en, cast up its
sediments, and gave out a bitter stream of pollution.

In every age, an universal pestilence has hushed the clamor of contention,
and cooled the heats of parties; but the greatness of our national
calamity seemed only to enkindle the fury of political parties.
Contentions never ran with such deep streams and impetuous currents, as
amidst the ruin of our industry and prosperity. States were greater
debtors to foreign nations, than their citizens were to each other. Both
states and citizens shrunk back from their debts, and yet more dishonestly
from the taxes necessary to discharge them. The General Government did not
escape, but lay becalmed, or pursued its course, like a ship, at every
furlong touching the rocks, or beating against the sands. The Capitol
trembled with the first waves of a question which is yet to shake the
whole land. New questions of exciting qualities perplexed the realm of
legislation, and of morals. To all this must be added a manifest decline
of family government; an increase of the ratio of popular ignorance; a
decrease of reverence for law, and an effeminate administration of it.
Popular tumults have been as frequent as freshets in our rivers; and like
them, have swept over the land with desolation, and left their filthy
slime in the highest places:--upon the press;--upon the legislature;--in
the halls of our courts;--and even upon the sacred bench of Justice. If
unsettled times foster dishonesty, it should have flourished among us.
And it has.

Our nation must expect a periodical return of such convulsions; but
experience should steadily curtail their ravages, and remedy their immoral
tendencies. Young men have before them lessons of manifold wisdom taught
by the severest of masters--experience. They should be studied; and that
they may be, I shall, from this general survey, turn to a specific
enumeration of the causes of dishonesty.

1. Some men find in their bosom from the first, a vehement inclination to
dishonest ways. Knavish propensities are inherent: born with the child and
transmissible from parent to son. The children of a sturdy thief, if taken
from him at birth and reared by honest men, would, doubtless, have to
contend against a strongly dishonest inclination. Foundlings and orphans
under public charitable charge, are more apt to become vicious than other
children. They are usually born of low and vicious parents, and inherit
their parents' propensities. Only the mo