[No. LXXXI.j THE TABLET. No. LXXXI. " The mind a(is with mofl vigor when confined to a finglc objeli." IT is obvious, upon a little reflection, that mo mentum of character is derived more from ap plication than genius. Men who hold the great est influence in political life, and who acquire the lai geft amount of property, are generally those whose principal charaCteristics are perseverance and attention. Vigor of imagination and brilli ancy of talents create a lustre which dazzles the pofieflor, and beguiles him from that plain track of common prudence which leads to wealth and influence. The probable reason why men of a bold, enter prizing spirit so often miscarry in their projects, is that their plans of bufmefs are too diverfified. It is easy to observe that men of thisftamp fail in many attempts, in which the calculations are fa vorable, and the facrifice only happens through want of attention. If the mind is employed on many objeCts it can do justice to none. The men tal faculties lose part of their vigor by being oc cupied in unsteady and separate courses. There is a difficulty in accommodating our turn of think ing to the various transitions which are required by difFufive concerns. When a person has fuchn diverlity of affairs to manage that they fall into confufion, he will soon break through system, and the separate branches of his business will to gether form one general wreck. 1 have often been told by men, who had divi tied their attention between many different ob jects, that had they seleCted either of them singly, and attended closely to it, they would not only have been less exposed to risque and fatigue, but have gained property far more rapidly. T ne fame canfes, that render thedivifion of labour foufeful in mechanical operations, may be applied to molt of the employments of society. Every individual should reduce the sources of his care to as final! a number as possible. It is much easier, and more profitable to pursue one plan of business to great extent, than to manage two upon a less extensive scale. The mind cannot art with vigor or regu larity when it is frequently making tranlitions from one subjeCt to another. The ideas become scattered, and the power of combination is sensi bly weakened. Many capable men lose the be nefit of all their efforts by attending partly to several things, but effectually to nothing. They enter the chace with a fair prospeCt of game, but before they'overtake it, anew scent diverts them, which they follow till their career is t'xned to a course still more alluring. The most anxious cares and severe toils are often endured without produ cing one substantial advantage. The miscarria ges of men in important fcheines of business are generally owing to their having so many concerns on hand, that lome if not all must be negleCted. No employment can be profitable without atten tion, and few men can attend to more than one, with propriety. Care and induflry will overcome the difficulties of almost any occupation, and po verty is only to be feared by the indolent, the fickle and the knavifli. There are, it must be confefied, some men of such comprehensive talents, that they can at once conduCt numerous and distinCt operations. This results from a faculty of intuition that only has to glance at an objeCt to understand it. And when a comparison of ideas is requisite, an elevated ge nius combines so rapidly as to be ready to decide and aCt, in any turn of circumflances. As few men poflefs such faculties, it Ihould not be infer red, that the bulk of mankind will not prosper belt, in a narrow sphere of action. The defeats of the human mind can have no other remedy than a judicious affignmcnt of parts to the different characters of society. If every man were to attempt to do many things, most men would do nothing effectually. Wherever we turn our cyef, we find instances of men laboring under the difficulties of a complex or an unsuitable talk. They never arrive at perfection, either because they are not properly employed, or because they have too many employments It would be well to examine whether the regulations of this coun try are not deficient in that proper division of duties among the citizens, which in the higliefl degree promotes the prosperity of individuals,and encreafes the resources of the community. PI!'LVOV tliU Al. APfARAI US. ON Thursday the 25th tilt, arrived at New-Haven, fate and in good order, from London, a Philosophical Apparatus, for "Yale College. As soon as it was received, it wasdepofited in the Apparatus Chamber of the College. The Univetfity is thus fur niihed with a complete set of instruments and machines, for exhi biting a whole course of experiments in Natural Philosophy and Astronomy. It was purchased by the liberal donation&ot a num ber of gentlemen, friends' to literature ; among whom the Rev. Dr. J,ock\voo» was the ptiincrpal benefactor. W EDNESDAY January 20, 1790. THE GUEST.—No. XIII. May he who makes yon glorious source of day, Life, light, and blef/ings to the -world convey , Dispel the clouds that Jbade the human mind, And Earth'sgreat fat/iily in concord bind. A NARROW, and censorious spirit, is the com mon attendant of a gloomy, and felf-opin ionated temper : It is always conneifted with a want of charity for those, whose sentiments are not cast in the fame mould with its own. I have known persons of this stamp who suspend the salvation of their neighbors, on the belief of cer tain particular tenets, upon which the woild at large are infinitely divided. Some persons of this description, would merit pity for their ignorance, were they contented with being their own tur menters ; but they disturb the happiness of so ciety, by difleminating their principles, and rai ling doubts in the minds of others, refpetfting the benevolence of the Deity to the whole human race. 1 here are some of this chara<fter, who limit the mercy of the Divine Being to a very narrow com pass : Tho they may poilefs so much modesty as to confels that they never were admitted to the councils of Heaven, yet they can without hefita tion cotifign to future misery all those whose faith vaiies from their own—And as to those, who by the dispensations of Providence never enjoyed the light of revelation, their minds are not irradiated by a (ingle ray of hope refpetffing their future fate : But can we rationally suppose, that he, whose " tender mercies are over all his worts," can approve such a judgment! How can it be re conciled to the principles of justice, that those should be condemned for not obeying, what they never enjoyed an opportunity of knowing. Altho ic is reasonable, that those who are favored with superior advantages, lhould consider themselves as accountable for the improvement of their pri vileges, yet sacred writ allures us, " that he that " feareth God,and worketh righteousnesS,/« every " nation, is accepted of him"—and there can be no doubt, but that the favor