1394. COMMERCE, Cultivate.—
All the
world is becoming commercial. Were it practicable
to keep our new empire separated from
them, we might indulge ourselves in speculating
whether commerce contributes to the happiness
of mankind. But we cannot separate
ourselves from them. Our citizens have had
too full a taste of the comforts furnished by
the arts and manufactures to be debarred the
use of them. We must, then, in our defence
endeavor to share as large a portion as we can
of this modern source of wealth and power.—
To General Washington.
Ford ed., iii, 422.
(A.
1784)
