TO trace the general outlines of the human character in all its various modifications, from the mere savage to the civilized European, is attended with manifold advantages to the con­templative philosopher, whose object is knowledge and truth. Man, whether he wanders through the gloomy forests in quest of prey, or on some solitary stream erects his miserable wigwam to shelter himself from the summer's burning heat, or the winter's ruthless storm; or whether he be employed in the peaceful pursuits of agriculture, fertilizing the barren waste of nature, and chang­ing the dismal recess of wild beasts into cultivated fields, is equally worthy of attention.

[Page 4]IF, however, we observe him forsake his dan­gerous abode among ravenous animals, ever ready to devour him, bid adieu to his productive plan­tation, and seat himself on the banks of some navigable river, from whence committing himself to the wide expanse of the ocean, he may traverse the extensive circumference of the globe from the north pole to the south pole—every faculty of the mind is lost in wonder and astonishment. Although in all these situations an infinite variety is found in the human character; yet when mankind unite under one system of laws and government, a simi­lar tone is given to their actions in many points, which constitutes a national character. If by sur­veying the transactions which now pass before us, we reflect on our own times, or by resorting to history take a view of past ages, we find some nations distinguished by the possession of generous virtues, and others contemned for their baseness, their profligacy, their brutal depravity. Such a remarkable difference has been the subject of the investigation of men of genius, who by their in­formation have added to the general happiness of man. The deep researches, the reasoning, and the eloquence of a Hume, have proved, beyond dispute, that it arises from physical causes, aided [Page 5] by the slow, uniform, but effectual operation of moral influence. In what other manner can we account for the present situation of Italy, the land of the Scipio's, of Cato, and of Brutus? Or why should the country where a Leonidas and a Miltiades fought, be now subject to Turkish ig­norance and oppression? The question has been frequently asked, why are the French gay, sprightly and ingenious? And why are the English proud, assuming, and with all sensible, silent and sedate? Can any one imagine that so great a dissimilarity is owing to the difference of the atmosphere or the climate of Calais and Dover? If then, we may attribute the variety of human manners to a system of legislation, to the peculiar form of go­vernment, or the mode of its administration; to religion, and other incidental moral, as well as to natural causes, with what rapture may we not an­ticipate the rising respectability of the American name! Placed in a situation equally remote from the heat of the south and the cold of the north; in possession of a representative republican go­vernment, whose chief object is equal liberty, secured to all by salutary laws; an unexampled improvement in every moral and social virtue must be the necessary result. Descended from ances­tors [Page 6] of various nations, we have, it is true, in some measure, yet to form a complete and uniform national character. Notwithstanding this, and although we have not long been known in the catalogue of nations, some general distinctions exist, from which we may infer what will be the prominent features of our riper years. When, in an unclouded morning, we contem­plate the glories of the rising sun, we may easily know what will be his splendor, having attained a meridian elevation. Prior to the commencement of the late war, an idea prevailed that men, as well as the brute creation, degenerated in America. In England it was presumed as an undeniable fact, that we had nothing of the soldier in us, and were destitute of courage. Even we ourselves, depressed by fear, the natural consequence of colonial humi­liation, acknowledged the inferiority of the West­ern world, when compared to Europe, which was considered unrivalled in the arts of peace, and terrible in war. Upon the favorable conclusion, however, of the conflict, which terminated in the acknowledgement of our independence; when genius celebrated the noble deeds of our country­men, in shaking off the infamous yoke of foreign slavery; when the poet, the philosopher, and the [Page 7] historian combined in commemorating this won­derful revolution, a contrary opinion, supported by the warmest enthusiasm in our favor, pervaded like lightning all Europe. A sublime predilection for the American name extended over every part of the civilized world; our country was consider­ed as the abode of innocence, the asylum of dis­tress, the refuge of misfortune, and the favorite seat of Liberty and of every Muse. At present, however, how extraordinary the change! Volumes have been composed to prove that in opposing British oppression, we were actuated by avarice, the basest of all considerations, to resist the im­position of a few taxes. We have been repre­sented as being venal, corrupt, covetous and pros­tituted to every species of vice: To controvert these opprobrious ideas, so injurious to the wel­fare of a growing empire, is the duty of every man who prides himself upon the interest and dig­nity of his country.

