Still Topical After 210 Years...

... is President George Washington's 'Farewell Address'. It can be found in the original at http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Washington%27s_Farewell_Address and in a modern translation at http://blag.xkcd.com/2007/01/29/washingtons-farewell-address-translated-into-the-vernacular/. It's definitely worth reading and thinking about.