iS3 
 
CORNELL 
 
 UNIVERSITY 
 LIBRARY 
 
 GIFT OF 
 Willers Family 
 
Cornell University Library 
 BJ1595 .R72 
 
 Manual of useful knowledge : containing 
 
 olin 
 
 3 1924 029 052 433 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924029052433 
 
A MANUAL 
 
 OF 
 
 USEFUL KNOWLEDGE: 
 
 CONTAINING, 
 
 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE 
 
 LAW OF NATURE, NATIONAL LAW, MUNICIPAL LAW, CRIMINAL 
 LAW, MORAL LAW, GOVERNMENT, THE MAKING OF LAWS, 
 THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, RELIGION, MANNERS, NO- 
 TICES, FACTS AND OPINIONS CONNECTED WITH 
 THE ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE, 
 
 ESSAYS ON READING, AND MAXIMS TO BE OBSERVED 
 IN LIFE. 
 
 A(5ottfxsXov touto stfrt /x»j a Govksrai o ^a&srsg aXXi a 
 tfufjupepe fxafejv SiScufxsiv. 
 
 " It is the prerogative of an instructer, to teach his disciple not what he 
 wishes to learn, but what he, the instructer, sees fit to teach him."r-5t. 
 Chrysostom. 
 " Nemo vir magnus sine aliquo afflatu divino unquam fuit." 
 " No man was ever great who had not been made so by the breath of 
 God." — Cicero de Natura Deorum. 
 
 BY EDWARD ROGERS, 
 
 AUTHOR OF " THE GUIDE-BOOK," &C. 
 
 UTICA, N. Y. 
 
 PRESS OF DBWITT 0. GROVE, 48 & 44 GENESEE STREET. 
 
 1851. 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the ye»r 1851, oj 
 EDWARD BO&EBS, 
 in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the North- 
 ern District of New York. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 The Author presents the Manual of Useful Know- 
 ledge, in a catechetical form, for the instruction of the 
 learner in those things which pertain to his conduct in 
 every day life. It was originally designed as an adjunct 
 in moral instruction to " The Guide Book," which was 
 published and the first edition has been sold. 
 
 It is presented in the form of questions and answers, 
 that it may be used as a text book in our schools. It 
 comprises, what is seldom found in or out of pur schools, 
 a book of general information on the law of nature, na- 
 tional law, municipal law, criminal law, moral law, gov- 
 ernment, the making of laws, the ten commandments, 
 religion, manners, notices, facts and opinions connected 
 with the acquisition of knowledge ; reading, its object, 
 direction, and end; together with certain maxims for 
 observance in life, explained and commented on. The 
 author believes that in this book is contained all the 
 information that is necessary for every day use. It con- 
 tains the elements of those principles that form the 
 citizen and statesman. 
 
 A- daily examination will furnish information that 
 years of study only will enable him to obtain elsewhere. 
 The questions and answers are adapted to the capacity 
 of the learners of every age. The precepts are practical, 
 and calculated to give information on subjects of every 
 day reading. The work is made as simple as it can be, 
 
vr 
 
 in language that every age may receive instruction 
 from it. 
 
 The author solicits for it a careful perusal. A former 
 work, he believes, has amused and instructed those who 
 have read it. To the public, generally, he presents it, 
 not as containing the marvels of the age, or the wonders 
 of creation, but as a work designed to enlighten the 
 understanding, mend the manners, and increase the 
 knowledge of all who peruse it. And he hopes farther, 
 that it may be instrumental in softening the heart and 
 improving the good feeling which gives so much pleasure 
 in the intercourse of man with his fellow-man. 
 
 The Author. 
 
A CATECHETICAL TREATISE 
 
 OF 
 
 LAW, MORALS, AND RELIGION. 
 
 OF LAW IN GENERAL. 
 
 What is law, in its general and most extensive signi- 
 fication ? 
 
 It is a rule of action : as such it is applicable to mat- 
 ter and motion in all its forms and relations : to the 
 planets in their spheres ; to plants in their growth, 
 maturity, and decay ; to animals, rational beings, and 
 .spirits : of the last class our knowledge is indefinite and 
 imperfect. It is dictated by a superior. 
 
 These laws as regards matter and motion are certain 
 fixed appearances from which they do not vary. 
 
 It is' a law of gravity, that bodies near the earth tend 
 directly to it, unless they are without the power of its 
 attraction. 
 
 It is a law of motion, that bodies at rest, when set in 
 motion, move in a direct line. 
 
6 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 OF THE LAW OF NATURE. 
 
 What is the law of nature 1 
 
 The will of man's Creator. This is immutahle and 
 eternal. 
 
 What does the law of nature require ? 
 
 It requires that man should live honestly, should hurt 
 nobody, and should render to every one his due. 
 
 What are the .attributes of Deity 1 
 
 Infinite goodness, power, and wisdom, which have 
 been exhibited in his acts, in causing the happiness of 
 man to depend on a conformity of life to the principles 
 of eternal justice. 
 
 To what short precept may the law of nature be 
 reduced 1 
 
 That man should pursue his own time and substantial 
 happiness. Whenever any act is destructive of man's 
 happiness, it is contrary to the law of nature. 
 
 When did the law of nature have its origin ? 
 
 It is coeval with the creation of man. 
 
 By whom was it dictated ? 
 
 By God himself. 
 
 Who are subject to his law ? 
 
 The whole human family : man wherever he may 
 dwell on the face of the earth. 
 
 Are human laws binding, if contrary to the law of 
 nature 1 
 
 Human laws that contravene the law of nature, have 
 no validity. 
 
 To what do all human laws owe their binding force ? 
 
 To a conformity to the divine law. 
 
 How is man to determine what will be for his substan- 
 tial happiness 1 
 
OTF THE LAW OF NATURE. 7 
 
 It is by reason we discover what is the law of nature, 
 under all ciroumstances. 
 
 When will our reason he a perfect guide ? 
 
 When our reason, as in our first ancestor before the 
 fall, is perfect, unruffled by passion, unclouded by preju- 
 dice, unimpaired by disease or intemperance. Our rea- 
 son, on account of ignorance and weakness or corruption, 
 is not now at all times a guide. 
 
 In what manner have the defects of reason been aided 1 
 
 By the providence of God, who by an immediate 
 revelation has appeared in aid of human reason. 
 
 What do we call the revealed will of God ? 
 
 The precepts of the Divine law, as they are found 
 only in the Holy Scriptures. These precepts tend to 
 man's felicity, and are found to be a part of the law of 
 nature. * 
 
 Are these precepts which' are revealed of higher 
 validity than the law of nature 1 
 
 They are of infinitely more authenticity, for they are 
 revealed by God himself. The other is a deduction of 
 human reason. 
 
 Without a revelation, could the truths contained in it 
 ever have been discovered 1 
 
 On account of the corruption of human reason, the 
 ignorance and weakness of man, they could not. The 
 wisdom of ages had not been able to find out these 
 truths. 
 
 On what two foundations depend all human law ? 
 
 On the law of nature and revelation. 
 
 When do human laws have their greatest force and 
 validity ? 
 
 In those things which are indifferent as regards the 
 divine law or revelation and the law of nature. 
 
8 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 Do human laws which add a punishment to the crime 
 of murder, increase the guilt of the offender, or add anj 
 fresh ohligation to abstain from its perpetration 1 
 
 They do not, in conscience ; and if they enjoined its 
 commission, man would not he bound to obey it. 
 
 What laws are required in a state of nature? 
 
 None but the law of nature and the law of God. 
 
 Could any other law exist ? 
 
 It could not. Law always implies a law-giver or supe- 
 rior. In a state of nature, all are equal. There is no 
 precedence. 
 
 What code of laws, has the separate societies into 
 which the human family are divided, given rise to ? 
 
 The law of nations. 
 
 OF THE LAW OF NATIONS. 
 
 States are independent of each other, and are to each 
 other as individuals. 
 
 The civil law applies to them the law p,f nature, and 
 says : What natural reason between all' men h,as constir 
 tuted as law, is the law of nations. 
 
 What are the foundation of national law ? 
 
 The rules of natural law, compacts, treaties, leagues 
 and agreements between different societies or govern- 
 ments. 
 
 What are we to understand by the law of nations 1 
 
 That code of instruction, which defines the rights, 
 principles and duties of nations in their intercourse with 
 each other. 
 
 What is required by the law of nations ? 
 
 By it nations are to do to each other as much good in 
 
OF THE IAW OF NATIONS. 9 
 
 peace, and as little harm in -war, as is consistent with 
 their interest, and with the state or condition in which 
 they are placed. 
 
 Is the foundation of the law of nations universally 
 admitted 1 
 
 It has not been. Some consider consent and usage the 
 foundation of it. Others consider the law of nature as 
 applicable to moral persons, susceptible of obligations 
 and laws. 
 
 Is the science of public law separated from ethics or 
 moral law 1 
 
 It is not. Governments are bound by truth* justice 
 and humanity. States and bodies politic are to be 
 regarded as having a public will, and as such, at liberty 
 to do right or wrong. 
 
 How do masters in the modern school of public law 
 consider nations 1 
 
 The same as individuals in a like situation. National 
 and individual morality are placed on the same ground. 
 
 Is national law limited in its obligation ? 
 
 It is not, but is equally binding in every age of the 
 world. 
 
 How does the law of nations, at the present day, differ 
 from the ancient law ? 
 
 Christianity has ameliorated the severity of the an- 
 cient law. By it, prisoners of war were slaves to the 
 captors, and one who went from a nation where no 
 friendship or treaty existed, became a slave wherever he 
 was found ; nations lived in a state of piracy ; preda- 
 tory warfare existed ; the victor had no restraints ; he 
 put his captive to death or had a right to sell- or enslave 
 him. This privilege existed as late as the 16th century ; 
 
 A* 
 
10 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 and does in Africa at the present time, among the bar- 
 barous nations of that continent. 
 
 What causes produced an amelioration of the law of 
 nations 1 
 
 Chivalry, Christianity, and the study of the civil law. 
 The influence of treaties, conventions, commercial regu- 
 lations and associations, the law concerning shipwrecks, 
 and the restoration to the true owner of property cast 
 upon the shore when the claim was fully substantiated, 
 the suppression of piracy, the humane treatment of per- 
 sons cast on shore and of prisoners, and the custom of 
 admitting ambassadors to reside at the court - to which 
 they were sent, ameliorated the rigor of the ancient law. 
 
 What is the consequence of the amelioration to states ? 
 
 "That each has a right to govern its subjects in its own 
 way, and no other state has a right to interfere. 
 
 When is this principle without obligation on the 
 nation ? 
 
 The right to interfere must be justified by the strong- 
 est necessity to provide for its own safety, and take due 
 precaution against the subjects of another. 
 
 When has a nation a right to aid another in a state of 
 revolt 1 
 
 It is only when the principles of the social compact 
 have been violated. 
 
 When have the subjects of government in a state of 
 revolt, a claim on other governments as nations, and 
 their acknowledgment as such 1 
 
 When they have shown their ability to maintain their 
 standing against the parent government. 
 
 Does a change of government change the relations 
 with other governments 1 
 
OF THE IAW OF NATIONS. 11 
 
 It does not : they are liable the same as the parent 
 government for debts. It is also bound by treaty stipu- 
 lations. 
 
 What is a treaty 1 
 
 It is a league or compact entered into between two 
 nations. 
 
 Does a change of rulers affect prior treaties % 
 
 It does not. 
 
 What jurisdiction has a state over adjoining seas 1 
 
 The ocean is not a subject ofe possession. Adjoining 
 seas, as far as convenient, are under the jurisdiction of 
 the nation to whom they are adjacent. So are naviga- 
 Me waters, as far as necessary for convenience and for 
 safety. 
 
 To whom do gulfs, estuaries, and arms of the sea, 
 belong ? 
 
 To the people to whom the adjoining territory belongs. 
 
 What are the rights and duties of commerce? 
 
 Nations ought to cultivate free intercourse for com- 
 mercial purposes, in order to supply each other's wants 
 and promote each other's prosperity. 
 
 Are treaties of commerce useful in the national code ? 
 
 They are so ; and they are equally binding with other 
 leagues. 
 
 In time of peace, can adjoining nations pass the other's 
 territory ] 
 
 For lawful purposes, they may pass over lands, rivers, 
 and seas. This right is not absolute, but under the direc- 
 tion of the nation contiguous, and may be a subject of 
 compact. 
 
 Can a nation possessing the upper part of a navigable 
 river descend to the sea ? 
 
12' A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 This right cannot be withheld without good cause. 
 
 How are criminals fleeing from other nations to be 
 disposed of? 
 
 After an examination before the proper officer, suffi- 
 cient to put them on trial, they are to be delivered up to 
 the nation to whom they belong. 
 
 Who are ambassadors'? 
 
 They are agents of a foreign government. They owe 
 no allegiance to the government to which they are sent. 
 
 Are they, like other grangers residing within the 
 state, amenable to its laws ? 
 
 They are not : if -guilty of crime, they must be dealt 
 with at home. 
 
 How many grades of ministers are there ? 
 
 Ambassadors are the highest; ministers plenipotentia- 
 ry and envoys extraordinary are next in grade ; resident 
 ministers the third ; charge de affaires the fourth. In 
 the United States, the highest grade of ministers sent 
 abroad is a minister plenipotentiary. 
 
 What is the salary of a minister plenipotentiary ? 
 
 It is $9000 a year, and $9000 outfit. A resident minis- 
 ter has $6000, and $6000 outfit. Charge de affaires has 
 $4500, and $4500 outfit. 
 
 What are consuls ? 
 
 They are commercial agents residing in foreign coun- 
 tries : they approximate to diplomatic dignity, and have 
 protection from the law of nations. 
 
 What is war? / 
 
 It is one of the highest trials of right. Nations are to 
 each other as individuals : they have no other mode of 
 setting difficulties. 
 
 Is not the matter in difference sometimes referred to a 
 friendly power to arbitrate upon ? 
 
OF THE IAW OF NATIONS. 18 
 
 It is, but this must be by mutual consent : there is no 
 mode of compelling a settlement. 
 
 What is the duty on which our social compact is 
 founded ? 
 
 It is self defence. Protection by the government is an 
 implied obligation to all its members' : this extends to 
 persons and property : for this the members contribute 
 to its support, and are bound to aid in time of war. 
 
 When should war be resorted to ? 
 
 Only in cases of absolute necessity : if bound by 
 treaty, only when required by the league as ally. 
 
 Where does the right of making war reside 1 
 
 Among the republics of Italy and Greece, the right 
 ^ras with the people collectively. Among the Germans, 
 in their popular assemblies. Among absolute sovereigns, 
 the right belongs to the king. In England, France, and 
 Holland, though the Kings declare war, they xely on 
 their legislative assemblies for the means of carrying 
 it on. 
 
 In what manner was war in past ages declared 1 
 
 By sending a herald at arms, stating grievances and 
 demanding redress. 
 
 Is this formality now required'? 
 
 It is not. The withdrawal of a minister is sometimes 
 considered a declaration of war. The Congress of the 
 United States pass an act declaring war, which is a 
 declaration to the world of war. 
 
 Are subjects parties to the war? 
 
 They are ; unless by stipulation, treaty, or statute, 
 not to be dealt with as enemies. Property is confiscated, 
 and the person is imprisoned. This,- in the United 
 States, must be done by special law ; otherwise the 
 property maybe reclaimed by the owner after the peace. 
 
14 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 What effect do embargoes have upon the modern rule 
 of reclamation % 
 
 They destroy it. 
 
 Are debts due to an enemy confiscated by the war 1 
 
 Until the 18th century, they were held to be confis- 
 cable ; and in strict right are so held now in the United 
 States ; but it rests with the national legislature to sanc- 
 tion it or not. The right is contrary to practice, and 
 condemned by conscience. The right does not apply to 
 property wrongfully taken before the war. 
 
 Can the subjects of nations at war carry on trade 1 
 
 They cannot : the contracts are void. This may by 
 special permission in some cases be done. 4» 
 
 How far does the soil give character to the owners and 
 the products 1 
 
 If the country is that of an enemy, the soil is held to 
 be so, and the owner an enemy and the products also. 
 
 What is a domicil ? 
 
 It is a place of permanent residence of an individual 
 and family. The domicil gives character to those in an 
 enemy's country. The residence in an enemy's country 
 must be with intention to remain in' order to change the 
 character. 
 
 OF THE MUNICIPAL LAW, 
 
 SOMETIMES DENOMINATED THE CIVIL LAW. 
 
 What is the municipal law ? 
 
 It is the law that every state prescribes for itself. 
 Thus understood, it is a rule of civil conduct, prescribed 
 by the supreme power in the state, commanding what is 
 right and forbidding what is wrong. ' 
 
 It is a rule. Why ? Because it is applicable to all, 
 
OF THE MUNICIPAL LAW. 15 
 
 and at all times, and not an order applicable to one, 
 suited to one time; from a -superior. 
 
 Why is it called a rule ? 
 
 To distinguish it from a compact or agreement ; one is 
 a promise, the other a command. It is also a rule of 
 civil conduct. Why ] To distinguish it from moral 
 conduct and from faith. It is prescribed : or, no rule 
 which is not promulgated can be a law. It is prescribed 
 by a superior, and therefore applicable to every individ- 
 ual The promulgation may be viva voce or by writing 
 or printing. 
 
 How many parts may laws be said to have ? 
 
 Three. 
 
 What are they denominated ? 
 
 First; a declaratory part, which shows a right to be 
 maintained and a wrong to be eschewed ; second, the 
 directory, whereby the subject is enjoined to observe the 
 right and abstain from the wrong ; third, the remedial, 
 where a method is given ro redress the private wrongs 
 and enforce the private rights of individuals ; fourth, the 
 sanction or penalty :■ this is the vindicatory part of the 
 law : by it is signified what evil or penalty is incurred. 
 
 When are crimes denominated mala in se ? 
 
 When the offence is a violation of the law of nature 
 and of God. Natural rights established by God and 
 nature, such as life and liberty, need not the aid of human 
 laws when violated. 
 
 What laws derive all their power from the law makers ? 
 
 Those enacted concerning things before indifferent: 
 the inspection of leather, the stamping of paper. The 
 violations of these laws are deemed positive offences. 
 
 Is it the duty of every citizen to obey the law 1 
 
16 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 It is the duty of all men to honor and obey the law. 
 The violation of the law is a moral offenoe. 
 
 Is suffering the penalty a satisfaction of the offence ? 
 
 It is not a moral satisfaction of the law in the court of 
 conscience. Obedience to the law is- a Christian duty 
 under every law-giver. That it is the law is the end of 
 the enquiry. 
 
 Does it make any difference whether it is a divine law 
 or human 1 
 
 It does not : obedience is required to all laws. 
 
 How are laws interpreted 1 
 
 To ascertain the will of the law-maker. The most 
 natural and probable signs are made use of. 
 
 What are these signs % 
 . They are, the words, the context, the subject matter, 
 the effects- or consequences, or the spirit and reason of 
 the law : First, the meaning of the words in the popular 
 use, with or without regard to grammar. Where terms 
 of art are used, they are to be taken as they are under- 
 stood in it ; second, if the words are doubtful, the context 
 is to be resorted to ; third, words are to be regarded as 
 having reference to the subject matter ; fourth, by effects 
 and consequences ; fifth, and lastly, by the reason and 
 spirit of the law. 
 
 How are laws divided 1 
 
 Into lex scripts,, and lex non scripta : written and un- 
 written. 
 
 What are the written laws 1 
 
 They are the statute laws passed by the legislature. 
 
 What is the common or unwritten law ? 
 
 General customs, or a rule binding over a whole state 
 or kingdom ; second, particular customs which are -obser- 
 
OP THE MUNICIPAL LAW. 17 
 
 vable in particular places ; third, particular laws adopted 
 by custom. In the United States, the decisions of our 
 courts are the highest evidence of general customs, and 
 form the common law of the country. The principles 
 of the civil or Roman law, are introduced to some extent 
 into our common law. Until the revolution, the English 
 reports or decisions of cases are binding upon our 
 courts. 
 
 How long must a custom be continued to be good ? 
 
 It must be used so long that the memory of man run- 
 neth not to the contrary. It must be without interrup- 
 tion. It must have been peaceable, acquiesced in without 
 dispute: it must be reasonable : it must be certain. Cus- 
 toms established by consent must be compulsory. 
 Customs must be consistent. The third branch of custom- 
 ary law, are regal constitutions of ancient kings ; next, the 
 twelve tables of the decemviri ; statutes of the Roman 
 senate or people ; the edicts of the Prsetor and the respon- 
 ses prudentum ; the Institutes of Justinian ; digests or 
 pandects; new code; novels,. The canon or ecclesiastical 
 law is admissible where it introduces no new rale ; when 
 it does, it does not bind the laity. 
 
 How many kinds of^statutes are there ? 
 
 There are two : general and special, public and pri- 
 vate. A general or public statute extends throughout 
 the state, and is a rule that regards the whole community. 
 Of this the courts of law are bound to take notice judi- 
 cially and ex officio. Special statutes ope/ate on particular 
 persons and private concerns. 
 
 What are the rules of construction 1 
 
 There are three points to be considered in the con- 
 struction of all remedial statutes : the old law, the mis. 
 
18 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 chief and the remedy : how the common law stood at 
 the making the act ; what the mischief was that the 
 common law did not provide for ; and what remedy is 
 provided in the act for the mischief. 
 
 "What is the business of the Judges ? 
 
 It is so to construe the act as to suppress the mischief 
 and enhance the remedy. A statute treating of inferior 
 persons cannot be applied to superiors. Penal statutes 
 must be construed strictly : strictly as to offence ; liber- 
 ally as to the offender. Statutes against frauds are to 
 be construed liberally. One part of a statute must be 
 construed by another, so that the whole may stand, if it 
 can stand. A saving totally repugnant to the body of 
 the statute, is void. Where the common law and statute 
 differ, the common law gives place to the statute. If a 
 statute that repeals another is itself repealed, it revives 
 the statute repealed. 
 
 Are acts derogatory of the power of subsequent leg- 
 islatures binding ? 
 
 They are not. Acts pronounced irrepealable'are repeal- 
 able ; acts that are impossible to be performed, acts 
 contrary to reason, are void. 
 
 What is the design of a Court »f equity 1 
 
 A Court of equity is designed to detect latent frauds, 
 enforce trusts and the execution thereof, to grant more 
 specific relief, to remedy mistakes and aid misfortune, 
 and deliver from dangers, beyond the reach of a Court 
 of common law. - 
 
OP FEDERAL LAW. 19 
 
 OF FEDERAL LAW- 
 
 What is our federal jurisdiction 1 
 It is confined to cases -which come -within the consti- 
 tutional range. 
 
 What suits are -within its constitutional jurisdiction 1 
 All suits in law or equity arising under the constitu- 
 tion, the laws of the United States, and the treaties made 
 or which shall be made under their authority ; to all 
 cases affecting ambassadors; other public ministers and 
 consuls ; to all cases of admiralty, and maritime jurisdic- 
 tion ; to controversies to which the United States shall 
 be a party ; controversies between two or more states ; 
 ^between a state and citizens of another state ; between 
 citizens of different states ; between citizens of the same 
 state holding lands under grants of a different state ; and 
 between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, 
 citizens or subjects. This jurisdiction as to ambassadors 
 and others named, and where a state is a party, is orig- 
 inal ; in other cases appellate. 
 
 What is the meaning of the word federal 1 
 It means leagued or united. The Union was formed 
 for specific purposes. These purposes are the encour- 
 agement of commerce ; raising revenue ; protecting the 
 weaker members of the confederacy ; encouragement to 
 the useful arts ; organizing and disciplining an army and 
 navy, and creating proper defences' for the country ; 
 making war and peace and providing munitions for war. 
 With the domestic affairs of the states, it has no right to 
 interfere ; and can exercise only such powers as are dele- 
 gated by the people. 
 
2Q A CATFCHETICUJ, MUtATISE. 
 
 OF CRIMINAL LAW. 
 
 What is crime 1 
 
 It is a violation of law; either the commission or 
 omission of some act commanded by law or forbidden 
 by law. 
 
 What are public offences 1 
 
 They are offences which affect the whole community. 
 Private offences are a violation of private right, but do 
 not always affect the public ; but public wrongs always 
 affect individuals as well as the public. They are a vio- 
 lation of private right also. 
 
 What are misdemeanors 1 
 
 They are offences not strictly defined. 
 
 Does every crime include a private injury ? 
 
 It does : every public offence is a private wrong. In 
 private offences, that alone is looked at ; but in public, 
 the private wrong is swallowed up in the public. The 
 individual right is preserved by statute. 
 
 How should criminal law be founded 1 
 
 It should be founded upon principles that are perma- 
 nent, uniform and universal ; and always conform to the 
 dictates of truth, justice, humanity and the indelible 
 rights of mankind. 
 
 What was the stoical doctrine as to crime and its 
 punishment ? 
 
 That all crimes and their punishment were alike. 
 
 Was this also the case in England? 
 
 It was except as to the smaller offences,, until Doct. 
 Goldsmith first suggested the propriety of apportioning 
 the penalty to the crime committed. 
 
 Where is this rule as to punishment adopted 1 
 
OF CRIMINAL LAW. $1 
 
 In the United States, punishment is apportioned to the 
 crime committed. 
 
 What is larceny ? 
 
 It is the taking and carrying away any goods, money, 
 or other article, with a felonious intent, or with an intent 
 unlawfully to convert it to the use of the taker against 
 the will of the owner. 
 
 How is it divided 1 
 
 Into grand and petit. 
 
 What is grand larceny in the State of New York ? 
 
 It is the taking of any sum of personal property or 
 money over twenty-five dollars. 
 
 What is petit larceny 1 
 
 The taking any sum under it. 
 
 What is the punishment for grand larceny ? 
 
 State prison for a term of years. Not over five for a 
 single offence. If in a house it may be increased three 
 years. 
 
 What is the punishment of petit larceny ? 
 
 It is by fine and imprisonment in the county jail for a 
 limited time. By imprisonment six months, or $100 
 fine or other smaller sum. 
 
 What is murder 1 
 
 It is the killing a human being with malice afore- 
 thought. Any thing that shows premeditation, calcula- 
 tion and determination, is evidence of malice. The pun- 
 ishment is death. 
 
 What is manslaughter % 
 
 It is the unlawful killing of a human being without 
 malice express or implied. It may be voluntary, or on a 
 sudden quarrel, or involuntary when some unlawful act 
 is being committed. 
 
22 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 What is the punishment t 
 
 State prison for life or some shorter period. 
 
 What is robbing % 
 
 It is taking feloniously money or goods from the per- 
 son, by putting in fear or violence, or with violence and 
 without consent. 
 
 What is the punishment \ 
 
 State prison for life or a shorter period. 
 
 What is arson ? 
 
 Arson is the voluntary and malicious burning of the 
 dwelling house, barn or out building of another. The 
 punishment is death for burning an inhabited house ; 
 State prison for life or shorter period for other building. 
 Some part of the building must be consumed to consti- 
 tute arson in the first degree. 
 
 What is burglary ? 
 
 It is the breaking into a mansion house in the night- 
 time, with a felonious intent, generally to commit a larceny 
 or robbery ; it may be any other felony. There must 
 be a breaking and entry in the night into a mansion 
 house with intent to commit a felony. It is not neces- 
 sary the felony should be committed ; the -breaking a 
 pane of glass or hoisting the latch of a door is sufficient. 
 
 What is the punishment 1 
 
 For burglary in the first degree, the punishment is 
 confinement not over ten years in the state prison. 
 
 What is the obtaining goods by false pretences % 
 
 It is the asserting a falsehood in order to obtain a 
 credit : as, asserting a note to be good and collectable, 
 which is known to be of no value. There are different 
 forms of this offence, and different degrees. It may be 
 punished by fine and imprisonment in the county or in 
 
OF CRIMINAL LAW. 23 
 
 the state prison, according to the discretion of the Court 
 as to the aggravation of the crime. 
 
 What is an assault 1 
 
 It is the setting upon another with a dangerous weap- 
 on, or without one in an angry boisterous manner : as 
 the raising the fist to strike, or raising a club or some 
 weapon, but not committing any bodily injury. The 
 punishment is fine, and imprisonment in the county. 
 Unless with a deadly weapon, it amounts to a breach of 
 the peace only. 
 
 What is a battery ? 
 
 The least touching in anger is a battery. An assault 
 with a deadly weapon, and an attempt to kill, is punish- 
 able in state prison for a term not over ten years. 
 
 What is mayhem 1 
 
 It is the violently depriving a man of the use of some 
 of his members useful in war : cutting or disabling the 
 tongue; putting out an eye ; slitting the lip; or destroying 
 the nose ; or if any one shall break off or destroy any 
 other member,: is punishable in state prison not less than 
 seven years. Common assault and battery is punished 
 by fine and imprisonment. The cutting off a hand, or 
 breaking a foretooth, are generally punished as a higher 
 grade of assault and battery. 
 
 What is an affray ? 
 
 It is the fighting of two or more persons in a public 
 place. If in a private place it is an assault and battery. 
 The punishment is fine and imprisonment in a county 
 jail. 
 
 What is a riot ? 
 
 It is the unlawful assembling of three or more persons 
 to do, and the actual doing of, an unlawful act. Pun- 
 ishment is by fine and imprisonment in a county jail. 
 
24 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 What is a route 1 
 
 It is where a sufficient number meet to make a riot, 
 but do not do any violence or attempt it. They gener- 
 ally enter bail to keep the peace, or stand committed 
 until done, or they are discharged. 
 
 What is treason 1 
 
 Treason against the people of this state is levying 
 war against the people of this state, or a combination 
 of two or more persons to usurp the government of this 
 state by force, or overturn the same, evidenced by a 
 forcible attempt made within this state to accomplish 
 such purpose. Adhering to the enemies of this state 
 when separately engaged in war with a foreign enemy, 
 in the cases prescribed in the constitution of the United 
 States, and giving such aid and comfort in this state or 
 elsewhere. Punishment is death. 
 
