The Philadelphia Magazines and their Contributors 1741-1850 — John Shaqi
The Philadelphia Magazines and their Contributors 1741-1850Smyth, Albert Henry
History
The Philadelphia Magazines and their Contributors 1741-1850
Smyth, Albert Henry
American periodicals -- Pennsylvania -- Philadelphia
"To gratify the malignancy of fanatics he will not asperse the
Government or the Church, the laws or the literature of England.
Remembering that we are _at peace_ with that power--that the most
wholesome portions of our polity are modelled from hers--that we kneel
at shrines and speak a language common to both, he will not flagitiously
and foolishly advert to ancient animosities, nor with rash hand attempt
to hurl the brand of discord between the nations." In the same
connection he attacks Gallic philosophy and the equality of man, the
latter of which he styles an "execrable delusion of hair-brained
philosophy." Others might speak of "the _Republic_ of letters;" with
Dennie it was the _Monarchy_ of letters. Several articles ran through
the _Port Folio_ of 1801 on the sentiment and style of the Declaration
of Independence, characterizing that famous document as a "false and
flatulent and foolish paper." In the same volume (page 215) Dennie,
offended by the introduction of some new Americanism into politics,
writes:
"Unsatisfied with _acting_ like fools, men begin to enlarge their scheme
and talk and write from the vocabulary of folly. All this, however,
quadrates with the character of a good republican; as he hates England,
why not murder _English_?" In April, 1803, Dennie denounced Democratic
Government, and prophesied that of it would come "civil war, desolation
and anarchy." His pranks had now become too broad to bear with, and on
the Fourth of July this latest publication of his was condemned as "an
inflammatory and seditious libel," and a bill of indictment was found.
The case was tried in November, 1805, Ingersoll and Hopkinson appearing
for the defence. The verdict reached was "not guilty," and Mr. Joseph
Dennie had the triumphant pleasure the next week in his report of the
case to define democracy for the benefit of his enemies as "a fiend more
horrible than any that the imagination of the classical poets ever
conjured up from the vasty deep of their Pagan Hell."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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