Did they suppose that mausoleums, or monuments are erected from mercenary views, to increase our revenue, repel invafion, or fupport the government? Afk the difconfolate husband, or weeping child, what good the marble will do, which he places over the grave of a wife, or a father.-Are the dictates of affection, the confoling expreffions of tenderness to be flighted and fuppreffed, because they neither protect from danger, nor enfure profperity? Affection is its own reward, and fhrinks from the imputation of acting from selfish motives.

If it was to exprefs national gratitude, the expreffion fhould have been regulated by the excellence of the man and the ability of the people. Washington was the founder and support of our republic; and in this glorious enterprise, he exhausted the vigour of manhood, and the experience of age. Ours were the nerves of his arm, the affections of his heart, and the mighty powers of his mind. Should not he, who outftript all in the race, have received the noblest prize? Was it just, that fuch fervices, as his, fhould have a crumbling monument, pitiful in defign, and difgraceful by a contraft with the man to whom it was erected? Would individual gratitude have thus ftinted its expreffions to a private benefactor? And was it thus that the labours and services of Washington was to be lowered in estimation by a monument difhonourably "flim," and reluctantly raised? I say reluctantly—who did not discover in the flow and wavering conduct of our national council a ftruggle between intereft and honour, an anxiety to fave at once the money of the nation, and to fecure it from difgrace? In fact, there was something fo indecent and wounding to a delicate mind in most, that was faid and done on this subject, that filence and neglect would not have inflicted keener pangs. Had we owed Washington an immense sum of money, our representatives might have debated for years on the easiest mode of payment. But when the subjec was a tribute of the heart, of our own offering, to introduce into fuch a measure all the petty amendments of a revenue law-to throw it backwards and forwards from one house of Congress to another, with as little ceremony as a private petition to debate upon it for days and weeks, as if it required deep investigation and involved important interefts-to pour forth in the debate all the rancour of party mixed with the frigid and frothy hyperbole of panegyric-all this was past sufferance, and agonized as much as it difgraced our country. Before this I

thought action was the natural language of affection. I confidered our fentiments of regard and gratitude as too refined to be analyzed too inftinctive to need the elucidation of argumenttoo spiritual to be weighed and proportioned in the scales of interest-too ardent to wait for the cold deductions of economy, and too much absorbed in its object to be able to ftudy declamation on its own warmth and difinterestedness. But men are made of fterner stuff, and all this has vanished before the influence of reafon and philofophy.

I before observed, that our expreffions of gratitude should have been regulated by our ability. A nation without wealth or arts might join in rolling a huge and unhewn stone on the grave of their favourite hero, and this would have been an honourable expreffion of national fentiment. This cheap monument would however difgrace a rich and polished nation, In reply to this it was faid, that it was impoffible exactly to define the honours Washington deferved, or that we owed. But on this fubject a warm heart, under the directions of a correct mind, never can decide wrong. Let us fuppofe, for inftance, that the representatives of a great nation should with equal gratitude and prudence determine to erect a Mausoleum to him, who was "firft in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen;" fuppofe a few months elapfed, and this great affembly coolly inquiring, "What good will a Mausoleum do? can it speak louder than a cheaper monument? If we cannot by fuch means extend the fame of the man, why shall we not fave the money of the treasury?" Have we hearts, and do they not teach us to abhor this mercenary language? Do they not regard fuch men, as chaffering rather for a mean popularity, founded on economy, than paying honours to the father of their country? Do they not suspect, that fuch men have lefs inclination to erect his Mausoleum, than to fell his bones? Should we not reply to their argument, if addreffed to us, "Why erect even a monument to the memory of your favourite hero? Can it speak louder than four rough ftones, thrown on the corners of the grave? It cannot spread farther his praises, and why then fquander your money?" Who does not fee, that the application of this reasoning to ourselves will lead us to erect a monument, not to the virtues of Washington, but our own infamy and ingratitude? Foreigners, who may vifit our metropolis, after viewing the majeftic piles of

public convenience, and palaces of private eafe, will naturally inquire for "the tomb of Washington, that illustrious man, whom Heaven has given as its beft bleffing to a great nation, which has foftered his virtues, and knows fo well to form an eternal record of his patriotism and glory." Judge of their aftonishment, should we lead them to fuch a cheap monument of departed greatness, as our thrifty statesmen devised. They might well exclaim, "Foxes have holes, and birds have nefts, but the man, whom Heaven defigned the faviour of his country, has not where to lay his bones."

As Congress undertook to pay a tribute of national gratitude, it was their duty to exprefs the feelings of the nation. Have they done it? Have they difcovered that ardent grati tude, which glowed with enthufiafm in their conftituents? Did they not talk, where the people would have acted; and calculate, where the people felt? Would to Heaven they had left the people in this cafe to have acted for themselves. Every patriot, every lover of excellence would have rejoiced to have made a perfonal expreffion of individual gratitude. Avarice would have rifled his bags, and poverty cheerfully bestowed her mite, and one Maufoleum on earth would witnefs the love of the people to their best friend. But instead of this, cold ftatesmen made speeches upon gratitude, our financiers tried by problems how it might be expreffed at the leaft expenfe, and for years Washington fleeps without a ftone to tell the pious pilgrim where he lies.