IT is of great importanee that the world should believe that we are not a mean and dastardly, but a proud and generous nation, cultivating good will with every people, without shewing a particular predilection for any, save those to whom we are bound by solemn obligations for past services, as [Page 8] far as is consistent with national independence. What do riches, and power, and dominion avail a nation without honor? An unsullied good name is not of more importance to an individual than independent principles of conduct in a nation. The poor Swiss, who toil with incessant labour on their barren mountains, are infinitely more re­spected than the debased Italian, whose perfidy and effeminacy are equally execrated and despised.

IN examining particularly the manners of the in­habitants of the United States, we find that the east difffers in many respects from the south, and the west from the coasts of the Atlantic▪ Industry, sobriety, frugality and enterprise form the charact­eristics of the inhabitants of New England; that they are destitute of courage, or of the other martial virtues is an imputation not to be supported by facts. The guardian angel of America when dark clouds of distress hung over her destiny; e'er the gloom of suspense was dispelled by the opening dawn of success, received every assistance from them. A low case of manners and habits, a liberal plan of legislation, and of municipal regulation, an equal distribution of real property, a general diffu­sion of knowledge, these constitute the basis of their character.

[Page 9]HAVING passed over the States of New-York and New Jersey, we find ourselves in the Country of Penn, whose fame is as extensive as the remotest corners of civilization—The wise laws which he prescribed—The equitable policy which he pursued—The pacific disposition which he displayed towards the Natives—The hospita­ble assylum which he afforded to the distressed of every country into whose wounds of affliction he poured the balm of comfort in a short time raised the reputation of Pennsylvania. Franklin, whose memory will be venerated by the latest ages, fol­lowed next, and to their successive efforts, that State is indebted for each useful institution and for every improvement which has elevated the Penn­sylvanians to a rank not surpassed in the union.

A magnificient hospitality, a high sense of honour, the generous effusions of the soul, a mild and liberal disposition, unless provoked by premedi­tated insults; such are the traits of the inhabitants of the southern States. They possess a natural viva­city of genious superior to that of the North, and though knowledge is not generally diffused, they have in many instances attained the highest summit in the arts and sciences; as the evening star in the west spreads its rays with superior lustre amidst the [Page 10] twinkling lights which are scattered over the fir­mament, so the distinguished characters of these parts of the union are unrivalled in fame. Although slavery usually produces a ferocious disposition as the West-Indies wo [...]fully prove, it has not yet here caused such an effect. The Southern people detest slavery though absolute necessity forces them to vindicate it on that ground alone. To justify it upon any other principle would excite their ab­horrence and contempt. The people beyond the Alleghany Mountains appear to be rapidly im­proving. Indeed the very country which they inhabit must naturally nourish in them a sensation favor­able to the production of a bold and independent spirit—Dispersed over a vast tract of country, free as the untutored sons of nature who surround them, among rocks and mountains, amidst extensive woods, into which corruptions have never entered; every object of nature teaches them to abhor the Tyranny of man; They enjoy a situation which by giving an honest simplicity of manners, exhalts the mind, and renders it fit for every noble effort. The favorite airs of liberty will be chant­ed on the banks of the Ohio long after the shores of the Atlantic are covered by a servile croud. When the Hudson, the Delaware, and the Potomac [Page 11] shall no more water the favorite land of Freedom, her praises in dulcet strains will be echoed from the Miami to the Illinois, while the people situate on the banks of the lakes Michigan, Huron, and Superior shall catch with rapture the enchanting sound.

THE patriotic bosom however indulges the pleasing hope that these small distinctions which we have been obliged to trace, will vanish into a gradual assimulation of manners, and that by a constant and frequent intercourse, every name be abolished, save that of the truely great and honorable title of free Americans.

