The National Register. — London, England, 1809-05-21 00:00:00

MAY 21. r. ages would be alwa,s consecrated within its K 31:3, ti difve;s, " if convenient," the newly married persons le " receite the Holy tommumon at the time of their ma, riage." A litong the abuses incident to the solemnization of ma trimony' a ill be loand, Cu, ious as the fact appears; the pre sent custom of ina,.ry ii,g b : the puhlieation of Banns, which was originaily des:geed to coria..ct the very evils whit '~Bich is now pi egaant. banns ()ace wrote down by the clerk, upon the mere aixh. of any person are handed as a inaaier of course, to the Ficst, %Ain reads them " three several or tlotsda‘s," the parties to be mar- ricd are, winiout quesioe, soieninly nailed in wedlock. Now this is done, not withstandieg thitt the rublishing of . sneli BJIIII4 15 especially enjoined for the preveutioa of clan- Marriagei ; turd notwiths'.anding that the curate ol wie parish is not to SOLIIMIZe inetrenony bet weea the parties withont certificate of the banns being twice asked from the cu a.e of ano.her parish, since. an if the persons to be mariaeil dwelt in divers parishes," which is frequently the case, they " must be asked in both parishes !" It is painful to reflect Oil the number of mischievous marriages which take place in this way, and which could not be so easily etfected in any other way. Dr. Audi ewes hared so much between obtaining the con -5211t. and opposing the dissent of parents, respecting matri mony, as to leave his own opinion on this particular doubt ful. ..•iinilarity Of rciigioa entered very properly into his estimat4 of marrhie-,e felicitv. He inclined too much, howeier, to what is called religious courtship and he seemei to exact more, in the event of an unhappy mar riage being contracted by either sex, than poor human nainre IMAM, with the hest of hearts, prove :j . kte to bear. ainly nld Dr. Awl. ewes labour to .inppress the unbe routine; seasaiions, which men can avoid feeling, when, plighting their trued to the woman, they are made to say, after our liturgy, " wi.h my body 1 thee worship:" Here is one of those immaterial improprieties, as to its impor tance to the stability of the church, which might well be done awa i - . Decency is seldom found opposed to piety. " exclaimed die father of mankind, when, at the birth of time, God gave unto him woman, " this is now bone of my belies, and flesh of my flesh ;" and for this cause " shall a man ieieve his father and his mother, and , slid! cleaNe unto his wife."----:.omeinitig Dr. Andrews urged to this effect, but not enough. becoming husband and wife, the male ceases to be son anil the female to be (14.110- tee Mari•iage dis6olkes ail p:evions contr:cts. wo one, and one in two. While the man, leaving his lather and his mother, should cleave only unto his wife; so womm, leaving her father and her mother, should cleave only unto her husband. Obligation is in both re ciprocal. l'arents cease to be children, when children come to be pl rents ; and the fii . st ties of life, estimable as they a f re relaiively, , must yiehl to the ligament of society itself. This is not. sufficiently attended to. Instead of leaving fa thers and mothers, each cleaving to each, as man and wife, both sexes are ioo often seen obstinately adhering to their reseective relations, and thus reciprocally embittering their co:income matrinionically. Woman, however, as well as Mart, ONO, if the happiness of marriage he dear, quit father and mother, and brethren and sisters also. Unless man and wife are of one spirit, it will be of no use that they are made of one flesh. This truth ist much impor tance to the age in which ec live. ONEetarus. The extraordinary ra i .iility %%lin which,the new Theatre at. Covent Garth H. was erecting, h:is been suddenly' checked. The proprietors, in their hurrv, nealecled :o make an ar rair‘:-emi.nt with the land!ord of the Cotfee-honse that for meriv stood at the Uuw s•reet entruice to the pit, and pro ceeded to build upon the ite of his late premisos, without his previous consent. !Living, however, sucrecd:'d in an action of eject nent against them, he yestvulay took poi session, in consequence of the verdict in his fav our ; and having laved his beer-barrels' ithder the grand entrai:Le, he served out his brown stout as usual. TiTE NATIONAL REGISTER. XE A RES. EXHIBITION OF Till ROYAL ACADEMY. 333 No. 123. The Cut Finger, b.l I). W u 1.1(1E. VI. 124. Good Neu:6, bi L Blltll.