It is unneceffary to enlarge on a fubject, on which every man's feeling and reflection will pronounce the fame judgment. National ingratitude is a thing of daily obfervation; but in the new world it exchanged the neutral garb of neglect for the form of farcaftic refpect. With us it has adopted the best plan for obliterating our national obligation to the father of our country. But this attempt difgraces us alone. It will not fnatch away a wreath from the brow of Washington. The good of all ages will be the guardians of his fame, while the memory of his virtues, and the fruits of his heroism will give him a monument, wide as the world, and durable as time. Our children, we truft, will burn the journals, which record the difgrace of their fathers; and,by generous offerings of gratitude, make the earth forget the parfimony of men, who, forgetting the fervices of the living, deny honours to the dead.

CENSOR.

For the MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY.

SINCERITY.

THE advantages of fincerity are fo many and fo great, that it seems surprising, it is not generally adopted, as a virtue equally useful and amiable. In our intercourfe with the world, thefe advantages are not lefs valuable, though perhaps lefs ob vious, than in the circle of domestic life, or even in communion with ourselves. Common prejudice, however, I am fenfible, ftrongly contradicts this opinion. Policy, intereft, fafety itself are generally thought to require affectation, if not deception. Bad men are interested in fupporting this opinion; and indeed their system of morality, or rather immorality, alone requires the adoption of it in practice. Is a man envious and malignant? Then he must appear very benevolent, very kind, very charita ble. Is he the flave of avarice? He muft exhort to almfgiving, pretend a marvellous affection for the poor, exhibit his name on fubfcriptions, and display his hand at public collections for their relief. Is he a venal office seeker? He must proclaim his patriotism at the corners of streets, and defcant in tedious newfpaper effays on the incapacity and treachery of rulers and public ministers.

This indeed deceives the ignorant and fuperficial for a time; but for the honour of mankind and the confolation of virtue it may be faid, and attentive obfervation will confirm the remark, that the world is feldom ultimately deceived by hypocrify. Sooner or later the veil is removed, and vice appears in native deformity, deformity doubly odious, because unfeen and unfufpected.

If I were to reason with a vicious man, and he for once would lay afide his difguife, and disclose his thoughts, perhaps he would reafon somewhat in this way: "Attached I must own I am to several vices, which to the world would appear enormous. If I indulge them without disguise, I must bid adieu to all confidence, efteem, or friendship. Not only my station in fociety, but my very existence depends on concealment. My honours and all the fruits of ftudied circumfpection and hypocrify during my whole life, would at once be fnatched from me; and by whom? by mifcreants as vile, but not fo imprudent, as myfelf. The world would not give me credit for an ingenuous avowal; but, judging from the known deceptive arts of

vice, would afcribe to me a heart hideously deformed in proportion to the fample difclofed." This reafoning is juft, as far as it goes. He then ftates the other alternative. "While I can continue to deceive the world, I fhall reap the rewards of genuine virtue. I confide in my own unremitting vigilance to protract the deception as long as I live. At worst, if detected, my punishment cannot be greater, than the confequence of a voluntary avowal would draw upon me." To confute the apparent inference from this dilemma is eafy; for it presupposes a continuance in vice. Thus it is, the votaries of criminal indulgence are accustomed to reafon. With their darling fins they 66 cannot, cannot part." Though it may shock them to propofe fo dear a facrifice, yet I cannot refrain from informing them, how they may escape the unavoidable evils of an avowal, and the irksome restraint, the mental imprisonment of hypocrify, and the painful apprehension of discovery. The fecret is unfolded in two words-----BE VIRTUOUS.

Mr. PERSE,

For the MONTHLY ANTHOLOGY.

P.

AS you have lately published fome letters, that were written to my friend STUDIOSus, I with you to publish the enclosed, which he addressed to me, at my entrance into life. It was dictated by friendship; and, I believe, may afford to others the advantage I received from it. The world is the fame in all its revolutions; and a few years have not swept away those characters, which he has here fo ftrongly depicted, as easily to be recognized in the round of life. Yours, ALCANDER.

FROM STUDIOSUS TO ALCANDER.

N-, March 30, 18-.

STOP, stop, stop, my young friend; you are hurrying too fast

from tranquil fcenes and rational pursuits, into the giddy and buftling world. Look a moment on the past. The pictures of memory are all mild and pleafing, and bring with them a thoufand hopes. Let them not delude you. In future scenes, you will meet with every thing of a different character. Listen to the word of experience, and cherish it as the best and fafest counsel of your life.

You have heretofore been a stranger to vice and to folly. Your friends have been felected from frank and congenial companions. They wore their natural faces; and when you hugged