necessary and laudable the general devotion to stry, and the practical business of life may be; ere are families and circles in which no grace, no omplishment is wanting; yet it cannot be denied re of dollars, cents, and material interests holds derating sway, and that art and all its train of ercise at present but an enfeebled and restricted we ascend from social to political life, and from stitutions, we should find that the endless cycles ng preparations and contests leave no intermise in the public mind; enter into all the relations subordinate to themselves every other question 1 foreign policy; lead their public men, not their verage of them, to pander to the worst prejudices, stes, the most malignant resentments of the peochange of administration incite the new rulers to t of proscription into every department of the pubom the minister at a great foreign court to the some half-barbarous outpost-thus tending to vhose functions ought to withdraw them the most m party influences, the most unscrupulous partild make large masses welcome war, and even ac1, if it appeared that they could thus counteract tactics, humiliate the rival leader, or remotely election of the next President.

y painfully felt that, as far as the universal choice was relied on to secure for the highest office of most commanding ability or the most signal merit, nounced to have failed. The time of the House tives, not without cost to the constituent body r their services, is continuously taken up, when by a speech of some days' duration, with wrangles f order and angry recriminations; the language e has occasionally sounded the lowest depths of ulent acrimony, as the floor of the legislative hall een the scene of violent personal rencontre. The e barely civilized west, where it has been known

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al disregard of the Sabbath, and constant swearing-fearfully sfigure that great Valley of the Mississippi, destined, inevita y, at no distant day, to be the preponderating section of the tire Union. It is, at this day, impossible to go into any ciety, especially of the older and more thoughtful men, som whom may themselves have borne an eminent part in the lier struggles and service of the commonwealth, withou aring the degeneracy of modern times, and the downward ndency of all things, despondingly insisted upon.

"One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within rticular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of her districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much agains e jealousies and heart-burnings which spring from these mis presentations. They tend to render alien to each other those no ought to be bound together by fraternal affection. "There is constant danger of the excess of party spirit. The Tort ought to be by the force of public opinion to mitigate and Suage A fire not to be quenched, it demands a uniform gilance to prevent its bursting into a flame, lest, instead of rming, it should consume. WASHINGTON's Farewell Ad

ess.

it.

"America seems really to be cursed with some selfish, mean liticians, who, through gross ignorance and entire reckless ss of moral principles, add only views of the most narrow and did character, and are incapable of understanding upon any ge and comprehensive principle of right and justice, and of garding, with a single eye, the great interests of humanity." COLMAN'S Letters, vol. i. p. 183.

CHAPTER XVII.

REQUISITES FOR OFFICE.

in offices under fifty years of age-Should hold office for y, except clerks, &c.-Qualifications-Causes of incomces-Huckstering politicians-Thomas Jefferson's letter

ms by electoral colleges and legislative bodies, atments by presidents, governors, collectors, &c., 7 and naval officers, ambassadors, consuls, clerks, aborers, and to fill vacancies till the next election, ver abolished.

- except those last named, should be elected by et, and by the direct vote of a plurality of the y all the white male, free, native, lawful voters wnship, city, county, State, &c., for which the ed, including the executive, legislature, and judineral, State, and territorial governments. not inequitably interfere with a general repree choice of national officers, by their election by the district for which they are intended.

judges, collectors, and port-master would be sertion, instead of the whole people of the United ow the theory.

wever, more show than substance in this; and the sistency would be entirely reconciled by its reter and results; for, while the citizens of Boston, tts, being but an integral part of the whole peoAge, collector, or port-master, this supposed inconDe counterbalanced by the exercise of like power s of every other district; the services of these be executed for the special accommodation of n they were elected.

ion or nomination would be from amongst, and 1 they immediately serve, and their commissions

The chief executive officers of every government should b similar birth and age, and derive their appointment from th me plurality of suffrage, and hold it for the same term, an th like ineligibility, and serve out their term of office to ther, so as to secure their harmony and usefulness.

Where a district has more than one judge, or legislator, th lf, or the one-third of them, according to their. number ould succeed each other every two years.

Politics and office are used as business and trade. Person power seldom act on the merits of a case; the truth an ght but seldom govern; private influences prevail; a frien reward, an enemy to punish, if not a corrupt inducement t cite, is ever in the way of impartial and independent action th incumbents superficially qualified, with loose morals, care ssly selected, and holding place to secure its continuance, o a stepstone for another post. There is now none of the an ent dignity of government.

The solemnities of authority are treated with derision, an cre is an entire relaxation in the discipline and decorums o ciety.

One reason for this perhaps is that children are not tho ughly educated and prepared for their trades and callings, and e not made workmen and masters, with well grounded and solute habits of industry and morality.

They pass their minority in idleness, and are suffered to g to the world but half fitted for its responsibilities.

Hence the swarms of lazy and presumptuous adventurer no precipitate themselves, unqualified, into the professions e bankrupts from every half-tried pursuit at public meet gs seeking office; the presidents, secretaries, and directors of nks, insurance offices, brokers and stock-jobbers, who have led in business, because they have not had stability to pre re themselves for, and patient resolution to follow up, the arsuit or trade with which they began life.

No man should be employed by the people who has shown mself unfit to manage his own affairs; a lawyer, a doctor, o

hold any office.

er, a mechanic, or any other man, who has not skill, and prudence to succeed in his own businough to be a corporation director, an officer in use, a member of the legislature, or to hold any nd yet the most important offices are too often

men.

ill not behave himself so as to command the contronage of his fellow-citizens, and thereby be ena respectable living in his private trade or purt to undertake the business of the public. There in which such men have not made bad officers. ng themselves, throw it upon lads for clerks; no r is preserved, and everything is neglected. les which require suitable preparation for a trade pply with greater reason and force to an approon for public duty. Mere party faith, importunal popularity should have no weight in selections first and fundamental inquiry should be as to his is entire fitness for all the duties and details of

more effectually bring the man, and his office, to contempt, than an ignorant, incompetent, or mbent.

norant mechanics push themselves into the ofs of the peace, county officers, judicial, legislastations, without any suitable qualification. 1 be thought of an alderman who committed a rison for contempt, because he offered to enter an 3 judgment?—or of one who avowed that he ale parties patiently through, and then entered. rding to law; that is, according to his rule of the form of a judgment entry for plaintiff, given rney when he took his commission, and in which lank to fill up but the amount, in which he said r, for he always made the plaintiff name the sum, as clear of all responsibility, leaving the parties y by an appeal?

on of the intelligence of the magistraev would