Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Life and Character of the Chevalier John Paul Jones, a Captain in the Navy of the United States, During Their Revolutionary War, Dedicated to the Officers of the American Navy
IT is in the revolutions of empires that truly great men make themselves known. ln the tranquil scenes of peace the human intellect, with little excitement, and without a grand object, is inert, exhausted in common pursuits, or wastes itself in placid contemplation, or in the pleasures of life. When powerful sentiments animate the heart, and en lightened views direct us to the attainment of benefits calcu lated to secure the freedom, happiness, and prosperity of the human race, the soul expands, the mental faculties assume their natural proportion and energy, and, in defiance of the artificial distinctions of society, genius, and talents, however originally obscure, burst from concealment, shine with re splendent lustre, and manifest themselves in actions which command the esteem and admiration of the world. The history of all nations, ancient as well as modern, attest the truth of this assertion; and France in articular, within the last thirty-five years, furnishes proof in abundance, that whatever distinctions are created y systems of social order, in behalf of birth and fortune, nature distributes her favours without regard to wealth or rank.
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This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
