The Virginia Gazette

February 11, 1752.

Mr. HUNTER,

Please to insert the following in one of your Gazettes, during the
Present Sitting of our Assembly; and you'll oblige, Sir,

Your humble Servant,
PHILO VIRGINIA.

O Liberty! thou Goddess heav'nly bright,
Profuse of Bliss, and pregnant with Delight!
Eternal Pleasures in thy Presence reign,
And smiling Plenty leads thy wanton Train:
Lass'd of her Load, Subjection grows more light,
And Poverty looks cheerful in thy Sight;
Thou mak'st the gloomy Face of Nature gay,
Giv'st Beauty to the Sun, and Pleasure to the Day.

Addison's Letter from Italy.

R. Warburton has demonstrated, with all the profound Learning and masterly Reasoning peculiar to his Writings, that Religion is of absolute Necessity to the Well-being of civil Society, and accordingly, that all Mankind, especially the most wise and learned Nations of Antiquity, have inculcated it for that Purpose. To this chiefly the various Systems of Pagan Theology owed their Invention and Continuance: And though Christianity is not the Artifice of Politicians to awe the unruly Populace, but bears the most incontestable Credentials of its divine Original, and is chiefly intended and adapted to form us for a happy Immortality; yet it has the strongest Tendency to promote the Weal of Mankind in a civil Capacity. The generous Religion of JESUS is the Religion of Patriots, and the Knowledge of it, with a View to Practice, is of the greatest Importance to Society.

But such is the stupid Thoughtlessness of the Generality, that if left to their own unassisted Enquiries, they would mistake or overlook some of the most obvious Dictates of Natural Religion, though written upon their Hearts; and live in contented Ignorance of Revealed, though shining around them with Almighty Evidence. Hence all civilized Nations have thought it conducive to the Public Weal, to support a Set of Men of the Sacred Character, whose generous Business it is, to concur with the Magistracy in humanizing a savage World, in putting the Reins of licentious Appetite into the controlling Hands of Conscience, and explaining and inculcating the Duties of social Life; as well as to shew Men the Way of Salvation. 'Tis true, the supine Negligence, not to say, the Irreligion and Immorality of some of them, has sunk them into just Contempt, as the useless Lumber or public Nuisances of Society; and the Sacredness of their Character rather enhances their Guilt, than conciliates Veneration. But it is the Characteristic only of Bigotry and Free-thinking, to fling promiscuous Contempt on the whole Set, because some of them act out of Character: And it must be owned, that such of them as follow the Example and Prescriptions of their Divine Master, are extensive Blessings to Mankind; and deserve the Countenance of the civil Government. Such will spend and be spent, devote their Time and exert their Powers, in the faithful Discharge of their important Function: And as this renders them incapable of taking proper Measures to provide for themselves and their Dependents; 'tis highly reasonable that such a competent Maintenance should be secured to them by the civil Government, as may raise them above Want, and extricate them from the Hurries and Incumbrances of Life; which would discompose them in a steady and uninterrupted Application to their Office.-- This must appear highly reasonable at least to the Members of the established Church.

And as for Dissenters, if they enjoy a peaceable Toleration to worship GOD according to their Consciences, I am persuaded but few of them who have been educated in this Colony, and were perhaps Conformists formerly, would deem it an intolerable Grievance to pay their Proportion of the Parish-Levy for the Support of the established Clergy: though they should impose upon themselves the additional Expence of affording a tolerable (tho' lesser) Maintenance, by voluntary Subscriptions, to a Minister of their own Denomination.

Since this is the Case in general, the Laws of this Colony concerning this Affair must appear highly reasonable to that Church in whose Favour they are made; and very tolerable to Dissenters, who are Natives of Virginia.

But it is humbly submitted to the Wisdom of our Legislators in this Session, Whether the public Good may not require some Exceptions in particular Cases?

The particular Case I refer to, is that of the Presbyterians in the Frontier Counties of this Colony, who came immediately from the Northern Colonies, particularly Pennsylvania, and originally from Ireland. Augusta, the largest County perhaps in Virginia, is almost wholly settled by them; and there are Multitudes of them in Lunenburg and Frederick; and considerable Number in Amelia and Albemarle. There are also Thousands of them that transport themselves annually from Ireland to Pennsylvania, who, upon finding no Room there, transplant themselves to some other Colony, where they find greatest Encouragement.