IN speaking of our countrymen generally as an united people, it is natural to ask in what respect are the inhabitants of Europe superior to ourselves? That country it is true, is a Theatre on which human na­ture has appeared to great advantage, and where society has attained both in modern times and past ages a high perfection—vices and crimes however of the blackest dye overballance their most celebrated actions; suppose a moment for arguments sake, that they are more rich, more informed than we; the multiplicity of their wants, the torments of their avarice, the never ceasing agitations of their insatiable passions make them less happy. [Page 12] Cunning in them having taken place of wisdom and treachery of fortitude, the mind in many in­stances has lost its vigor, and the heart its gene­rosity. If we admire what is great among them, let us somewhat moderate our esteem, and not pro­digally pay to them the homage due to virtue with­out reserving some for ourselves. We have al­ready produced every thing that is elegant in let­ters, and great in arms. A Rittenhouse in Astro­nomy, a Franklin in Philosophy, a Jefferson in Council, and a Washington in the Field—Our country has already given birth to poets, and may soon produce historians and orators, who will in­clude every thing that is excellent in man. In the late war, military ardor rose to heroism, and pub­lic virtue to the utmost pitch of patriotism. We are not yet debased by oppression, narrowed by the perpetual pressure of distress, corrupted by education, or tainted by excessive luxury, which poisons the morals of a people and destroys the most firmly established empires, as the ashes of Carthage, the ruins of Rome, the events of modern days, and the experience of all ages incontestibly prove—Possessed of a system of jurisprudence, or­ganized in pursuance of the principles of equal rights, whereby a chance of arriving to places of [Page 13] honor, is afforded to all possessed of virtue and talents—Pride and haughtiness are but rarely seen among us; the villainage of the feudal system which is incompatible with whatever the friends of hu­manity regard with attachment and love, and the gloomy and abominable system of aristocracy whose mon­strous impositions no words can express, do not here paralize the mind—we evince what happy ef­fects industry, freed from the fetters of despotism, begets in promoting the happiness of the human species—our country begins to assume the appear­ance of a well cultivated garden, our merchantmen cover the oceans. Like a swarm of bees on laureat wings fly over the flowery mead to gather in their hive the sweets of every blossom, so the indefatiga­ble Americans sail over the bosom of the boundless ocean, collecting the productions of every clime; on the bleak coasts of Greenland the huge monster of the deep falls a victim to our dexterity, and the riches of the east overflow our land.

BY having an equal concern in the welfare and prosperity of our country, a thorough conviction is produced in the minds of all men to conduct them­selves with moderation and according to the dictates of reason. It would tend to the eternal ruin and dis­grace of an individual to suffer ambition to lead [Page 14] him astray in a country where the genius of liber­ty sits enthroned in the heart of every citizen.

INDEPENDENT in our circumstances, we think and act for ourselves, unawed by the frowns of a superior, without presuming to dictate a rule of conduct for another. That freedom of principle and of thought which yields only to reason, and knows no other denomination, the high and uncon­querable soul of a republican, which bends to no­thing but justice, is emphatically the glory of our countrymen. Genius, which flourishes in every age and country, is not sown in ours with a spar­ing hand. We cultivate the sciences and arts, which alone distinguish the man in a state of civilization from the savage; the more particularly as we con­sider knowledge the safe bulwark of our political rights, which would soon be lost if the dark clouds of barbarism should overspread a country at present inhabited by a nation, I will venture to say, the most free and enlightened in the world. Works of sentiment, of the imagination and of taste enable us to perceive the beauties of nature and art, while philosophical speculations have multiplied the en­joyments and diminished the miseries of man.

WHAT nation is superior to us in dignity of [...] in obedience to the [...] in our love of [Page 15] liberty and of our country, in perseverance, in toils, in contempt of death? The occurrences of our re­volution prove that no people face real danger with greater resolution and constancy of mind. In the over memorable year of 1776, when we were near­ly precipitated into the dreadful gulph of destruc­tion, led on by determined valor, and supported by a steady resolution, we accomplished a revolution, the wonder even of our enemies.

HUMANITY which flows from the pure fountain of a generous disposition forms a bright gem in in our national character. Let our criminal code of laws speak for itself, and let it be considered how solitary are the instances of public executions. We cultivate peace with all mankind, and do not permit ourselves to be hurried into war, lest we should become the robbers of mankind, insatiable of plunder. A maxim sacred among us and which has a considerable influence upon our morals is the free exercise of religion or in other words an universal toleration. It has introduced a liberal sentiment, it has banished superstition from our shores, it has dissipated persecution, which is dic­tated by black revenge, and urged on by malice; in peace or war, in the bright days of prosperity, or in the dark and tempestuous nights of adversity, [Page 16] such a principle ought never to be abandoned. No European nation can be compared to us in this respect, as they are mostly corrupted by a bigotted priesthood, whose contempt for human nature has humbled man in the dust. If in our republican government the voice of faction is heard to roar in murmurs from one end of the continent to the other, the disorders incident to it, are not so de­grading to humanity as the dead calm which ac­companies peaceful servitude; It keeps the mind in a continual state of ferment which prevents it from stagnating into sluggishness, and the heart in unceasing agitation, which keeps it alive to eve­ry warm emotion. If animosities are virulent and keen, FRIENDSHIP burns with redoubled heat.