 What is rape 1 
 
 It is the carnal and unlawful knowledge of any female 
 against her consent, or carnally and unlawfully knowing 
 any female child under the age of ten years, and shall, 
 on conviction, be punished in the State prison not less 
 than ten years. Any one administering any substance, 
 by means of it having carnal knowledge" of such person, 
 shall be punished by imprisonment in the State prison 
 not exceeding five years. Any one carrying away any 
 female against her consent and forcibly marrying her, 
 shall be imprisoned not less than ten years. Any one 
 who shall take any woman unlawfully against her will, 
 with intent to compel her by force, menace, or duress, 
 to marry him, or to marry any other person, or to be 
 denied, on conviction, shall be imprisoned not less than 
 ten years in the State prison. Any one who shall take 
 
OF CRIMINAL LAW. 25 
 
 away any female under the age of fourteen years from 
 her father, mother, or guardian, or other person, for the 
 purpose of prostitution, marriage, or concubinage, shall 
 he punished in a State prison not exceeding three years, 
 or by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars and im- 
 prisonment in the county jail one year. 
 
 Every person who, without lawful authority, shall 
 forcibly seize and confine, or shall inveigle, or kidnap, 
 any person in manner following : 1st, to cause such per- 
 son to be confined in this State ; 2d, shall cause such 
 person to be sent out of the State ; 3d, sold against his 
 will ; shall, on conviction, be confined in the State prison, 
 not exceeding ten years. 
 
 Any person fighting "a duel, how punished ? 
 
 Where life is taken, it is murder. Where death does 
 not ensue, shall be imprisoned in a State prisort not ex- 
 ceeding ten years. 
 
 What is the crime and punishment for sending or 
 receiving a challenge 1 
 
 If guilty, of a misdemeanor, and punished in the State 
 prison not exceeding seven years ; and the second who 
 bears it for the same time. All persons convicted shall 
 be incapable of holding office. 
 
 What is embezzlement 1 
 
 It is the secreting, laying aside, and withholding feloni- 
 ously, money or goods and chattels committed to his charge 
 or trust, as clerk, agent, or carrier. It is punished as theft. 
 
 What is forgery ? 
 
 It is the alteration or counterfeiting of any bank note, 
 bond, bill, promissory note, or other security for debt to 
 defraud another. The punishment is imprisonment in. 
 the State prison for a term of years, 
 
 B 
 
26 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 What offence is the engraving of plates -with which 
 bank bills are made ? 
 
 It is forgery, and punishable in the State prison. 
 
 "What is perjury ? 
 
 It is the swearing corruptly false, or affirming falsely 
 and corruptly to any material matter on trial ; or, it is a 
 false and corrupt oath or affirmation, in any oath legally 
 administered : 1st, in any matter, cause, or proceeding 
 depending in any court of law or equity, or before any 
 officer thereof; 2d, in any case where an <Mh or affirma- 
 tion is required by law ; 3d, in any matter before any 
 tribunal or officer created by the constitution or by law. 
 
 How is it punished ? 
 
 Persons convicted of perjury, on the trial of an indict- 
 ment for a capital offence, are sentenced to a State prison 
 not less than ten years ; other cases not exceeding ten 
 years. 
 
 What is subornation of perjury 1 
 
 It is procuring another to swear falsely and corruptly. 
 On conviction the punishment is the same as perjury. 
 
 Is exhuming the dead a crime 1 
 
 It is. It is against public decency. 
 
 How is it punished 1 
 
 By fine and imprisonment, or in the State prison not 
 exceeding two years. 
 
 What crimes are punishable by imprisonment in a 
 county jail ? 
 
 Endeavoring to extort money by threats and threatening 
 letters: an insolvent debtor concealing his estate : taking a 
 conveyance of land in suit : buying and selling lands when 
 the grantor is out of .possession : conspiracies : officers 
 falsely arresting persons : compounding misdemeanors : 
 
OF CRIMINAL 1AW. 27 
 
 racing horses within one mile of any court : mali- 
 cious trespass : criminal contempts : attempts improp- 
 erly to influence jurors and arbitrators : improper 
 conduct in jurors : improper conduct in drawing and cer- 
 tifying jurors : voting more than once at the same elec- 
 tion : posting a man : giving medicine to produce an 
 abortion: physicians administering medicine when drunk: 
 selling poison without a label : negligence in loading 
 vessels : creating excess of steam on boats : maiming 
 and cruelty to animals : opening sealed letters, publishing 
 the contents : maliciously destroying bridges : removing 
 and altering monuments and boundaries : destroying and 
 defacing mile-stones, guide-boards : negleet of auctioneers 
 in not making report : wilful neglect of public officers, 
 and doing acts prohibited. 
 
 [The punishments given above, or in the foregoing 
 pages, are according to the New York Statutes.] 
 
 How are prosecutions for offences made 1 
 
 By entering a complaint to a grand jury, in the larger 
 and more heinous offences. In the smaller offences, com- 
 plaint is made to a magistrate, and may be done in the 
 larger as an initiatory step. If done in cases of felony, 
 an examination is had before bail or committal for trial. 
 In the smaller offences, they are bailed or committed or 
 tried, at the election of the accused, before magistrates 
 authorized to try. Most offences are bailable. Murder 
 in the first degree is not often bailed. 
 
 Who are grand jurors ? 
 
 They are persons selected by the boards of supervisors, 
 in New York, and the lists certified to the county clerk. 
 
 How are these lists disposed of 1 
 
 They are copied on separate slips of paper ; one name 
 
28 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 on a slip ; put in a box. Prior to the court of sessions 
 and the court of oyer and terminer, twenty-four names 
 are drawn by the officers appointed to draw them. This 
 list is given to the sheriff to summon. 
 
 How many can sit ? 
 
 Twenty-three. 
 
 How many must find a bill 1 
 
 Twelve. 
 
 What directions do they receive from the court 1 
 
 They are solemnly charged to inquire concerning all 
 offences committed within the body of the county, and 
 true inquisition make. 
 
 What is their finding termed % 
 ' A bill or indictment. 
 
 When found, what is endorsed on it ? 
 
 A true bill : and signed by the foreman of the jury. 
 
 Who is the foreman ? 
 
 He is one of the jury ^elected by the court, to swear 
 witnesses, examine them, and put the question of guilty 
 or not guilty to the jury. 
 
 How is he sworn 1 
 
 He is sworn as foreman of this grand inquest} without 
 fear, favor, partiality, or hope of reward, to inquire and 
 true presentment make. 
 
 How are petit jurors selected 1 
 
 By the officers of the town. They are certified to the 
 clerk, who copies them and places them in a box in the 
 same manner as grand jurors. 
 
 How many petit jurors sit on a jury 1 
 
 Twelve, who must all agree on a verdict. 
 
 What crimes are punishable under the federal gov- 
 ernment ? 
 
OP MORAL DUTIES. 29 
 
 Those committed against the laws of the United 
 States : forging and counterfeiting the coin ; violating 
 the revenue laws ; violating the post office regulations ; 
 also the maritime laws and the navy regulations ; rob- 
 bery of the mails ; opening letters, and stealing money 
 from letters. All silver, gold, and copper coin are made 
 and stamped at the mint of the United States. The 
 coining or altering the coin is an offence against the Uni- 
 ted States. State courts have, in respect to passhag 
 forged coin, concurrent jurisdiction. 
 
 Where are offenders against the laws of the United 
 States imprisoned? 
 
 In the prisons of the State where the offence is com- 
 mitted. 
 
 What is a court ? 
 
 Blackstone defines it to be a place where justice is 
 judicially administered. This definition is not literally 
 true. A court is a place where justice is administered 
 or causes are tried by judges. duly commissioned and 
 qualified. 
 
 OF MORAL DUTIES. 
 
 What duties are due from the finite to the Infinite 
 Being, from the creature to the Creator 1 
 
 The first duty is to love him ; next, to reverence him ; 
 thirdly, to obey, and fourthly, to honor him. 
 
 In what does love to the Deity consist ? 
 
 "In keeping his commandments and walking in his- 
 statutes and in his ordinances," and that the same are 
 not grievous. 
 
 In what does reverence to the Deity consist 1 
 
80 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 Reverence consists in a fear of offending a holy God, 
 and in love to his law, which is holy and just and true, 
 like himself, and not dishonoring him in word or deed. 
 
 In what way do we honor our Creator ? 
 
 We honor God by magnifying his name, praising his - 
 works, and in performing all those duties which are re- 
 quired by him in the law of nature and revelation. 
 
 What is obedience to his commands 1 
 
 Obedience to his commands is to love him, fear him, 
 worship him, and not to* take his name in vain ; and to 
 fulfill all the duties required by him to our fellow-men 
 in the various stations and relations m life in which we 
 are placed : in the pursuit of happiness in conformity to 
 his revealed will. 
 
 What are the attributes of the Deity? 
 
 They are wisdom, power, knowledge, goodness, justice, 
 self-existence, infinity ; all his 'at tributes are infinite. 
 
 What duty is required of man to his fellow-man ? 
 
 He is required to deal justly with him ; to aid him 
 when in distress by acts, deeds and words, when he can 
 do it without injury to himself; to do to and by him in 
 all things as he would wish him under like circumstances 
 to do to him. 
 
 What is justice ? 
 
 Justice has regard to the acts, which are done by one 
 person to another ; also to the words and representations 
 of the character and conduct of another ; and it is 
 mostly exhibited in the dealings of one man with another ; 
 paying debts ; performing promises ; in buying, sell- 
 ing, and exchanging articles of purchase or growth or 
 manufacture. It is the exhibition of faith, most generally 
 denominated good faith, in stating what is true of the 
 
OF MORAL DUTIES. 31 
 
 article sold, as to defects as -well as good qualities, and 
 in giving what is of equal value for what is purchased of 
 another. I know it is stated in Cicero, that what is said 
 is not always to he taken for granted ; that the buyer 
 buys what he wants, and the seller sells what he don't 
 want ; that it is foolish to cry down arr article in the 
 market. This is rather slippery morality. Simulation 
 and dissimulation are to be avoided. Every violation of 
 good faith, either in obtaining, more than the thing is 
 worth, or obtaining property for less than its worth, is a 
 violation of justice. What is secret, sinister, and decep- 
 tive, is fraudulent, is. unjust. 
 
 Is honesty always to be regarded as the only true 
 utility 1 ? 
 
 What is dishonest, either in word, deed, or in heatt, 
 is, in a compact or agreement, a vioiktion of justice. 
 
 What is morality 1 
 
 Morality is defined by writers on ethics to be the per- 
 formance of all acts in conformity to the divine and mu- 
 nicipal law. It is the exhibition of integrity in the inter 
 course we have with our fellows. It embraces good, 
 manners, and an adherence to truth, in our words, and in 
 relation to buying, selling or exchanging commodities in 
 market. It will be perceived that the above definition 
 applies to the overt acts of the man, and not to the mo- 
 tives of the heart. In our estimation, true morality, jhat 
 morality which will benefit the individual, must consist 
 in honesty of heart. By this we would not assert that 
 we have a right to inquire as to motives in ordinary 
 cases. But where the motives are evinced by the act, 
 exterior virtues cannot furnish a passport to selfishness 
 and corruption. 
 
3JJ A. CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 Can the law go beyond the overt act 1 
 
 It cannot require anything beyond the conduct. But 
 the higher law requires integrity of heart. 
 
 How do the moral duties, or those of the true gen- 
 tleman, differ from those of the Christian 1 
 
 They are ali^e : the one will not offend because it is a 
 breach of decorum ; the other will not, because he is 
 taught to act sincerely, to regard the feelings of his fellows, 
 and practice the principles of the Gospel. 
 
 By what law is man required to give of his substance 
 to his fellow-man 1 
 
 By the laws of humanity. 
 
 What is giving denominated ] 
 
 Beneficence. When he has adequate means and his 
 fellow is suffering, or in distress, either of body or mind, 
 for want of those things we possess, it is our duty to 
 give. This must be regulated by ability on the one 
 hand and by distress and suffering on the other. Be- 
 st'owments should be regulated by a sense of justice. 
 What belongs in fact to creditors should in general be 
 kept for them. Debtors should not hesitate to distribute 
 of their substance to those in need of food, clothing, and 
 the other comforts of life. 
 
 Why is it called charity 1 
 
 It has its origin in love, its original meaning. The be. 
 stowment of the United States to the Irish was unequalled 
 as a national charity. 
 
 Has the receiver a right to inquire as to the motive of 
 the giver 1 
 
 He Jias not. The giver has his reward, let the motive 
 be as it may. The charity which is rewarded in a moral 
 point of view, is that which proceeds from the heart. 
 
OS Moral dOties* 33 
 
 What is a promise 1 
 
 It is either a -written or verbal affirmation of doing or 
 not doing a certain act. 
 
 Are promises binding upon those who make them ? 
 
 Generally, though not universally, they are binding. 
 A promise to violate law binds not legally or morally. 
 
 Are promises against law binding 1 
 
 They are not. . Promises may be lawful when made, 
 but become unlawful by legislative enactments. In these 
 cases the promissor is discharged. Again, it is he d by 
 some ethical writers, that if the benefit of the promissee 
 is not equal to the injury to the promissor, that he is 
 discharged. This is loose morality, and is not law. A 
 knot that may be slipped would lead to the destruction 
 of all faith. Again, the civilians put the case of a man 
 who- is robbed, who to save his life pledges his word that 
 if it is spared he will not disclose the names of the of- 
 fenders : neither legally or morally is he bound to keep 
 the promise. The point of personal honor is not to be 
 used as a shield for crime, and a prevention of death to 
 others is too remote a consequence to found any argu- 
 ment upon. 
 
 What is truth 1 
 
 It is fact: the existence of things as they are. It is 
 opposed to a lie : that which has no foundation in fact. 
 Truth in our communications is the giving facts as they 
 are, or are believed to be. Information founded in fact 
 or in our relation, is a conformity to the facts received 
 from others. It is used for Scripture or Divine truth. 
 It is used for the Author of truth, Jesus Christ. 
 
 Is a man bound to make disclosure to his personal 
 affairs to gratify an enemy or a friend ? 
 
34 A CATECHKTICALjTRBATISfc:. 
 
 One man alleges things that concern our private affairs 
 to be so, and then asks if this is true 1 We have a right 
 to answer, no. If I answer any other way it would lead 
 to suspicion. If I say I am not bound to answer, it 
 would tacitly be admitting the charge. Self-protection 
 justifies this course. Many times a different answer 
 would be the means of taking my life or reducing my 
 fortune. But this course must only be resorted to on 
 occasions which justify concealment. We are not bound 
 to give our enemy a key to our secrets or our private 
 concerns. 
 
 Can he put words into our mouth and ask, is the thing 
 so and so? 
 
 This would be sanctioning a cross examination in the 
 common concerns of life. 
 
 What is a lie 1 
 
 It is the violation of truth : a want of veracity : a want 
 of conformity to facts. A lie implies a knowledge of 
 the falsity of the relation. Falsehood is the want of ac- 
 curacy or want of truth, but is destitute of the grSat 
 guilt of the offence of a lie, which is a wilful and corrupt 
 falsehood. 
 
 Is falsehood eve justifiable ? 
 
 It is never justifiable ; it may, perhaps, be excusable 
 in many instances." To save life, to prevent crime, or to 
 deter from the commission of offences, it may be excu- 
 sable. Moral offences, as a general rule, are not to be 
 compared or set off one against another, nor can a re- 
 coupment take place. Evil. is not to be done to produce 
 good. The falsehood to the robber to save,life, may 
 excuse the guilt ; it is done to deceive, and deception is 
 a violation of faith, without which society cannot exist. 
 
OF MORAt,]JDOTIES. 35 
 
 Are secret reservations proper or justifiable ? 
 
 They are not. They are deceptive. What is unknown 
 to the promissee cannot excuse the promissor. He promi- 
 ses not to expose the offender, but secretly says, I will, 
 or I will cause it to be done. He then requests a ma- 
 gistrate to issue a warrant or summons, requiring his 
 attendance to give evidence of the offence which has been 
 committed. The exception to any rule should never be 
 substituted for the rule itself. To admit the neoessity 
 of it, or take away the guilt, makes the exception greater 
 than the rule. 
 
 What is beneficence 1 
 
 It is doing good to our fellows. Beneficence is the 
 act of aiding anether. 
 
 Is beneficence a moral duty ? 
 
 It is one of the highest. The Author of our being has 
 placed his example before us in confirmation of the 
 principle which we should imitate. He sendeth rain 
 upon the evil and the good ; upon the just and the un- 
 just. The offering himself was the highest act of benefi- 
 cence for the ransom of fallen man. 
 
 Who should be the subjects of beneficence 1 
 
 Those that are nearest to us ought first to receive our 
 kindness : the inmates of our families, our neighbors, 
 and friends. 
 
 Should the kindred afar off be passed by to relieve 
 our neighbor near by 1 
 
 They should. 
 
 When should acts of charity be done 1 
 
 The present time : where the case is urgent and the 
 ability adequate. It is reported of the wealthy, eccen- 
 tric, and liberal Rowland Hill, that by the agent he em- 
 
36 A CATECtlETICAt TREATISE. 
 
 ployed to search for objects of distress, information was 
 brought that a person in extreme want might be found 
 in an attic tenement not far off, and thither he led him. 
 When he saw him, he pulled off his coat and jacket, and 
 emptied his purse for his relief. His agent checked the 
 employer, and said he had better return home and send 
 the necessary aid. " No," he said, " I would not trust 
 my own heart with its generous impulse beyond this 
 room." Delay will produce a thousand objections : " the 
 man is idle and intemperate, is vicious and unworthy, or 
 should apply to officers of the town or county for relief: 
 to aid is to encourage vagabonds and idlers." 
 
 What is the most honorable kind of beneficence 1 
 
 That which arises from our labor or industry. The 
 bestowal of money or other thing is of little consequence 
 to the man, compared with our labor. The advocate 
 who aids the poor man, appears more estimable than 
 the one who is paid for his services. When paid, his 
 eloquence smells of the strong box. 
 
 What are the objects of beneficence ] 
 
 To aid the needy, redeem the captive, set at liberty 
 the bondman, to relieve the sick and distressed. Society 
 is cemented by acts of kindness. Though the wants and 
 fears are the foundation of society, mutual benefits alone 
 cement it together. 
 
 What is benevolence 1 
 
 It is wishing well to our fellows. It is the precursor 
 and fellow-actor with beneficence. Both have their 
 foundation in pity and sympathy, and a broad expanse 
 of love to the world. 
 
 Is society necessary to man ? 
 
 It is necessary for his improvement, and also for the 
 
OF MORAL DUTIES. St 
 
 perpetuity of the raoe. A state of solitude is a state in 
 which no benefit can be derived by the individual from 
 benevolence, beneficence, morals, and manners, as there 
 can be no improvement in manners without social inter- 
 course. Man was made for society. There is no place 
 where the advice, counsel, aid, physical power, wealth, 
 or even poverty, is not necessary to Kis fellow-man. 
 
 Are the poor necessary to the rich ? 
 
 They are, for in refined civil society there are different 
 ascending ranks or castes. The rich employ the poor, 
 and the poor furnish the means of subsistence to the 
 rich. The artisan aidsthe yeoman ; the farmer supplies 
 food for the mechanic ; the learned aid %e unlearned. 
 The benefits are mutual, and are productive of happiness. 
 
 Can there be any exercise of the cardinal virtues out 
 of society ? 
 
 There cannot ; they indeed have their origin in civil 
 society. 
 
 Which are the cardinal virtues 1 
 
 Justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude, are those 
 named by the ancients. Justice is the highest virtue in its 
 exercise, and supports the highest honor of civil jsociety. 
 A band of robbers between themselves must exercise 
 this virtue, or they would not be kept together. The 
 division of the jplunder taken from others must be ac- 
 cording to the principles of justice, or death or expulsion 
 Yfould be the consequence of a violation of it. The more 
 complete the power of justice, the more refined the state 
 of society. Justice is the opposite of extortion. It pre- 
 vents the powerful from trampling on the feeble : the 
 cunning from defrauding the weak. It punishes those who 
 violate the law ; protects all in their rights of person, 
 
38 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 property, and liberty. The application of justice may be 
 ■wrong : in this way the aphorism originated that the 
 most rigid justice is the highest injustice. It is the high- 
 est attribute of Deity. 
 
 From whatsource do goodness and liberality flow ? 
 
 From the association of men in society. 
 
 What is liberality 1 
 
 In sentiment it is the giving to others their due share 
 of credit; not proscribing for opinion's sake; good feeling 
 to those of different views and sentiments ; munificence ; 
 a donation ; the giving what is due. 
 
 What is goodness ) 
 
 In a moral sense, it is the absence of evil in thought, 
 word, or deed. It is active virtue ; Christian duty, love 
 of order ; the performance of all incumbent duties, both 
 public and private. 
 
 What is temperance 1 
 
 It is the abstaining from excess in all things. It is the 
 pursuit of a middle course in all the duties which ap- 
 pertain to society. Abstinence from the use of things 
 injurious, unnecessary, and deleterious, is in these things 
 temperance. The smallest use of any thing noxious or 
 poisonous, unless as a remedy, is excess, and therefore 
 to cease tp use is the only temperance admissible. 
 
 What should be the general pursuit of all in society ? 
 
 That which is useful, and to avoid the reverse. 
 
 Can that which is dishonest ever be useful 1 
 
 It cannot. To extort from another is dishonest. So- 
 ciety is based upon integrity ; and to cheat, defraud, or 
 rob another, is removing its foundation. Any thing which 
 injures our fellow, which furnisBres us benefit or gain at 
 his expense, is dishonest. 
 
Of GOVERNMENT; 89 
 
 Is usury dishonest ? 
 
 It is a violation of law, which is a violation of good 
 morals. Two States have tried the Bentham doctrine, 
 and been forced, after a very short experiment, to resort 
 to usury laws again. Old Cato said, a usurer ought to 
 suffer death. 
 
 Is avarice consistent with good morals 1 
 
 It is an inordinate desire of gain or wealth, which is 
 the root of all evil. There is nothing so contracted and 
 little as the love of riches for riches' sake. 
 
 OF GOVERNMENT. 
 
 What is government ? 
 
 It is the power to control the members of the body 
 politic in those things which relate to their acts as oitizens 
 and subjects. 
 
 In what is government founded 1 
 
 It is founded in wisdom, goodness, and power. These 
 faculties are attributes of the Deity. Society, which is 
 essential to government, had its inception in the fears 
 and wants of those associated. 
 
 "What is the object of all government ? 
 
 It is the protection of life, liberty, and property. In 
 a state of nature, no laws are necessary, and no govern - 
 ment to make and execute them. 
 
 How many kinds of government are there ? 
 
 There are four kinds. The first is a simple democracy : 
 the sovereign power is lodged in an aggregate assembly, 
 consisting of all the members of the community. 
 
 What is that government called which is lodged in 
 select members of the community % 
 
40 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 It is called an aristocracy, or oligarchy. 
 
 If lodged in the hands of a single individual, what is it 
 called 1 
 
 A monarchy. 
 
 What is a government of a mixed form called, which 
 is peculiar to modern times t 
 
 It is called a democratic republic. 
 
 How does it differ from ancient republics 1 
 
 It is representative. 
 
 What, when it is composed of a number of separate 
 governments held together by written constitution or 
 compact? 
 
 It is called a federal republic. 'The United States is 
 one. 
 
 What are the State governments specimens of] 
 
 They are specimens of a mixed form of government. 
 
 What is meant by sovereign power 1 
 
 It is that power which makes laws. 
 
 Where does the right of making laws exist in a de- 
 mocracy 1 
 
 In the whole body of freemen or people. 
 
 Where is goodness of intention most generally found % 
 
 In a democracy, though sometimes foolish", patriotism 
 and public spirit are generally found. 
 
 Where does most wisdom exist % 
 
 In aristocracy or oligarchy : here.. the wisest and oldest 
 citizens of the state are placed : there is less honesty 
 than in a democracy, and not as much strength as in a 
 monarchy. 
 
 Which form of government is most powerful 1 
 
 A monarchy., Here are combined the legislative and 
 executive in one man. 
 
OP GOVERNMENT. 41 
 
 What government is best calculated to direct the ends 
 of the law ? 
 
 Democracies. 
 
 What, to invent the means by which the ends may be 
 obtained ? 
 
 Aristocracies. 
 
 What government is best to carry the ends into, exe- 
 cution? 
 
 A monarchy. 
 
 What government is best according to Cicero ? 
 
 One in which a democracy, aristocracy, and monarchy 
 are united. 
 
 In what governments are the notions of Cicero adopted 1 ? 
 
 In that of Great Britain, particularly, and to a Certain 
 extent in the United States. 
 
 What form of government is of modem origin? 
 
 A representative democracy or republic. 
 
 Where is the most perfect form of this government to 
 be found? 
 
 In the United States of America. The word federal 
 was one of the designations of the great political parties 
 after the constitution was adopted. 
 
 How many States originally formed this leagued re- 
 public ? 
 
 Thirteen minor republics. 
 
 How many States now compose this confederacy ? 
 
 Thirty- one. 
 
 What are the names of the New England States 1 
 
 Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, 
 New Hampshire, and Maine. 
 
 What are the names of the other twenty-five States 1 
 
 New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, 
 
42 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 Delaware, Virginia, Mississippi, North Carolina, So.uth 
 Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Ken- 
 tucky, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, 
 Ohio, Texas, Florida, Arkansas, Iowa, California. 
 
 What is the government of the United States 1 
 
 A Federal Republic. 
 
 When was this government formed 1 
 
 On Monday, September 17th, 1789. 
 
 When did it go into operation 1 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1789, the first Congress convened 
 in the city of New- York, at the old City Hall. A quo- 
 rum not attending on that day, adjournments from day 
 to day took place, until the 6th day of April, when the 
 votes were counted, and George Washington was de- 
 clared duly elected President and John Adams Vice 
 President. Charles Thompson was the messenger ap- 
 pointed to notify the President of his election. 
 
 When did the President appear 1 
 
 On the 30th day of April, he appeared and was sworn 
 into office. 
 
 What is the style of the constitution? 
 
 " We, the people of the United States, in order to form 
 a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic 
 tranquillity, provide -for the common defence, promote 
 the general welfare, and secure the blessings of' liberty 
 to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish 
 this constitution for the United States of America. 
 
 ARTICLE I. SECTION I. 
 
 In whom are the legislative powers vested 1 
 
 They are vested in a Congress of the United States, 
 
 which shall consist of a Senate, and House of Represen. 
 
 tatives. 
 
OF GOVERNMENT. 43 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 How is the House of Representatives composed 1 
 
 Of members chosen every second year by the people 
 of the several States ; and the electors in each State shall 
 have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most 
 numerous branch of the State Legislature. 
 
 How old must a person be to be a member of the 
 House ? 
 
 Twenty-five years : seven years a citizen of the United 
 States, and an inhabitant of the State he represents. 
 
 How are Representatives apportioned' among the 
 States of the Union ? 
 
 According to their numbers : to the white free popu- 
 lation, excluding Indians ; three-fifths of all others. 
 
 What was the number by which the first Congress was 
 apportioned ? 
 
 One to every 30,000. 
 
 How are direct taxes apportioned 1 
 
 In the same way, viz : in proportion to the represen- 
 tation. 
 
 What are the prerogatives of the House of Represen- 
 tatives ? 
 
 They choose their speaker and other officers : these are 
 a clerk, sergeant-at-arms, and door-keeper. The House 
 has the sole power of impeachment. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 How is the Senate "composed? 
 
 Of members from each State. These are chosen by the 
 legislature thereof. Each Senator has one vote. They 
 are chosen for six years. 
 
 How are they elected and apportioned 1 
 
 Once in six years after the first Congress. Seats of 
 
44 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 first Senate shall be divided into three classes : 1st class 
 term expires on the second year ; 2d class on the fourth 
 year ; and the 3d on the sixth year. During the recess 
 of the legislature, the Executive of the State may make 
 temporary appointments. These continue till the place 
 is filled by the State legislature. 
 
 Hew old must a Senator be 1 
 
 Thirty years ; and nine years a citizen of the United 
 States, and an inhabitant of the State for which he is 
 chosen. 
 
 Who is the president of the Senate 1 
 
 The Vice President of the United States. He has no 
 vote except when the Senate is equally divided. 
 
 What prerogative has the Senate 1 
 
 They choose their officers : secretary, sergeant-at-arms, 
 and door-keeper ; and in the absence of the Vice Presi- 
 dent of the United States, a president pro tempore. 
 
 What body constitutes a court for the trial of im- 
 peachments ] 
 
 The Senate : they are sworn on oath or affirmation. 
 When the President of the United States is tried, the 
 Chief Justice of the United States shall preside. 
 
 How many must concur in a conviction 1 
 
 Two-thirds. 
 
 What is the judgment 1 
 
 Removal from office, and a disqualification to hold 
 offices of honor, profit or trust. The party convicted is 
 liable to indictment and trial in courts of law. 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 At what time are Senators and Representatives ±o be 
 chosen ? 
 The time and manner and place are prescribed by the 
 
OF GOVERNMENT. 45 
 
 legislature of the State. Congress by law may alter suoh 
 regulations, except as to the places of choosing Senators. 
 
 How often and when does Congress assemble ? 
 
 Once a year, and on the first Monday in December, 
 unless a different day is appointed by Congress in each 
 year. 
 
 section v. 
 
 Who are the judges of elections and qualifications of 
 the members ? 
 
 Each House. 
 
 What is a quorum to do business 1 
 
 A majority of each House. A less number may ad- 
 journ from day to day, and be authorized to compel the 
 attendance of members from day to day, and under such 
 penalties as the House may provide. 
 
 How are rules to do business determined ? 
 
 By each House : they punish those that are disorderly ; 
 and with the concurrence of two-thirds, expel a member. 
 
 Does the House keep a record of its business 1 
 
 It keeps and publishes a journal, except what is secret. 
 The yeas and nays, at the desire of one-fifth, are entered 
 on the journal. 
 
 How long during the session of Congress can either 
 House adjourn ? 
 
 Not over three days : to the same place where they sit. 
 
 SECTTON VI. 
 
 What' compensation do Senators and Representatives 
 receive 1 
 
 Such as is ascertained by law shall be paid out of the 
 treasury of the United States : originally six dollars, now 
 eight dollars a day. 
 
 Are members of Congress liable to arrest ? 
 
46 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 In cases of treason, felony, and breach of the peace 
 only, during the session, and in going to. and returning 
 from the same. 
 
 Can they be questioned in any other place on any 
 speech or debate 1 
 
 They cannot. 
 
 Can they, the Senators or members of the House of 
 Representatives, during their term of office, hold any 
 civil office 1 
 
 None. Nor shall they be appointed to one, which shall 
 have been created or the emoluments increased during 
 such time. 
 
 SECTION VII. 
 
 Where do bills raising revenue originate ? 
 
