CHAPTER XVIII.

PUBLIC OPINION, CHARACTER, DUELING, AND SELF-DEFENCE.

Public opinion and character controlled by the bad-Their power hidden -Selfish-Attack slavery-Amalgamation-Not sincere-Extort money by pretensions of charity, &c., instead of helping the weak, the idiots, &c.-Politicians-Officers-Pettifoggers-Quacks-Judges-Distinctions here and in Europe defined-Judges and classes-Cases of ignorance, &c.-Arts, sophistry, and force of public opinion-Character by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania-No escape from public opinion -Its fatal effects-Cases-Comparisons of mind and morals-CautionCounter-plotting-Washington and a spy-&c.

OCCASIONS of great mental anguish come from causes so hidden and secondary in their character as wholly to escape the observation of all except the intelligent and experienced.

A desire to have the good opinion of others prevails with every one, either from a generous feeling towards others, or from a selfish wish for their association.

When those who have feelings of mutual benevolence concur, their happiness is invaluable. Unfortunately for them, this generous spirit is not general.

They soon discover that but few have kind sympathies, and that the world is wholly selfish and sordid.

The predominating propensities of bad men are envy, selfishness, and treachery. They capriciously dictate, and arbitrarily control "public opinion." They hold secret dominion over the timid and retired, who are afraid to resent them, or vindicate themselves.

An analysis of these complicated subjects will not be attempted. Their general features will be grouped, and an effort will be made to mark out and expose their secret operations upon the heart.

The pain we suffer under the delusions referred to is excruciating and sometimes fatal. It constitutes a large portion of the mental and secret sources of all human misery.

A good character for ourselves and for our friends is of such

infinite value to them and us, that it frequently excites the jealousy even of those who hold a neutral position in society, if it conflicts with their interest or pride, and always provokes the envy of the wicked and the hatred of our enemies.

Those wholly indifferent to us are generally too much occupied with themselves to feel any solicitude for our welfare; on the contrary, they want our room, and if they notice us at all, it is with distrust and not with sympathy. So that this individual supervision is much more of a delusion than is supposed. Instead of our having occasion to court its favors, policy and discretion bid us keep out of its way.

But there is another portion of the world, the people, the public, who assume to themselves all the morals, religion, and respectability of society; and under these plausible pretensions of superiority they conspire to form corporations, profess patriotism, philanthropy, get up places of reformation, and monopolize the offices, dignities, honors, and wealth of the world. It is impossible to shun or avoid them.

Their selfishness and craft have no reserve; on the contrary, they mingle with, deceive, betray, and feed upon the world.

For example, they single out slavery, which has been solemnly settled in the United States for sixty years, as a pretext for sedition and revolt; because it ministers to the morbid appetites of the infatuated, ignorant mob, and enables them to delude, mislead, and plunder.

They denounce the Constitution a league with hell, because the States that made that compact were all slave States, and would not all agree that it should be abolished by a national law, when this effort was most zealously pressed and failed, because there was no right to demand or power to enforce it.

They proclaim the falsehood that the articles of the confederation, which were made by a plurality of votes, the voting being by States, could have had abolition forced into it; whereas, nothing could have been done without the consent of all the States, and nothing was done but by compromise; and if they had separated upon that point, the whole country would have been left open to anarchy and foreign subjugation.

Absurd as these doctrines are, because they excite and inflame the ignorant, this fanatical and insurrectionary faction in the North, where it is said and not denied there are no slaves, or fugitive slaves, has raised more money out of the infatuated rabble to pay abusive, itinerant defamers, and for the circula

tion of incendiary pamphlets, than would have bought all the slaves in the United States. This fact has been stated by men of truth, and is not denied.

It amounts to several millions of dollars. A very small part of it has been applied to the purposes for which it was raised, but it has been withheld, and used by the artful leaders of this faction for their licentious indulgences.

They hit upon a popular and sympathetic subject, and thus artfully rob the people in the name of charity and benevolence. The poor slave, the widow, the orphan, and the pagan, have millions raised for them which they never get, and which is used by these wolves in sheep's clothing.

Thousands are supported in affluence and prodigality all their lives upon these fraudulent extortions.

Have any of these noble and devout benefactors of the human race ever had their accounts audited, or have they ever made report of what they have done with the money they get?

So, too, the pretended encouragement and improvements given to commerce and domestic economy, by way of monopolies, banks, and insurance companies, are all of them scandalous and barefaced swindling contrivances to rob the people.