—No. I-29. Rent-Day, by D. To depict the close distinguishing traits of character in low life, with humourous similitude, yet w idiotic descending into caricature, is among the most plen.ine and the mos! ardu ous tasks of the peecil. The coarse 4 ome,ly of life admits of no ele,ation, :IA is too mean for the ludicrous attractions of bur lesqoe. let are there strik lug incidents, interesting passages, aed scenes, in which the play of the human passions are unnf f.ctedly couspicuous, even among the most boorish and the most initerate, and which must possess attractions the most forcible f.:r him o ho is accustomcd to starer himself to be captivated by oa(urc, in whatever earls he moy chance to find her ; we cannot he surprised, therefore, at perceiving Genius himself sometimes in the pursuit of such objects. The Flemish school enrly distin gu'shcd itselt • by such studies, and all the grossest features of ustic hilarity, rude moose rs, and humble dissipation, were de picte 1 with the strongest touches of Nature. It must, however. ackstowledged that the best productions of this description, which Cie Flemish Masters have left us, frequently disgust her their extreme vulgarity, or tire us st ith their sameness. It was • in England that the comedy of Painting took a higher aim, ex tended its .;cene, :Ind diversified its characters. The pencil of Hog:trill emulated the pen of the most distinguished comic wri ters : the follies of the draw log-room, or the. frolic s o f t h e kitchen, were alike the subjects of his characterizing powers, but lii' satirical vein found such ample gratification in the hese and voluptuous idleness of polished life, that some scenes in inis Rake Progress maybe pronounced to be his chef (tenures. A wide and strongly marked diversity of living traits render his perrormances ever new : we cannot look at them without dis covering some natural discrimination which we never before perceived. Since the time of tloorth there have been many pretenders to the comic department of the art. But, by neglect ing the study of nature they have given us more whim than hu mour, more eccentricity than taste, inure extravagant earicalnr3 than character. It was, therefore, with sincere pleasure that we hailed the first production of Wilkie : and rejoiced ns thou; a Shakspeare ors Jonson again exhibited the &satires of the passions, by means of the powers of another art. The heves which we last year fostered, ate this year realized. In all ( inferior requisites of the Painter's art we find Mr. Wilkie hos acquired that skill which, with its corresponding confidtooe,• !dices the highest freedom of execution within hi; reach, rind imparts vigour to the delineation of his masterly coneeptioes. It is toe want of this confidence, it is his unconfirmed practic e in the minutia , of the art, that threw; Mn. rsIRIVS pirottre of G .ud News so far behind those which he • .ems (1.11 run; o f rival ling. In conception he is probably not lees animated than the North Briton, but he has not acquired the faculty of e mbody- I lug those conceptions %s kit equal facility. To hezin With Thi, Cut Pinger, by WiLlElle, we cannot fail to remark that close correctness with which strong discriminnt la- genius is always accompanied. It is this which renders at sob;cct, that in itser is rf so trivial a nalstre„ exenHolv j 7 ;. terestiog. Infantile emotions are not easily ex prelsed .0 as to be raised into the real iiidicew. We al nos s•smile, best seldom laugh at the fears or follies of childhood. :MR. WILKIE how ever, has found the means to make its laugh, and laugh out right at the simple mai natural terror of. a child who nas cut his finger. This terror, expressed by It conntenarce contorted with violent sobs, streaming with tears, and crimsnned with chocking emotions, is so extravagantly hevond the oceasior, tool so well contrasted by the quiet het benevolent counte , :ance.: of the mother and grandmother, that we are provoked to risibi lity before we are aware, and ar.! delighted iv ith a homonroes absurdity so accurately depicted, before we have !line to check the sentiment of ridicule. Nature, all potverl•ul eatery, when pres. nted to our contemplation by the sac iII r,r (: vo los ever fascinates the attention : she most he ren,lecel c ti:spicutios only ;—we never want what the mere Art:st pretendi to sliew II os,--rm.sro'fis!ou! nature. Simplicity is the Rosil „f every a.l I and from the most sobli me eights of :..netry, t„ the. •lie hies t Isketches of the painter of hionthle life, we -11,t;i ever rind I greatest excellence w here We the Ir 1.1 ;A - frees:ion.— All the suborainate parts of this picture .err hi t . lll v yet they are not thereby rendered too prov.T;loo!. T; ie h_h t sli,tdow are so w:11 motmeeil that aa toneti:t•tc!).9l ktel•vades the whole scene. Ihe brighteess from window C V