Camden gazette. (Camden, S.C.) 1816-1818, November 07, 1818, Image 2
Miscellaneous .
Observation* at Fourscore. * ? -
Having arrived at fourscore, allow
ine to state some of the feelings at
tendant upon that advanced age. ~
I aoi strong!}* attached lo ha
bits and old fashions, even though |
absurd. Instead of longing for a
new coat, I part with an old one as
with an old friend.
I forget some lessons, ami cannot
learn others. One lesson, however,
I must learn, to eat without teeth.
Tffia farther we advance in years,
the more we are affected with bpth
beat and cold. In earh^f)jfc our
feelings arc but little influenced by
either.
I can better remember the transac
tions of seventv years, than of yes^
terday^Tpour liquor into a full vessel^]
Hz*1?. <* ?p* *??
baps X can recollect being 111 a thou
saud companies, every person which
composed them is now departed ex
self. Upon whatever fam
t a distant eye,I remarkln
nily a generation is sprung in
passed throughthe bloom of
, and punk. into the night,
friends have slipped off the
d I am as unftt to unite with
$iewf as new cUtti with old. Thus
1 am become a stranger to the world
wlach | have long known.
As age increase, sleep decreases;
when a child in health enters upon
life, it can fcleep twenty4wo out of
it j' four hours* Its sleep will
nisb about three hours upon . the
age *ywX year during the next
se, whelractivity will enable it to
nuree itself. That jr*di)$Uott will
afterwards will be nearly jone hour
every tpn yeufs, r till lie Sfrives at
eighty, when four or five will he his
hoimofftjeei). It is curious to con
template thp fluctuation of
1 have seen the man of opulence loo
with disdain npon a pauper in rags.
I have seen that pauper mount the
wheel of fortune, and the other sink
to the bottom. J have seei? jnis^^
vahlc cooper not worth thelhavings
be piatie, place his son to a banker
and fas -sou become a rich banker, a
member of Parliament and a Bar
'on#; ? JmtWi: '
His tiwd Observations.
mil fended divine
aer
minister
ade this imj
crowded assembly Voul have dc?
ccended
yeai*
pi. . ,
F person
Wt' .
Aetober ilth. ia my
enter npon my ninetieth
' ten miles.
fr?nklin Gazette, i
Unntaei* 1W. |
?Maryland, having sto
len a hogi had tied its tew together
after Wg..git: anjfcr tUe convc^
nience of carry lug it, be let the hog
~ "V ? - i "
M ? -,.v- w^,J!
rest on his shouldefs, while the rope
with which it iwiis tied, went over
his hrAMt.i On his way home, find*
ing himself fntig*te<l, lie laid "
injhe crotch of a tree, abou
Wight of his shoulders, in order to
ml himself. Buttte hog slipping
throttgn, the rope that* was^
the man's breast slipped u|
throat, and immediately i ? _
him to death ; andy^in the morning
they wefre l>oth fotfllt! dead, the one
Ion one side and the othe^ 011 the other
side of the tree. Thus the tbeif
hanged the hog, and the hog in his
turn hanged the thief.
X I
Extracts fi-om a late pamphlet j
jrrinted in Lond'tn, entitled, ,
u Thought* on the Expediency of
repealing the Usury Imics : A
Kdwawl Cooke , -?*?? Middle
Temple," + '
No natfcfactory reason could, 1
think, be given for drawing thi* dis
tinction liettteen money and every o
\\ wr cpeeies of properly ? between
the si;;n and the tiling represented
? although it ha# heen recognized in
almost every crinntry ii\
It Iws been sometimes, though incor
rectly, attributed to the Mosaic Law,
conccrnin^ Usury,* which was also
long considered a* the foundation of
the general ecclesiastical ordinance
thut existed isi darker agps, against
taking any interest for money. Tlie
law; of ^loseij liowever. nehlier
makes suck a tai% distinction, nor
utters a prohibition so general. It
fiwls the Jews to lent! upotiv Usury
to a " brother, (meaning thereby
any^of the children of Israeli not
money alone, but " victuals, 'and
anything that is tent upon Usory-^*
but at the same time authorizes, in
the most distinct terms, the takingnf
IJsury, ^ which is bnt another name
for iufrrest, in their dealings wlih
i strangers.4' Moses, therefore,
stands exculipated from nil the absurd
and mischievous principles imposed
on society, under the sacrftd authori
ty of his name, and the disti action,
together with the limitations ph tlie
interest' of ittouey, must he soflght
in other aiu) far less reputable sour- I
ces* " v . ~ ' ? : ? - ? ^ j
In conn tries not engage d in com
roe re 1 ^ pur^iTTt^ aiTd e ven in those
ages when only a partial and restrict
ed intercourse was AHbwed between
nations, money could liavo been
known iu no other light ttetn merely
as a circulating medium, or a means
of facilitating Imrter. In such a
state of society, and to minds uncn
lai^gqd \ff the liberal views of an ex
tettcWid commerce, it might naturally
to bear a character essentially
distinct from that of a marketable
commodity , of which the value tccts
to depend upon the amount of the
supply, the extent of the demand,
the profits of the employment , or the
tcaftts of the purchaser. Impressed
with the belief that its valae was
Juerc^ ficticious and artificial, Mich
a comm unity might proceed to frame
laws to ascertain and regulate it,
and imagining it to be a creator?? of
their own caprice, might vainly hope
to train it to their will* Such* a de
imist be Anita! ^uri^eniau^
fascinating, when it tended to grati
fy some prevailing passioa ofLthe
legislators. It would no doubt be
found a very difficult, nay, hopeless
task, to endeavour to dissuade those
ipho wanted u wy from exercising
any power they might posse** in re- ,
\ow mJ^i\ weight to any reasonings
ihat might teim invalidate thSr
darling right. Improvident people
anight very naturally exclaim against
their more Wealthy ftslkiw citizens,
for not lending tliem monev at little
? no remuneration ; nor should wo
surprised that sucbapeople^pos
?fcd of legislative poiver, should,
hi their sovereign capacity, enact
top fcr liaiRlng ; thk we of interest.