 In the House of Representatives. The Senate may 
 propose or concur in amendments to bills. 
 
 When do bills become a law 1 
 
 When they have passed both Houses of Congress and 
 the President has signed them. It is presented to the 
 President ; and if he approves it, he signs it. If he does 
 not, he shall return it to the House where it originated, 
 with his objections, which shall be entered on their -jour, 
 nal. They shall then proceed to reconsider the bill and 
 objections. If, after reconsideration, two-thirds of that 
 House and two-thirds of the other House agree to pass 
 it, it shall become a law. 
 
 How are votes in such cases determined 1 
 
 By yeas and nays ; and the name of each person voting 
 shall be entered on the journal of each House respectively. 
 
 How soon must a bill be returned by the President ] 
 
 In ten days : if not so returned, it becomes a law, un- 
 less the return is prevented by the adjournment of Con- 
 gress, in which case it shall not be a law. 
 
OF GOVERNMENT. 47 
 
 , How are orders, resolutions, or any vote requiring the 
 vote of both Houses, passed ? 
 
 In the same maimer as bills. They must be signed 
 by the President, or returned, and passed as bills are 
 passed. 
 
 What is a bill 1 
 
 It is the draft or project of a law before \)i is passed. 
 
 SECTION VIII. 
 
 What powers of legislation have Congress ? 
 The congress shall have power — 
 
 1. To lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and ex- 
 cises ; to pay the debts and provide for the common de- 
 fence and general welfare of the United States ; but all 
 duties, imposts, and excises, shall be uniform throughout 
 the United States : 
 
 m 
 
 2. T° borrow money on the credit of the United 
 States : 
 
 3. To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and 
 among the several states, and with the Indian tribes : 
 
 4. To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and 
 uniform laws on the subject of bankruptcies, throughout 
 the United States : 
 
 5. To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of 
 foreign coin, and fix the standard of weights and meas- 
 ures : 
 
 6. To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the 
 securities and current coin of the United States : 
 
 7. To establish post-offices and post-roads : 
 
 8. To promote the progress of science and useful arts, 
 by securing, for limited times, to authors and inventors 
 the exclusive right to their respective writings and dis- 
 coveries : 
 
48 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 9. To constitute tribunals inferior to the supreme 
 court : To define and punish piracies and felonies com- 
 mitted on the bigh seas, and offences against the law of 
 nations : 
 
 10.' To declare war, grant letters of marque and re- 
 prisal, and make rules concerning captures on land%nd 
 water : 
 
 1 1. To raise and support armies ; but no appropriation 
 of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two 
 years : 
 
 12. To provide and maintain a navy : 
 
 13. To make rules for the government and regulation 
 of the land and naval forces : 
 
 14. To provide for calling forth the militia to execute 
 the laws of the union, suppress insurrections, and repel 
 invasions : 
 
 15. To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining 
 the militia, and for governing such part of them as may 
 be employed in the service of the United States, reserv- 
 ing to the states, respectively, the appointment of the 
 officers, and the authority of training the militia accord- 
 ing to the discipline prescribed by eongress : 
 
 16. To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases what- 
 soever, over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) 
 as may, by cession of particular states, and the acceptance 
 of congress, become the seat of government of the United 
 States, and to exercise like authority over all places pur- 
 chased, by the consent of the legislature of the state in 
 which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, maga- 
 zines, arsenals, dock-yards, and other needful buildings : 
 and, 
 
 17. To make all laws which shall be necessary and 
 
07 GOVERNMENT. 40 
 
 proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers, 
 «nd all other powers vested by this constitution in the 
 government of the United States, or in any department 
 ■or officer thereof. 
 
 SECTION IX. 
 
 How long were slaves permitted to be imported ? 
 
 Until 1808, a tax of $10 a head shall be imposed on 
 each one. 
 
 When can the privilege of Habeas Corpus be sus- 
 pended ? 
 
 In cases of rebellion or invasion, if public safety shall 
 require it. 
 
 Can Congress pass a bill of attainder, or ex post facto 
 law? 
 
 It cannot. 
 
 Can a capitation or other direct tax be levied ? 
 
 Not unless according to the principles heretofore 
 given, and on the census to be taken as before direoted. 
 
 Can a tax or duty be laid on articles imported from 
 any State 1 
 
 It cannot. 
 
 Can any preference be given by any regulation of 
 commerce or revenue to the ports of one State over those 
 of another 1 or shall vessels bound to or from one State, 
 be obliged to enter, clear, or pay duties in another 1 
 
 No preference shall be given. Vessels shall not be 
 bound to enter, clear, or pay duties in another. 
 
 Can money be drawn from the treasury but in conse- 
 quence of appropriations made by law 1 
 
 It cannot. 
 
 Shall a statement of the receipts and expenditures of 
 public money, be published from time to time f 
 c 
 
50 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 It shall. 
 
 Can any title of nobility be granted by the United 
 States? 
 
 It cannot. 
 
 Can any person holding any office of profit or trust, 
 accept, without the consent of congress, any present, 
 emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from 
 any king, prince, or foreign State % 
 
 He cannot. 
 
 section x. 
 
 "What power is denied to the states 1 
 
 1. No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or 
 confederation ; grant letters of marque and reprisal j coin • 
 money ; emit bills of credit ; make any thing but gold 
 and silver coin a tender in payment of debts ; pass any 
 bill of attainder, ex post facto law, or law impairing the 
 obligation of contracts ; or grant any title of nobility. 
 
 2. No state shall, without the consent of the congress, 
 lay any imposts or duties on imports or exports,- except 
 what may be absolutely necessary for executing its in- 
 spection laws ; and the neat produce of all duties and 
 imposts, laid by any state on imports or exports, shall 
 be for the treasury of the United States, and all such 
 laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the 
 congress. No state, shall, without the consent of the 
 congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep troops or ships 
 of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or 
 compact with another state, or with a foreign power, or 
 engage in war, unless actually invaded, or in such immi- 
 nent danger as will not admit of delay. 
 
 ARTICLE II. SECTION I. 
 
 Where is the executive power of the Unitei States 
 vested ? 
 
OF GOVEENMEKT. 61 
 
 Its is vested in a president of the United §taletr of 
 America. 
 
 How long does he hold his office 1 
 
 Four years. A vice president is chosen for the same 
 term. 
 
 How are the electors of president and vice president 
 appointed 1 
 
 In such manner as the legislature may direct. 
 
 What number does each state havcl 
 
 A number equal to the number of senators and repre- 
 sentatives. No senator or member of congress, or per- 
 son holding an office of trust or profit under the United 
 States, can be one. 
 
 The 12th article of amendments gives the mode of 
 proceeding of the electors. 
 
 "Who may determine the time of choosing the electors ? 
 
 Congress, and the day on which they shall give their 
 votes, which shall be the same in all the states. 
 
 Who may be president? 
 
 A natural born citizen, or a citizen at the adoption of 
 the constitution. 
 
 How old must he be ? 
 
 He must be thirty-five years old, and must have been 
 a resident of the United States fourteen years; 
 
 In case of the president's removal from office, resigna- 
 tion, death, or inability to discharge the duties of the 
 office of president, who is president \ 
 
 The vice president. 
 
 In case of the death both of the president and vtc> 
 president? 
 •"Congress determines who shall act as president. 
 
 What oompensafiondoes he receiver ? 
 
5S A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 One fixed by law, and shall neither be increased or 
 diminished during the term ; no other emolument shall 
 be received from any of the states. 
 
 To what is the president sworn ? 
 
 To execute faithfully the office of president, and pre- 
 serve, protect, and defend the constitution. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 "What are the duties of the president % 
 
 He is commander-in-chief of the army, navy, and mi- 
 litia of the states, when in service of the United States. 
 He may require in writing the opinion of each member 
 of his cabinet ; and shall, except in case of impeachments, 
 have power to grant reprieves and pardons. He shall 
 have power, with the concurrence of two-thirds of the 
 senate, to make treaties, and by and with the advice and 
 consent of the senate, shall appoint ambassadors and 
 other ministers, consuls, judges of the supreme court, and 
 all other officers of the United States, not otherwise 
 herein provided for. The president shall have power 
 to fill all vacancies that may happen during the recess of 
 the senate, by granting commissions to expire at the end 
 of the next session. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 What are his further and other duties 1 
 
 He shall give to congress information of the state of 
 the union, and recommend such measures as he shall 
 deem necessary. He may, on extraordinary occasions, 
 convene both houses, or either of them, and in case of 
 disagreement, may adjourn them to such time as he shall 
 think proper ; shall receive ambassadors and other pub- 
 lic ministers ; take care that the laws are faithfully exe- 
 cuted ; and commission all officers of the United States. 
 
of sorsitirasirf . 08 
 
 SECTION IV. 
 
 How are the president, vice president, and all other 
 civil officers, removable ? 
 
 By impeachment for and conviction of treason, bribery, 
 or other high crimes and misdemeanors. 
 
 ARTICLE III. SECTION I. 
 
 In whom is the judicial power of the United States 
 vested ? 
 
 In one supreme court, and such inferior courts as con- 
 gress may establish. 
 
 How long do the judges hold their offices t 
 
 During good behavior; and shall at stated times rer 
 ceive a compensation which shall not be diminished dur- 
 ing their continuance in office. 
 
 SECTION II. 
 
 Whafis the power of the judiciary 1 
 
 It extends to all cases of law and equity arising under 
 the constitution and laws of the United States, and trea- 
 ties made or to be made; all affecting ambassadors, 
 public ministers, consuls, admiralty and maritime juris- 
 diction ; controversies to which the United States shall be 
 a party ; between two states ; between a state and citi- 
 zens of another state ; between citizens of two states ; 
 citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of 
 different states; and between states and the citizens 
 thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects. In all 
 cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers, dec, 
 the jurisdiction is original, in other cases appellate. 
 
 SECTION III. 
 
 What is treason against the United States ? 
 
 It is levying war against the United States, or in ad- 
 hering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. 
 Two witnesses necessary to conviction. 
 
54 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 Who declares the punishment of treason 1 
 Congress. No attainder shall work corruption of 
 Wood. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. SECTION I. 
 
 In what ways are acts and records of other states re- 
 ceived 1 
 
 Full feith and credit is to be given to them j and con- 
 gress shall prescribe the manner of proof. 
 SECTION 11. 
 
 What are the privileges of citizenship? 
 
 Citizens of each state are entitled to the privileges of 
 every other state. 
 
 What is to be done with fugitives charged with trea- 
 son, felony, or other crime ? 
 
 On demand of the executive of such state, the^ are to 
 be given up to those who are to bear them to a juris- 
 diction competent to try. 
 
 How are fugitive slaves to be treated 1 
 
 They are to be given up on demand of the owner or 
 person entitled to their service. 
 
 section in. 
 
 How are new states to be admitted into the Union * 
 
 On application : but one formed in another state or 
 by the junction of two or more states or parts of states, 
 not without the consent of the legislature of the states 
 and congress. 
 
 What power has congress over unsettled territory ? 
 
 To dispose of it, and make all needful rules and regu- 
 lations respecting the territory or other property belong- 
 ing to the United States. And nothing in this constitu- 
 tion shall be so construed as to prejudice any claims of 
 the United States or of the States. 
 
OI 1 flfOVERWMEST. 55 
 
 SECTION W. 
 
 What is the duty of the United States in regard to 
 new states 1 
 
 To guarantee to them a republican form of govern- 
 ment ; and to protect them against invasion and domes- 
 tic violence, on application of the legislature, or executive 
 if it cannot be convened. 
 
 article v. 
 
 How are amendments made ? 
 
 By two thirds of both houses of congress, or two thirds 
 of the legislatures of the states shall call a convention 
 for that purpose. The amendments must be ratified by 
 three fourths of the several states, or by conventions of 
 three fourths of them. There can be no amendment aa 
 to slavery or the constitution of the senate. 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 What is required as 1 to We debts and contracts made 
 before the adoption of the constitution? 
 
 That the same a*e WW tf&d must be paid. 
 
 What constitutes" the supreme law ? 
 
 This constitution and treaties, laws of the United States' 
 made in conformity to it. 
 
 Senators and representatives, both state and United 
 States; and all judicial officers, are bound to take an oath 
 or affirmation to support the constitution. 
 
 Nine states are necessary to the ratification of this 
 constitution. 
 
 AMENDMENTS. ARTICLE I. 
 
 Can congress make any law respecting the establish- 
 ment of religion ? 
 It cannot. 
 
 Can it abridge the liberty of the press or speech? 
 It cannot. 
 
Sd A OAISOBETIOAL XMATI9E. 
 
 ARTICLE II. 
 
 Have the people a right to assemble and petition-the 
 government for the redress of grievances ? 
 They have. 
 
 ARTICLE III. 
 
 Can ihe right of the people to bear arms be infringed 1 
 It cannot. 
 
 ARTICLE IV. 
 
 Can the right of the people from unreasonable searches 
 In their houses be violated 1 
 
 It cannot. 
 
 Can general warrants be issued t 
 
 They cannot : they must issue on probable cause, sup- 
 ported by oath or affirmation, and describe the place to 
 be searched and the persons or things to be seized. 
 
 ARTICLE v. 
 
 Can a person be held to answer for a capital or infa- 
 mous crime, except on presentment or indictment 1 
 
 He cannot: except in the land and naval service, 
 and the militia in actual service, in time of war or public 
 danger. 
 
 Can he be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb 1 
 
 He cannot. 
 
 Can he be compelled in a criminal case to be a witnau 
 against himself? 
 
 He cannot. 
 
 Can he be deprived of liberty or property without due 
 process of law? 
 
 He cannot. 
 
 Can private property be taken for public use without 
 due compensation 1 
 It cannot. 
 
•F BOVEBKMENT. Wt 
 
 ARTICLE VI. 
 
 Have criminals or the acoused the right of counsel, 
 of jury trial, of process for witnesses, and to be confront- 
 ed with them % 
 
 They have. 
 
 ARTICLE VII. 
 
 In suits at common law, where the amount exceeds 
 twenty dollars, is the right of jury preserved % 
 
 It is. 
 
 Can a fact tried by jury be otherwise examined than 
 according to the rules of the common law, in the United 
 States Courts ? 
 
 It cannot. 
 
 article vm. 
 
 Can excessive bail be required, and unusual and eruel 
 punishments be inflicted 1 
 
 It cannot. 
 
 ARTICLE IX. 
 
 Can the enumeration in the constitution of certain 
 rights conclude other rights t 
 It concludes those rights alone. 
 Does it take from the people other rights ? 
 It does not. 
 
 ARTICLE X. 
 
 Are powers not delegated to the United States by the 
 constitution, nor prohibited to the states, reserved to the 
 individual states or to the people ? 
 
 They are. 
 
 ARTICLE XI. 
 
 Can the United States courts try causes by citizen or 
 citizens of a state against one of the United States, or by 
 citizens against subjects of a foreign state 1 
 c* 
 
S8 A CATECHETICAL TRKATISB. 
 
 They cannot. 
 
 ARTICLE xn. ; 
 
 Can the President and Vice President he named on 
 the same hallot, or be both of the same state with those 
 voting ? 
 
 They cannot. 
 
 Where do the electors of President and Vice Presi- 
 dent meet 1 
 
 In their respective states. They shall certify the sep- 
 arate lists to the President of the Senate, and the number 
 of votes for «ach candidate. 
 
 When are the votes counted, and by whom? 
 
 The Senate, with the Vice President, on a day appoint- 
 ed by law in the month of February, comes into the 
 hall of the House of Representatives, and in presenee Of 
 both Houses the votes are counted by tellers appointed 
 for the purpose — one for the Senate and two for the 
 House of Representatives. The person having the great, 
 est number shall be President, if a majority of all the 
 votes ; and the person having the greatest number, if a . 
 majority of all the votes cast, shall be Vice President. 
 If no choice takes place by the people, no person having 
 a majority of all the votes cast for President and for Vice 
 President, the House then proceeds to choose a president 
 from the three, highest candidates in the list. The House 
 votes by states : one or more members from a state con- 
 stitutes a quorum, and a majority of the jgHouse voting 
 by states elects the president. If no one receives such 
 majority before the 4th of March next following, the 
 Vice President shall aet as President. 
 
 How is the Vice President chosen on a feilure to elect 
 by the people, or the electors selected? 
 
of Govunrtrninv 5&- 
 
 The' Senate shall, fro*ft the two highest candidates elect 
 their president, who will aot as Vice President. 
 
 How is the President elected ? 
 
 By electors, chosen by the people or by their delegates 
 in senate and assembly convened. In this state, by a 
 number of electors equal to the number of representa- 
 tives in the House of Representatives. 
 
 When do thejr meet, and at what place 1 
 
 They meet on the day preceding the first Wednesday 
 in December after their election at the capitol : a presi. 
 dent is first chosen by ballot, and a secretary. They 
 shall fill, however, prior to choosing their officers, all 
 vacancies in their body ; which shall be ascertained by 
 the elector from their district not appearing by 4 o'clock 
 at the' capitol, of Tuesday preceding the first Wednesday. 
 They shall the"h' select persons to fill the list, by choos- 
 infPfcwo electors to correspond with the number of sena- 
 tors. On the first Wednesday in December, the electors 
 thfis Organized shall meet at the capitol, and then and 
 there vote by ballot for President and Vice President, 
 one of whom at least may not be an inhabitant of the 
 same state with themselves. They' must vote by ballot, 
 naming the President or Vice President in said ballot. 
 Thiey" muet make distinct lists of all persons voted for as 
 President and all persons voted for as Vice President, 
 and the number of votes for each ; which lists they must 
 sign and certify, first annexing to said list one of the 
 three lists prepared by the secretary of stace, containing 
 the names of the electors, sighed by the Governor,_with 
 the seal of the state affixed. They must seal up the 
 same, certifying thereon that the lists of the votes for 
 President and Vice President are contained therein. The 
 
<$0 A oateohbticjll trsatise. 
 
 electors must then by writing, under their hands or that 
 
 of a majority, appoint a person to take charge of the 
 
 lists so sealed up, and to deliver to the President of the 
 
 Senate, at Washington, before the first Wednesday in 
 
 January next ensuing. Two similar lists are to be made 
 
 and sealed up with a like certificate endorsed; one of 
 
 which is to be deposited in the post office, addressed to 
 
 the President of the Senate, the other to be delivered to 
 
 the Distriot Judge of the Northern District of New- York. 
 
 If there is no President of the Senate at Washington, then 
 
 the list shall be delivered to the secretary of state of the 
 
 United States. 
 
 What is their pay f 
 
 For attendance and travel, the same as members of 
 the legislature receive. 
 
 How many electors does the state of New-York elect ? 
 It elects thirty-three. The electoral college elect two 
 for the senators, making in the whole thirty-five. 
 
 Where did the proposition for forming a new constitu- 
 tion originate 1 
 In Virginia. 
 
 Who suggested this meeting % 
 General Washington. 
 
 How many states appointed delegate* to the first 
 meeting ? 
 Ten. 
 
 How many and where did they convene 1 
 The delegates of five states convened at Annapolis on 
 the 19th of September, 1786. Their powers were not 
 deemed sufficiently extensive, and as delegates from a 
 majority of the states did not attend, those present ad- 
 journed, recommending a new convention with larger 
 powers, to meet at Philadelphia, in May, 1787. 
 
OF THE MAKING OF LAWS. 61 
 
 OF THE MAKING OF LAWS. 
 
 What is the first business of government 1 ? 
 
 It is to make laws. 
 
 What is the manner of making laws ? 
 
 If it is a fundamental law, the people on a day certain 
 elect delegates to meet in convention. 
 
 What is done at this convention 1 
 
 They designate the various offices to be filled in the 
 •tate, and prescribe the duties, privileges and powers of 
 the various officers of the government. 
 
 What is the law called they make 1 
 
 It is called a fundamental law or constitution. . 
 
 Why is it so called ? 
 
 Because it is the basis of all other laws, and empower* 
 those who legislate to make other laws. 
 
 In what manner are laws made ? 
 
 In congress they are made by the Senate and House of 
 Representatives, with the consent of the President, in the 
 manner prescribed in the rules of the two Houses. 
 
 What is the first business of a legislative body 1 
 
 To elect their proper officers, if they are not filled by 
 the people. The House of Eepresentatives elect a speaker, 
 clerk,, sergeant-at-arms, and door keeper. They are 
 elected by ballot or viva voce. The pages and messen- 
 gers are selected by- the speaker. The clerk of the old 
 House first asks if it is the pleasure of the members that 
 he should proceed to open the House. This is at twelve 
 o'clock of the, first day of the meeting, the first Monday 
 in December. He then calls the members by states. 
 A quorum having answered to their names, he asks if it 
 is the pleasure of the Houss to proceed to the election 
 
62 A CATECHETICAL TKEAHaE. 
 
 of the speaker. He then names three tellers, who take 
 their seats at the clerk's desk. The pages carry the 
 boxes to the respective members, who deposite their 
 vote, and return the boxes to the tellers, who count the 
 ballots, and then descend into the area in front of the 
 clerk's seat and declare the vote. If an election is com- 
 pleted, the clerk names the two oldest members of the 
 House to induct the speaker to the chair, who, having 
 delivered his speech, is sworn into office by the oldest 
 member. 
 
 What is a quorum ? 
 
 A majority of each House constitutes a quorum for busi- 
 ness. Any number may adjourn from day to day: 
 may move a call of the house. After an adjournment 
 of both houses, on a meeting business is taken up de novo. 
 
 Who swears the members of the House 3 
 
 The speaker. 
 
 What oath do they take ? 
 
 Am oath to support the constitution of the United 
 States. 
 
 Who appoints the committees of the House of Eepre- 
 sentatives ? 
 
 The speaker. 
 
 Who is chairman of the committee 1 
 
 The memblr first named. This does not prevent th« 
 committee from choosing their own chairman. 
 
 When the House goes into committee of the whole, - 
 who is chairman ? 
 
 The speaker names him when he leaves the chair. 
 
 How does the House go into committee of the whole % 
 By a resolution of the House, the speaker putting the 
 question. 
 
0F THE MAKINO OF LAW*. 63 
 
 How are bills introduced ? 
 
 By report of committees, generally, or by any mem 
 ber of the house, on one day's notice of motion for leave. 
 The leave is generally granted on motion as a matter of 
 course. Every bill introduced is to be read three times, 
 on three several days. If objection is made to the bill, 
 the question is put, " shall this bill be rejected ?" It is 
 committed or engrossed, on motion, on the second read- 
 ing, which must be on a different day from its introduc- 
 tion. It is then committed to a committee of the whole 
 House, or to a select or standing committee, or ordeTed 
 to be engrossed ; if neither is done it remains upon the 
 speaker's table to be disposed of with other business. 
 Every bill referred to a committee of the whole House, 
 undergoes amendments and alterations, and is then re- 
 ported to the house. 
 
 What are the three readings ? 
 
 They are a mere reading of the title of the bill, un^ 
 less the contents are requested to be read. 
 
 What is the speaker's duty 1 
 
 To rise when he puts the question; He may state it 
 sitting. 
 
 When is the bill read "in full ? 
 
 It is read when it is referred to the committee of the 
 whole House, by the clerk at his desk, in full, and then 
 by sections. 
 
 Is it proper to refer a matter to members opposed to 
 it?* ■; 
 
 It is unparliamentary. A majority of the committee 
 should.be favorable to it.- A child, in the language of 
 Mr. Jefferson, should not be put to nurse to one disposed 
 to strangle it. 
 
04 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 Part of the morning hour is, for the first thirty days, spent 
 in the presentation of petitions ; after that they are only 
 received on particular days. On the speaker's calling 
 for petitions, he names the state, Maine first, and the 
 most remote state or territory last, one day, and the 
 state or territory last on a former day first on the ensu- 
 ing day, so vice versa. The members charged with peti- 
 tions rise in their order, stating in substance the object 
 or substance of the petition. It is not the object to go 
 through the routine of legislation, but merely to state the 
 course of a single bill, with what passes in the house 
 from its introduction to its passage. The chairman of 
 the committee to whom it was referred, naming the sub- 
 ject matter, rising in his place, says, I am directed to 
 report by bill. This is on a report day. 
 
 How is the floor obtained 1 
 
 By rising and addressing the chair, " Mr. Speaker." 
 The member first seen by the speaker is permitted to 
 speak, and his decision is final. The speaker names the 
 member in a parliamentary manner: "the gentleman 
 from New York has the floor," or " from Virginia." 
 
 Is it unparliamentary to give individual names t 
 
 It is : also contrary to rule. 
 
 How are the decisions of the speaker named 1 
 
 The " decisions of the chair," by metaphor. 
 
 For what time is the speaker elected ? 
 
 For one congress. 
 
 How long" are the clerk and sergeant-at-arms eleoted ? 
 
 For the same time : one congress. 
 
 How long do the chaplains serve 1 
 
 One session. 
 
 When the House is organized, what is" the first bu»i- 
 mm? 
 
or tbx uAose or law*. '46 
 
 To appoint a committee to notify the President of the 
 organization, and enquire of him if he has any commu- 
 nication to make, also to notify the Senate that they 
 are ready to do business. The President then sends his 
 message, which is read in both Houses, by the clerk of 
 the House and the secretary of the Senate. The speaker 
 takes the chair precisely at the hour of adjournment, and 
 continues in it until the house go into committee of the 
 whole house. The committee of the whole house on the 
 state of the Union, is a standing committee during the 
 session. All matters which relate to the Union are re- 
 ferred to this committee. Other matters are, and espe- 
 cially those of a private nature, referred to a committee 
 of the whole house. 
 
 When are bills reported to the House 1 
 
 After they have been discussed in committees, either 
 select or committees of the whole House. 
 
 How do select committees, which are favorable to the 
 measure, generally report 1 
 
 They report by bill. It is improper to refer a matter 
 to a committee of members opposed to it. 
 
 How and when do amendments take place to reports 
 and bills 1 
 
 They may take place at any time before the passage, 
 but on the third reading it is sometimes objectionable, 
 as the bill is then engrossed, and interlineations are a 
 defacing of the bill. Amendments are made by striking 
 out and inserting. 
 
 If any member is in favor of striking out, what motion 
 does he make 1 
 
 He moves to divide the question. This is generally 
 th« better mode ; then the question will be on striking 
 
68 A CATECHETICAL TBSlTlSE. 
 
 out. Many times it is a mere question as to words ; the 
 chairman of the Committee will assent to the alteration. 
 If the mover has no particular choice of words to Ije in- 
 serted, it leaves the House or chairman* to supply the 
 words. 
 
 Before putting the question, what does the speaker 
 or chairman say ? 
 
 If in the House, the speaker asks, " Is the House now 
 ready for the question ?" If no one rises to speak, the 
 question is then put. If it is a chairman of the commit- 
 tee of the whole house, he says, " Is the committee ready 
 for the question f On the final passage of the bill in 
 committee, the amendments are properly inserted by the 
 engrossing clerk. A motion is then made that tJie com- 
 mittee rise and report ; this being carried, the speaker 
 resumes the chair. The chairman then descends into the 
 area in front of the chair, and says, " Mr. Speaker, the 
 committee have had the bill (naming it) under discuss- 
 ion, and made certain amendments thereto, and now 
 report the same to the House as amended." It then un- 
 dergoes discussion and amendments in the House and is 
 passed or rejected by the House. 
 
 What does the Speaker say on the final passage of a 
 YAM 
 
 He repeats the title of the bill, rises in his seat and 
 says, " As many as are in favor of this bill will say, aye ; 
 those opposed to it, no." He then declares the bill' passed 
 or rejected, or he says, " the ayes have it, or, the noes have 
 it." When the bill is passed, it is sent by message to the 
 Senate for concurrence. The Clerk of the House leaves 
 the message, and the door-keeper gives notice of the 
 message by standing at the door in front of the presiding 
 
C* tBt StA*OTtt OF LAWS. # 
 
 offieer. Making a low bow, he cries out, " A message from 
 the House," "or from the President •" if from the President, 
 his private secretary steps into the broad aisle, and ma- 
 king a bow, says, " I am charged with a message in writing 
 from the President to the House of Representatives or 
 Senate," and then hands it to the Clerk and the Clerk to 
 the Speaker, who then rises and says : " Is it the pleasure 
 of the House that the message now be read." If the 
 House is in committee or the Senate is in committee, 
 information is given, and the President or Speaker resume 
 the chair until after the delivery of the message. The 
 bill then goes through the same formalities in the Senate 
 as in the House ; and if it is amended, is returned to the 
 House for concurrence. When it has passed the Senate, 
 it is carried to the President for his concurrence. When 
 signed by him it becomes a law. 
 
 When is the bill signed by the President ? 
 
 At any time after it is passed ; generally near the 
 last days of the session. He attends at the executive 
 chamber in the Capitol for that purpose. All rules are 
 generally suspended, and he signs bills until the Congress 
 closes. 
 
 How many standing rules are there in the House 1 ? 
 
 Thirty-three. 
 r How long do they continue ? 
 
 During the session. 
 
 When is the previous Question put ? 
 
 When demanded by a majority of the House, and 
 ' seconded by the requisite number. 
 
 What is the previous question ? 
 
 " Shall the main question now be put," is the form : it 
 cuts <M all debate* The motfeH to adjourn is always ia 
 
99 A 0ATBOHETIOA1 IEEATI3E, 
 
 order, and the motion to lie on the table. A motion to 
 adjourn is first ; to lie on the table, next ; then, the pre- 
 vious question. 
 
 If the President declines to sign the bill, to which 
 House does he return it with his objections'? 
 
 To the House where it originated. It is there again 
 taken up and the objections are discussed : if it pass by 
 a majority of two-thirds, it is sent to the Senate: if two- 
 thirds there pass it, it becomes a law, the veto notwith- 
 standing. 
 
 When does Congress expire ? 
 
 On the 3d of March of the second year at 12 o'clock 
 at night. Various modes of expediting or disposing of 
 the business of the House are resorted to. The previous 
 question which prevents all debate is one mode. The 
 motion to lay on the table, which is not debatable, and 
 is always in order, is another. 
 
 What does itrmean 1 
 
 It means to take from the House the subjeot of de- 
 bate; the phrase is technical and ideal, as in most cases 
 there is nothing tangible to lay on the table. 
 
 Do the Houses of Congress sit with open doors % 
 
 They do. 
 
 Is there any exception ] 
 
 When the business of the nation is private, the galls- 
 ries of the House are closed. 
 
 When do the Senate sit with closed doors 1 
 
 When they are in executive session. 
 