HAVING enumerated these advantages of our countrymen, a duty now remains to point out wherein we are yet to be corrected. In forming a complete national character, we ought to avoid a servile imitation of foreign customs and manners, as inconsistent with true independence. In visit­ing other countries, the end of our travels ought to be to glean that species of information which may lead us to prize the comforts and advantages we possess at home, and if we should perceive excel­lencies that will mend our hearts, they ought to be [Page 17] treasured up in our memory, to apply them with advantage to our country. Our fame ought not to be tarnished with the affected imitation of fo­reign buffoonery, or our natural respectability be sullied by the introduction of vices engendered in a foreign land. Having obtained a considerable degree of glory, we ought to pride ourselves in a certain elevation of mind, which nations of inferi­or order can never obtain. Such an independent spi­rit, arising from a conscious superiority, produces many laudable exertions. We ought to reverence public and private virtue, without regarding wealth or family: It was this virtuous idea which raised the Roman empire to its unexampled greatness, preserved its renown, and when it was once lost, its military fame sunk behind a gloomy horison into endless night. Let us consider what great re­sources are to be found in valor, and a zeal for the public good, and let not affluence compensate for the absence of every good quality, as the lust of gain extinguishes the spirit of patriotism, the feelings of humanity, and even the sense of shame.

WHEN we consider that ingratitude is a crime unequalled in baseness, and one of the greatest evils from which a total prostration of virtue easi­ly proceeds, monuments ought to be erected to [Page 18] perpetuate the remembrance of the exploits of the patriot; poetry, in effusions of enthusiasm, resound his immortal praise, and eloquence, with irresisti­ble force, proclaim his fame. Do not, however, oh! my countrymen, degenerate into a servile herd of fawning sycophants. With such principles to regulate our conduct, no doubt remains but the Americans will increase in polished elegance and republican virtue, be courted as the pattern of ex­cellence, and esteemed for their magnanimous vir­tue. We shall have refinements among us to put us on an equality with the first of men, and ta­lents which will command universal respect.

BROTHERS, we are met once more in our wig­wam to celebrate the birth-day of our institution, a day sacred to the memory of TAMMANY, the patron of our Society and the tutelar saint of our country. In thus rendering homage due to the fa­vorite son of Liberty, we ought not to be unmind­ful of the many blessings which we have received from the great Author of Nature, both in our indi­vidual and collective capacity. More than ten times have the flowers of the spring breathed their per­fume, and the green foliage of summer blasted by the nipping frost of succeeding winter, since we first met to smoke the calumet of peace. The hatchet and [Page 19] the tomahawk, those dreadful implements of war, lying buried deep, we have all this while only talked over the ordinary occurrences which take place in times of peace, when the war-whoop and the hor­rid yells of contending foes are not heard to re­sound from the banks of our rivers to the distant mountains. It is a pleasing reflection to us that in the mean time we did not neglect to form the chain of friendship; to make its links more bright and lasting; to hold forth the hand of charity; to re­spect virtue; to cherish patriotism; to maintain our native love of independence; to support and form a national character; and, above all things, to defend with unceasing ardor and perseverance those principles which gave us existence as a na­tion—honour, justice, firmness and humanity for­bid us to relinquish them; they will flourish as long as nature ceases not to perform her various operations. Although the horizon of our institu­tion is somewhat obscured by a passing cloud, we may reasonably hope that a more encouraging pros­pect will soon open to our view. Let us, then, not cease to make every exertion to promote the national objects of this society, and to render the American name more and more respectable, by a steady and uniform adherence to the practice of [Page 20] those moral obligations which our society imposes and the good of our country demands. Let us re­flect that war, having desolated Europe, is threat­ening us with the same calamities. The clouds are gathering—the thunder rolls at a distance— no man can divine what will be the result of the impending storm in this tempestuous night. If, in this awful crisis, the sons of Tammany will act as becomes genuine Americans, no doubt remains but the glory of our nation will shine with meri­dian brightness, till the universe be involved in total destruction and time exists no more.