buch considerations night afford a
satisfactory reason for tie enactment
of Usury l*ws in popnUr states,
where temporary convenience b tiie
sole principle of action, without at
*"Ki fK>;
?e/sisi
1 measures, nay, on (trt&otitrary they
must evidently justify a suspicion of
their prudence. 1 IMwienately for
the Utuiy JLewa, it if snoh
societies, and ou sorh priiu
&e first find any
eir existence,
jtfttafjr Latrafo
with ttif%o|gaie measures of]
A-iarinn liaws, and suppression of
debts formed the incessant subjects
of clamour and di^mie between the
Senate and the people, and we ftnt)
from Liv^, that wheneverg&tjftbftne
| was desir&ls ofwnderin^hbpself
particularly acceptable to tl)|nltter,
he proposed either sn abomton of
of debts jok a reduction oCtntevest,
until at letMdh atoraiauy hard strug
gles in wMtn the rate hfo been sue- 1
cessively brought down from twelve
percent* to six and three, interest
or usury which was synonymous,
was in the year U, C. 418^ by law
entirely abolished f
If law then could avail any thing
? Utntrronorr , chafi. xxlii. "ver. 19,20.
t 7'tt. Z.iv. 7. c*:id Tatiti stnnal. I.ik 5.
towards repressing tke mlstliief of
Usury, the point had bejen Ih re de
cided ; but as iu every, sueety- t liens
will be fouud persons requiring to
I borrow, and very few willing to
' lend* on the racm morion of Ihead*
ship or charity, witliout compensa
tion for the inconvenience or r^k of
parting with their money, the law
*>ras boon felt extremely irksome,
and principally by (hose whom it
affected to serce . Means therefore
were readilydeviscd for evadin# it,
though atteniled with soino danger,
which, jftitlMhe necessity of resort
ing fa undent liand projects nd indi
rect measures, gavaa tictUIous vullie
to money, and 4jsurv - flourished
more than fver^) We find fn?!u
Cicero's lettenrto Alliens, that Bru
tus, lent money to the people of Has
amis, under a ficitious nalne, to meet
tike imivissions of (lie Gabinkiu law,
at flirty eight per cent, aud that
Pompey lent King Ariobarzanes six
> hundred talents, for which he was
toJ!>e remunerated "by an interest of
thirty-three Attic talents every tliiity
t!ays, or at something almut sixty
per cent. Tliese incidents, wuicb
nrtf nut mentioned as oc'jurreuccs uf
a, very extraordinary nature, will af
ford us some idea of the ehicacv of
laws ftfir keeping dowu the value of
money, and of the exorbitant rate of
interest, extorted by the capitalists
at Home in their under h'?nd pecuni
ary transactions, ^ .
Effects precisely similar have iu
mot e modern times been fouud to flow
from similar laws in whatever coun
tries an illiberal policy or false no
tions of religion had: brought them
into existence. During the ear
ly and middle ages' of Chris
tianity, the churchmen, misled by
the meteor gream of superstition, or
actuated by the delnslre witchery of
a self-denying spirit, propounded
ctfrtaiu Scruples of couscience con
cerning the moral rectitude of looking
after the means of worldly prosperity,
y> f converting present wealth to puv
looses of future gain ; and assisted by
ait erroneous interpretation of ihat
passage 6f (lie Mosaic law~ Jalread^
mentioned, and a quant, nnmvauing
apophthegm of Aristotle, respecting
the barreuncss of money* thoy espe
cially denounced the taking of any
interest whatever. Such sentiments,
independent of the veneration in
which every **pclo of tine church was
at that period held, even unquestion
ed, hy *? good Catholics, where
particularly acceptable to the princes
and feudal barons of Europe * ho
despising evejy profession save that
of arnis, held commerce in peculiar
contempt, and regarded merchants,
who were* the duly capitalists, ap
persons formed for uo purpose but
that of being plundered at their high
" " a singular arfnei
ioslcm doctors pro
nottonc? aad uiv
,_j potter of 'life Uw.