 Was there ever an exception to this rule 1 
 
 During the first four years after the new government 
 went into operation, it sat with closed doors in legislative 
 as well as executive sessions, with the single exception, 
 th» discussion of Mr. Gallatin's right to a seat. 
 
Or THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 60 
 
 In what manner did Washington and Adams make 
 their communications to congress ? 
 By speech. 
 
 Who first communicated by message ? 
 Thomas Jefferson. 
 Does this mode now continue 1 
 It does. 
 
 OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 The first commandment — Thou shalt have no other 
 gods but me. 
 
 What does this command imply 1 
 
 It indirectly says, the people were in the constant habit 
 of worshipping other gods : gods of their own making. 
 
 Second commandment — Thou shalt not make to thy- 
 self any graven image, nor the likeness of any thing that 
 is in heaven or in the earth beneath, or in the water un- 
 der the earth : thou shalt not bow down to them nor 
 worship them : For I the Lord thy God am a jealous 
 God, afid visit the sins of the fathers upon the children 
 unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate 
 me, and show mercy unto them that love me and keep 
 my commandments. 
 
 What is this commandment designed to prevent, and 
 what does it threaten to punish 1 
 
 It is designed to prevent the making any graven image 
 (an image fashioned out of wood or stone) or the like- 
 ness (viz : picture, statue, or any other likeness) of iany 
 thing animate or inanimate in the visible heavens or 
 earth; and when made (if made) they are not to be wor- 
 shipped. It threatens punishment to thbse who worship 
 
70 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 them, because the Almighty is a jealous God, and visits 
 the sins of the fathers upon the children to the third and 
 fourth generation. 
 
 What is the reward of those who keep the command- 
 ments 1 
 
 Eternal happiness. This commandment is also de- 
 signed to prevent the worship by acts and words of all 
 those things which enlist the affections of the heart inor- 
 dinately : the riches, the pleasures, the honor? of the 
 world. 
 
 Third commandment — Thou shalt not take the name 
 of the Lord thy God in vain : for the Lord will not 
 hold him guiltless that taketh his' name in vain. 
 
 What is meaDt by taking the name of the Lord thy 
 God in vain ? 
 
 It is to prevent the use of his name improperly ; and 
 every use of his name irreverently or in a light and 
 trifling manner, is taking it in vain. It is not openly 
 imprecating Him alone that is in the' eye of Heaven 
 swearing or violating this commandment : every thing 
 that brings the Deity into contempt or ridicule is taking 
 his name in vain. 
 
 Fourth commandment — Remember that thou keep 
 holy, the Sabbath day. Six days shalt thou labor and do 
 all thou hast to do, but the seventh day is the Sabbath 
 of the Lord thy God. In it thou shalt do no manner of 
 work, thou and thy son and thy daughter, thy man-ser- 
 vant and thy maid-servant, thy cattle, and the stranger 
 that is within thy gates. For in six days the Lord made 
 heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and 
 rested the seventh. Wherefore the Lord blessed the 
 a$v«nth day and hallowed it. 
 
Qf XHE JEN COlpMAlIDMENTS. 71 
 
 Is the sabbath, by most Christians, kept as originally 
 instituted ? 
 
 It is kept by the Jews and Seventh Day Baptists. 
 Other Christians keep the first day of the week as a sab- 
 bath of rest : 
 
 1st. Because Christ arose from the dead on this day. 
 
 2d. Because the apostles were in the habit of meeting 
 on the first day of the week .for worship, and to com- 
 memorate the resurrection. 
 
 3d. Because Christ on this day ascended into heaven. 
 It was in the former part of the day that he appeared to 
 the disciples on their way to Emmaus. They returned 
 immediately and found the eleven apostles together, 
 where he appeared, and he went out with them to Beth- 
 any, and was taken up to heaven. This day, which was 
 honored by the Creator and by his apostles, is bejigved by 
 most Christians to be worthy of being honored by his 
 followers. 
 
 What was the original design of the Sabbath '! 
 
 It was a day of rest for man and beast, and on this day 
 God rested from the work of creation. Should not, after 
 the work of redemption was fully completed, man rest 
 and worship his Creator 1 The Son of Man could abro- 
 gate a former command. This is the fourth reason. 
 
 Fifth commandment — Honor thy father and* thy mo- 
 ther, that thy days may be long in the la,nd which the 
 Lord thy God giyeth thee. 
 
 What does honoring parents imply % 
 
 That they should be loved and obeyed : that they 
 should be reverenced. Every thing whicli tends to their 
 honor should be performed, an$ every thing wjiiph tends 
 to their dishonor should be avoided,. Dishonor may 
 
72 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 consist in contempt in speaking against them, and in want 
 of conformity to their -wishes. 
 
 Sixth commandment — Thou shalt do no murder. 
 
 Every homicide not justifiable or excusable, is, in the 
 meaning of this, command, murder : is killing a human 
 being intentionally, not in self defence or to protect the 
 life of another, or not by command of an officer or in ex- 
 ecution of the law. 
 
 Seventh commandment — Thou shalt not commit 
 adultery. 
 
 What is meant by this commandment ? 
 
 It is that no sexual intercourse shall be lawful out 'of 
 the married state ; and the gospel command extends to 
 the heart, or the imagination s'^f it. 
 
 Eighth commandment — Thou shalt not steal. 
 
 What is stealing 1 
 
 It is taking the money or personal goods of another 
 out of his possession and carrying it away with the in- 
 tention of converting it to the use of the taker. The 
 intent must be felonious. Where the intention is to 
 steal, slight acts of taking or carrying away will consti- 
 tute the crime. The cutting the string by which shears 
 are fastened is sufficient to constitute the offence. 
 
 Ninth commandment — Thou shalt not bear false witness 
 against thy neighbor. 
 
 What is false witness ? 
 
 This commandment is designed not only to forbid 
 perjury, but also all falsehood under oath. Perjury con- 
 sists in swearing wilfully, corruptly, and falsely, to some 
 point material to the cause to be tried. Now falsehood 
 is designed to be prevented in any form. 
 
 Tenth commandment — Thou shalt not covet thy 
 
OT THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. IS 
 
 neighbor's house ; thou shalt not covet thy neighbor'* 
 wife, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his 
 ass, nor any thing that is his. 
 
 What Is meant by covet % 
 
 It means to desire unlawfully and for purposes unlaw- 
 ful. - This is the meaning of the command. 
 
 In the Gospel, or law of love, we have two command- 
 ments. 
 
 • First : Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all 
 thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with 
 all thy strength. This is the first commandment. 
 
 What is meant by love ? 
 
 Love, in this commandment, means an affection of tho 
 
 mind and soul for God : delighting in and keeping his 
 
 commandments, and they are not grievous to us. The 
 
 -heart here means the affections. It is used rather as a 
 
 metonymy, or for the effect and not the cause. 
 
 What is understood by the soul ? 
 
 Not only that principle of existence which is essential 
 to being here, but that which is to exist hereafter. It is 
 the anima, or breath, here, as well as the spirit which k 
 to exist in the world to come. 
 
 What do we understand by the mind 1 
 
 Here we are to understand the intellectual faculties of 
 the man. It is used in other places in a more enlarged sense. 
 
 What is meant by strength ? 
 
 By strength is meant physical power, as well as in- 
 tellectual, given to man. All these faculties are to be 
 exerted to the honor, the glory, and reverence of the 
 Supreme Being. 
 
 The second command is -. Thou shalt love thy neighbor 
 as thyself. 
 
74 A CATECHETICAL TEBATISE. 
 
 What is the meaning of this commandment 1 
 By neighbor is meant the whole human family. AH 
 men are to be considered neighbors. The love which 
 you exercise towards your own frailties and imperfec- 
 tions, or your virtues, is to be the measure of that which 
 is to be exercised towards others. To relieve any one 
 of the human family in distress, is doing to your neigh- 
 bor a kindness, and in the eye of the law of love loving 
 them as you do yourself. It is doing as you would do 
 to yourself in distress. 
 
 OF RELIGION. 
 
 What do we understand by religion in its most general 
 sense ? 
 
 A system of faith and practice. 
 
 What does religion teach % 
 
 To worship God and do good- to man. 
 
 What does religion consist in % 
 
 In performing every duty to God and our fellow men 
 with right motives. 
 
 How does the Christian religion differ from other re- 
 ligions 1 
 
 It differs from the Jewish religion in the belief that 
 Christ has come and is to be worshipped as one with the 
 Father and Holy Ghost. 
 
 What is the belief of the Jews ? 
 
 They believe that Christ has not yet come, and that 
 the sacrifices typical of him are yet to be practised. They 
 are the preservers of the Mosaic account of the creation, 
 the Pentateuch, and the other books of the Old Testa- 
 ment. The Rabbins also acknowledge as sacred the 
 
OF RELIGION. 75 
 
 Talmud : the body of Jewish laws, traditions, and ex- 
 planations. 
 
 What is Mahometanism 1 
 
 It is a mixture of Judaism, Paganism, and Christianity. 
 They hold Allah to be God, Mahomet his prophet. Jesus 
 Christ is held to be a prophet of an inferior order. 
 
 What churches~are the oldest % 
 
 The Greek and Roman. 
 
 When were these churches established, and in what 
 countries are they now the popular churches 1 
 
 These churches were established shortly after the cru- 
 cifixion of Jesus Christ: not as distinctive churches, but 
 as Christian churches. The Greek, which is said most 
 nearly to resemble the Christianity of the fifth and sixth 
 centuries, is tolerated in Turkey, countenanced in Hun- 
 gary, Sclavonia, and Dalmatia, and established by law in 
 Russia. 
 
 Were the Nestorians a branch of this church ? 
 
 They were, and known in Turkey, in Asia, Tartary, 
 and even in China. The Apostolic, Catholic, or Romish 
 church, comprehends France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, 
 Austria, a large portion of South America, and a part of 
 the United States. 
 
 Who is the spirtual head of this church ? 
 
 The Pope. His usurpations in France and the United 
 States are by law effectually barred. 
 
 What is the general name given to all churches- which 
 have been established in opposition to the Romish ? 
 
 Protestant. This name was given to them on account 
 of Martin Luther's protest to the Pope against the sale of 
 indulgences. The funds thus raised were applied to the 
 building of St. Peter's church, one of the most magnificent 
 
76 a catechetical treatise. 
 
 buildings in the world. It covers six acres of ground, of 
 which Madame de Stael says: "It is the only work of 
 art upon our real earth which has the kind of sublimity 
 which characterizes the immediate works of the Creator." 
 It is not in detail this grandeur appears ; the beautiful we 
 arrive at by degrees, but the sublime bursts upon us at 
 once with all its grandeur. This church was 156 years 
 in building. 
 
 Which are the leading Protestant churches 1 
 
 The Episcopal, Presbyterian, Congregational, Baptist, 
 Methodist, Unitarian, Universalist, Friends, the Lutheran, 
 Dutch Eeformed, the United Moravian or Hernhutters, 
 a sort of monastic institution, the Shakers, Tunkers, Ar- 
 menians, and Campbellites. 
 
 Which sect is increasing most rapidly 1 
 
 The Methodist. In 1850 the number of ministers at 
 the North was 3873. The number of communicants, 
 645,667. At the South, 1584 ministers ; members 491,- 
 786. Protestant Methodists, 83,000. The Episcopal 
 Methodists, on the subject of slavery, are divided : those 
 South believe that slavery may exist with a religrout 
 life and practice, and is sanctioned by the Bible. 
 
 Wbat number of churches have the Baptists 1 
 
 10,895. 
 
 What number of ministers ? 
 
 6,406 ordained ; licensed, 1211. 
 
 What number of members, or communicants 1 
 
 724,028. 
 
 What number of Old School Presbyterian churches ? 
 
 2592. 
 
 What number of ministers ? 
 
 1860. 
 
 What number of communicant* ? 
 
OS 1 RElIGHOlf. 7T 
 
 200,830. 
 
 What number of New School churches 1 
 
 1555. 
 
 What number of communicants 1 
 
 139,040. 
 
 What number of ministers ? 
 
 1453. ; 
 
 What number of Congregational churches ? • 
 
 1971. 
 
 What number of ministers 1 
 
 1687. 197,196 members. 
 
 Of Protestant Episcopal churches, ministers, and mem- 
 bers, what number 1 
 
 1232 churches ; ministers, 1373 ; members, 72,099. 
 
 What number of Roman Catholic ministers, churches, 
 and members ? 
 
 Churches, 966 ; ministers, 1000; members, 1,158,800. 
 The above are within the United States. 
 
 What is the estimated number of Catholics in the world 1 
 
 116 millions. 
 
 What is the number of the Greek church 1 
 
 70 millions. 
 
 What is the number of members of the Protestant 
 churches ? 
 
 42 millions. 
 
 What is the whole number of Christians 1 
 
 228 millions. 
 
 W^at is the number of Jews 1 
 
 Pour or five millions. 
 
 What is the number of Mahometan* 1 
 
 From 100 to 110 millions. 
 
 What is. the number of Brahmins 1 
 
 60 millions. 
 
78 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 What is the number of Schamanists, comprising the 
 religion of Dalai Lama 1 
 
 50 millions. 
 
 What number of Buddhists, comprising the religion of 
 Fo] 
 
 100 millions. 
 
 What number, of Fetichists, and other belief? 
 
 100 millions. 
 
 What belief is required in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, 
 and Mississippi, as a qualification for office 1 
 
 A belief in the Deity and a future state of rewards and 
 punishments. In Massachusetts, Maryland, and North 
 Carolina, a belief in the Christian religion is required as 
 a qualification for office. In New Jersey no Protestant 
 can be excluded from office. In all other states no 
 religious test is required. The constitution of the Unit- 
 ed States does not allow it. 
 
 Are clergymen permitted to hold office 1 
 
 In most of the states they are excluded by reason of 
 their calling. In the state of New York there is no con- 
 stitutional prohibition. 
 
 Where does the effect of religious education discover 
 its benefits in the highest degree 1 
 
 In the United States. Christianity sprang up in the bo- 
 som of Judaism. And though we may discover many 
 things which are unseemly in the outward appearance of its 
 professors, and many things unreasonable in some of the 
 tenets and doctrines, and more in the practices, yet those 
 precepts which are contained in the Bible, the text book of 
 every sect, have been the means of producing, wherever its 
 precepts have been practised, a higher state of civilization, 
 and a more refined taste, purer morals, and a more exem- 
 
OV MANNERS. 
 
 7tf* 
 
 plary life. We may look, from the errors of feeble man, to 
 the Founder, for an example of all that is worthy of imita- 
 tion. In the language of Bishop Barrow : " Survey the 
 life of one among them ; mark the wearisome travels 
 he underwent over all the earth ; the solicitous cares that 
 did possess his mind for all the churches ; the stripes, 
 the reproaches, the pinching wants, the desperate hazards, 
 the lamentable distresses with which he did conflict ; 
 then tell me how much his charity is inferior to his self- 
 love ? Did not in him virtue conquer nature, and charity 
 triumph over self-love 1 ? lie who from the brightest 
 glories, from the immense riches, from the ineffable joys 
 and felicities of his celestial kingdom", did willingly stoop 
 down to assume the garb of a servant, to be clothed with 
 the infirmities of flesh, to become a man of sorrows and 
 acquainted with grief: He who for our sakes vouchsafed 
 to live in extreme penury and disgrace, to feel hard want, 
 sore travail, bitter persecution, most grievous shame and 
 anguish : He who did not only contentedly bear, but 
 purposely did choose to be abased, to be slandered, to 
 be reviled, to b*e mocked, to be tortured, to pour forth 
 his best blood upon the cross." 
 
 OF MANNERS. 
 
 What are the general rules of good manners, or good 
 breeding ? 
 
 To treat all men with civility ; to avoid what is offen- 
 sive in action and behavior, and to avoid the indulgence 
 of thoughts- which lead to a isolation of the foregoing rules. 
 , What is courtesy % 
 . It is. politeness in manners, with kindness pf heart. It 
 
•Q A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 is the treatment of all with respect due to the individual 
 in his peculiar station, or on account of virtues, or 
 talent. A point in geometry has position but not mag- 
 nitude. It is the end of the line. It is so -with men : 
 their station entitles them to respect. 
 
 What is suavity of manners opposed to 1 
 
 To sourness, hauteur, and false pride, or a -wrong es- 
 timate of a person's consequence. • 
 
 Does elevation of rank, or title, justify a want of 
 courtesy or civility ? 
 
 The higher the station the more graceful the act, and 
 the higher the claim to honor for the observance of those 
 decencies and civilities required of others. 
 
 Does a want of courtesy, either from pride or too high 
 an estimate of one's talent, indicate a. character worthy of 
 place or power ? 
 
 It argues littleness of soul, and a f.lse value of the 
 gifts possessed, and those which are essential to greatness. 
 
 Is that which is unkind and ungentleifimly in the 
 high, worthy of imitation 1 
 
 It is not. 
 
 Is retort improper in a graceful and courteous manner ? 
 
 No. Rudeness is often effectually silenced in this way.* 
 
 * On three several occasions we witnessed the happy effects of the retort 
 courteous. The first -was on the presentation of testimonials from men of 
 acknowledged merit to one who felt himself to bea little above the common 
 level. He observed, tartly, that certificates might be obtained for any thing. 
 The man addressed replied : " Be candid, sir ; do you believe A, B. C, and D, 
 men of the highest literary talent and moral character, would certify for a 
 perfect stranger unless there was merit in the work ?" On another occasion 
 he was told by one that he did " not wish to see such stuff.'' The man ad- 
 dressed, with equal independence, said to him : " Rely upon it, sir, there is 
 no harm in being civil." Again application was made for a hearing when at 
 leisure. He was asked roughly whether he had any thing to give. The re- 
 ply was, " Certainly, treat me like a gentleman and I will give you a good 
 name." In all the cases named, the object was answered, and even son* 
 interest manifested in favor of the individual. 
 
OP MANNERS. 81 
 
 Can that which is untrue in fact ever be consistent 
 with high honor, or with purity of heart 1 ? 
 
 The object generally is an insult which the person is 
 too cowardly and too mean to avow. He seeks abuse 
 in the garb of a hypocrite and knave. 
 
 Can it, in this land where all are equal and all have 
 equal rights and privileges, be proper for those the most 
 elevated in station, to manifest discourtesy and unkind- 
 ness to the lowest? 
 
 God has made all dependent in civil society, on each 
 other. Kindness and civility are due to those who are 
 ' below, or who are less highly favored, as well as suavity 
 to our equals, and honor and respect to those who are 
 raised a step above us. This consists with the harmony 
 and Frame-work of society. Each timber has its place, 
 and each receives its peculiar shape, length, breadth, and 
 thickness, adapted to the object designed. 
 
 Is it not the duty of those exalted in point of privileges 
 above their fellows, to show their elevation by an obser- 
 vance of all the decencies of life 1 
 
 We have no high and no low, except what are made 
 so for a day, a week, month, or year. They put, on and 
 put off the trappings of omce"without feeling elevation 
 or depression. *The more simple and lowly our situa- 
 tion and manners, the more durable will be our govern- 
 ment and our own elevation. 
 
 Should we not allow the same freedom to others we 
 enjoy ? 
 
 Whether we do or not, the thoughts are free, whatever 
 hauteur, pride, or disdain the wealthy assume, or the 
 well-descended claim a title to. The turnings and over- 
 turnings in this world, are such that those who are to-day 
 
82 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 at the bottom of the ladder, will to-morrow be at the 
 top. In some elevation, the eye may look beyond this 
 horizon to that which is to come. These goodly gardens 
 which are fresh to the possessors today, may be faded 
 to-morrow, as the sun of prosperity shines upon them or 
 is turned to those of another. 
 
 Should we not in our intercourse endeavor to increase 
 the comforts and promote the happiness of our fellow- 
 men? 
 
 It is the little things of life that destroy our peace : 
 the slights, the taunts, jeers, and insults, that fester from 
 the inflammation produced by them and become sores. 
 We. should observe, then, all these little decencies and 
 attentions ; or in Bible phrase, " make to ourselves 
 friends of the mammon of unrighteousness." We find 
 few in this world that will not return like for like. If 
 We treat others with scorn and neglect, the day and horn- 
 will come when it will be measured back to us, not 
 measure for measure, but four-fold. 
 
 In view of the end of life, should not there be a perfect 
 reciprocity in all our acts ? 
 
 There is in the city of silence, no elevation of rank : 
 the dust is equal. Splendid mausoleums and stately 
 monuments, are for the living ; or in the language of an 
 unknown author, pointing to the grave, says, " it is here 
 the dead lie," and elevating his hand to the inscription, 
 says, " it is here the living lie." 
 
 Can the declining to speak to another under any cir- 
 cumstances, be consistent with true dignity or high 
 talent?* 
 
 * There is sometimes manifested, by those in high stations, booriahntss 
 and churlishness, and by those who hold it by no uncommon Merit; many 
 
OT MANNERS. 88 
 
 It seems to say, my station gives me .the power to 
 insult you with impunity. 
 
 What is this called ■? ■. 
 
 Sending to Coventry. 
 
 What is the usual notice in pasling in the streets at a 
 distance 1 
 
 A nod of the head, a touch of the hat, or slightly, 
 lifting it. 
 
 What does the highest state of society require 1 
 
 It requires the wants and wishes of others to be placed 
 before our own and first gratified. The small things 
 which we do in eating, drinking, and sitting ; we are to 
 help others first, and to give them the preference as to 
 seats. 
 
 Is requesting one who has called not to call again, con- 
 sistent with the lowest state of good breeding 1 
 
 It is neither consistent with common courtesy or com- 
 mon discourtesy ; even the lowest state of society is 
 above wanton violation of the feelings of others, and the 
 plainest rules of decency. 
 
 Are coarse and harsh epithets- consistent with good 
 breeding 1 
 
 They are one of the evidences of ill manners. 
 
 Is rudeness in manner ever to be tolerated 1 
 
 times by those who obtained it by a strong arm and stout cane. Like a log 
 sometimes they have been thrown into a stream shallow and babbling, and, 
 floated into deep and silent water : and when men decline the common 
 civilities, and descend to downright lying, in manner they express the senti- 
 ment of Horace and Virgil : " Odi profanus rulgus et arceo," — " I hate the 
 profane vulgar, and I restrain them, too ;" or, as Virgil expresses it : " Proculj 
 O procul, este profani," — " Keep off, ye profane — O keep off." This, in men 
 of station, even to the beggar or felon, " is pitiful — it is wondrous pitiful." 
 From such men we can truly say, as in the litany, " Good Lord, deliver us 
 and our nation." 
 
84 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 It is not, either by word or act. 
 
 is it from a constant practice' of the little decencies of 
 life, good feeling is preserved and friendship contracted 
 and cemented 1 - 
 
 Enmity is produced by a contrary practice ; the prac- 
 tice of common courtesies will make friends' of enemies. 
 
 Are the principles of Christianity and true politeness 
 the same 1 
 
 They are : the virtuous man will not offend you, be- 
 cause it is inconsistent with the practice of a Christian. 
 The true gentleman, or lady, will not offend you, because 
 it is inconsistent with true politeness. 
 
 Is the drinking of health what a person is bound to 
 accept to gratify any one 1 
 
 It is not. No man has a right to require either a 
 conformity in taste or principle of his guest to his own : 
 a pledge in wine is not to be answered in water. It is 
 no more a breaeh of good manners than to decline to 
 play a game of cards, or dice, or to get intoxicated to 
 please a friend. 
 
 Are particular formalities and local usages a part of 
 good manners ? 
 
 They are not. Good manners are not local, particular, 
 or confined to place or persons. 
 
 Is whatever is offensive in word, or act, or in any way 
 inconsistent with the decencies of life, contrary to good 
 breeding ? 
 
 Whatever tends to create private feuds, promote se- 
 cret whispering, tale-bearing or slandering, is not in con- 
 formity to good taste or good breeding. 
 
 Are parents culpable for not teaching their children 
 good manners 1 
 
NOTICES. 85 
 
 They are. Whatever their talents are, they can teach 
 by example and precept the decencies of life. 
 
 NOTICES. 
 
 Going to, attending at, and returning from, school. 
 
 What objects did you see on the way to school? 
 
 I saw herds grazing. 
 
 By whom were they made, and for what purpose ? 
 
 They were made by»the Creator of man, for his use. 
 
 Who causes the wind to blow, the rain and snow to 
 fall? . 
 
 The same Almighty Being who causes the grass to 
 grow, and the sun to shine, and flowers to bloom. 
 
 What impressions do you have on beholding Hi* 
 works ? 
 
 I am impressed with the greatness^ power and good- 
 ness of God, who formed the fish of the sea and the fowls 
 of the air, and the flocks and herds upon a thousand hills, 
 to supply man with food and clothing. 
 
 What species of cattle did you see ? 
 
 I saw cows, oxen and horses. 
 
 To what use is the cow put 1 
 
 She is kept to give milk, to nourish and to perpetuat* 
 the species. 
 
 What is made of the milk 1 
 
 Butter and cheese. 
 
 What is done with oxen ? 
 
 They are used for the purpose of drawing loads, of 
 fattening and making beef. 
 
 Of what use is the sheep, to man 1 
 
86 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 It supplies him with food and clothing. 
 
 What is the horse made for % 
 
 It is used to ride, to draw loads and carry them from 
 place to place. 
 
 What other objects did you see on your way to school ? 
 
 I saw birds flying in the -air and sitting on trees. 
 
 What use are they to man 1 
 
 They destroy worms and insects. The stork, a bird 
 of Holland, eats the worm that destroys the dyke. It is 
 made death to kill one, by law. They are created to 
 delight the eye by their plumage, and to give pleasure 
 to the ear by their music. The song of the bird creates 
 pleasure in the heart of man and beast. 
 
 What else did you see % 
 
 I saw the canal, and boats drawn on it. 
 
 What is a canal ? 
 
 An artificial channel for water. Boats navigate it 
 with loads of timber, flour, and other articles of merchan- 
 dize or traffic. 
 
 Who was the first efficient agent in constructing the 
 Erie canal % 
 
 DeWitt Clinton. . 
 
 When was this canal commenced ? 
 
 On the 4th of July, 1817, at Rome. 
 
 What else did you see on the way 1 
 
 We saw the railroad; and cars propelled by- steam on 
 iron rails. 
 
 What is the engine called ? 
 
 A locomotive. Carriages are called cars, and are mov- 
 ed bya steam engine called by the foregoing name. 
 
 Who invented the steam engine ? 
 
 James Watt. 
 
KOTIOES. f?T 
 
 Who first perfected the application of steam to pro- 
 pelling boats ? 
 
 Eobert Fulton. Edgeworth, of England, applied 
 steam to propelling or drawing cars. 
 
 What directions did you receive when you left home 
 for school 1 
 
 To go directly to school, and return directly from it, 
 and not to play or loiter Iby the way, and to do my duty 
 at school. 
 
 Did you obey them ? 
 
 As to coming, we did. 
 
 Did you treat your fellows on the way with kindness 
 and attention 1 
 
 We did. 
 
 Did you treat the stranger you met with civility and 
 respect ? 
 
 We did. 
 
 Did you return a civil answer to the question he 
 asked you 1 
 
 We did. 
 
 Did you give him correct information as to the way, 
 when inquired of by him 1 
 
 We did. 
 
 What was the Greek law on this subject ? 
 
 If any one gave a stranger information not true as to 
 the right way to a given place, it was punished as a 
 crime, by the public execrations of the popular assembly. 
 
 What invention is more recent, and as a messenger 
 of news, stands above every other in speed ? 
 
 The telegraph. 
 
 Who was the inventor ? 
 
 Professor Morse, of Columbia College. 
 
88 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 What object is it designed to accomplish 1 
 
 It is designed to furnish news of the rise and fall of 
 produce, of deaths, marriages, of doubts as to the safety 
 of property or debts, of the commands of government. 
 
 How is intelligence communicated ? 
 
 By alphabetical characters formed by the telegraph at 
 the end of the line. It is sent by means of the electrical 
 fluid on a wire placed on poles. This is done at all the 
 intermediate stations. 
 
 How rapid is the transmission of information 1 
 
 It is as rapid as the message can be transmitted by 
 means of single letters to the station. 
 
 Are these wires placed by the side of the main roads 1 
 
 They are. 
 
 How many miles of telegraphic wire are now laid 1 
 
 In the United States there are 15,000. 
 
 How many miles of railroad ? 
 
 8,500. 
 
 What object had you in coming to school 1 
 
 I came to study, and to learn to read and write, and 
 all branches taught in school. 
 
 Do you intend to do your duty 1 
 
 Ida 
 • Is it the duty of scholars to obey the master ] 
 
 It is : and set an example worthy of imitation before 
 all. 
 
 Is it their duty to treat their fellows kindly ? 
 
 It is. 
 
 Is it their duty to treat the aged and honored with 
 respect, and all with attention and civility ? 
 
 It is. 
 
 Do you learn your place and the extent of your pow- 
 •ri h«r» 1 
 
jaot«. 89 
 
 By comparing them with others, we know the exact 
 measure of our intellect as well as of our bodies. 
 
 What other learning do you obtain here ? 
 
 We learn men, human nature : by what motives and 
 passions they are influenced. 
 
 What other benefit do you gain ? 
 
 We form friendships beneficial in after life. 
 
 FACTS. 
 
 What is the comparative strength of the United Stat«3 
 now, and when the constitution was adopted 1 
 
 In the number of States it has more than doubled. In 
 1789 there were in attendance Senators from eleven 
 States; in 1790, from twelve States ; in 1791, from the 
 thirteen original States. At the organization of the gov- 
 ernment, there were twenty-two Senators and fifty-eight 
 Eepresentatives. At the close of the first Congress there 
 were, of both Houses, ninety. There are now two hun- 
 ■ dred and ninety-five. 
 
 What was the population in 1791 ? 
 
 3,227,046 : slaves, 694,820 ; in the whole, 3,921,866. 
 
 What is the population in 1851 1 
 
 23,267,495. 
 
 What was the amount of imports in 1793 1 
 
 $31,000,000. 
 
 What in 1851 ? 
 
 $178,138,318. 
 
 In the same years what were the exports ? 
 
 $26,100,000 in 1793. 
 
 What in 1851 ? 
 
 $151,896,720. 
 
90 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 "What was the area in miles of the United States in 
 17931 
 
 It was 805,461. It is in 1851, 3,314,365 miles. 
 
 What number of treaties in 1793 with foreign powers ? 
 
 Nine. 
 
 What is the number in 1851 ? 
 
