accordingly long pieces, exercise of the understanding seemed to in which alone, by the bye, we can expect have been deemed of far less importance, to have political subjects fully and satisthan "the keen encounter of men's wils." factorily investigated and concluded, long It was the peculiar characteristic of pieces were laid aside by most editorial nearly all who wrote on either side, that artillerists, and every where they were they seemed to write as if they were al-found popping about them with their small ways in anger; taking infinitely more arms; sometimes, it is to be allowed, anpains to be ugly, as the children say, than noying and vexing their adversaries; but to be wise; delighted more to display without any prospect, or even hope of their own talents, than to spread around ever breaking into their encampment. them useful information, and good natur-I do not deny that these have their use; ed counsel. but it is to be regretted that while you An exception, among a few others, an find every little quizzing paragraph, some exception worthy of all respect and imi-light and pleasant conceit, or biting sartation, might however be found in the casm, travelling the rounds of all the pa writings of JOHN LOWELL, Esq. of Boston, the author of The Farmer's Letters, published in the first volume of this work. Let the recent elections of Massachusetts testify the good, the great and important and lasting good, which speculations of such a character are calculated to produce. And let our own elections bear testimony to the very different results which are consequent on a different mode of writing. pers; some paragraph "that shows one hasty spark, and then is cold again;" such writings as Mr. Lowell's, freighted with powerful facts, and pressing upon the understanding with irresistible force; writings whose efficacy is equal to the politi cal redemption of the nation; are thrown aside, though read with delight, because they are so long. For people will not read them; they are very good: but, Q dear, they are so long! There never was a greater mistake, nor a greater libel on the American people They will read; they delight in reading; and especially in reading politics. And they will read long pieces; no matter how long, if they are only good! the longer the better. But they will not read long pieces, unless they are tolerably well written. They will not, for instance, read four or five columns, in which one or two small ideas are purposely beaten out, like a bit of gold into a leaf of the greatest possible surface. They will not, to be sure, take down warm water by the quart; but then it does not therefore follow, that they Such, however, as the political essays were, good or bad, whether calculated to be useful from the mildness, candour and force of their reasoning, or the bitterness of their sarcasm, these essays were few. And among the few that were good, but very few were republished elsewhere, unless they were short; and then there seems to have been but little concern whether they were good or not. An idea bad obtained, and that very generally, that people would not read pieces, unless they were short; the shorter the better. In other words, that the American intellect had become so effeminate, so nice, so enervated, that although it could bear are unwilling to refresh themselves with a to be tickled, it could not bear to be in-good long draught of sound cider or ale |