The Experience we have had of them is sufficient to convince us; that tho' they are Dissenters, they have as much Religion as renders them good Subjects, and entitles them to an extensive Toleration. They are also a laborious People, and very much improve the Colony. As the Products of their Land and their Manufactures are different from those of the Virginians, they strengthen the Colony in its weakest Parts, and furnish us with those Necessaries and Accommodations, which our eternal Piddling about the Sovereign Weed Tobacco, hinders us from providing in sufficient Plenty.—It is therefore evident that any Scheme that can be fallen upon for their Encouragement, without injuring the other Parts of the Colony, will tend to general Utility.

Now these People have been educated Presbyterians, and continue strenuous Adherents to that Denomination: Hence they will always endeavour to obtain Presbyterian Ministers among them, and impose upon themselves the Expence of affording them a sufficient Support: And this, together with the Parish-Levy for the Support of the established Church, appears to them a very great Hardship; as it really is, especially in their first Settlement. Hence Multitudes, that would willingly settle in Virginia, are discouraged, and choose to transplant themselves into other Colonies, where they are free from this Tax.

They groaned under the Burden of exorbitant Tithes and Decimations in their native Country; which was the chief Reason of their leaving it: And they are very cautious of settling again in a Colony where they may feel the same Imposition, though in a more tolerable Degree. They have tasted the Sweets of Liberty and moderate Levies in Pennsylvania, and I can think of no other Reason for their transporting themselves from Ireland into that Colony rather than this: And had they the same Encouragement in Virginia, they would no doubt come immediately here from their native Country; which would not only tend to the Advantage of this Colony, but their own; as it would prevent the Trouble and Expence of so many fruitless Migrations, first from Ireland to Pennsylvania, then from one Part of that Colony into another, then into Virginia, and perhaps from here into Carolina.

Arguments from Matter of Fact are more convictive and indisputable than from abstract speculative Topics. Now it is evident in Fact; That of all the Plantations in English America, Pennsylvania has flourished most in Trade, and increased in Inhabitants, considering how lately it was settled. It was planted near 100 Years after Virginia, and yet it is much better improved, and more closely inhabited. Philadelphia, its Metropolis, was found, by a late Calculation, to be larger than Boston, which is twice as old, and consequently the largest City in North-America. It is the Mart of Nations, and Multitudes from most Countries in Europe are yearly crowding into it; who enrich it with the peculiar Improvements of their respective Countries; who unite their various Arts, and exert their different Genius's to make it flourish with a blended Profusion of all the useful Peculiarities of most of the European Nations.

And what but Liberty, charming Liberty, is the resistless Magnet that attracts so many different Nations into that flourishing Colony? The bitter Experience they have had in Germany, and other Parts of the European Continent, of the exorbitant Impositions of their petty Princes and voracious Ecclesiastics, and in the fertile Island of Ireland, of intolerable Taxes, strikes them with Horror at the Thought of exposing themselves to any Degree of the same Severity again. Hence they generally transport themselves into Pennsylvania, and choose to be crowded together in so moderate a Government, rather than expatiate at large under useless Exactions ;--useless, I mean, to them; as they receive no Advantage from that Church, which they are obliged to support.

It is well known, there is an immense Quantity of Land unsettled to the Westward of this Colony, towards Mississippi; the Settlement of which would tend to the general Advantage of the Colony, and the private Benefit of particular Persons, who have taken up Land there. And who so fit to settle it, as these hardy Hibernians, who alone have Fortitude enough to encounter the numberless Discouragements that must attend an infant Plantation in so distant a Part of the Continent; and who, like irriguous Streams from Mountain-Springs, would diffuse Plenty through all the Land from these American Alps?

It is therefore humbly submitted to the Legislature, Whether the Passing an Act to exempt such Protestant Dissenters from paying towards the Support of the established Church, as have or may settle in the Frontier Counties of this Colony, from the Northern Provinces, or any Nation in Europe (that may be thought worthy, to be naturalized and tolerated) would not be of great Utility?

'Tis probable, some Petitions may be presented for this Purpose; and this is only intended to introduce them.