 It is ninety. 
 
 What is the area of the present eapitol and enlarge- 
 ment? 
 
 It is four acres and a half; without the enlargement, 
 it covers one and a half. 
 
 What were the number of light-houses then ? 
 
 Twelve. 
 
 In 1851 what number ? 
 
 Three hundred and seventy-two. 
 
 What was the amount received into the treasury 
 then? 
 
 $5,720,624. 
 
 What is it in 1851 ? 
 
 It is $43,774,843. 
 
 The expenses of government then, what ? 
 
 $7,529,575. 
 
 In 1851, what? 
 
 $39,355,268. 
 
 Some of the Princi^fil lHvents in the History of the 
 United States. 
 
 The first English settlement was made on the banks 
 of the James River, in Virginia, in 1606. 
 In what reign was it ? 
 In that of James I., King of Great Britain. 
 
AA0T8. 91 
 
 When was New- York settled? 
 
 It was settled in 1614, by the Dutch. 
 
 What was it called ? 
 
 New Netherlands. A fort was built at Albany, and 
 in 1615 a settlement was made at New Amsterdam, now 
 New- York, on the island of Manhattan. 
 
 When did the English obtain possession of it 1 
 
 In 1664. 
 
 New England was settled 1620, by whom ? 
 
 By the Puritans, or dissenters from the Church of 
 England, who fled from persecution in the nortb of Eng- 
 land. Mr. Robinson and his church took up their abode 
 at Amsterdam in 1607 and 1608. They afterwards re- 
 moved to Leyden, and from thence came to America, 
 and on the 20th of December landed at Plymouth. 
 
 What did they do previous to landing ? 
 
 They made what would be termed a constitution : 
 written articles of agreement, by which they were to be 
 governed. 
 
 What number of souls were lost in five months % 
 
 Out of one hundred and one, they lost one half. 
 
 How did they live 1 
 
 Like the primitive Christians — in common. They had 
 a community of interest and a common magazine. 
 
 What were the laws of the first colonies of New- 
 England 1 
 
 The magistrates governed by temporary regulations 
 or discretionary decisions, aiming to bottom all their 
 laws on the word of God. In Massachusetts the discre- 
 tionary power was thought to be unsafe, and in MarGh, 
 1638, a committee was appointed to devise a body of 
 fundamental laws. In 1639 this code was published, and 
 in 1649 the general court enacted the laws. 
 
98 A CATECHETICAL TBEATISB. 
 
 What was the code called 1 ? 
 
 " The body of liberties." These were mostly copied 
 in Connecticut. 
 
 Who were the compilers 1 
 
 They were puritans of strict probity and religion. 
 Some of the Levitical laws were adopted. Blasphemy, 
 the denial of a God, adultery, stubborn disobedience of 
 children, and witchcraft, were punishable with death. 
 The Plymouth colony were governed by similar laws. 
 
 What civil officers were first elected 1 
 
 A Governor and one assistant. In 1624 four more 
 were added, and in 1633 two more. In 1639 deputies 
 were chosen and formed one house, with the Governor 
 and assistants. 
 
 Where was the supreme power of deciding causes 
 vested ? 
 
 In the court of assistants in Massachusetts. In Ply- 
 mouth, in the Governor and assistants, in 1634, by law. 
 This also was the law of Connecticut. 
 
 What was the order of keeping holy time ? 
 
 Saturday evening was kept as holy time. The order 
 was made April 17th, 1629, by the Governor and depu- 
 ty governor <of the New England Company, and dated in 
 England. All labor was to cease at three o'clock Sat- 
 urday afternoon : the rest of the day was ordered to he 
 spent in catechising and preparation for the Sabbath. 
 
 What regulation existed in Boston as to lectures 1 
 
 Four lectures were preached weekly, until October, 
 1634, it was reduced to two^ and is now reduced to one. 
 
 What regulations in lieu of church feasts and fasts 1 
 
 Days of thanksgiving and fasting were adopted in lieu 
 of them. 
 
FACTS. 93 
 
 How long did the community of goods and possession 
 continue in Plymouth ? 
 
 "For only three years. In 1623 the colony were in 
 danger of perishing with hunger. A portion of land was 
 assigned to every family, and every single person was 
 placed in it. They were left to provide their own food 
 from their own magazine. 
 
 "Were sumptuary laws adopted in New England ? 
 
 They were for a time. Gov. Winthrop laid aside the 
 custom of drinking healths at his own table. In 1639 
 it was forbidden by law. The use of tobacco was pro- 
 hibited in 1634; immodest fashions and costly apparel 
 were also prohibited. In 1633 the price of labor was 
 limited : a master workman was allowed two shillings, 
 other laborers eighteen pence a day. In 1640 this law 
 was repealed, leaving every town to regulate the price 
 of labor. 
 
 What was the ship in which the Pilgrims embarked 
 called ? 
 
 It was called the Mayflower. 
 
 When was the first ship built in New England 1 
 
 In 1626. The people, exposed to great danger in an 
 open boat, and having no ship carpenter, employed a 
 house carpenter, who sawed into two parts their largest 
 boat, inserted timbers, built a deck, and rigged it. In 
 1631, on the 4th of July, the first vessel or bark of 
 thirty tons was launched at Mystic, and called, truly, 
 " The Blessing of the Bay." This was symbolical in 
 name and day of the Independence achieved by and the 
 blessings of commerce. It was built by Gov. Winthrop. 
 
 What were the causes which turned the attention of 
 the planters of New England to commerce ? 
 
94 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 All the money possessed by the planters had been 
 expended in beginning a plantation. Foreign ships traded 
 with them, but took little besides money in payment. 
 This soon drained all planters of cash. Brass farthings 
 and bullets were used for small change. In 1640 the 
 scarcity of money was such that a law was passed direct- 
 ing grain to be given in payment of debts at fixed prices. 
 If no personal estate was to be found, lands were to be 
 appraised on execution. This was the foundation of ten- 
 der laws. The price of land and cattle fell to a fourth 
 of their former value. This put the people upon sowing 
 flax and hemp, and importing cotton. The apprehension 
 of want of foreign commodities, caused the building of 
 ships at Salem and Boston in 1640. Peltry was the 
 principal article of export, and beaver skins purchased 
 of the Indians. This trade was so important, each colony 
 claimed an exclusive right to trade with the Indians in 
 their limits. The planters imported much of their pro- 
 visions. In 1631 their wheat cost them fourteen shillings 
 sterling a bushel ; corn, or maize, ten shillings. 
 
 When and where was the first mill erected ? 
 
 It was a wind mill near Watertown, in 1632, and in 
 the same year it was taken d6wn, and in August placed 
 on the hill near Boston. To this mill corn was brought 
 from Piscataway to be ground. In 1633 a water mill 
 was built at Roxbury. In 1636 a wind mill was erected 
 at Charleston. 
 
 What was the cost of clearing a single acre of land at 
 Hartford 1 
 
 Fifty pounds sterling. The roots of the trees were all 
 dug out. 
 
 When was the first printing press established in New 
 England 1 
 
TACTS. .86 
 
 It was established by one Day at Cambridge, in 1639. 
 The proprietor's name was Glover, who died on his 
 passage. 
 
 What was the first printing done 1 
 
 The freeman's oath was first published. The second 
 an Almanac. The third was a version of the Psalms. 
 The first revised code of Connecticut laws was printed 
 by Samuel Green at Cambridge, Mass., in 1675. The 
 first Gazette published in New England was the News 
 Letter, printed in Boston,' 1701. The first Gazette at 
 New Haven, 1755, by James Parker. 
 
 Where was the first college established ? 
 
 It was established at Cambridge. It was named Har- 
 vard, in 1638. In 1700 a charter ofa college was granted. 
 Abraham Pierson was the first rector, or president. In 
 1716 it was removed to New Haven and named Yale 
 College ; before it had been held first at Keilingworth^ 
 and then at other places. 
 
 When were public schools established in New Eng- 
 land? 
 
 On the first settlement. In Massachusetts and Con- 
 necticut, every town was compelled by law, that had a 
 certain number of householders, to support a school. In 
 Connecticut females were included. The present school 
 fund in Connecticut is over two million of dollars. The 
 managers of the public schools in a beautiful city of the 
 west, inhabited mostly by descendants of Connecticut, 
 say : " that the right to a bounty from the public 
 of a good education, has been recognized as cordially as 
 the right to Heaven's bounties, light and air." 
 
 What was the origin of the different rates of coin in 
 the' colonies'? 
 
96 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 Their, coin was rated in sterling money for almost one 
 hundred years. On account of the difficulty in procuring 
 money, some of the colonies passed laws raising the value 
 of the coins. This occasioned the proclamation of Queen 
 Anne, A. D. 1708, which fixed the nominal value at one- 
 fourth above sterling money. The dollar passed for six 
 shillings. In Virginia and New England this is the cur- 
 rent denomination. In other colonies the depreciation 
 of paper, bills of credit, and the current rate of exchange, 
 raised the coins, silver and gold, still higher. The pound- 
 and shilling differ in value, hut not the dollar. 
 
 In the election of officers, the freemen used beans and 
 corn. A bean gave a negative vote, and a kernel of 
 corn an affirmative vote. 
 
 By law in Connecticut, the Governor must be taken 
 from the assistants. This law, in 1708, was repealed, 
 and the freemen were empowered to elect from their 
 own body. 
 
 Who were freemen 1 
 
 Members of the church, in full communion, of good 
 character, and possessing a certain amount of property. 
 In addition the freeman's oath must be taken before he 
 could vote for a ruler. 
 
 Did freemen vote by proxy % 
 
 They did. At first this was not sanctioned by char- 
 ter, which vested the government in the court of assist- 
 ants and freemen. In 1636, the freemen in remote towrii 
 were authorized to send their votes by proxy. One rea- 
 son" assigned was, that provisions for the whole body of 
 freemen could not be obtained at Boston. 
 
 When was the representative system first adopted ? 
 
 The Plymouth colony was at first a perfect democraoy, 
 
FACTS, 97 
 
 and met in person with the Governor and assistants'. In 
 1639, deputies were chosen. In Massachusetts there 
 were four general courts in a year in 1634. At the court 
 of election&4he freemen met in person ; at the three other 
 courts three deputies from a town were sent, afterwards 
 two. About this time a dispute arose as to the power 
 of the assistants to negative the vote of the freemen. 
 This dispute terminated by a motion to meet in separate 
 chambers^ passed in 1644, and no law or resolution was 
 binding unless it passed both bodies. 
 
 "What tribes of Indians were most powerful in the 
 early settlement of New England.? 
 
 The Pequots of Connecticut and "Wampanoags of 
 Rhode Island, were the most warlike. 
 
 By whom were th& Pequots exterminated ? 
 
 By Capt. Mason. Hartford, Wethersfield, and Wind- 
 sor, furnished 90 men ; with these, and 500 Narraganset 
 Indians, he surprised the Pequots, entered their fort, 
 burnt their huts, and killed from six to seven hundred 
 of the tribe." This was in April,tl637. The tribe be- 
 came extinct. There was a combination of the colonies 
 to destroy this nation. Mason arrived first and struck 
 the fatal blow. 
 
 "What was the most bloody war 1 
 
 That which is known as King Philip's war. The, most 
 bloody scenes were witnessed at Deerfield, Hadley, 
 Springfield, and other places ; no age or sex were per- 
 mitted to live. Philip, the sachem «f the Wampanoags, 
 was the author and soul of the war. He was killed on 
 the 12th of August, 1676, at Mount Hope, in Rhode 
 Island, now Bristol. His wife and son were sold to a 
 West India planter for life. 
 
98 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 How many kinds of governments had the colonies ? 
 Three : Proprietary, Royal, and Charter. The pro- 
 prietor, deputy, or his heirs, were governors ; in the 
 Royal, governors were sent ; charter, they were elected. 
 
 What was the number of slaves in the thirteen colo- 
 nies in 1776? 
 
 502,102: In Massachusetts, 3,500 ; in Rhode Island, 
 4,373 ; in Connecticut, 6,000 ; in New Hampshire, 629 ; 
 in New York, 15,000 ; in New Jersey, 7,600 ; in Penn- 
 sylvania, 10,000 ; in Delaware, 9,000 ; in Maryland, 
 80,000 ; in Virginia, 165,000 ; in North Carolina, 75,000; 
 in South Carolina, 110,000 ; in Georgia, 16,000. 
 
 What is the present number? 
 
 3,070,734. 
 
 Where was the first blood shed in the revolutionary 
 war? 
 
 At Lexington, on the 17th of April, 1775. 
 
 Where was the first considerable battle fought 1 
 
 At Bunker Hill, so called, on the 17th of June, 1775. 
 In 1825, on the 17th day of June, a monument was com- 
 menced, and the corner stone laid by the Marquis La- 
 Fayette; It is 30 feet square at the base, and 16 feet at 
 the top. It is 221 feet in height-: stairs are erected 
 within by which to ascend to the top. 
 
 When was Washington appointed commander in-chief 
 of the American armies ? 
 
 On the 15th of June, 1775. 
 
 What two victories were most decisive in the war of 
 the revolution ? 
 
 That over Gen. Burgoyne, on the 17th of October, 1777, 
 at Saratoga, New York, who surrendered to Gen. Gates, 
 with his army of 5750; and the surrender of Lord 
 
FACTS. 99 
 
 Cornwallis, on the 19th of October, 1781, to Gen. 
 Washington, at Yorktown, in Virginia, with his whole 
 army of 7500 men. 
 
 What were the general orders of Washington on. this 
 event 1 
 
 That Divine service should be attended in every brig- 
 ade, and all not on duty should attend the service. Con- 
 gress went in procession to church, and made public 
 acknowledgments of gratitude to Heaven for this extra- 
 ordinary and singular event, and the interposition of 
 Providence in favor of America. All under arrest were 
 discharged. 
 
 When were the preliminaries of peace agreed upon? 
 
 In 1782, Nov. 30, at Paris ; and the project of a treaty 
 was signed by Benjamin Pranklin, John Adams, John 
 Jay, and Henry Laurens, for America, and Mr. Oswald, 
 on the part of Great Britain. On the 3d of September 
 1783, the definitive treaty of peace was concluded and 
 settled. It was signed by Benjamin Franklin, John Ad- 
 ams, and John Jay, for the United States, and by Mr. 
 David Hartly, for Great Britain, at Paris. 
 
 When were the United Colonies, now the United States, 
 declared free and independent 1 
 
 On the 4th of July, .1776. 
 ■ By whom was this done 1 
 
 By the Congress of the United States. 
 
 Who was the President of Congress at that time % 
 
 John Hancock. 
 
 In what way was it declared ? 
 
 By a written declaration, setting forth the grievances 
 of the Colonies, and a Declaration of Independence pub- 
 lished to the world. 
 
100 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 What were the names of the committee who reported 
 this Declaration ? 
 
 Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, 
 Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. 
 
 "Who drafted this Declaration 1 
 
 Thomas Jefferson. 
 
 How many Representatives were in Congress at this 
 time? 
 
 Forty-seven. 
 
 How many exact likenesses of these men have been 
 taken % 
 
 Thirty -seven. 
 
 By whom were they taken 1 
 
 By Col. John Trumbull. 
 
 "Where does this painting hang 1 
 
 It' occupies the first .panel on the right as you enter the 
 Rotunda of the Capitol of the United States through the 
 west folding door. 
 
 How many paintings are designed for the panels of 
 this vast room ? 
 
 Eight. Col. Trumbull's fill four. Two of the other 
 panels are now filled by historical paintings. 
 
 By what painters 1 
 
 The Baptism of Pocahontas, a splendid painting on 
 the right of the door to the Senate chamber out of the 
 Rotunda, is by Chapman. Pocahontas is represented 
 kneeling at the chancel before the altar, dressed in white; 
 her countenance is mild, intelligent, and prayerful. The 
 Rev. Mr. Whitaker stands behind the balustrade, in a 
 white surplice, by the side of a baptismal font, a 'common 
 trough dug out for the occasion. The church Is of forest 
 trees, unhewn, Rolfe stands at a little distance to the 
 
FAom 101 
 
 right, viewing the scene, with great anxiety depioted in 
 His countenance. 
 
 The landing of the Pilgrims is a painting hanging in 
 the panel to the left of the door to the Hall of the House 
 of Representatives. It is by Weir. The dress, counte- 
 nances, deportment, and expression of the characters, are 
 all calculated to fix the attention of the spectator. A 
 part are in military costume. Fortitude, mingled with 
 religious zeal and independence, cause the scene to make 
 a deep and solemn impression upon the beholder. One 
 has fallen into the water, which is white with foam, and 
 he is struggling for life. 
 
 What portraits occupy the Hall of the House of Rep- 
 resentatives 1 
 
 Gen. Washington's, in citizen's dress. It is above and 
 behind the speaker's chair. That of LaFayette is placed 
 on the west wall at the left of the speaker in the chair. 
 He also is in citizen's dress. 
 
 On what day did Washington resign his command of 
 the army? 
 
 On the 23d day of December, 1783. 
 
 At what place was Congress then sitting ? 
 
 At Annapolis. 
 
 Who was President of Congress ? 
 
 Elias Boudinot. 
 
 When was Washington born 1 
 
 On the 22d of February, 1732. 
 
 To whom did Washington resign his command 1 
 
 To the Continental Congress, and delivering his com- 
 mission to the President of that body. 
 
 When was Washington elected President ? 
 
 In 1789, on the 4th of March, he became President. 
 
102 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 How long and when did his term of office expire ? 
 
 He served eight years. His term of office expired 
 March 3d, 1797. His farewell address bears date 17th 
 of September, 1796. 
 
 Where and when did he die 1 
 
 He died at his residence at Mount Vernon, Virginia, 
 on the 14th of December, 1799, after an illness of two 
 days, aged almost 68 years. 
 
 What were his last words 1 
 
 " I am not afraid to die." 
 
 Who succeeded Gen. Washington as President 1 
 
 John Adams, on the 4th of March, 1797. 
 
 Who succeeded Adams ? 
 
 Thomas Jefferson, on the 4th of March, 1801.' 
 
 When did they die 1 
 
 On the 4th of July, 1826. Mr. Adams in the 92d 
 year, and Mr. Jefferson in the 84th year of his age. 
 
 James Madison succeeded Mr. Jefferson, when ? 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1809. On the 3d of March, 
 1817, his term of office closed. He died on the 28th 
 day 1 of June, 1836, in the 86th year of his age. 
 
 James Monroe succeeded Mr. Madison, when ? 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1817. He held the office eight 
 years, and died on the 4th of July, 1831, in the seventy- 
 second year of his age. 
 
 John Quiney Adams entered the offioe, when ? 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1825, and held the office four 
 years. He died on the 23d of February, 1848, at Wash- 
 ington. 
 
 When did Gen. Andrew Jackson succeed to the 
 office? 
 
 On the 4th ef March, 1829. He held the office eight 
 years. 
 
FACTS. 108 
 
 Where and •when did he die 1 
 
 He died at the Hermitage, in Tennessee, on the 28th 
 of June, 1845. 
 
 When was Martin Van Buren inaugurated ? 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1837. He held the office until 
 the 3d of March, 1841. 
 
 When did William H. Harrison succeed to the office ? 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1841, and held the office one 
 month. He died on the 4th of April after his inaugura- 
 tion, in the 69th year of his age. 
 
 Who then, by virtue of his office, was President 1 
 
 John Tyler, the Vice President, became the constitu- 
 tional President, and held the office as such until the 3d 
 of March, 1845. 
 
 When did James K. Polk enter the office 1 
 
 James K. Polk was elected and entered upon the duties 
 of his office on the 4th of March, 1845, and closed his 
 term of office March 3, 1849, and died shortly after his 
 return to Tennessee. 
 
 When did Gen. Taylor succeed to the office 1 
 
 On the 4th of March, 1849, Gen. Zachary Taylor came 
 into office, and held it till the 9th of July, 1850. He 
 died while Congress was in session. 
 
 Who then became President ? 
 
 By his death Millard Fillmore., Vice President, be- 
 came President. 
 
 How large is the Rotunda of the Capitol % 
 
 It is 90 feet in diameter, and the height of the room 
 is 95 feet. The floor is tesselated and made of marble. 
 
 What paintings occupy the two panels on the right ? 
 
 The Declaration of Independence, and resignation «f 
 the commission of Gen. Washington. 
 
104 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 What ones on the left ? 
 
 The surrender of Burgoyne to Gen. Gates, and the 
 surrender of Lord Cornwallis, at Yorktown. General 
 Lincoln was designated to receive the sword and take 
 command of has Lordship's army. At Charleston Gen. 
 Lincoln had been pointed by Cornwallis to an inferior 
 officer to deliver his sword. Gen. Washington never 
 suffered his officers, though he was styled a rebel chieftain 
 " of a rebellious clan," to be dishonored without putting 
 in force the law of retaliation. The rules dPwar he never 
 suffered to be violated with impunity. 
 How large is the library 1 
 
 90 feet by 34. It contains over 30,000 volumes. Af- 
 ter the burning of the first Capitol, by Admiral Coch- 
 rane, Mr. Jefferson's library was purchased at $25;000. 
 This library comprises the best books in the present 
 library. 
 
 Where is the exhibition of the most curious mechani- 
 cal models, tropical plants, animals, and mementoes of 
 by-gone days and striking eyeirts, and the costume of 
 distinguished men 1 
 
 On the second floor of the Patent Office. You have 
 here all the models of the patented machines in the 
 United States ; plants from different parts of the globe ; 
 seeds collected by the officers of the Navy ; the whole 
 military dress of Washington ; his camp chest ; the 
 pewter plates and platters, tea-pot and tea-cups, knives 
 and forks : from the size they are a curiosity. You have 
 a coat and epaulettes of Gen. Jackson wor-n on the 8th 
 of January, 1815; his sword drawn against his recreant 
 coionel, and worn when he defeated and slew Sir Edward 
 Packenham, at New Orleans. This room is 275 feet 
 in length. 
 
FACTS. 105 
 
 What historical events are^given in alto relievo, or 
 bold relief, on the walls of the Rotunda ? 
 
 The Landing of the Pilgrims ; Penn in treaty with 
 the Indians ; the Preservation of Capt. Smith by Poca- 
 hontas ; the Adventures of Col. Boone. 
 
 What is placed over the door of the Hall of the House 
 of Representatives, in front of the Speaker's chair ■? 
 
 A time-piece, with a female marble figure seated on 
 it, with pen in hand. It represents the car of time, with 
 the genius of history seated on it noting down the passing 
 events. 
 
 When was the comer stone of the first Capitol laid ? 
 
 In 1793, on the 18th day of September, by General 
 Washington, in the city of Washington. 
 
 On what day and by whom, was the corner stone of 
 the extension of the present Capitol laid ? 
 
 By President Fillmore, on the 4th of July, 1851. 
 
 How many colleges are there in the United States 1 
 
 121. 
 
 How many public libraries ? 
 
 694. 
 
 What number of volumes do they contain 1 
 
 2,201,632. 
 
 How many post offices in the United States % 
 
 11,551. 
 
 How many miles of mail transportation? 
 
 46,541,423. 
 
 What number of miles in post routes ? 
 
 178,672. 
 
 What number of school libraries 1 
 
 10,000. 
 
 What is the number of volumes in them % 
 
108 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 2,000;000. 
 
 How large is the present Capitol 1. 
 
 It covers one acre and a half of ground. The east 
 front contains too many sculptured figures, columns and 
 decorations to he desoribed. The likeness of Columbus, 
 a marble figure, stands on one of the projections. It is 
 a noble figure ; he has one arm extended horizontally, 
 holding a globe in his hand ; with a female Indian figure 
 bent down and looking up at the globe, which Columbus 
 is explaining to her. It is said by those who have seen 
 like buildings in other parts of the globe, to be the most 
 splendid in the world. The building, the yards, foun- 
 tains, terraces, shrubbery, flowers, jets, gravel and 
 flagged walks, are objects that cannot fail to attract the 
 attention of the stranger and visitor. 
 
 When was the second war declared against Great 
 Britain ? 
 
 On the 18th of June, 1812. 
 
 When was peace concluded 1 
 
 On the 14th of December, 1814, peace was concluded 
 at Ghent. 
 
 When was the battle of New Orleans ? 
 
 On the 8th of January, 1815, by Gen. Jackson. 
 
 OPINIONS. 
 
 There are many cases of concealment, of simulation 
 and dissimulation, given by Cicero, on which civilians 
 and moralists of the present age disagree with him. The 
 case of the corn merchant oPAlexandria is one. Ethical 
 writers have sought a salvo for the corn merchant's con- 
 science and for the dealers' consciences of the present 
 
OPINIONS. 107 
 
 time, 'without -any effort to check the spirit of gairi all- 
 prevalent at the present day-. The doctrines of Cicero 
 had undoubtedly the prejudice of his nation in part for 
 their foundation. 
 
 What was this prejudice ? 
 
 That every merchant was corrupt, and a mean and 
 unworthy man. Rome was devoted to arms ; Greece to 
 the fine arts ; Carthage to commerce. He had, from the 
 general want of faith in Carthage, attributed Punic faith 
 to all who pursued the business of her citizens ; and to 
 trade itself he had applied the opinion of Lacon, " that 
 wherever there was trade there was fraud." These 
 modern writers say that the cases Cioero puts, human 
 laws cannot and should not reach ; though morally wrong 
 they are legally right; and some of them they say are 
 not wrong in the eourt of conscience. Without going at 
 length into these cases, two of which were referred to in 
 a note to the " Guide Book," viz^ the corn merchant of 
 Alexandria, whose ship laden with eorn for the people of 
 Rhodes in time of famine, passed other ships bound to 
 the same market. On his arrival at Rhodes; he sold for 
 all he could get without giving notice that other ships 
 would shortly arrive. And again he- puts the case of 
 Tiberias Claudius Centumalus, who owned a house on 
 Mount Coelius, one of the seven hills on which Rome is 
 built, the height of which intercepted the view of the 
 augurs ; the upper story was by them directed to be 
 pulled down. Claudius advertised and sold the house as 
 a city residence not joined by any other building, with- 
 out notice of the decree of the augurs. Publius Calpur- 
 nius Lanarius bought it. When he had ascertained that 
 Claudius advertised the. house and sold it, notwithstand- 
 
i08 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 ing the decree had been served upon him, after the upper 
 story had been pulled down, Lanarius brought a suit 
 before Cato, the Praetor, who decided that as he had not 
 made known the decree, he was liable in damages. And 
 further, that it pertained to good faith that any vice 
 known to the vendor should be made known to the ven- 
 dee. Cicero says, if Cato is right, the merchant of Alex- 
 andria ought to have made known the fact of other ships 
 being on the way to this market. A third case of con- 
 cealment is put. A building is advertised as perfect, 
 some of the chambers of which were defective and pes- 
 tilential, Diogenes, the agent of the vendor. Antipater, 
 for the vendee, says : What difference is there* in adver- 
 tising a building as sound and healthy, than to misdirect 
 a man who is out of the way ; this the Athenians pun- 
 ished by public execrations. In the sale the vendor did 
 more, for he knowingly led him out of the way. Diogenes 
 says : Who indeed compelled you to buy ? The owner 
 advertised for sale what did not please him ; you bought 
 what pleased you. What if he did advertise his villa as 
 good and well built : if you had an opportunity to examine 
 it, has the owner deceived you % Wherever there is the 
 judgment of the buyer there can be no fraud of the seller. 
 What would be more foolish than to declare or narrate 
 the vices of what he sold ! How absurd would it be to 
 employ a crier to declare, " I sell a pestilent house !" 
 Cicero in conclusion says, to be silent is not always to 
 conceal, yet it is not open, not simple, not just, not like 
 & good man, but rather of craft, of obscurity, of cunning- 
 ness, deceitfulness, wiliness, rashness, knavery, and 
 subtlety. . 
 
 After these three cases of silence and concealment, he 
 
OPINIONS. 109 
 
 puts the case of false exhibitions and false appearances : 
 a Roman knight, by the name of Caius Canius, who 
 wished to purchase a villa near Syracuse, who was there 
 not for the purpose of trade but mainly for enjoyment. 
 He wanted to buy some pleasant gardens where he might 
 invite his friends and be free from interrupters. When 
 it became known, Pythias, who was a broker or banker 
 for the Syracusians, said he had no gardens to sell, but 
 he had those that Canius might use as his own if he 
 wished. Pythias invited Canius to supper with him the 
 next day. Prior to, the time he engaged fishermen to 
 station themselves and fish before the gardens of Pythias. 
 A multitude of boats came ; each had the best of fish. 
 In consequence of the sight, Canius became more earnest 
 to buy. Pythias set hrs price, and danius bought at it. 
 The next day he went to his villa and there were no 
 boats, no fish. Here was fraud on one side, and want 
 of prudence on the other. It was pronounced evil de- 
 ceit : where one thing is dissembled and another is acted. 
 Cicero lays it down as necessary, that from the whole of 
 life simulation and dissimulation should be taken away. 
 All our ethical writers declare that there is nothing mo- 
 rally wrong in these bargains. We may well inquire, 
 whether the moral sense is stronger in an intelligent 
 Heathen than in a Christian 1 We have no middle cases. 
 Right and wrong cannot be merged or mingled- 
 
 Is every act virtuous or vicious 1 
 
 It is. All necessary acts are virtuous. All unneces- 
 sary are vicious. 
 
 Can we apply the skill and perfection of gaming to 
 the moral character of men 1 
 
 We cannot, for no man can be perfect in moral cha. 
 racter. 
 
110 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 Why is this the case 1 
 
 It is inconsistent with his condition : his knowledge is 
 imperfect. One of the principles of the law of nature is, 
 man is placed here to pursue his own happiness. 
 
 Can he conform to that law without the improvement 
 of his mind, manners, and morals 1 
 
 He cannot. Happiness cannot consist in the gratifi- 
 cation of the senses alone, or mere animal gratification. 
 
 What, then, must constitute his true happiness ? 
 
 It must consist in reading good books, in magnifying 
 that law which he is bound to obey, and in the worship of 
 that Being who hath created him. 
 
 What books stand first on the list of didactic works 1 
 
 The Old and New Testament, and such other works 
 as explain and enforce them. Reading comes first, hear- 
 ing after it. Why ? Because there can be no hearing 
 understandingly until after reading. 
 
 Can the Bible be fully apprehended without some 
 knowledge of other books 1 
 • It cannot. 
 
 If we take the Bible as an example, are works of fiction 
 to be excluded? * 
 
 Fables, allegories, and parables, are all of the same 
 character. 
 
