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Letter to Editor
September 23, 1839
Alexandria Gazette
Alexandria, Alexandria County, District Of Columbia
What is this article about?
In a letter dated August 30, 1831, from Philadelphia, Mathew Carey expresses pessimism about the hopeless state of the country, declining public morals, and his own physical frailties—being toothless, crippled, and half-blind—while affirming his undiminished intellectual powers, quoting Pope and referencing Mrs. Thrale's 'Three Warnings.'
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Full Text
'LAST WORDS.'
Dear Sir: 'I am greatly below par. I am fearful that the state of the country is hopeless. Public morals are at the lowest ebb: and private share a portion of the same fate. Regard for self appears to be the predominant feeling: Every man for himself, as the Dutchman said when he had seized all he could lay his hands on. Prospects have heretofore been as gloomy in some points of view as at present; but we could always heretofore see 'a little cherub smiling aloft,' to cheer us on our way; but no telescope can enable us to see 'a cherub aloft' at present.
'My general health is as good as usual—But the feebleness of my limbs rather increases. And my remaining eye cannot perform its functions by the light of the lamp,' as it was wont to do. I think much of Mrs. Thrale's 'Three Warnings.' I too have my three warnings: not, however, exactly the same as hers. I am in a great measure toothless, a cripple, and half blind. But I find no decay in my intellectual powers; on the contrary I agree with the poet, (Pope:)
The soul's dark cottage, batter'd and decay'd,
Lets in new light through chinks which time has made.'
'Yours, very respectfully
MATHEW CAREY.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 30, 1831.'
Dear Sir: 'I am greatly below par. I am fearful that the state of the country is hopeless. Public morals are at the lowest ebb: and private share a portion of the same fate. Regard for self appears to be the predominant feeling: Every man for himself, as the Dutchman said when he had seized all he could lay his hands on. Prospects have heretofore been as gloomy in some points of view as at present; but we could always heretofore see 'a little cherub smiling aloft,' to cheer us on our way; but no telescope can enable us to see 'a cherub aloft' at present.
'My general health is as good as usual—But the feebleness of my limbs rather increases. And my remaining eye cannot perform its functions by the light of the lamp,' as it was wont to do. I think much of Mrs. Thrale's 'Three Warnings.' I too have my three warnings: not, however, exactly the same as hers. I am in a great measure toothless, a cripple, and half blind. But I find no decay in my intellectual powers; on the contrary I agree with the poet, (Pope:)
The soul's dark cottage, batter'd and decay'd,
Lets in new light through chinks which time has made.'
'Yours, very respectfully
MATHEW CAREY.
PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 30, 1831.'
What sub-type of article is it?
Reflective
Emotional
Philosophical
What themes does it cover?
Social Issues
Morality
What keywords are associated?
Public Morals
National Pessimism
Personal Health
Intellectual Powers
Mathew Carey
What entities or persons were involved?
Mathew Carey
Dear Sir
Letter to Editor Details
Author
Mathew Carey
Recipient
Dear Sir
Main Argument
the state of the country is hopeless with public morals at their lowest, mirroring personal selfishness, while the writer faces physical decline but maintains strong intellectual faculties.
Notable Details
Quotes Alexander Pope's Poetry On The Soul's Resilience
References Mrs. Thrale's 'Three Warnings' And Adapts It To Personal Ailments