" "No, Sir," says the guide, "I have made no mistake; this is really the Earth, and these are men. Devils never treat one another in this cruel manner; they have more sense, and more of what men (vainly) call humanity." (To Joseph Priestley, June 7, 1782)
THE BALD EAGLE AS AN EMBLEM OF AMERICA. For my own part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly; you may have seen him perched on some dead tree, near the river where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing-hawk; and, when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him, and takes it from him. With all this injustice he is never in good case; but, like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. Besides, he is a rank coward; the little @Kingbird, not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. In truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of @America. (To @Sarah @Bache, January 26, 1784)
A LOAN. The account of your situation grieves me. I send you herewith a bill for ten @Louis d'ors. I do not pretend to give such a sum; I only lend it to you. When you shall return to your country with a good character, you cannot fail of getting into some business, that will in time enable you to pay all your debts. In that case, when you meet with another honest man in similar distress, you must pay me by lending this sum to him; enjoining him to discharge the debt by a like operation, when he shall be able, and shall meet with such another opportunity. I hope it may thus go through many hands, before it meets with a knave that will stop its progress. This is a trick of mine for doing a deal of good with a little money. I am not rich enough to afford much in good works, and so am obliged to be cunning and make the most of a little. (To Benjamin @Webb, April 22, 1784)
SPELLING. In my opinion, as our alphabet now stands, the bad spelling, or what is called so, is generally the best, as conforming to the sound of the letters and of the words. To give you an instance: A gentleman receiving a letter, in which were these words,"Not findn Brown at hom, I delivrd your meseg to his yf." The gentleman finding it bad spelling, and therefore not very intelligible, called his lady to help him read it. Between them they picked out the meaning of all but the "yf," which they could not understand. The lady proposed calling her chambermaid: for @Betty, says she, has the best knack at reading bad spelling of any one I know. Betty came, and was surprised that neither sir nor madam could tell what "yf" was. "Why," says she,"yf spells "wife!" What else can it spell?" And, indeed, it is a much better, as well as shorter method of spelling "wife," than by doubleyou, i, ef, e, which in reality spells doubleyifey. (To @Jane @Mecom, July 4, 1786)