'4HUMMNfteil tb? principles of (be'sanc*
Among the M?haniM4et?
s fttill exist in IlKtr original
and tcifh I hem ?n>
ustun^i but: f<
Christendom tliey partly
the force, pf coram^r
of superior wf *
was su
io"* "
It length oo&i ivorite ]>as
>ns, most Cherished oy the fond
ai^il * credulous possessor, who in
despite of reason, the admonitions of
friendship, and th* harshness of re
buke, still perseveres and calls them
virtues.
| Tacit . Sir. Ltv.
^ Afont<?<;uieu, chaft. jr/r. book 22.
>* *? ?? 0 I
?
The following anecdote is from ,
a description of the Isle of Shoal*
in the Historical Collections :
[ Bo*t on Daily Mr.
w During the ministry of the lie. v.
Mr. Moody at the Shoals, one of the
fishing shallops with all hands on
tmard was lost in a northcant storm *
in Ipswich lmy. Mr. Moody, anx
ious to improve thi# fiY ? '
? ? '
for tlic awakening of those of hid
hearers who were exposed to the
lik^tliaAstcr, addressed thein id tin*
following adapted to their
occupation and \^j^fcrstaufliiig :
'^supposing my bfftUajfen any
should be t*?en short in the b*y n*
* m wart!* oa*t ? *U*mf? yoo* Jvmxi**
trembling with fiUi% and natUui;
Wt dearth ^ before ^ you, r-whiditjfc
woulftyiiur thoughts tnru?vwha^
would yon do?" * WktvoiiW JL
do," rt?pH??l one ofthene faiSwy
oFNejitinie. "Why i shoalduH
mediately- lioist the foresail *nd scud
nw* jr fitr Hqtmm.w. >
I l u*x*. '?**? ?
.Much has h?Hi said, with truths
i of tlw ^reu t to Society, of the
Fanner and and Mcciutmc. . Lei um
now hear tiie Boston G azett e iu i'.i vor
1 of tlic i> - > y, ' ??'&
Philcdwlphit* va pe r.
" The Jfaneti^^ AV h :it is tlw
I character of o<i$$berchnnts ? They
I art* thojj? wiio, with an intrepidity ;
1 enterprise, and industry unequalUM
j Xi y any other class ofaociety, rbk
1 thefr property to the fury^of iInT
I whirlwind, and Umpeahiofr iheo
1 ci&ti, uhonmctaumw^y <ke9oTaUu&
I storms and 8Mtjiiyi|*v wrecks, bring
J from every tlie globe tiu
J various treasures,^Qpoyr int-j th?
LLpp of our country , and when blest
[ 1?> success and prosperity, nft
less profusion scatter their acqukftttoit ;
I in every direction, l^ook St Ho
j cieties, religious, civH or. literary,
J and aei> if they am not die moat libcV
J al donors ? I .a Nik at subscription* for
? thfe relief of iiidigetice nnd distress,
j and their names heading the fhir-?
J whitatney me nevti kuowu to extort
I the hard earned pitiaUcc of the \\ idow
| or orphan, under the gjhiae of a fee
I or a recQmpe*ce. , Tliey are the
j blood of a nation: and on every
1 subject of practical import?. uce j
j whin .1 e^u isi ; LMiifonuat; uii
Jfutionul /
Private letters from Afciiiinta
state, that A Court wa?,at,.thet
hlliinp* M-rtl.
to Fort
criintt/if H ,
the energy oftl* law. A ??i ?
(ion is said to pfevail aniorig the
people, favorable to lh? rrpresxion
of ?ucta outrages, and ftx (lie prose
cution of every species of offence a
gabtxt the public peace. ] -'iliee#_*re
A letter fi 010 Penkatola, in ft Or
leans |>ai>er, atatei/' tlutf the town
contain* |irol>abljr fifteen hundred
building#, of which Oae third am
dwelling houseMfl^^Kf' h mwt, it
is said, two tbcptoml ships mny rid*
with safety ; and it is pronounced to
he decidedly h&tBfyS*
In Connecticut.? The* great stnig
^lu at kngtli is over, and the new
constitution lately framed hy a con
vention, for the government of the
?tHe; i-, adni>t"rL tlie [K'ople,^.