be anything—sex, drugs, smoking, gluttony,rnadultery, avarice, sodomy—you fillrnin the sin, ancient or modern. Maybe wernneed a new federal ad campaign: “Sinrnsafe, sin smart. Responsible sinnersrnknow their limits. Remember, Hell isrnjust a matter of perspective.”rnAnyway, she was willing to take him inrnand wanted to let us know that, and shernpromised to keep in contact with us. Shernis the only one who called. It amazes mernthat an adult will take in a kid withoutrntalking to his parents. Who knows whatrnsort of story teens tell these compassionaternsuckers who give them a warm bedrnand a decent meal. “My Dad beats me”rn(no, but your mother wishes he would);rn”My parents don’t love me” (whichrnmeans that we don’t like some of the typicalrnteen behavior); “My Mom never letsrnme use the phone or go out with myrnfriends” (after nine o’clock on schoolrndays); “My parents just don’t understand”rn(how you can be such a selfishrnbrat).rnI didn’t have the heart to give my runawayrnboy the hollow cookie man whenrnhe came home for the birthday supper.rnHe would have understood the symbolism,rnand it would have hurt him—andrnme. I couldn’t bear to give it to any of thernother four boys, much less to throw itrnaway. Symbols are imbued with meaning,rnand I am too superstitious. Later inrnthe week, after much thought, I decidedrnto play the part of the fox myself as an actrnof penance for making it in such a fit ofrnspite. Thinking a little sugar wouldrnmake it easier, I started to frost the emptyrnsoul, and he fell apart in my hands. He isrntoo fragile. He cannot take the pressure.rnLaurel Van Maren writes from FortrnCollins, Colorado.rnLIBERAL ARTSrnHISTORYrnWHITE, BLACK, ENGLISHrn”Tony Bolton won a racial discriminationrncase against the Scottish firmrnhe used to work for. He had sufferedrnverbal and physical abuse and hadrnbeen subjected to dangerous practicalrnjokes —simply because he was English.”rn—from jean Rafferty, “Scotch Wrath”rn(Sunday Times Magazine (London),rnOctober 4, 1998)rnTwo Centuriesrnof Resolvernby K.R. Constantine GutzmanrnThis year is the bicentennial of thernVirginia and Kentucky Resolutionsrnof 1798, the foremost formulations of therncompact theory of the United StatesrnConstitution. By 1798, the Republicansrnfaced an 11-year losing streak. Federalismrnhad reigned supreme in Americanrnpolitics from the end of the Revolution.rnEven before the institudon of the governmentrnof 1787, Republicans (thernname used first by the And-Federalistsrnand later by the larger but overlappiirgrngroup of poliheal allies of Thomas Jefferson)rnfeared its consequences. Virtuallyrnall of their gloomy prognosdcahons, asrnVirginia Federalist Henry Lee soon conceded,rnwere borne out by the actions ofrnthe first Congress imder the new Constitution.rnThe tariff adopted by that Congressrnwas of precisely the sectional characterrnthat Virginia Republicans such as WilliamrnGrayson, George Mason, andrnPatrick Henry had predicted during thernOld Dominion’s debate over ratification.rnMore importantiy, despite his assurancesrnto the contrary in the Richmond Conventionrnof 1788, James Madison movedrnto insure that the first amendments to thernConstitution would have no real substance.rnHenry and Mason saw their pet proposalsrn—a supermajority requirement forrntariff legislation and reduction of thernnew Congress’s discretion to tax—go virtuallyrnunnoted. Virginia’s new senators,rnGrayson and former Continental CongressrnPresident Richard Henry Lee, wererndisgusted to note that they were the lonernRepublicans in the new Senate.rnFederalism was ascendant, and somernof the opponents of ratification resolvedrnto let the new government collapse underrnits own weight. Thomas Jeffersonrnwas persuaded to become George Washington’srnfirst secretary of state, but thernbrilliant, young Alexander Hamilton hadrnoutsmarted him. Following the examplernof former British Prime Minister RobertrnWalpole, Hamilton ensconced himselfrnin the real locus of power in the new government:rnthe Department of the Treasury.rnSoon, the Federalist-dominated Congressrnhad complied with Hamilton’srnpleas to assume the states’ debts. Overrnthe constitutional objections of SecretaryrnJefferson, it created the national bankrnHamilton wanted. Eventually, excisesrnwere imposed, and President Washingtonrnrode out at the head of an army to enforcernthem. In foreign policy, Hamiltonrnmoved to cement America’s trade relationsrnwith Great Britain by toeing thernEnglish line vis-a-vis France.rnEventually, the Jay Treaty, negotiatedrnby Chief Justice John Jay, carried tacit alliancernwith England to a point mostrnAmericans apparently interpreted as subordination.rnThe treaty did virtually nothingrnto stop naval impressments or to providernAmericans with compensation forrnslaves stolen by the British during thernRevolution. The populace was incensed.rnFrance, America’s first foreignrnally and the key benefactor of the ContinentalrnArmy in the Revolution, reactedrnangrily, even aggressively.rnRepublicans were dismayed. Theirrnpreference for an agrarian polity hadrnbeen subordinated to Hamilton’s preferencernfor manufactures, mercantilism,rnand a strong military establishment. Virginia’srnFrench tobacco market wasrnthreatened, to boot.rnWhat could make matters worse?rnWhen George Washington retired afterrntwo terms as President, the throne wasrnfilled by John Adams. Adams had rousedrnRepublicans’ suspicions in several ways.rnAs Vice President, he had initiated arnmovement in the first days of the firstrnSenate to address the President (andrnthus, the Vice President) by honorific titles.rnHe had himself driven in an ostentatiousrncoach, and (unfortimately for hisrnpolitical career) he let slip to severalrnprominent Republicans (including twornVirginia senators) that he did not expectrnrepublicanism to survive in Americarnwithout an admixture of hereditaryrntenure in the Senate and, perhaps, in thernexecutive branch. Republicans, particularlyrnVirginia Republicans (some ofrnwhom had helped to persuade an exhaustedrnWashington to serve a secondrnterm as chief magistrate), knew thatrnGeorge Washington could have made arnbid for monarchical power if he hadrnwanted to, and they were grateful that hernhad not betrayed their trust. When Johnrn46/CHRONICLESrnrnrn