 What is an allegory ? 
 
 Allegories are continued metaphors. The 80th Psalm 
 is a perfect allegory or allegories. That part which rep- 
 resents the vine is most beautiful. The riddle of Samp- 
 son is an allegory, in the 14th chapter of Judges. The 
 eastern nations conveyed instruction in parables; Sacred 
 truths in the Bible are conveyed under mysterious figures, 
 riddles, 1 fables, psfcrableS, and allegories. 
 
OPINIONS. Ill 
 
 What are they given for? 
 
 For our improvement in life, and in death, the end of 
 life. * 
 
 Are works of taste, in their object and end, injurious 
 to the morals and manners of the rising generation ? 
 
 They are not. Mr. Foster says, some works of fiction 
 are mere bundles of folly. Will not this apply to other 
 works as well as those of taste and fiction ? If these 
 works are so demoralizing, why place parts of them in 
 the hands of children for every day reading 1 All our 
 reading books contain portions of these works. The older 
 quotations are made from Gil Bias, by Le Sage. Modern 
 works have parts of Scott, Miss Sedgwick, and many 
 others. It will not be denied that play reading and play 
 going are as injurious as that of ordinary fiction. 
 
 Are not moral essays generally approved, and are they 
 not in their tendency below novel or pure fiction 1 
 
 They seldom point to Christ, the true way and the 
 only door by which to enter the kingdom of Heaven. 
 The moralist picks out the loose stones and MacAdamises 
 the old way. The writer of fiction does not pretend to 
 teach the way to heaven, therefore does not mislead any 
 one. The Vicar of Wakefield contains suggestions 
 which have been more generally followed than most 
 other works. Lord Thornhill and Parson Primrose, are 
 among the first characters. In prosperity and adversity, 
 Dr. Primrose pursues the pathof true piety and true honor. 
 He does not always seek the occasion, but he profits by 
 them, and gives instruction suited to them. He eviden- 
 ces, by his own life, the power of religion, and teaches 
 by example and precept. ' He shows that men may be 
 useful in every station, and every place. He gives les- 
 
112 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 sons which have been followed by a Fry and a Howard, 
 the great philanthropists and prison reformers of the 
 day. Of Howard Mr. Burke says, he visited all Europe 
 to survey the mansions of sorrow and pain, to collate the 
 distresses of all men in all countries. Whether we view 
 Lord Thornhill as the simple Burchil, carrying toys, cake, 
 and «andy, for children, or as the Baronet, giving lessons 
 that in after time have caused punishment to be appor- 
 tioned to crime, and the laws to be more perfectly exe- 
 cuted, he is filling every place with dignity, and with 
 usefulness to others, and credit to himself. This is a 
 book read by the young and old, by the learned and un- 
 learned, by moralist and civilian, and by none without 
 pleasure and profit. 
 
 Do these works break down the religion of pounds, 
 shillings, and pence ] 
 
 They do : and show that the leger-book, the counting 
 room Bible, is not one which savors of Heaven. They 
 warm the heart and create love for all : for distant lands 
 and nations, for children, and for all objects in themselves 
 lovely. They show us that it is folly to pretend to have 
 the love of God and rejoice in an entrance on a state of 
 being untried, while bitterness and hatred, and the indul- 
 gence of an unhallowed temper here prevails. We do 
 not say that they cultivate love in its purest form, 
 for all earthly love is impure ; but we do say, that they 
 destroy the cool, calculating spirit that is too prevalent 
 in the world. They take away that spirit of pure love of 
 gain, which would take the last dollar a poor man has to 
 satisfy a demand founded in fraud, and with interest com- 
 puted- four times a year to prevent waste. They polish 
 the language; they mend the manners ; they give elegance 
 
0P1KI0WS. US 
 
 and taste to subjects which are made the topics of con- 
 versation ; they make those descriptions of scenery, both 
 of the romantic, sublime, and beautiful, pleasant, by 
 giving them in language which is beautiful ; they give a 
 taste for reading, and they cultivate it in those who have 
 it in an inferior degree. 
 
 What does the great logician, John Loeke, say as to 
 these books ! 
 
 He says the works of fiction " are useful for diversion 
 and delight," and that Don Quixote, "for usefulness, 
 pleasantry, and decorum," is unequalled. 
 
 Is much of our best reading found in works of fiction? 
 , It is. Few modem authors have been so universally 
 read as Sir Walter Scott. Most writers of fiction have 
 figured in other walks of literature and taste. We see 
 human life in these works, as it is or has been ; here, 
 also, we have our finest scenery described in the best 
 taste. True, many are mere sacks filled with weak- 
 ness, obscenity and profanity. We are no advocate for 
 the pitch of these ; but let the young beware of these 
 books. But thousands of books, not novels, or whidta 
 bear the distinctive appellation of fiction, might be set 
 down as equally worthless. It is true that in many of 
 the works of fiction we find sacraments and amusements 
 side by side, plays and prayers in juxtaposition,' the 
 Bible and balls in opposite scales, and the Bible made to 
 kick the beam ; theatres and churches in the same row ; 
 arguments on religious topics and the pleasure parties of 
 the day on the same page, by way of episode. Denun- 
 ciations are almost daily thundered from the pulpit, not 
 against the worthless, but against the whole class of 
 books ealled novels ; the minister, at least once or twice 
 
114 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 a year, " though thrice before he had routed all his foes, 
 and thrice he slew the slain," charges the adversary with 
 sweeping denunciations. Now the Bible should be read 
 and constantly ; but those who undertake to restrain the 
 young mind from natural love of enjoyment, will find 
 they are pursuing a course that will in the end set at de- 
 fiance restraints. 
 
 Do our professed moralists distinguish in their writings 
 the god of this world from the true God 1 
 
 They do not. So long as Homer, Horace and Virgil 
 are in the hands of their children, their denunciations will 
 avail nothing. Take the fourth book of Virgil, where 
 the love scene of Dido andiEneas are so finely wrought : 
 the hunting party, the thunder storm, and the meeting 
 of the Queen and ./Eneas in the cave. If suicidal guilt 
 can be made honorable and desirable by beauty of de- 
 scription and sweetness of language, it is here done. 
 Though much of it is the description of a woman frantic 
 with love, it cannot fail to have its effect upon the young 
 mind. That advantage is derived from these books, as 
 well as our best works of fiction, whatever distinctive 
 name they bear, cannot be doubted ; that it cannot be 
 obtained elsewhere is equally true ; and that evil may he 
 suffered is equally true, and perhaps it is inevitable. To 
 forego the advantage would be unwise. What, then, must 
 be done ? Parents and teachers must act as censors, who 
 will admonish and guide those under their charge, and di- 
 rect them in the right way. The child may take cold, and 
 very often does, by exposure, but should he be shut up 
 constantly for this reason ? It would not be the part of 
 wisdom. The Scythian mothers threw their children 
 into the sea ; most of them died ; the others were more 
 
OPINIONS. 115 
 
 robust. Sending to schbol where vice prevailed, has 
 been likened to it. Reform the school is better than 
 taking them out, or compelling them to remain at home 
 in a cell. 
 
 Is not doubt often left on the mind of those who look 
 upon the professed followers of Christ on earth ? Do 
 they not resemble the world around them 1 Can we 
 believe that those who manifest here on earth no love 
 but the love of self and of earth, can have that love which 
 will nurture them for heaven 1 If the Bible is true, this 
 will not nurture for heaven. Are not six days out of 
 seven devoted exclusively to the world 1 and are not the 
 holy lectures of the worldling an abomination rather than 
 a blessing ? Let example be the preacher, and not pre- 
 cept without practice. Religion is practical. It requires 
 a life of conformity. It cannot exist with an evil tem- 
 per, discourtesy, or a proud and haughty spirit. The 
 Christian must be singular : he must come out from the 
 world ; he must wear his Christian graces, good morals, 
 good manners and humility, as an every day dress. 
 Religion is not a hymn, but a constant warfare. 
 
 To live here, is to exist ; vitality is life : the union of 
 soul and body. Life is the opposite of death. Its prop- 
 erties are motion, warmth, respiration, thought, feeling, 
 sensibility. The absence of all these properties we call 
 death. 
 
 Is matter mortal 1 
 
 It is. 
 
 Is the soul immortal 1 
 
 It is. 
 
 What evidence is there of the mortality of matter \ 
 
 The every day changes of it evidence its mortality in 
 
116 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 the form in which it existed. When it is reanimated the 
 particles are in a new form. The body turns to common 
 dust : it goes back to its original state. We have rea- 
 son to believe that power which controls the body, 
 which wills, reasons, remembers, commands and directs, 
 will control itself when set at liberty from the body. 
 Those minds which act without the body in sleep, will 
 continue to act when freed from the body. Dr. Frank- 
 lin says : " Finding myself to exist in the world, I be- 
 lieve I shall in some shape or another always exist ; and 
 with all the inconveniences human life is liable to, I shall 
 not object to a new edition of mine." Cicero says : "So 
 I am persuaded, so I think, that so much quickness of 
 perception, so great memory of things past, so much 
 forecast of the future, so many arts, so many sciences, 
 so many inventions, that the soul is immortal." 
 
 Does the soul dwell in the actual presence of the Cre- 
 ator after death until reunited to the body ? 
 
 We are not informed. We have reason to believe it 
 exists until the resurrection of the body out of His actual 
 presence. Christ, the precursor, did not go to the Father 
 until his resurrection. 
 
 Where does it exist until the resurrection 1 
 
 It has no fixed or local habitation. It is free, and 
 traverses this air and earth like other spirits. 
 
 Is paradise a fixed or local residence ? 
 
 We believe not. Christ said, on the day of his cruci- 
 fixion, to the thief, " This day shalt thou be with me in 
 paradise," viz : in happiness. To Mary Magdalene, on 
 the day of his resurrection, he said : " Touch me not, for 
 I have not yet ascended to my Father and your Father." 
 Paradise is not used for the third heaven. Bishop Sherlock 
 
OPINIONS. 117 
 
 says, to die is to go outof the body. " It is not properly 
 another world, for there is the same heaven and earth still." 
 The"bodies of men who lived inpast ages have undergone 
 many changes. Butler, in Hudibras, says the particles of 
 matter in. the body of the immortal Crosar may now be 
 stopping a beer barrel. " Death opens our eyes, enlar- 
 ges our prospects, presents us with a new and more glo- 
 rious world, which we can never see while shut up in the 
 flesh." We introduce this as our own opinion. Accor- 
 ding to Xenophon, Cyrus said, when dying, to his son : 
 " I would not have you think, my dear son, that I have 
 departed from you : that I exist nowhere ; when I was 
 with you, you could not see my spirit." ' To live here 
 according to nature, enlightened by revelation, is to live 
 in such a manner that life will be prosperous and death 
 pleasant. Totlive according to nature is to live with a 
 disposition to be happy here ; to be honest, and make - 
 virtue and integrity the only test of utility ; to defraud 
 no one frrhis purse, possessions, or character. This is a 
 morality of the heart, that thinketh no evil of his neigh- 
 bor, and filches not from another " what makes me 
 naught the richer, but makes him poor indeed." 
 
 Justice, Cicero says, though a single virtue, is the 
 mistress and queen of all other virtues.* It is the shad- 
 owing forth of integrity of heart. Humility is the high- 
 est Christian grace. It manifests by acts or fruits that 
 heaven is not taken possession of as a conquered country, 
 or as one purchased by good deeds, but one received as 
 a free gift, from one who has made the purchase by the 
 sacrifice of his own life. Still this purchase does not 
 
 justify wrong acts. ' The concealment of what is wrong 
 t 
 
 * " Justitia, enim una virtus, omnium domina regina virtutum." 
 
118 A CATECHETICAL TREATISE. 
 
 in thought and word, were it possible, will not excuse 
 the guilt. Cruelty to man or beast is morally wrong : 
 it is punishment without desert, which by the Stoics was 
 held to be a high offence : even the killing a hen without 
 just cause was an offence of great magnitude. It is for- 
 bidden by the law of nature and nations. The Athenians 
 cut off the thumbs of the Egirians to prevent their be- 
 coming sailors. Csesar cut off the hands of a nation that 
 had borne arms against him. Both of these cases are 
 strictly forbidden by the law of nations, and certainly by 
 the law of kindness. 
 
 In the matter of Kegulus, a prisoner at Carthagej who 
 was sent to Rome for release of Carthagenian prisoners, 
 and an bath was exacted if not released he would return. 
 He went, advised the retaining the prisoners, and re- 
 turned, and was put to death by torture. Cicero puts 
 the question, whether such an oath was binding? Grotius 
 thinks in case of a robber, where the oath is extorted, it 
 is not binding ; but where voluntary, as in the case put, 
 it is binding, which is against Cicero's opinion. Hobbs 
 thinks, a promise extorted by fear is not the less binding 
 where benefit is derived from it. Puffendorff thinks, 
 merely abstaining from your injury does not make the 
 robber a benefactor. Barbeyrac agrees with Puffendorff. 
 Adam Smith thinks the promise binding*- Paley leaves 
 the question balanced as to consequences. Montaigne 
 thinks, the promise, though extorted by fear, for the 
 word's sake, should be held good. 
 
 In the case of the ten Eomans after the battle of Cannae, 
 who were sent by Hannibal for a like object, under like 
 oaths, and one. of them returned, and when he got back 
 pretended he had forgotten something, and went back to 
 
OPINIONS. 119 
 
 Rome and remained there, Cicero says, he could not re- 
 lease himself from his oath in this way. 
 
 This treatise will be to the reader and learner profita- 
 ble or not, as it is received. It furnishes the means of 
 benefit, if rightly improved. Examination and reflection 
 are necessary. It is but the hand with the finger pointing 
 to the right way. 
 
ESSAYS. 
 
 ON READING. 
 
 To the young, I say, cultivate a taste for reading ; I 
 recommend it not merely or solely for the improvement 
 of the understanding, but as a projection to you against 
 vicious courses. In general, we may lay it down as a 
 maxim, that the studious and reading boy is beyond 
 the influence and power of vicious company. 
 
 Eead the most approved works of taste and imagina- 
 tion. By thus doing you will create a taste for reading, 
 if you have it not, and improve it if you have it. Eead 
 those works also, because without a knowledge of them 
 you cannot understand other books, which refer or allude 
 to them. Read all books understandingly. Never pass 
 a word or sentence without understanding its meaning. 
 Cultivate a taste for reading, because it will be productive 
 of happiness to yourself, the great end of your being. 
 Books preserve contentment and virtue, which are hap- 
 piness. Reading will make and keep ' you cheerful. It 
 will shield you from the snares of the world. This taste 
 will elevate your character. Nothing low or vulgar is 
 found in the friends you silently associate with, if properly 
 chosen. 
 
 The taste you cultivate for the wise, peaceful and tem- 
 perate friends of the past and present age,' will operate 
 as a restraint upon your whole life and give it a purer 
 p 
 
122 ESSAYS* 
 
 and higher character. Eegand good books as you* true>- 
 friends, observe their advice, go 'to than for counsel, re-- 
 ceive their consolation and condolence. They will inv 
 press upon the mind noble, generous, loveSy, and graceful 
 images. They are friends amid all the changes of life ; 
 they attend you in sickness ; they comfort you in distress 
 and sorrow. They are your company in solitude ; your 
 staff and support when persecuted, fallen, and forsaken. 
 They remaij^with you when the world deserts you ; they 
 alone are firm and unchanging ; when love is turned to 
 hatred friendship to ill will, and whop envy and malice 
 are exhibited by the world, they are kind and courteous. 
 They alone are faithful while all others are false. They 
 remain with you amid the breaking of earthly ties : amid 
 all the changes and vicissitudes of life. Under all the 
 variations of temper, the sneers of the «nvious, and the 
 contumely of the vicious, they are the same, and are still 
 a staff on which you m»y lean in every oonditiqn of life. 
 No caprice, no emulation, no interest, will disturb the 
 high intellects with which you daily lonverse, They 
 enter the cottage of the poor, and gnsie direction to- the 
 humble ; they restrain the avarice of the rich> they curb 
 the ambition of the proud, and» elevate the hearts of the 
 humble. Your manners will be improved in the oom- 
 pany of the wise and good of every age. These old 
 friends are never seen with new faces ; but in riches and 
 poverty, in glory and shame they are the same : with 
 the dead there is no change. 
 
 You can listen to Shakspeare givirg language to every 
 passion and emotion of the heart of man, and exhibiting 
 every human character in his own peculiar form and 
 dress. Cervantes, in Don Quixote, •'will unfold the r|, 
 
ON READING. -128 
 
 diculous mania of Knight-errantry, that every woman 
 must have a Knight elad in steel to protect her virtue. 
 You can follow the steps of the great and good Wash- 
 ington, and hear him say : . " Envious of none, I am de- 
 termined to be pleased with all ; in this order of march, 
 I will move gently down the stream of life until I sleep 
 with my fathers ;" and on his death bed hear him say, 
 "I am not afraid to die." 
 
 You will also see the young and accomplished soldier 
 from France, LaFayette, by his side, and hear him ex- 
 claim : " May this immense temple of freedom ever 
 stand as a lesson to oppressors, an example for the op^ 
 pressed, a sanctuary for the rights of man." You can 
 sit down by the dying bed of Hampden, the great apostle 
 of civil liberty, and hear his last words : " Lord Jesus, 
 receive my soul ; O, save my country." You can walk 
 in the light of a countenance ever mild and placid, and 
 learn of him a " manner eminently courteous and gentle- 
 manly." -You can look upon the great errors of the 
 greatest jnan of modern times, Lord Bacon, who pos- 
 sessed the most minute, and yet the most comprehensive 
 intellect ever given to man : like the fairy tent it was a 
 toy in a lady's hand when folded, and when expanded, 
 it would cover all the armies of the Sultan. He was 
 ungrateful and a traitor to Essex, the last to use the 
 rack, and a seller of justice. " He rose to the highest 
 glory, and descended to the deepest shame." In the 
 language of Pope, he was " the wisest, brightest, mean- 
 est of mankind." You look on the murdered Caesar, the 
 mpst perfect man of his age, " the greatest man of coun- 
 sel and action, of design and execution," t}ie bravest, and 
 yet the most renowned for clemency. From Frankliij 
 
124 ESSAYS. 
 
 you learn those practical rules which will direct you in 
 the path to wealth, to wisdom and to honor : that in- 
 dustry is power, is capital, is honor in every calling. 
 You can converse with Socrates on the immortality of 
 the soul, and you can from the priel where you stand 
 behold the weeping jailer, when he administered the 
 hemlock which was shortly to terminate the valuable 
 life of the first advocate of intellectual liberty. 
 
 You can last and above all witness the meek and lowly 
 Jesus, who in his last agony in the garden, cried out, 
 " O, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from 
 me, but nevertheless liSt as I will, but as thou wilt ;" 
 and again hear him say, " O Father, forgive them, for 
 they know not what they do." 
 
MAXIMS TO BE OBSERVED IN LIFE. 
 
 The young should read the best books, as they cannot 
 read all. The bishop of Llandaff says : " Make Bacon 
 and Locke, and why. should I not add that sweet child 
 of nature, Shakspeare, your chief companions through 
 life." " Let them lie on your table. Read these books 
 and I will answer for their giving entertainment and in- 
 struction as long as you live." Books should be read 
 either to support or to ascertain rules which ought to be 
 your guide in life. To these your attention should be 
 particularly directed, and on these your thoughts should 
 be mainly placed. Maxims alone, though ever so good, 
 unless fully considered and observed, will riot furnish a 
 guide to your life. They should be the subject of your 
 thoughts from day to day. 
 
 I shall lay down certain propositions and consider them 
 separately, by which, if you are guided, you will live in 
 conscious rectitude, and your end will be peaceful and 
 happy. 
 
 First. Adhere to truth at all times and under all cir- 
 cumstances. 
 
 Second. Pursue in every place the path of virtue : it 
 is the path to honor ; without it you cannot be respected 
 or respectable. 
 
 Third. Be just and you will fear no evil. Honesty is 
 under all circumstances the best policy. 
 
1S6 ESSAYS. 
 
 Fourth. Avoid the society of the vicious : corrupt as- 
 sociates will corrupt your morals and debase your man- 
 ners. " Tell me who you live with and I will tell you 
 who you are," is an old proverb. 
 
 Eifth. Cultivate the good attributes or emotions of the 
 heart. Be kind, amiable, and forgiving in your dispo- 
 sition. 
 
 Sixth. Be industrious ; improve every moment of 
 your time \ break off from all idle and useless habits. 
 
 Seventh. Learn all that is necessary to he learned, 
 when it should be learned. It is no disgrace to learn at 
 any time, that of which you are ignorant. Heed no ridi- 
 cule when directed to good actions. You should only 
 be ashamed of bad actions. 
 
 Eighth, Be neat and orderly ; attend to your person, 
 your clothes, and every thing about your person. 
 
 Ninth. Be emulous of excellence in all your pursuits. 
 
 Tenth. Conciliate the good will of all, and the esteem 
 of those friends. you may select for companions. 
 
 Eleventh. Let your aim be at the end of life, not at 
 the beginning or intermediate part. 
 
 I. 
 
 I commence with the last proposition, as in fact em- 
 bracing all that have preceded it. 
 
 It is, with the omission of one word, " long," one of 
 the wise sayings of the seven wise men of Greece. When 
 first written, this was unknown to the writer. Whether 
 the end of life be distant or near at hand, the desire is 
 the same, to have it honorable, peaceful and happy. Ti- 
 tles and honors should be regarded as they will be at its 
 
MAXIMS. * 13fr 
 
 final termination. In that hour, the spirit and the flesh 
 will separate ; when the one shall be committed to the 
 earth, and the other will go to the God who gave it. 
 Though it be necessary and proper to plan for time, it is 
 a higher duty to form our plans with reference to eternity. 
 If the end of life is kept constantly in view, you will in 
 all your acts manifest a preference for good deeds, and 
 your resolutions and words will conform to your acts : 
 you will prefer that fame, which will not only endure 
 throughout the present life, but which will live after you 
 are dead, which will benefit you in life, and honor you 
 in the coming ages of the world. The great men of an- 
 tiquity looked to the honor which posterity would bestow 
 upon their memory. It is easy to float with the current, 
 but hard to stem it. Yet difficulties must be overcome, 
 dangers must be encountered, and a host of ills must be 
 endured in the performance of the great duties of life. 
 These bring their reward by displaying powers which are 
 given to be used, and when properly usad insure a re- 
 ■vward. To endure to the .end is better than to yield to 
 circumstances wkich ought to be' a stimulus to exertion. 
 The pursuit of wisdom should not be relinquished on 
 account of the jeers of the proud or the foolish. Virtue 
 and vice should be placed in opposite scales, that a com- 
 parative estimate may be made of the value of each. 
 Splendid attainments without corresponding honorable 
 and praiseworthy acts, are rather a blot upon a fair page 
 than any thing to be commended or desired. Talent 
 properly applied and directed may be matter of just 
 pride ; but when il^is the only thing of which »you can 
 boast, it is certainly matter of sorrow, if not of shame. 
 The repeated blows of the hammer of industry will form 
 
128 essays. 
 
 a brighter and more durable polish than the chalice stroke 
 of superior talent ; labor will more than compensate the 
 vivid but uncertain effort of genius. Well directed aims 
 and diligence in your pursuits will cause you to observe 
 those rules which will make you good if not great. You 
 will attain those arts which make life pleasant and pros- 
 perous. Most men seek present and intermediate good, 
 nothing durable. Wealth, honor and pleasure are the 
 common pursuits of man: for them no obstacles are too 
 great to be surmounted, no danger too perilous to be 
 hazarded, and for which no effort is left untried. If the 
 object is attained by dishonorable means, it is a curse to 
 the individual, and wilj not compensate the nights of 
 watching and days of care he has spent in the pursuit. 
 Generally pleasure is derived from objects ukworthy the 
 end of a wise or a good man. 
 
 Nights and days are squandered in those walks where 
 the Syren sings her song of delusive joy, of momentary 
 gratification, of drunken bliss, of soul-destroying phrenzy ; 
 amid scenes where the strong currents of passion are 
 bearing their muddy waters to the . abyss in which re- 
 morse, with viper head and fang, is inflicting a thousand 
 pangs. Ambition of earthly honor, a momentary ele- 
 vation-above others of your' race, though the object of 
 constant exertion with regard to the means of attainment, 
 when attained, will be like the fruit of Sodom, fair to 
 look upon, but filled with ashes. These pursuits are at- 
 tended with pain of body, and distress of mind, and ter- 
 minate in repining and self-abasement. The aged disci- 
 ple of Plutus grasps the riches of eaj-th with one hand, 
 and with the other attempts to secure the prize of heaven. 
 Whatever the pretensions to the contrary, the effort to 
 
MAXIMS. 129 
 
 carry the- god of earth to heaven, will shew that this 
 world, to sueh, is the end of life. Let the acts be good, 
 the motives laudable, and let the life be guided by 
 wisdom, and the end will be such an one as will be 
 matter for just gratification. The purest of men, who 
 pride themselves upon their love of the enforcement of 
 moral duties, the performance of contracts, the discharge 
 of obligations, and the amalgamation of the useful and 
 the honest, may have occasion to pray, O, Lord, forgive 
 our faults, and forgive our virtues too. The acts may 
 be well and commendable, but the motives are wrong ; 
 they are the Pharisee's prayer in a corrupt heart. 
 
 n. 
 
 "Adhere to truth, at all times and under all circumstan- 
 ce^." 
 
 Perhaps it is unnecessary to define what is meant 
 by truth, yet error grows out of a misapprehension of 
 terms. Discussions become wordy in consequence of 
 the vague sense in which words are used. Truth, as un- 
 derstood in relation to facts, means the adherence to 
 facts in the relation or in the statement of their existence. 
 In this sense it is opposed to a lie, which is either the 
 substitution of a new state of facts, or a variation in the 
 true statement of the same. It means in a higher sense 
 the harmony of the universe : the light of life 'and the 
 essence of the Creator. God is truth. The want of a 
 strict adherence to truth misleads others ; it induces er- 
 ror. 'It is the misdirection of a person who is seeking for 
 the right way. Directing the traveller in a wrong path, 
 in Athens, was made a penal offence. Truth is the basis 
 
130 ESSAYS. 
 
 of good faith, which is the strong bond of society. The 
 violation of the obligation imposed by declarations and 
 agreements, destroys, to a great extent, not only the hap- 
 piness but the peace of society. A want of a rigid ful- 
 filment of pacts by nations, was termed punic faith, be- 
 cause the Carthagenians violated their treaties. Slight 
 errors in statements in giving details, produces great 
 error in results. Truth will in the end prevail, though 
 falsehood for a time has the ascendency. If falsehood 
 does not lead to any fatal consequences to others, it al- 
 ways leaves a stain upon the character that cannot be 
 washed out. By falsehood I mean a lie, though between 
 them there are many shades of difference. In common 
 parlance they are synonymous. -A lie is always a per- 
 version of the truth for a corrupt purpose : a falsehood 
 may be with or without corrupt intention. The one is 
 always intentional, the other may or may not be. When 
 once '' liar" is written on your forehead, it will be indel- 
 ible. When once it is written, no chemical preparation 
 will wash it out. It is one of those words which mark 
 moral obliquity, and the reiterating it causes many ap- 
 peals to the god of truth. The character of the liar is 
 so despicable as to render the truth questionable ; though 
 it takes not from its weight, the source whence it is de- 
 rived gives it a suspicious character. 
 
 Truth gives peace and quietness of conscience ; amid 
 all the changes of life, it will take away fear, create joy 
 and confidence in the darkest hours. Truth always passes 
 current without any ornament. A lie is always dressed 
 out in false colors to make it pass for truth even among 
 the most ignorant. Truth is always direct, always bold 
 and fearless. Truth elevates the moral worth of the 
 
MAXIMS. 131 
 
 man. A lie debases the man, and robs him not only of 
 his worth as a citizen, but takes from him all the charac- 
 teristics which add weight to his character. W'o)$s or 
 writing, are not always necessary to constitute a lie. 
 Pictures or tokens intended to impress the beholder with 
 what is untrue, is a legallie. This is termed a libel, the 
 most aggravating species of lie. 
 In the language of' Shakspeare : 
 
 " He who talfces from me my good name, 
 
 Takes that which makes him nought the richer, 
 
 But makes me poor indeed." 
 
 Truth is an ornament to the whole face and constitu- 
 tion of nature, and it gives light and shade to the formation 
 of the plants, trees, leaves, blossoms and fruit. It is the 
 great principle which beautifies and adorns the world, 
 which gives force and power to the whole of the animate 
 and inanimate creation. In nature there is no falsehood, 
 no deception ; all her works are perfect ; all are true ; 
 -all fulfil the design of the Creator ; all produce harmony 
 in the motions of the planets, and in the seasons of the 
 year. There is no variation from the order or law of 
 the Maker. Every plant, every spear of grass, is true 
 to the design and end for which it is made. 
 
 It is the same principle of truth which beautifies the 
 spiritual world, whieh is unfolded and becomes the high- 
 est ornament of the physical world. The same perfect- 
 ness and completeness is manifested in the spiritual 
 powers that is visible in the objects of nature. The in- 
 stinct given to the lower animate creation, which guides 
 them without instruction to results which are above the 
 highest reasoning powers, is the truth of nature. The 
 reason of man, that highest and best gift of the Deity, 
 
132 ESSAYS. 
 
 which is above your comprehension, is only to be ac- 
 counted for by the symmetry of nature in all her works. 
 That .matter and spirit are true to nature and to the de- 
 sign of the Creator, is beyond a question ;, yet the man- 
 ner in which they are united and act upon each other, 
 is beyond the reach of investigation here. 
 
 Truth is the essence of all that is lovely in nature. 
 Without this principle, the works of the. artist would be 
 unseemly. It is because art is true to nature, that it is 
 beautiful. The nearer the artist approximates to nature, 
 the higher will be his character and fame as an artist. 
 
