The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 5, January, 1835 — John Shaqi
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 5, January, 1835Various
History
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 5, January, 1835
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
But the Reviewer proceeds: "In the next place, however, if the State,
according to his Excellency's notions, will officiously obtrude into
these private matters, why then let the funds of the Commonwealth go
abroad and enrich some sister State. These kind offices will brighten
the chain of union which binds the states together. They will teach us
all to rely more upon each other, and less upon the general
government.--This is the sum and substance of the Governor's reasoning;
and dangerous and fallacious as we believe it to be, we feel the
stronger obligations, coming from the high quarter it does, to resist
and refute it if we can." But is this a fair representation of the
Governor's reasoning? Is it not rather a gross caricature of it? For,
has the Governor hinted any thing like a proposal that our State should
send her funds abroad to aid all the institutions of her sister states,
instead of keeping them at home to support her own? On the contrary,
does he not say expressly, "I will not admit that there is a single
citizen within the limits of Virginia more desirous than I am to
domesticate here every thing needful to the well being of the State?"
And does he not accordingly take good care to confine his
recommendation of a contribution to the institutions of other states,
to cases of a peculiar character, in which, as in the instance of a
deaf and dumb asylum, the object in view is to furnish a small portion
of our citizens with the means of access to the "more sublime and
long-hidden truths of modern science?" And does he not, moreover,
declare it to be a part of his plan that every other State shall
reciprocate the generosity of ours, so as to return a pretty fair _quid
pro quo_ into our exchequer? And what is there, then, that is so very
"dangerous" in the Governor's reasoning? Nothing at all that I can see.
Yet our Reviewer is so much alarmed at it, or rather at a phantom of
his own imagination which he mistakes for it, that he flies off from
the true point of inquiry, and instead of calmly answering the argument
before him, as he might have done, breaks out into a warm and
impassioned strain of protestation against a mere figment of his own,
which is truly imposing; but unfortunately without object, and of
course without point. Thus he asks, "did any one ever dream that
Kentucky had given cause of offence to her sister states by erecting an
asylum for the poor deaf mutes? We apprehend not." Why then does he ask
the question? Has the Governor written any thing which fairly suggests
such a singular query? Or was the Reviewer himself dreaming when he
wrote? Yet he adds, "the truth is, that his Excellency the Governor is
entirely mistaken in his views upon the subject!"--whereas the truth
is, that his Highness the Reviewer is entirely mistaken in his views of
the Report. But he keeps on, and adds: "What a ridiculous business it
would be, if twenty-four families in the same neighborhood were to act
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