Editor's Table [pp. 228-235]

Editor's Table.
and Vandals, who ravaged the Roman
EImpire, came firom without, aind that
your Iluns and Vandals will have been
engendered within your own country by
your own institutions.
Thiinking thus, of course, I cannot
reckon Jefferson -among the benefactors
of mankind. I readily admit that his
intentions were good and his abilities
considerable. Odious stories hlave been
circulated about lhis private life: but I
: We take the follow ing letter froIn the
salme journal, (the Presbyterian Witness,
)tublishe(l at Knoxville.) froin whiclh we
receitly extracted a short article containing a letter of DIaniel Boone. Tlhe piece
fron whviicht we now quote was written
withi the purpose to expose wlat the writer regar(led( as the absurd position of one
of the parties in a church controversy tlen
existing; and the letter was a (levice Used
by him to give greater poinit to the rid(licuile,
and thus more thoroughly expose the abaurdity aime(l at. Of course we (lo not
intend to revive the controversy, or in any
degree to express an opinion uLpon its
merits we only extract the letter as being
worthy of insertion in the Messenger for
its success as an imitation of the epistolatory style of the p)erio(l to which it is referred(l. We give also the p)aragraphl preoe(ling the letter, andl that following it. witih
the omrnission or change of a word lhere
anti there. These paragraphs tlu.s I)rinte(l
d(o not reveal the subject of controversy,
but will nevertheless be useful to give the
reader enough of the drift of the article to
enabl)le him to perceive the point which
the writer designs to make. The letter is
thus introduced in the Witness
do not know on what evidence those
stories rest; and I think it prol)bable that
they are false, or Tnonsttously exaggerated. I have no doubt that I shall derive
both pleasure and information froim your
account of him.
I have the honour to be,
Dear Sir,
Your faithful servant,
T. B. MACAULAY.
"Record your refusal for principle: (lo as
youa oare bid for pe(re, seerms the clear and
simple rule of righlt whichl econ(elite(l thlese
almost-read(ly-to-be Protestants sa,fely I)etween the opposing (langers of thle way;
between the Scylla of ig r.omniniois submission to tyranny. and the Chlaryhlis of
church censures. In dwelling approvingly, Ias we cannot biut d(lo, upon the wvis(lom
andl prudtence evinced in thle adoption of
this rule, we are yet constrainsed( to regret
that its discovery an( uise 1had not long
since blessed the world. The rea(ler of
English history, for example, has often
mourned over thie loil and strife and bloodslled by which alone (so the record seeme(Il to teach)) nationl-s are (lestine(l to attain anti p)reserve their highest rights
and with a more special but bitterer sorrow hlie has lamented( the untimely (deaths,
for suclh rights, of some whose nlalies are
synonymies of trite inobl)ility and( virtue, and
the protractel sufferillngs of many more
vwhio were their worthy fellows. While
sorrowing over their fate, lowvever, he
couild give them his full synmpathly an([ approval. He felt thatt so thley shoilld have
acte(l, so suffered, so (lied; because for
honest men, enlightened as they were to
value liberty aright, and whlo couiltd not
submit to tyranniy, thlere vwas no alternative (so hie fondly thought) but firm and
steadly resistance; if need were, even
unto death. He who can perceive, however, the truth and beauty an(] perlect con
228
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w1itor' gabl.