 Truth is not only the highest ornament of the character 
 of man, but is that which fits him for the discharge of all 
 the moral and sacial duties of life, to his fellow-men indi- 
 vidually and collectively, and to the government, and to 
 God himself. Without truth he is unfitted for the per- 
 formance of any duty to his God. Without truth he will 
 hate himself, for he cannot love falsehood in himself 
 more than in another. Deception and hypocrisy, by 
 whatever name called, are'untruth. It is important that 
 we should have a character that we can love, because 
 this love is the measure to determine our love to our 
 neighbor, for we are 'to love our neighbor as ourselves. 
 If you hate yourself, you will hate your neighbor. Love 
 is the bond of society. The liar is spurned by the virtu- 
 ous, and even shunned by the hypocrite and deceiver, 
 and an object for "Tray, Blanche and Sweetheart to 
 bark at." The want of truth is denounced in the deca- 
 logue : " Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
 neighbor." " Again, it is said that every liar shall have 
 his part assigned -him in the lake that burns with fire and 
 brimstone." Thus, both punishment here and misery 
 
MAXIMS. 133 
 
 hereafter awaits the liar. How different it is with truth : 
 
 " It warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, 
 Glows in the stars, and blossom's in the trees ; 
 Lives through all life, extends through all extent, 
 Spreads undivided, operates unspent, 
 Breathes in our soul, informs our mortal part, 
 As full, as perfect, in -a hair as hearts 
 
 Look at the happiness of a life of truth here : respected, 
 beloved, and revered by all ; with a conscience peaceful, 
 and an eye fixed on the light of truth, which will not 
 only illumine your path here, but shine through the dark 
 passage of the tomb, and open beyond its portals the 
 light of a never-ending day. The path of truth is the 
 path of wisdom ; it leads you to honor here, it points 
 you to glory hereafter. As a path it is narrow and straight; 
 that of the liar is always tortuous, broad, and of uncer- 
 tain termination. That of truth always leads to the ha- 
 ven of hope ; that of the liar to despair. Truth carries 
 on its face its own evidence ; a liar has always the ear 
 marks of duplicity and hypocrisy. The blue peaks of 
 truth rise far above the mire and bogs of the liar. 
 
 We do not say that even truth here on' earth is unmix- 
 ed. The frailty of man leads him to err. Truth and error 
 are blended together. In all cases we are not bound to 
 mark truth to the letter : it might destroy our life or 
 our character ; it might hang an honest man and save a 
 thief. No man -has a right to our secrets, and literal 
 verity would disclose them in our answer. Our purpose 
 or our possessions are our own, and we need not disclose 
 them to our neighbor. His assumptions we have a right 
 to deny : we cannot protect ourselves in any other way. 
 It is not our duty to speak of things which cast suspicion 
 on our own acts or motives. We are not bound to give 
 
134 ESSAYS. 
 
 reasons to those who have no right to demand them. 
 The cases are isolated where we may be justified in de- 
 viating from literal truth. In relations of facts, never 
 are deviations justified. To give direct answers to as- 
 sumed facts, would many times place our lives in the 
 hands of the murderer. It would be giving up our shield 
 and casting away our arms in presence of an enemy. 
 
 III. 
 
 " Pursue in every place the path of virtue : it is the 
 • path of honor ; without it you cannot be respected or 
 respectable." 
 
 Virtue, in its enlarged sense, means, freedom from 
 vice, moral goodness. By virtue, in the above proposi- 
 tion, I mean not merely courage in a man, or chastity in 
 a woman, but an active moral principle, which not only 
 prevents injustice, but which causes you to do justice. 
 When you have been guilty of injury to a companion, 
 friend, or even an enemy, it causes you to make ample 
 amends for it, to restore what has been unjustly taken, 
 to retract what has been falsely spoken, and to make 
 remuneration for violated rights. It causes the posses-, 
 sor to exercise benevolence towards all men, and benefi- 
 cence towards those who may deserve it. 
 
 The path of virtue is a plain one : there are no by- 
 ways or causeways : it is straight and narrow. The 
 virtuous man is known by his acts, he deals with all 
 uprightly, defrauds no one, pays every one his just dues, 
 regards the rights of others as his own ; he is charitable, 
 and esteems others more highly than himself. It causes 
 the exercise of the kindly emotions of the heart, those 
 
MAXIMS. 135 
 
 affections- which are an evidence of the existence of the 
 conscience and of moral obligation 
 
 That virtue in overt acts will ever benefit the world, 
 we are ready to admit, which is known as morality ; 
 yet that,in order to produce individual reformation, it must 
 proceed from right motives, pure principles, and kindly 
 emotions, cannot be denied. 
 
 True honor is that which elevates the man, not in 
 name but in character. It is not the mere trappings of 
 office, however unworthily obtained, but that respect 
 which is bestowed on those who have performed right 
 actions from right motives. It is the performance of the 
 part which is allotted to you in a proper manner. It is 
 the reward of praiseworthy deeds. The elevation to 
 high station is not always an evidence of talent, or even 
 of merit above others. As a general rule, the people 
 reward those who are worthy of their love and grati- 
 tude. It is the person who manifests by his life that he 
 has the. good of the people at heart, and that he is gov- 
 erned by integrity, that is respected. He, who daily 
 performs the small benevolences, whose life abounds in 
 courtesy, who esteems others better than himself, who 
 does right, is entitled to the character of a good man. 
 
 To be elevated above our fellow men, is not always 
 an evidence of universal respect. Partisan influence 
 prefers the available, to the just : one who is unknown, 
 and therefore beyond the reach of public reproach. 
 We mean by it, one who is respected ; one that does not 
 take the law into Ms own hands, and go counter to its 
 known precepts, claiming to be guided by equity, when 
 that equity favors his own interest; one who does not 
 invade the rights of another. We mean by respected, 
 
136 ESSAYS* 
 
 one who is elevated for moral worth, not on account of 
 his sharpness in trade ; not one who can overreach those 
 less astute, or who has by misrepresentation been able 
 to take advantage of his fellows. 
 
 Respected does not always imply elevation to a place 
 of trust. The good will of the masses is more than 
 elevation to place or power. You are respected for 
 what you are ; for goodness of heart, for justice, kind- 
 ness, charity. Talent may not be given. True nobility of 
 nature would not complain of the want of honor, for 
 the want of what is not given. 
 
 You may not be able to pay for the praise which 
 sycophants bestow for a reward. The old friend is often 
 shuffled off because he has not the incense of wealth to 
 put into the censer, the smoke of which is snuffed with 
 so mueh pleasure by the world. To be respected, is to 
 possess the hearts of our fellow men, to be honored for 
 our good deeds, for the kindness we have shown to the 
 needy, for the charity bestowed, for the friendship mani- 
 fested to the distressed. To be respectable, is not to 
 regard the gifts of fortune as the highest good of life. 
 It is not to amass wealth without any principle or scru- 
 ple as to the means of acquisition. It is not to cheat 
 the widow or the orphan out of their fortunes. 
 
 True virtue leads to respect, to the exercise of right 
 motives and right actions. 
 
 Be ever virtuous, soon or late you'll find 
 Reward and satisfaction to your mind.- 
 The maze of *ife sometimes looks dark and wild ; 
 And oft when hopes are highest we are beguiled, 
 Oft when we stand on brinks of dark despair, 
 Some happy turn dispels our care. 
 
MAXIMS. 131 
 
 IV. 
 
 " Be just and you will fear no evil. Honesty is under 
 all circumstances the best policy." 
 
 Justice is generally applied to our dealings with our 
 fellow-men ; to the doing of those things which are an 
 evidence of our integrity ; paying the amount due ; giving 
 what an article is worth in trade ; not undervaluing one re- 
 ceived in exchange. All this is conventional, and may be 
 performed for your, good name. Justice, in the sense I 
 wish to have it understood, is an emanation of integrity 
 of heart. We are aware that in the definition of Mr. 
 Paley, and other ethical writers, it relates solely to the 
 act. True morality is a union of the design and execu- 
 tion ; that where the act proceeds from a corrupt motive, 
 it is not, though in itself unexceptionable, strictly honest. 
 The utilitarian doctrine is, that all acts are to be measured 
 by the profit or gain to the person" who performs them. 
 Whatever the benefit to the community may be, that is 
 tried by the overt act, but the individual is to be tried by the 
 motive, and not by the act alone. The purpose may be 
 dishonest, and yet the act itself perfectly proper. We 
 will instance the case of a poor debtor, who applies to 
 some Shy lock for the loan of money in time of need, and 
 offers him the security of his household goods, or of his 
 farm. The favor is granted, on conditions as to payment 
 thai; he knows the debtor cannot perform. Either the 
 time is so limited, or the amount so great, or the sum 
 for the use so exhorbitant, that the debtor cannot be 
 expected to perform his contract. When the time ar- 
 rives, the pound of flesh, the condition of the bond, is 
 exacted, for it is plainly written. The debtor has his 
 
138 ASSAYS. 
 
 property taken from him to satisfy the demand. The 
 debtor may be a weak man ; he may be a drunkard ; he 
 may be a prodigal, but this does not vitiate the contract. 
 The contract is strictly legal, and no legal excuse can be 
 given for the repudiation ; and yet it may, at the bar of 
 conscience, be as corrupt as taking the money by force 
 or fraud, or even by theft. This is legal honesty, but it is 
 not moral honesty. In the accumulating spirit of the 
 age, there may be difficulty often in drawing the line. 
 The principle of accumulation is necessary and commend- 
 able ja society. Trade is necessary, and profit from that 
 trade must be the inducement. It is desirable, beeause 
 the love of money, to a certain extent, prevents evils of 
 a higher and more degrading nature ': idleness, intemper- 
 ance, and a dependence on chance, and a disposition to 
 use the acquisitions of others for our own benefit. It 
 makes men industrious ; it makes them enterprising and 
 economical. But when all this is admitted, we must ad- 
 mit that it makes them avaricious, and takes from them 
 fellow-feeling ; it diverts their love from man and places 
 it on personal acquisitions. It in effect creates a new 
 rule for decision of merit. Man, virtue, and happiness, 
 are measured by dollars and cents, and righteousness by 
 pounds, shillings and pence. Honesty extends beyond 
 the business ; beyond the spirit of gain ; beyond the 
 traffic and the exchanges of the trader. Men profess to 
 believe in a God : they denounce the atheist : but how 
 do they live? Do they manifest their belief by. acts'? 
 Are not all practical atheists ? The want of faith we 
 have a right to determine by the life ; practical disbelief 
 is a thousand fold more dangerous than speculative. 
 The one manifests his faith by his life ; the other does 
 discredit to his by his life. The daily idolatry of the 
 
MAXIMS. 139 
 
 ene is exhibited in opposition to professions. The hypo- 
 crite is dishonest. Man has no right to judge the heart 
 of his fellow-man ; his acts are, therefore, received as 
 evidence of his sincerity". Eeligion furnishes the spade 
 and pick-axe to dig its own grave : unhallowed rites do 
 less to bring true religion into disrepute, than the per- 
 formance of holy rites with unholy hearts. The man 
 who lives honestly, and whose motives are pure, is free 
 from care : from fear. He has no dread of consequences, 
 no apprehension of danger. A good man may be drawn 
 into scenes where appearances may be against him, and 
 still be honest. The life, and not a single act, must de- 
 termine : ir» a single act were to form a criterion of 
 honesty, the purest men might be condemned, and the 
 vilest go free. 
 
 That honesty is the true policy, cannot be doubted. 
 Dishonesty destroys character, opens a door for penance, 
 and being mulcted in penalties. It destroys friendship ; 
 it implants in the heart corrupt principles, and corrupts 
 the whole man ; it debases him, and destroys his cha- 
 racter in the estimation of the world ; causes his faith to 
 be distrusted ; he is without credit where character would 
 give him credit. It takes from him his friends, his pro- 
 perty ; it levels him in the estimation of those most dear 
 to him. Cultivate, therefore, integrity of heart, and you 
 will exhibit honesty in life as a consequence of it. If the 
 heart can be vile and the tongue false to it, the assassin 
 and the martyr will have equal purity : for both are im- 
 pure ; both stab in the dark ; and the martyr, false ty his 
 profession, kills his own soul and deceives the world. 
 
 Success may attend bad" men for a time, and even 
 during life ; and yet,, like Cromwell, they will be dajnned 
 to everlasting fame. 
 
140 ESSAYS. 
 
 V. 
 
 " Avoid the society of the vicious : corrupt associates 
 will corrupt your morals and debase your manners. 
 ' Tell me who you live with, and I will tell you who you 
 are,' is an old proverb." 
 
 The duty you owe to the community, will induce you 
 to avoid the society of the corrupt. Children are influ- 
 enced more by example than adults, their habits are not 
 formed, and their tastes and appetites are not confirmed. 
 Vice is always dressed in a garb more attracting than 
 virtue. It is after the model of those whom the young 
 associate with, that their manners are formed. They 
 are assimilated by constant habit. The gamester 
 becomes such by frequenting the place to which men of 
 this class resort. First, the youth goes as a looker on, 
 or for amusement alone ; next, to spend an idle hour ;. 
 then, to learn the game ; and finally, to initiate himself 
 into all its tricks. The manner and language of the 
 gamester, is, in this way, learned. Men do not vault, 
 as the horseman into the saddle, into crime at once. It 
 is by degrees men become vicious. In the present age 
 good counsel is given, to all. The elevation of the mass- 
 es is the great wonder _ of the age. It is hoped that 
 the counsel received from a tender mother, and the 
 guidance and instruction of a kind father may be duly 
 appreciated. Disregard not the prayer and warning of 
 her who bore you, but follow the path she points out. 
 Her -warnings should be ever present to you ; and if 
 in youth you are deaf to them, they will rise up before 
 you in after life when gray hairs cover your head, and 
 when your step is feeble and faltering, and fill your eye 
 
MAXIMS. 141 
 
 with tears. It cannot be, if the mother has done her 
 duty, that these tokens of love will be forgotten before 
 the monring dew is dried up ; nor will the cares of life 
 dissipate these early impressions. Men often manifest 
 their weakness in the confidence they exhibit of their 
 own strength. The habit of virtue is soon undermined 
 by vicious associates. To rely on it without principle, 
 and the company of virtuous companions, will be to rely 
 on a broken reed. The allurements held out by the 
 vicious, to tread aside from the path of duty, though 
 slow in their operation, are certain to prevail ; and the 
 warnings of virtue are soon so weak as to cease to be of 
 any avail. Cease, in the language of virtue, before you 
 begin ; withdraw from the place where the vicious 
 assemble together ; for there will the acts of corruption 
 always be practised. Keep in mind the words of wis- 
 dom : the counsel of that mother, in the morning, at 
 noon and night : whose love will ever be fresh to you 
 until the day of your death.. The place of allurement, 
 the place of enticement, is the place where forbidden 
 appetites and passions are indulged: where the intoxi- 
 cating bowl is filled and passed, where bacchanal orgies 
 are indulged ; it is where the blasphemer and the inebri- 
 ate associate. It is there crime is learned : first, to lie 
 and cheat ; last, to rob, to steal and kill. By little and 
 little you learn ; conscience at first accuses when you do 
 wrong, but corrupt associates sear it as with a hot iron. 
 Avoid the places where the vicious associate, for they 
 are the porches of hell ; it is there crime is committed ; 
 the worm that never dies is there warmed into life. 
 Avoid these places, for they are the -burying ground of 
 virtue ; the graves are the charnel houses pf goodness, 
 
142 ESSAYS. 
 
 of truth, of a mother's tears and love, a father's com- 
 .mands and blessings ; there will be found a mother's 
 entreaties and afather's warnings festering ; and remorse, 
 worm-like, assuming life and form amid this pollution in 
 which they are generated. 
 
 Avoid the places where the vicious associate ; for they 
 not only destroy virtue, but paralyze enterprise, generate 
 idleness and ruin character. Good men will shun the 
 society of those who walk in the broad road to ruin. 
 These associations lead to poverty, to disease of body 
 and corruption of mind. 
 
 Unless you would be shunned by the good, and even 
 despised by the bad, (for vice hates its own likeness in 
 another,) avoid the plac&where the gambler and the drunk- 
 ard meet and hold communion. 
 
 Avoid vicious companions ; if you look to honor here, 
 walk with the just and in the path of wisdom; if you 
 desire happiness here and hereafter, avoid those paths 
 which lead to misery here and hereafter. 
 
 Whatever your character may be, you will receive 
 the stamp of your associates. It is said that animals of 
 the same species will congregate with one another ; that 
 birds of a feather will flock together. The sheep asso- 
 ciates with the sheep and not with the wolf; the wolf 
 with the wolf. It is so in the moral world ; vice always 
 knows and clings to his fellow ; the man who lives 
 with the felon, with the thief, will be considered a thief. 
 The community will place a brand upon you which can 
 never be effaced. It will be the mark of Cain, which 
 will blacken your posterity to the hundredth generation. 
 
 A want of good manners characterizes the vicious ; 
 the decencies of life, courtesy, urbanity and benevolenee 
 
MAXIMS. 143. 
 
 in man, modesty, grace and virtue in woman, are badges, 
 of virtue.. Rudeness, coarseness and boldness, characterize 
 the Rahabs and Jezebels of ancient and modem times. 
 The ear marks of the Cains need not be given. 
 
 VI. 
 
 " Cultivate the good attributes or emotions of the 
 heart. Be kind, amiable, and forgiving in your dispo- 
 sition." 
 
 In the above proposition, we use " attribute" as a 
 quality of the heart : not as an innate or original disposi- 
 tion, but as one formed by education. We have little 
 faith in innate ideas or properties ; and we cannot be- 
 lieve that a principle of reform exists in it prior to life. 
 If this is true, the principle would develope itself with 
 the growth of man ; it would grow with his growth, and 
 expand with the expansion of the soul. We are induced 
 to believe that the heart is educated and formed •fter 
 the pattern that is before the child. The child of the Ish- 
 maelite, if nourished in the same way, would exhibit the 
 traits of the Saxon race, if he lived with them ; and 
 the child of the civilized mother would steal, rob, and 
 lull, if brought up as the Arab. The heart is hardened 
 or softened by the objects placed around it : by the ex- 
 ample of those who are the associates of it in childhood. 
 Greek nurses were said to have destroyed the native 
 powers of the patrician children of Rome. That early 
 example is the cause of much injury to those that are made 
 the subjects of it, is not a matter of question. That parents 
 who are sickly, and those who plaee their children under 
 the cara of sickly and yicious nurses, do them great 
 
144 ESSAYS. 
 
 wrong, cannot be questioned. A sickly nurse seldom 
 has a perfectly healthy child ; and a vicious one will 
 have children of her own character. The qualities of the 
 mind will in some way be transmitted to the child ; a 
 servile disposition is oftenest found in a dependent and 
 corrupt mother. We have the most conclusive proof 
 that the cultivation of the heart is productive of good 
 fruit, and that the qualities of the teacher will become 
 those of the child. It is therefore worthy of attention, 
 that teachers be those susceptible of the tender emotions. 
 They should be taught by those who look not on the 
 dark side of things ; they should be taught to look 
 rather on the good qualities they possess than the bad. 
 Kindness is the exercise of a benevolent disposition to 
 all, and the performance of beneficent acts where the 
 means have been given. Kindness, though a quality of 
 the heart, is yet productive of acts beyond mere good 
 will. Courtesy, which is induced by the hope of reward, 
 is rrot genuine, and is not the index of kindness of 
 heart. Discourtesy to the most humble, is deserving of 
 censure. Kindness is father to its like, and courtesy be- 
 gets courtesy : it is free from pride, and always from 
 disrespect and incivility. The gentle mother, always in 
 her disposition peaceful and mild, full of good will, has a 
 family like hersglf. She is always governed by the law 
 of love. The happiness of life depends on the gentle 
 emotions of the heart. How dear should that mother 
 be held by the child, who has been trained to make re- 
 turns of love for love. How much credit is she entitled 
 to for her teaching her children peace and quietness. A 
 thousand peace societies are of far less power than a 
 thousand mothers. They bestow upon their children, in 
 
MAXIMS. 
 
 145 
 
 their training, their own mild and amiable disposition. 
 The peaceable and benevolent heart is seldom possessed 
 by- these collective bodies of men. The mother also se- 
 cures to herself reverence and respect while living, and 
 after her death the perpetual remembrance in all the 
 scenes of life, however long it may be. No child can be 
 said to be amiable in its disposition, that does not love 
 the parents who have brought them up. Love to a kind 
 mother is the best evidence of an amiable or lovely dis- 
 position. Piety ampng the Romans, consisted in obedi- 
 dience to parents, and honoring them in all their walks. 
 Honor your father, and never forget the mother who has 
 watched over you when helpless and dependent on her 
 bosom for food and life, and on her arm for protection. 
 You can never know how many hours she has watched 
 over you, how many tears she has shed, and how many 
 prayers she has offered up for you while an helpless in- 
 fant. For these and hen- nightly watchings, and for days of 
 care, you can make no adequate return, do all you can. 
 By the exercise of little courtesies, you will at all times 
 render your company desirable to all, and your life happy 
 and peaceful. You render the society in which you dwell 
 peaceful and happy. The forgiveness of injuries is one 
 of the highest if not the holiest precepts of the law of 
 love: " Father, forgive them,_ for they know not what 
 they do,'' is the language of Him who made this law, 
 put forth in his last agony. The principle is truly God- 
 like. The law of retaliation is not now in force, and that 
 of reprisals exists only among nations. The indulgence 
 of vengeance is not to be tolerated. It implies the right 
 to legislate, to judge, and execute judgment in your own 
 case, which is forbidden by the municipal as well as re- 
 
146 ESSAYS. 
 
 vealed law. The harmony of the universe depends on 
 the forgiveness of injuries. War would ba the constant 
 employment of man, were a different rule in law and 
 morals adopted. Do good to those who hate and des- 
 pitefully use you. 
 
 The cultivation of the good attributes implies that you 
 eradicate the bad : you cannot have good ones and bad 
 ones grow together ; the weeds will, as a general thing, 
 destroy the plant of value. These grow without culti- 
 vation. You cannot have goodness and charity in its 
 broadest sense, where enmity and anger aTe suffered to 
 hold possession of the heart. You should restrain anger 
 and excitement, if for no other reason than that during 
 the moments of excitement- you ' take false views of 
 things. You cannot tell by your own views the truth, 
 any more than a man in a high fever can determine as to 
 the atmosphere. It will appear to him hot, when to 
 others it will be cold. The fury within will cause the 
 appearance of things without to be distorted and unnatural. 
 
 Again : in a state of fury, friends as well as foes will 
 suffer, and we ourselves shall suffer from this short mad- 
 ness. The heart is turned to gall and full of venom. It 
 destroys our own as well as our friends' happiness. Ke- 
 venge is always the companion of anger. This is a 
 passion which produces misery to all. Anger, we have 
 reason to believe, will be a part of the torment of hell. 
 It destroys all the finer feelings whteh should fill the 
 heart of man. 
 
wmm. 147 
 
 vm 
 
 " Be industrious ; improve every moiiSent of yomif 
 time ;' break off from all idle- habits." 
 
 Labor is generally regarded as a peaalty for the vio- 
 lation of the command of the Ruler of the Universe. It 
 was one of the consequences -which flowed directly from 
 the loss of innocence. In a state of perfect innocence 
 it might well be regarded as a curse. Industry does not 
 consist in the amount of labor to be performed, but in 
 the constant and. systematic exercise of the faculties of 
 soul and body, or the exercise of either faculty. It is 
 the opposite of idleness. Industry is the habitual exer- 
 cise of the mind or the body, or both. Moments of 
 time are of great value in the sum even of a short life. 
 Few regard them as the stuff of which life is made, ' nor 
 feel that the squandering of a few moments is the waste 
 of so much of life. Good actions are the most certain 
 esidence of industry : of the right performance of all the 
 charities of life. The disposition to leave the blanks of 
 life unfilled, is the great retarder of progress, and the; 
 preventer of good actions. There is no truth better es- 
 tablished than that the pleasure of life consists in occu- 
 pation. We are restless and unquiet in our feelings 
 when we do nothing. Within us we feel '* an aching! 
 void." We look around us on either hand, and find all 
 disposed to neglect or shun us : to avoid our society ; 
 and to consider idleness as the follower or the leader to 
 ruin. Tlje example of one influences another, and both 
 fall into the ditch. The diligent are prospered. They 
 have a contented mind and quiet spirit. They are com- 
 paratively free from the ills of life. What is low they 
 
148 ZSSATB. 
 
 avoid, the vulgar they shun. There is a -wise constitu- 
 tion of man by Omnipotence. He is so made that by 
 the pursuit of honorable employment all the pleasure of 
 life is secured to him, and becomes his happiness. When 
 no object is in view to elevate his condition, or to im- 
 prove his morals and his manners, he sinks into insig- 
 nificance and degradation. The habit of employment 
 makes what would otherwise be a matter of disgust and 
 weariness, a matter of pleasure. It prevents the charms 
 of pleasure and ease from seducing the heart or corrupt- 
 ing the life. Wherever virtue becomes a habit as well 
 as a principle of action, there is generally little fear of 
 our wandering from* the ways of truth and wisdom. 
 
 Who are the men who have acquired most of fame, of 
 wealth, of honor, upon earth 1 Are they not those whose 
 life has been devoted to the pursuit of some useful call- 
 ing ? The few passing days and years which bound life, 
 will cause even a laborer's toil, in rural concerns to he 
 delightful. Look at Hannibal, sharing all the hardships 
 of a common soldier, living upon the same food, and 
 dressed generally but little above him. And see the 
 untiring energy of Bonaparte: up at all hours of the 
 night, with mind and body full of energy and power. 
 So long as there is one idle habit retained, so long is the 
 evil of all evils most to be dreaded, in possession of a 
 separate compartment of our hearts. This single habit 
 will destroy our best desires and principles ; a little 
 leaven leaveneth the whole lump. - The progress of pol- 
 lution, like that of corruption, is in its march steady and 
 uniform. Who are those that fill our jails ? Who are 
 placed in our poor houses 1 Who are those that haunt 
 our groceries, the porches of hell, and scenes remote from 
 
MAXIMS. 149 
 
 active industry ? The idle : those who go to those places 
 go there because they have nothing else to do,- who be- 
 come dissipated and lead a debauched life. Who suffer 
 for want of food and from nakedness 1 The idle. Talent, 
 for want of employment, is useless. Skill in art is of no 
 value unless the artist is occupied. Capital diminishes 
 for want of employment. The world would be a waste 
 and man a beggar, were not occupation in some useful 
 trade or calling the means of preventing it. Let those 
 who are young, who look forward to length of days, to 
 honor, to wealth, study the precepts of the wise man. 
 Let the youth and child learn, " that by a little sleep, 
 by a little slumber, and a little folding of the hands to 
 sleep, poverty cometh as one that troubleth, and want as 
 an armed man." " Lo, I went by the field of the sloth- 
 ful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understand- 
 ing, and lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and net- 
 tles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall 
 thereof was broken down." 
 
 VIII. 
 
 " Learn all that is necessary to be learned, when it 
 should be learned. It is no disgrace to learn at any 
 time that of which you are ignorant. Heed- no ridicule 
 when directed to good actions. You should only be 
 ashamed of .bad aetions." 
 
 That there is a time in life when it is more peculiarly 
 proper to seek for knowledge, we need not affirm. The 
 very proposition casts its shadow back to the seasoti. of 
 youth. In youth and childhood every thing around us 
 is fresh. All nature is gay, and wears the aspect of 
 
150 ESSAYS. 
 
 spring. In age, objects assume an aspect like the autumn 
 of life : half green and half gray. In youth, the feelings 
 are unbiassed, the 'heart is warm, and its impulses are 
 fresh : the understanding is not perverted, the cares of 
 the world have not taken from the heart its sympathies, 
 susceptibility or tenacity, and the intellect roams among 
 the new and strange mysteries of creation as in a garden 
 of flowers. The thoughts and desires have not been 
 fixed on unworthy objects. This, then, is the time to 
 apply the intellectual powers to the acquisition of 
 knowledge, both science and the useful arts. The im- 
 pressions are deeper and more abiding, and, if we may 
 so say, more deeply stamped than in riper years. The 
 pleasures of this age are transitory, and the cares of life 
 do not engross the whole soul as in after life. This, 
 then, is the time to gather facts : to store the memory 
 with the materials for argument, which are to be arranged 
 in future life. Youth is the time to gaze and wonder. 
 It is the time to prepare for future usefulness : the time 
 to cultivate both classical and physical knowledge, and, 
 above all, the kindly emotions. Bu,t should misfortune 
 prevent, at this age, the acquisitions necessary to be 
 made, it should not be deemed a disgrace to learn at a 
 later period the rudiments, generally acquired in youth. 
 In riper years the exertion must be greater, but it will, 
 in sailor phrase, " be done with a will :" the heart will 
 influence the understanding. Many in our own, and 
 many in foreign countries, have risen to the highest pin- 
 nacle in fame by labor bestowed When others were at 
 rest, or occupied by their pleasures. Others have profited 
 by the small munificence of friends, and now fill the 
 highest places of our government. Though many hold 
 
MAXIMS. 151 
 
 places of honor and trust, and are striking exceptions to 
 the general rule, they should not be permitted to form 
 a new rule. Few have the ability, and still fewer the 
 power of will to control and hold their faculties in subr 
 jeetion to it. The attention must be subject to it, or the 
 individual cannot learn under his own tuition. His in- 
 domitable will must be to him a master. There must 
 be power to abandon the common pleasures and pastimes 
 of the age. 
 
 Ridicule is sometimes used to aid the cause, of virtue, 
 but more frequently to encourage vice. It is a weapon 
 that should be judiciously used in a good cause, and never 
 used in a bad one. It is Ynost frequently used to pro- 
 duce shame for virtuous actions : to destroy good morals. 
 In youth there are those who love pleasure : and by rea- 
 son of it, love disobedience to lawful commands : these 
 are not always able to stifle the reproofs of conscience : 
 with such the power of ridicule is omnipotent. The ad- 
 vice, counsel and entreaties of the virtuous and the com- 
 mands of the just may be destroyed by ridicule. Ridicule 
 in such cases is the result of plan or design, and is most 
 often applied to those who are less hardy in their natures 
 than others of their age. Such, with the strong attach- 
 ment for pleasure which characterizes childhood, may be 
 ruined by ridicule. Obedience to lawful commands and 
 subjection to law are as praiseworthy in youth as in after 
 life. It is a cowardly nature that yields to ridicule when 
 aimed at virtuous actions. It is also true that parental 
 authority may be destroyed by it. Want of regard, 
 coldness and roughness on the part of the parent, may 
 render ridicule effectual when it would not otherwise be 
 so. The parent does not always reverence the innocence, 
 
152 
 
 ESSAYS. 
 
 the simplicity, directness and weakness of the child. Pa- 
 rents forget that they were once young : that they saw 
 and loved the spring time of nature. They forget the 
 hours they have wandered in the green fields by the side 
 of still waters. They do not form a right estimate of 
 the power of the kindly emotions of the heart in the 
 guidance of the young, and in securing their love, their 
 respect, and their reverence. " Kindness," says Mr. 
 Burke, " is die soft green on which the soul loves to re- 
 cline." In childhood, it is the charm that influences all 
 the actions. 
 
