Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political

ECONOMICAL ALMANACK
MAY
"Venerate the Plough;
o'er our hills and long withdrawing vales;
Let autumn spread his treasures to the sun
Luxuriant and unbounded."
THOMPSON.

While every beast is exulting on his freedom, suffer not the submissive ox to pine in servitude. Let thy crib reward him for his toil in the field. Never urge him beyond his strength.
Art thou above feeling for a brute, consult thy own interest—an hour's ill usage may deprive thee of his labour for a month. Whatever is retrenched from his feed in the spring, you must more than doubly pay it in the fall, or lose the injured sufferer.
But I will not interrupt the eloquence of May by dictating what all "bounteous nature" cannot fail to impress on the dilated heart: the lesson of universal benevolence.
The blithe husbandman, surrounded by the verdure and accompanied by the music of May, will find himself sufficiently amused and instructed from "Nature's library," while whistling after his plough, or scattering his grain in the furrow, instead of considering his labor a toil, I believe he will esteem it a pleasure, and be ready to exclaim with enthusiastic Frank, "O that spring would last for-ever!"
I will leave him in dalliance with May in her gayest attire; return to my shop and strike off a lecture gratis, for my brother apprentices, and young men of generous hearts and small capitals.
"When kind tumults seize the veins and all the yielding soul is love"—let the aspiring youth, "beware"—of making promises.
If a smiling season and the glowing cheek of beauty have exposed your heart to the arrows of love, make a truce with Cupid, till you experience the effect of December's chilling frost upon the ardour of your passion.
Spring love often freezes in the winter; and love once congealed seldom pursues its old channel again.
Early marriages are a public blessing; but unhappy matches, a private curse. A man in love is always generous, and a generous person never thinks himself poor.
A young man is too poor to marry till he has the certain means of earning, at least three times as much in a year as he expends when single. While I am upon the subject of economies, I will suggest an economical, and, I think, judicious way of carrying on a courtship.
Instead of riding into the adjacent towns, and spending a dollar or two every week or fortnight, let the young tradesman establish himself in business, and the poor laborers procure a small farm and decent house, free from debt, and the business, though perhaps never thought of, is at least, half performed.
It is a light objection that your acquaintance with the sex will be too superficial for a good choice. The roving rake, who tells you he is in pursuit of a good wife, is hunting bad women.
I leave him to his course—while he is overtaken in his irregular pursuit by an untimely and inclement winter; let temperance and industry strew your path, through the seasons of life, with the flowers of perpetual May.