of Heaven will be extended to every son of Adain, whose difpolition is conformed to the spirit of thatgofpel, which is " peace on earth, and good-will towards men," whether they have been favored with the written word or not. " The Judge of all the earth will do right"—and as " those that have finned in " the law, lhall be judged by the law," so tliofc who have been a law unto themselves, or which is the lame thing, have followed the dicftates of that law, which God hath written on the heart of every man, even those who have never enjoyed the light of Revelation, shall find favor with him, who not without reason, " hath uever left htm,- felf without witness of his divinity in every nation under heaven." The world is approximating to that glprious period, when mankind lhall not be divelted of charity towards each other, for a dif ference in opinion, any more than they will re pi'oach one another for not being all of one co lor, onefize, or one universal set of fimiliar fea tures. The sentiments of bigotry, are opposed to the best interests of mankind : To gratify its ignorant and contra<sied propensities, it will coun teract the most benevolent designs, even to its own disadvantage, left those of opposite princi ples Ihould be benefited thereby. We may differ in sentiment, but when we fuffer, our particular opinions, or prejudices to guide our decilions in matters of benevolence, and public utility, we justly merit the appellation of the enemies to society. A FAMILIAR EPISTLE. To Mrs. Virci ni a, aliasTHF. Ancient Dominion. Dear Sifter, WE have lately seen some letters, which two of your confidential servants have sent you, calculated entirely to make mifcliief in the fami ly. We have always allowed your claim of rank, as our eldest Sifter ; and when your children and servants have pretended that your power was the great eft, your purse the heaviest, your farm the and yourfelf a woman of more fen fe than any of your Sifters, we have never contradicted them, because we did not wish to quarrel about the matter —though we were sensible that a great part of your farm was untenanted and goingout of repair, that you were constantly running in debt foi your annual expences, and whenever ;he robbers hare broke into your house you were very poorly able to defend yourfelf,andcould on ly alarm the neighbourhood,by dismal outcries,of " Help, Murder and Rape." But you ought to remember that we established our Copartnership on terms of perfect equality, and that we have advanced at least our equal snares in the public itock. You cannot therefore pretend any right \_PubliJhet? on WednefJay and Saturday.] to govern us in the buliuefs. As to your boy, Dickey, we have knowu him many years. He is a goodnatured fellow when he can have his own way,but as fractious as Satan when he is contradic. ted. Beiides, you are sensible, that he never could endure it, that we formerly appointed your Son, George, Steward of the houfeholii, and have late ly given him a full Power of Attorney to manage the concerns of the company—when Dick, in the simplicity of his heart, always believed liiinfelf the fitteft man of the two—Whereas you and all the world know, that George is toorth as niany of him, as Omnipotence could create to gll eternity, if it had no other bulinefa to attend to. And now Dick and Bill are finding fault witlithecon tractof Copartner/hip, because it does not give you a controlling power over the whole transac tions ; and they are out of all patience and temper, because we are not willing to alter it. 111 the fame manner some of your fervans-lately till eacen ed that you would break your contiacft, aiid fee up for yourfelf, unless we would fend all our head-servants and agents to reside in your do minion underyour immediate eye We have always wiihed to proceed in business in perfect union and equality ; and notwithstanding these fooliih speeches sometimes thrown out by your people, we have no idea, thatyouare in the least inclined to follow theexample of ourprofli gate Sifter, who has run away from the family, and now keeps a house of evil fame, at the Sign of C****ns's Head in Rhode-[(land. We are still willing, as a matter of etiquette, to allow your superiority in point of age, rank and p ecedence, but (hall not submit to theinfults of yonrdomef tics. We wish you to take these matters into your serious consideration, and teach some of your servants a little better manners. We have the honor to be, With the most cordial esteem, Your affedlionate Sifters, NEW-ENGLAND, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, CAROLINA, &c. (From the ConneSicut Courant.) EUROPE. PARIS, November 8. The Count de Mirabeau's motion on Friday lad in the National Aflembly, to admit the Cabinet Ministers as Members of the Aflembly, was yester day rejecfted by a very large Majority, and to fliew their disapprobation of it, M. de Lanjuinais moved. " That, for the future, no Member of the As sembly could accept of any place in Administra tion, nor any other place which might be offered him by the executive power, pending the dura tion of the existing lelfion of Lcgiflature, nor for three years after." This motion, of course, called up M. de Mira beau, who seemed much nettled at this indired: attack on himfelf—The Aflembly would not luffer him to speak till his motion of the preceeding clay was firft reje&ed. On M. de Lanjuinais mo tion being put,— M. de Mirabeaii was admitted to speak. He considered the motion as directed by afecret pur pose ; in which cafe, fays he, I propose to limit the exclusion of those persons whom the author has in view by it. I know but two who can be the objecft of it, himfelf and me. He has no doubt the fame opinion of himlelf as I have of myfelf. I am not therefore aftoniflied that he should think me incapable of filch a function. I therefore begin by proposing to limit the exclu sion of this motion to M. de Mirabeau. In other parts of his speech, M. de Mirabeaii entered into the absurdity of fucli a motion. " Shall it, " fays he, " be supposed, that the election of a whole nation cannot comprehend within it a good Ministry ? Shall the confidence of the Nation towards a citizen be a title of ex clusion to the confidence of the Monarch . The declaration of rights gives every man access to all employments. Shall we then derogate from this principle, by excluding the National Representatives ? Shall what is a means of pu lie fafety to our neighbours be afource of misfor tune to France ?" All this fair reafoningand argument could not obftrudt M. de Lanjuinais motion being earned, and it accordingly palled as we have given it, ex cept with the omission of the 1 ast words, nor for three years after, which were referred to future has the towering ambition of Mirab "" been completely fruftrated Though he has the art fometunes to persuade by ! ing, it is evident he has not had u
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