 IX. 
 
 " Be neat and orderly : attend to your person, your 
 clothes, and every tiling about your person." 
 
 Neatness, which, in its original and primary definition, 
 signifies cleanliness, is necessary to health. It is a pre- 
 ventative of disease of body, and of all the consequences 
 which flow from it. It is destructive of the atmosphere 
 in which plague and pestilence dwell. The predisposi- 
 tion to disease is in the sordes of the person or clothes 
 with which the person is clad, and creates of itself conta- 
 gion and infection. Cleanliness adds to personal enjoy- 
 ment, pleasure and happiness. One who is filthy feels 
 his unfitness for society and shrinks even from himself. 
 
 It is a promoter of social happiness and virtue, and of 
 love and friendship which spring from them. No one is 
 fitted for companionship who is not purified from the 
 filth in which the inebriate and street wanderer are clad. 
 Neatness, therefore, may be said to form an index to the 
 mind. It points by the outward symbol to inward pu- 
 
MAXiua. -158 
 
 rity, and freedom from low and groveling thoughts and 
 disgusting ideas. It is by harboring impure and filthy 
 thoughts, that the mind becomes impure. There is a 
 mutual action and re-action of the mind upon the body. 
 Neatness in its tendency is a promoter of morality : the 
 handmaid of religion. It causes us, -while we are. making 
 clean the outer man, to think pf that inward purity, with 
 which, if I may be permitted the expression, the heart 
 must be clothed- as with a garment to enter the mansions 
 of the blessed. The Saviour of the world washed the 
 feet of his disciples as an emblem of the purification of 
 the whole man : directing his disciples to wash the feet 
 of one another. We have the highest evidence of the 
 necessity from the high example 'given; 
 
 Neatness may refer 'to -style in writing. It is that, 
 which is characterized by -a retrenchment of all glaring 
 ornaments. It is a style below the elegant and above 
 the frigid. No gaudy colors, no sounding -epithets, no 
 far-fetched -figures or metaphors are admitted by it, but 
 all is graceful and correct. 
 
 In regard to the common business of a. scholar, he is 
 neat who keeps his books and his paper without blot : 
 one who is in his drawings not slovenly, but in all his 
 external performances without spot. 
 
 Neatness is also opposed to a want of care -and inat- 
 tention to the perfectness of the dress : to every thing 
 which is below the station, and not in conformity to 
 public opinion : a want of regard to the covering of the 
 body. 
 
 Juvenal, Dryden in his translation makes say : 
 
 " Wit in rags is turned to ridicule ; 
 For the torn surtout and tattered Test, 
 
154 ESSAYS. 
 
 The wretch and all his wardrobe is a jest. 
 The greasy gown, sullied with often turning, 
 Or if the shoe is ript, or patch is put, 
 He's wounded, see the plaster on his foot." 
 
 " Order is Heaven's first law, and this confest, 
 Some must be greater than the rest." 
 
 Mr. Pope makes order relate to elevation and depres- 
 sion, and Mr. Addison to precedence in place. We have 
 used orderly in .a more extended sense ; we have used 
 it not merely as the elevation or precedence of one thing 
 above or before another, but* as the essence of beauty in 
 detail : a conformity to what is proper, as the mosaic of 
 domestic concerns : the separating the black and white 
 stones, and the regular and methodical conduct of all 
 concerns. It is a high mark of distinction in life : the 
 great promoter of the peaceful virtues, the great increaser 
 of the pleasure of existence : the producer of profit in 
 every walk of life. Regularity in business and pleasure 
 is conducive to the happiness of our race, and the great 
 preventive of the waste of time in all the arts and occu- 
 pations of life. Method makes labor doubly profitable 
 by increasing the amoimt of it in a given space of time. 
 Nothing is out of place, or out of time. Like the works 
 of the God of nature, every thing is done in its allotted 
 time, in the prescribed space, and in a manner to inter- 
 fere with nothing else. Every planet in the solar system 
 pursues its course, and never deviates from the prescribed 
 orbit. In the turning of the w-heel of the mechanic it is 
 often made to vary from the law of the mechanist, but 
 the planet pursues the course marked out by infinite 
 wisdom in the world of space without variation. The 
 habit of order and method is worth more than an estate 
 without it. 
 
MAXIMS. 155 
 
 Attention to the person is particularly necessary in youth, 
 as by this the character is decided ; and in most cases 
 also the character of those by whom!, they are educated. 
 In dress, the want of attention to the cloth, the adjust- 
 ment and the taste, reflects disgrace upon the mother ais 
 well as the child. The dress should be above rather than 
 below the station of the individual. We decide from 
 the neatness, richness, adjustment, taste and color of the 
 dress, whether the individual is fitted for friendship and 
 for the exercise of the affections of the heart, and for the 
 exhibition of all the charities of life. 
 
 Is it not a palpable duty to clothe the image of God 
 here in such manner as to fit it for the bright and shining 
 garments of that kingdom in which its everlasting habit- 
 ation is to be made? The man in whose heart the 
 divinity of God dwells, is to be renewed in youth and 
 beauty before he enters upon that untried state of being 
 to which he is destined. We look upon neatness in 
 youth as a prelude to the honor and respect of the world, 
 and as exhibiting the ornament of a meek and quiet 
 spirit. By the word neatness, we express precisely the 
 character of the dress and the adjustment of it. Neatness 
 cannot consist of what might be termed elegance, or with 
 any thing showy. Richness is not neatness, neither is 
 cleanness combined with tawdry ornaments. In the at- 
 tention to dress, the purity or whiteness of it is opposed 
 to its opposite, filthiness and a slovenly adjustment. In 
 youth, fine taste in dress is one of the most useful pass- 
 ports to elevated society : one of the most sure evidences 
 of refinement in thought, in feeling and in action. 
 
156 ESSAYS. 
 
 X. 
 
 " Be emulous of excellence in all your pursuits." 
 That excellence cannot be obtained without continued 
 effort, in any calling in life, or in any pursuit, is self-evi- • 
 dent. It is by constant labor that we polish hard sub- 
 stances, and it is by constant attention and practice that 
 all the ordinary occupations are learned. If the power 
 of man is created for the benefit of man, it is his duty to 
 exercise lhat power in such a manner that most benefit 
 may be derived from it. If he is incapable of doing it by 
 reason of neglect, either in mental, physieal or moral 
 training, the fault is his own, and cannot be charged upon 
 others or upon the difficulties of the art or science. Many 
 fail in their pursuits from neglect of training ; others, 
 again, from too low an estimate of their own powers, 
 and many from low aims and low pursuits. We may 
 "lay it down as a rule incontrovertible, that without train- 
 ing, the loftiest genius will fail of accomplishing the end 
 in view. It is as much impossible for the divine, the 
 lawyer or physician to .distinguish himself, as it is for 
 the artizan, without a knowledge of the use of tools to 
 practise with them. Again, others fail 'from the belief 
 that they are too feeble to accomplish what they desire. 
 They believe in the doctrine of chance, and therefore will 
 not exert themselves. Labor in most cases produces 
 skill, and skill is always preceded by the belief of the 
 individual that he can accomplish anything that any one 
 can accomplish. Whenever this belief is entertained, 
 there will be exertion, and exertion will produce improve- 
 ment. Again, others fail to accomplish much because 
 they aim at mediocrity. The marksman who intends to 
 
MAXIMS. 157 
 
 hit high, always aims high. Demosthenes and Cicerp 
 in their pursuits, in their study of eloquence in particu- 
 lar, determined to be the first in the first class. They 
 aimed at excellence. Why did Demosthenes study in 
 a cave by the light of a lamp ? He did so that his mind 
 might not be diverted from his subject : that he might 
 give his undivided attention to his subject. Why did 
 he practice declaiming with a sword hung over his head 
 by a single hair ? It was to prevent an ungraceful mo- 
 tion of the head. Why did he speak with pebbles in 
 his mouth, and run up hill at the same time 1 It was to 
 cure a defect in his organs of enunciation, and in the 
 shortness of his breath. Why did he speak on the sea- 
 shore, where the booming and roar of the ocean was 
 heard? It was to accustom himself to the mingled 
 sound of a promiscuous assembly. Now, what was the 
 result of his labors ? The highest excellence, both in the 
 composition and the delivery of his orations. The Attic 
 elegance of these was such that they were said to smell 
 of the oil by which he studied. Cicero did not leave bis 
 master until the age of twenty-six. It was in this year 
 that he first appeared in the forum .as a speaker, He 
 afterwards spent about two years, in the study of the 
 Grecian philosophy, and listened to the best orators of 
 Greece. Why, does. he direet, in his incomparable trea- 
 tise on eloquence, the study of universal literature and 
 science ? That the mind" of the orator might bettered 
 with all knowledge. Does any one believe that Cicero 
 and Demosthenes were inferior to modern, speakers ? 
 Why then do we have the belief inculcated that study is 
 unnecessary, and the whole force of public opinion toned 
 to thje ignorant and superficial speakers and ^inkers gf 
 
158 ESSAYS. 
 
 the day : pettifoggers at the bar, and uneducated deba- 
 ters in public bodies ] It is because public taste is per- 
 verted. These men have no aim but to amass money : 
 no desire to increase learning, but merely to keep in the 
 froth and foam of the surf of the crowd. They look not 
 at any other end than to create a laugh. Fox is said, 
 when he entered Parliament, to have spoken every even- 
 ing but one of the first session. Why was this ? It 
 was to make himself a perfect debater: it was that he 
 might attain excellence in that field where he was best 
 calculated to conquer. He never entered his subject 
 gracefully, but stumbled and floundered along until 
 warmed by it : but soon poured forth a flood of elo- 
 quence. He was, in time, the best debater in Parliament, 
 if not in the world. He had not the elegance of diction 
 and power of language of Chatham, who at times threw 
 at a single stroke such a flood of eloquence on his sub- 
 ject, that his biographer says " he did not reason t like 
 other men, but lightened on his subject." The young- 
 er Pitt was a logician, but he came to the question with 
 full preparation, and made his subject glow with all the 
 heat that was produced by the furnace in which it was 
 forged. His delivery was like an increasing stream of 
 pellucid water, and his voice was melody modulated and 
 varied by the varying passions he would express. 
 
 Who have obtained excellence in the arts'? Those 
 who have given their time and talents to them: not 
 those who have slept away their days as well as their 
 nights. They have profited by the minute attention" of 
 other men : those who have labored and who have 
 profited by other men's labors : without this, they are 
 unprepared to make new additions. The observer and 
 
MAXIMS. 109 
 
 collector of facts, generally collects for the improve- 
 ment of others. Watt and Fulton owe their greatness 
 to collections made by other men. There is generally, 
 where there is an excellence, an aptitude for that calling, 
 but not always. Gonstant, unyielding labor may pro- 
 duce in time more than any aptitude without it. Who 
 ever heard of a General who had never planned a battle, 
 or who had lived remote from camp 1 What mechanic 
 ever obtained excellence in his art without labor ? It is 
 one of the unchanging and unchangable laws of nature, 
 that man shall become excellent in knowledge in the 
 arts and sciences by constant labor of mind and body. 
 It is therefore the duty of the young, in every calling, 
 never to rest satisfied with minor attainments. Aim 
 at perfection : exercise the mind with the body r emula- 
 tion leads to exertion and to excellence. Opposition 
 will cause you to examine more thoroughly and fit you 
 to meet kindred minds ; without opposition your pow- 
 ers can never be brought out. Thought and painful exam- 
 ination are necessary to meet those of equal power': 
 profit by every failure, never yield : never let one or 
 two or three failures prevent progress. Look at Bruce, 
 who failed six times and yet succeeded. Columbus, 
 through penury and want wandered forsaken, but was 
 never disheartened. 
 
 XL 
 
 " Conciliate the good will of all, and the esteem of the 
 few friends you may select." 
 
 It is the duty of all, and of youth particularly, to seek 
 the good wiH of those around them. There is no age or 
 
160 E8SAT9. 
 
 station, no competence of this 'world's goods, no talent, 
 no physical or intellectual power, no social or moral 
 worth, but demands the aid of kindred powers. Poverty 
 and dependence, imbecility and disease, call for kindness 
 in the hour of distress and of need. The object of ob- 
 taining the good will of our fellows is two-fold : happiness 
 to ourselves and profit to the world at large. If you 
 live in the indulgence of evil propensities, no advantage 
 will be derived from social intercourse, and ill-will will 
 be created. In health and prosperity, little individual 
 inconvenience may be suffered from the want of the re- 
 gard of our fellowrmen ; but in adversity, when want 
 and disease are upon us, then, and then only, will you 
 feel your desolation without it. If you are a servant, 
 how much will the master's good will -lighten your tasks 
 and alleviate the hardship of labor and the sorrow of de- 
 pendence. If you are a master, the good will of the 
 servant will double his services and increase the profits 
 of the master. It will also benefit all parties by the 
 pleasure which is enjoyed. If no other benefit is the 
 result than individual happiness, the kindness and cour- 
 tesy rendered would by this be rewarded and overbal- 
 ance the pain endured. Among kindred you may per- 
 haps live and die without the fear of evil ; but among 
 kindred, happiness cannot exist without good will. How 
 pleasant was the song of good will to man sung by an- 
 gels- almost two thousand years ago. It was a song of 
 " peace on earth," and not of war and battle, as the song 
 ."of revelry from Belgium." Esteem is founded gener- 
 ally in a good name, in the capacity to exert high intel- 
 lectual or moral power. It may .arise from amiable 
 virtues, kindness and courtesy. Let jthere be be»evo- 
 
MAXIMS. 161 
 
 lence, charity, and love, in all your acts : these are the 
 ornaments and the excellence of the good, as well as the 
 great and praiseworthy accomplishments of the high and 
 the low. It will be your duty to exhibit these attributes 
 in all your acts. Industry, joined to moral worth in all 
 the walks of life, will produce respect and esteem. A ' 
 single instance will show that esteem and friendship may 
 be produced by goodness alone. Goodness of heart is 
 manifested by the life and actions. On a death-bed and 
 near the bounds of life, a most perfect exhibition was 
 made of the friendship produced by goodness alone. It 
 was esteem for a -^oman of advanced age, who had com- 
 forted and consoled the dying young man, and'who was 
 sent for there to cheer him on his way to the grave. 
 She exhorted him to live. He replied : " No, let me 
 die ; I wish not to drag out a. feeble existence on earth." 
 When she left him he said : " if there ever was a good • 
 woman, she is one." This was angelic friendship. Cicero 
 declares, " that friendship can exist only with the virtu- 
 ous : that it is the agreement of all things, Divine and 
 human, joined to benevolence : that it is to be preferred 
 before wealth, honor, and pleasure : and that those who 
 place the highest good in virtue, do it gloriously." What 
 can be more pleasant than a friend to whom you can 
 declare all things ; with whom you can divide your cares ; 
 upon whom you can place your losses and calamities ; 
 and one who in adversity will mingle his tears with 
 yours; He will in prosperity double your joys. Friend- 
 ship is as necessary to the moral and intellectual world 
 as the elements fire and air to the natural world." Good 
 faith is necessaiy to its existence ; and this is found 
 wherever moral worth is found. Friendship is produced 
 
162 ESSAYS. 
 
 by esteem, which is created by like faculties of the soul. 
 It is the love which is produced by beholding God's 
 image : the brightness and effulgence of which will de- 
 pend on the Divinity in the heart in which it dwells. It 
 is the moral principle, the holy love and aspiration, which 
 constitute what is high and lofty in man. There is a 
 spiritual beauty which owes all its brightness and splen- 
 dor to the blossoms and fruit of Christianity. On this 
 basis should the characters of the young be formed. It 
 is not always that those in high stations exhibit this 
 moral beauty. It is one of the most elevated tasks im- 
 posed on man, to form the character and establish the 
 principles of his fellow-man : to create in the child mo- 
 tives to virtue, to industry, love, and knowledge. It is 
 not often the case that those in high stations have time 
 and opportunity to cultivate 1 those principles which in- 
 fluence the life and conversation. Esteem is produced 
 by the cultivation of virtuous principles. Seek not the 
 esteem of those in high stations, for there you often-find 
 pride and ostentation. The most delicate ware soonest 
 breaks ; the most costly vessels are unfit for common 
 use. More directness, simplicity, and courtesy, are man- 
 ifested in the higher walks of life ; but in that which 
 apes it, there is least. This class owe their elevation to 
 wealth : here are found oftenest the heartless man. The 
 virtue which exhibits itself in obscurity is of a purer kind. 
 It is uninfluenced by exterior forms or objects, Titles 
 and honors may be an ornament to the possessor, but 
 do not always belong to those worthy of esteem. Seek 
 the esteem of the virtuous, without regard to sect in re- 
 ligion or distinctive appellations : those who are earth's 
 nobles : who exert the highest principle, whose under- 
 
MAXIMS. 168 
 
 standings are cultivated ; whose love of truth, goodness, 
 and right, endure, and whose precepts are worthy of 
 them, and whose example should be followed. The 
 mother, if worthy of her name, should have tl» love and 
 esteem of the child. She can exert a greater influence 
 than any or all others, in the formation of his character 
 to honor and virtue. And when she does it, she is 
 worthy of higher honor than the prince or potentate. 
 She must teach by example as well as precept. 
 
 The power of precept joined with example, cannot be 
 doubted. In a common conveyance, the writer not long 
 since was shocked by frequent imprecations from one of 
 the hands : he asked him if he could not dispense with 
 these expletives. He plead habit as an excuse ; but in 
 his presence abstained afterwards, and performed every 
 request with alacrity and gratuitously. Those whose 
 principles are founded in the eternal laws of justice, of 
 truth, and love, are entitled to esteem, and should be 
 sought for friends. More sagacity is required to train 
 the young than rule a state. Constant watchfulness and 
 prudence are required to guide them. ' They should "be 
 taught to look for friends who will stand by them in ad- 
 versity, in the hour of need ; who will neither ask any 
 thing wrong, or do it when asked ; those who will direct 
 you in the right way : who will reprove you when wrong, 
 and correct you when in error. The good alone will 
 nurture you for the companionship of the good. In com- 
 mon life, the master spirit forms a circle of which it. is 
 the centre : and when it is guided by the high principles 
 of honor and truth, should be imitated. The most 
 marked exhibition of this superiority in modem times, 
 was in the little corporal with his violet flowers, gray 
 
Id4 ESSAYS. 
 
 surtout, and tri-colored cockade-. In war all bowed to 
 him as a mighty spirit. Young men should seek the 
 society of those above them : of men whose experience 
 in life can benefit them. 
 
 In this age of miracles in physical science, you have 
 seen the most powerful and destructive agents of nature 
 subdued and trained to perform the wishes pf man. In 
 an instant of time they communicate to remote regions 
 the sorrows, sufferings, andlove, and joy, of their fellows. 
 Gigantic strength and rapidity of performance charac- 
 terize these agents of nature, trained to perform the du- 
 ties of man. May not these very powers be instrumental 
 in cementing and increasing friendship among kindred 
 races and kindred beings : harmony in the social and 
 virtue in the moral world ? Should progress be made 
 in science, in art, and morals remain at a stand ? Love 
 of shining dust should not prevent the effort to spread 
 truth. • The esteem of the good will nurture you for en- 
 durance in the cause of right, and profit you amid the 
 fluctuating scenes of life, and finally fit you for death, 
 the end of life. 
 
 NOTE. 
 
 The foregoing Maxims were originally written and given to a son, with 
 the desire of being Useful to him, whose body now sleeps in the city of si- 
 lence. They have since teen copied for one whom he can aay, " very pleas- 
 ant hast thou been unto me." He had endeared himself to him by courtesy 
 and kindness. Courtesy Lord Chatham defines to be little benevolences. 
 "Sir, will you take this apple— these plums — I do not want them." " Let 
 me do this for you, I had rather do it than not." 
 
 The last was given to a young man, 'the son of a worthy clergyman, who 
 sought our confidence, and desired our experience and observation for his 
 gold* in life. 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 In the foregoing treatise, the endeavor has been to 
 inculcate that knowledge which is essential to the citizen : 
 to open to him a field which may, if properly cultivated, 
 produce fruit' that will add much to his pleasure and 
 profit. 
 
 The subjects treated upon, are among the most impor- 
 tant that can be suggested, or which can engage the 
 attention of man. The harmony of the world is depen- 
 dent on human laws and the right execution of them. 
 Its source and origin is in the Supreme Lawgiver, and it 
 is his voice that preserves order and harmony in this 
 lower world. Even beyond this sphere, we perceive the 
 power of law : all things do it honor, and all things feel 
 its directing hand both on the earth beneath and heave? 
 above. It is through a knowledge of the laws of our 
 nature, that our lives are preserved. And the penalties 
 and penance of a violation of the physical laws of our 
 nature, are equally great with the violation of municipal 
 or Divine law. To use air and exercise, are as absolute 
 an injunction by the Divine law as the performance of 
 any command of the municipal law. For this reason air 
 forty miles deep or more has been poured out of nature's 
 laboratory all round the earth. The confinement in a 
 close room breeds disease and produces death : it dete- 
 
166 COHCLUSIOS. 
 
 riorates and renders pbisonous the air we breathe. Ven- 
 tilate the room as you will, a small room will cause the 
 air to deteriorate. The air which sustains animal life 
 when breathed, hasi'one part in ,tt!femty->one which is de- 
 structive of animaflife : by being breathed the deleterious 
 properties are increased to five parts. The Black Hole in 
 Calcutta tells the doleful tale of breathing air that is im- 
 pure : 146 persons were confined ten hours in a room 
 eighteen feet square ; although there was an aperture for 
 light and air, only twenty -three survived, and some of these 
 were seized with typhus fever. The want of exercise, 
 though not equally deleterious, is one of the causes which 
 destroys the athletic and vigorous properties of the limbs. 
 It is not the body alone which suffers and does penance, 
 but the mind is enfeebled and loses with the limbs its 
 natural vigor and strength. Take two children, and the 
 one shall be sprightly, active and intelligent, and the other 
 dull and sleepy : shut up the active child, keep him away 
 from associates, place the Bible and Psalm-book before 
 him, and compel him to read these books and noothersj 
 and he will become stupid in mind and want the quick- 
 ness of thought which the other possesses. Their natures 
 and appearance will be changed. When let out he will 
 be tantalized by the companions of his age : and the 
 points which stick up will be rubbed down by them without 
 fear or favor. The knowledge of the world he will learn 
 with much pain : no estimated value can be placed upon 
 the knowledge acquired by intercourse with equals. The 
 violation of the municipal law we learn, is not taught 
 early in our ordinary schools. The child hears 
 of murder and the execution of the murderer, but does 
 not appreciate his guilt, or know what constitutes his 
 
eOHCHTBION, 1§7 
 
 crime. He has not been taught to honor the law or 
 reverence the maker. By early attentioh, this know! 
 edge, in this little book, may be acquired, and the ex- 
 treme guilt of disobedience. 
 
 Obedience to the laws is a high moral duty. It was 
 a law of Sparta, that no soldier should retreat without 
 express command of his superior. The two soldiers of 
 Leonidas, at the straits of Thermopylae, who remained 
 in obedience to this law, left this inscription upon their 
 tombs: "The hand that overturns our laws and altars 
 is the hand of death unbarring the gate of Pandemonium. 
 O stranger, tell it in Lacedaemon that we died in obedi- 
 enoe to the laws." 
 
 On the subject of reading, we have spoken with plain- 
 ness. That fiction or fictitious histories 1 , under whatever 
 appellation they are named, are the best means of con- 
 veying instruction to the young mind, painting not by 
 sun-beams, but with ink and paper, human life and man- 
 ners, showing the errors into which passion betrays us, 
 making vice hideous, and purity of heart more lovely, 
 ff any one believes that simple, naked instruction, will 
 convey a moral, impress a fact, or refute an error, as ef- 
 fectually as a tale, fable, allegory, or parable : let such 
 try the experiment. " Fables and fictions," in the lan- 
 guage of Blair, " are the vehicles of knowledge." Lord 
 Bacon, one of the loftiest geniuses God ever fashioned 
 for this world, says : " A taste for fictitious history is a 
 proof of the greatness and dignity of the human mind." 
 We are not satisfied with the passing every day events. 
 Heaven itself would lose half its charms without these 
 aspirations. Novelty, by some, is considered the es- 
 sence of the- joys of Heaven. " Ffcjfciert-is th^'asccotirmo- 
 
168 CONCLUSION. 
 
 dating the appearances of things to the desires of the 
 mind ; not bringing down the mind, as history and phi- 
 losophy."* It is the longing after futurity within us, 
 which is the highest evidence not only of the divinity 
 within us, but of our immortality. It is the exhibition 
 of the highest property of genius — invention. It is in- 
 vention that makes the great difference in men, particu- 
 larly between men of genius and others. This is the 
 basis of Epic and Tragic Poetry. Shall we throw away 
 the Bible because its truths are communicated in fiction? 
 Extract from the Old Testament the allegories, riddles, 
 and parables, and the history, and how much would re- 
 main? Ancient history is, in fact, a fable: there divinity, 
 philosophy, and politics, are in parables and fables. It 
 is in works of taste or fictitious history, we find the 
 highest efforts of genius in the invention not only of plot 
 but of characters. " Invention," Sir William Temple 
 says, " like other children, is born naked, and must be 
 nourished with care, clothed with exactness and elegance, 
 and educated with toil." We sit down not on an oasis of 
 life to hear the tale of an Arabian Night's Entertain- 
 ment, but hear it and read it by day and night. What 
 conduces most to form a taste for reading ? It is our 
 works of taste. Where are works of taste spread uni- 
 versally among the people? In the United States, and 
 no where else. Is it not almost reduced to a maxim, 
 that the reading boy is beyond and above the dissipations 
 of his age ? Where will you find as talented and intelli- 
 gent a population as in the United States ? No where. 
 No : the love scenes we believe have a tendency to 
 
 * Accommodando rerum simulachra at anima desideria non submittendo 
 anirunm rebus quod ratio f acit e t historia. 
 
CONCLUSION. 160 
 
 warm the heart and fill it with tender emotions. We 
 cannot believe that those who have no feeling, save in a 
 crowd, can be among those that have the love to God or 
 man, that is required for an entrance into Heaven. If 
 there can be no love to man, we believe there never will 
 be love to God. 
 
 Our object in the foregoing treatise, has been to give 
 an epitome'of those studies which are calculated to form 
 a citizen for the highest usefulness. Perhaps there is no 
 study better suited to impress upon the young their high 
 destiny than Moral Philosophy. It is designed to im 
 press upon the mind the necessity at all times of living 
 honestly, temperately, and prudently. Now we have 
 no power to renovate the heart : this is only done by 
 Almighty power. Yet by proper instruction and atten- 
 tion, man can be made to live a life of obedience to the 
 laws : to restrain his passions : cultivate love and good 
 will to his fellow-man : to exhibit on all occasions good 
 manners and the kindly affections of the heart towards 
 his fellows. This training will add much more to his 
 prosperity, happiness, and respectability, than the acqui- 
 sition of that knowledge which improves the intellect 
 and corrupts and ossifies the heart. 
 
 Simulation and dissimulation are not to be practised 
 for gain : but charity and liberality of feeling and benefi- 
 cence in acts should be placed above a spirit of gain. We 
 should have no enemies. The maxim of Virgil cannot 
 apply to a state of. peace. Who inquires of an enemy, 
 says he, whether he conquers by courage or by deceit ? 
 " An dolus an virtus, quis ab hoste requirat." War, in its 
 nature and origin, is based upon falsehood. The endeavor 
 is either to overcome an enemy by force or fraud and 
 falsehood. 
 
170 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 The immortality of the soul, from ancient opinions, is 
 given that we may not suffer practical atheism to destroy 
 the beauty and harmony of the world. We cannot 
 doubt, from Mr. Palejf's evidences, that man is a thing 
 of design, not of chance. Suppose, says he, a watch 
 should be found on a desert uninhabited, untravelled : 
 this' watch should keep perfect time : wind itself up and 
 reproduce itself through all time. It would not be 
 doubted that it was the work of a superior being : that 
 the powers possessed by it would never be lost or de- 
 stroyed. We have, besides the arguments drawn a priori, 
 absolute proof from the Bible itself. The belief of futu- 
 rity of our existence beyond this world, should not be 
 taken from us by vain discussions and useless denuncia- 
 tions. Cicero says, I am sure if I am Wrong and these 
 vain philosophers are right, they will not in the world to 
 come laugh at me. I shall not, therefore, give up my 
 belief, supported by so many wise men of the present 
 and past ages of the world, and affording so much pres- 
 ent happiness, and giving assurance of future joys. 
 
NOTE. 
 
 " It has no fixed or local habitation." — Page 116, line 24. 
 
 Sir Thomas More, who succeeded Cardinal Wolsoy, and was beheaded, 
 •ays to his daughter Margaret," You won't see my disembodied spirit beside 
 you hereafter, but it may be close before you once and again for all that; 
 may be at times when you have prayed with most passion, or suffered with 
 most patience, or performed my hests with most exactness, or remembered 
 my care of you with most affection." See also Mr. Addison, in the latter part 
 *f the 113th number of the Spectator. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 Catechetical Tkkatise 5 
 
 Law in General 5» 
 
 Law of Nature , 6 
 
 Law of Nations 8> 
 
 Municipal Law 14 
 
 Federal Law . 19 
 
 Criminal Law 20 
 
 Moral Law 2& 
 
 Government '.. 39- 
 
 United States Constitution 42 
 
 Counting votes for President 58 
 
 When do the Electors of President meet 59 
 
 The making of Laws . 61 
 
 Ten Commandments.. 69 
 
 Religion „ 74 
 
 Manners 79 
 
 Notices 85 
 
 Facts 89 
 
 Opinions 107 
 
 On Beading 121 
 
 Maxims 125 
 
 Truth - 129 
 
 Path of Honor 134 
 
 Honesty 137 
 
 Corrupt Society 140 
 
 Good Attributes 143 
 
 Industry 147 
 
 Time to Learn ... „ 149 1 
 
 Neatness and Order 152: 
 
 Emulation 156- 
 
 Seeking the esteem of others 159 1 
 
 Conclusion IBS' 
 
 Note 171