They have in the United States gleaned up, under simulations of serving the public, more than one hundred millions of its hard earnings.

These sordid and refined swindlers ever have, and ever will prevail while the masses are so stupid and cowardly as to suffer the arrogant self-love and audacious vanity of the popular rabble to delude and bewilder them by ostentatious simulations of benevolence.

It is by these means that they hold despotic sway over" character" and "public opinion," and control the popular feeling.

If they were sincere in their professions, why do they not get up these excitements and infatuations for some object of real and practical benevolence, which can be accomplished by the concurrence of good men, without conflict, agitation, or rebellion?

Why not resolutely maintain the universal example and dignified reward of temperance and order, and peremptorily punish drunkenness and swindling, and crush into the earth all rowdies and mobs?

Why not go into the alms-houses, and wretched hovels and garrets, and bring into the chambers of Christian charity and

love the victims of seduction, treachery, and desertion, and stop the awful scenes of frantic madness, infanticide, and suicide?

Why not lift up these dark curtains of man's drunken brutality, and bid the world to gaze with horror. on his coward tyranny of innocent and helpless women and children?

Why not emancipate from oppression, and provide common animal necessaries for, the thirty thousand idiots and insane, scattered over the United States, chained to rocks in open fields and in dismal cellars, garrets, and dungeons; naked and starved, and beaten and maimed like wild beasts?

Why not employ their burning benevolence for an honest and intellectual course of appropriate education and discipline to the young, so that a stop shall be put to extortion and plunder to pay for sending children to school from five to twentyone years of age, to be afterwards turned out upon the world, drones and rowdies, instead of being educated and disciplined with habits of temperance and honest industry?

These are broad and pious fields for mercy and benevolence, but they do not suit the sordid propensities of these selfish philanthropists.

They are not satisfied with efforts in which all good men may successfully unite; because, in these pursuits, no room is allowed them to oppose the law, disturb the public peace, control character, and plunder the community.

This is one portion of the pernicious rabble that so fatally harass the world. And this substantive "rabble" is intended to nominate all those who are in any way not honestly minding their own business.

Again, there is no end to the individual and conventional domineering of the upstart, purse-proud corporation, and political aristocracy of the United States, in their efforts to delude the retired portions of society, and establish a standard for public opinion and character.

They run in upon and interrupt, and vex the feelings and embarrass the pursuits of, all honest and industrious men, and extort from them, by taxes, frauds, and swindling, millions of their hard earnings.

More than one-half of the trading and money transactions of this country is carried on by plausible knaves and gamblers. There is no end to the ignorant and presumptuous quacks and pettifoggers in all the professions, nor to the stupidity, corruption, and treachery of politicians, judges, and men in office.

There is more money wasted and embezzled by corporation monopolies, more neglect of duty, gambling in patronage and contracts, and more overbearing insolence, insult, and persecution of the retired, moral, and industrious, by those in place and position in the United States, than in any of the despotic nations of Europe.

In those countries, distinctions and orders are sanctioned by immemorial usage, and the higher orders generally hold acknowledged attributes of parental patronage towards others Here they are forbidden by universal compact, but are fraudulently assumed and abused by those in place and power. There the people consent to, and cherish and flatter their aristocracy, who are expected to extend to them unaffected and generous condescensions.

Here the people utterly disapprove of all distinctions but industry and virtue; and for this they are sneered at, despised, and persecuted by the mushroom earls and noblemen of the republic.

But there are no abuses from these sources that inflict upon the people so many direct and insufferable burdens as the courts of law. They have direct power over public opinion and character.

Of all officers, judges should be most pure, patient, and learned, whereas they are ambitious, vapid demagogues, or vulgar, lazy, ignorant, grog-shop pettifoggers; and few are gentlemen of learning and honor.

Those of the first class use their offices as stepping-stones to higher posts, and eagerly seize upon every opportunity for display and popularity.

A case of this description recently occurred, in which two of them had a fugitive slave before them, on a demand for restitution.

The claimant proved the identity, and that the negro was three or four years before then the slave of a man now dead. A certified copy of his will was offered to show that he had devised the slave to his son, which evidence it was proposed to follow up by proof of the sale of the slave by the son to the demandant.

The copy of the will was objected to on the ground of the obscurity of the seal of the certifying officer.

This objection was sustained, and the negro was discharged.