The constitutionalist — Exeter, N.H., 1810-10-15 00:00:00, page 4

Extract from Knickerbocker's His
tory of New- York.
When once an alarm is sounded,
the public, who love dearly to be in
a panic, are not long in want to sup
port it—raise but the cry of yellow
fever, and immediately every head-ache,
and indigestion, and overflowing of
the bile is pronounced the terrible
epidemic—ln like manner in the pres
ent instance, whoever was troubled
with a cholic or lumbago, was sure to
be bewitched, and woe to any unlucky
old woman that lived in his neigh
bourhood. Such a howling abomina
tion could not be suffered to remain
Jong unnoticed, and it accordingly
soon attracted the fiery indignation of
the sober and reflective part of the
community—more especially of those,
who, whilome, had evinced so much
active benevolence in the conversion
of quakers and anabaptists. The grand
council of the amphyctions publicly
set their faces against so deadly and
dangerous a sin, and a severe scrutiny
took place after those nefarious witches,
who were easily detected by devil's
pinches, black cats, broom-sticks, and
the circumstance of their only being
able to weep three tears, and those
out of the left eye.
The number of delinquents, how
ever, and their magical devices, were
not more remarkable than their dia
bolical obstinacy. Though exhorted
in the most solemn, persuasive and
affectionate manner, to confess them
selves guilty, and be burnt for the good
of religion, and the entertainment of
the public ; yet did they most perti
naciously persist in asserting their in
nocence. Such incredible obstinacy
was in itself deserving of immediate
punishment, and was sufficient proof,
if proof were necessary, that they were
in league with the devil, who is per
aersness itself. But their judges were
just and merciful, and were deter
mined to punish none that were not
convicted on the best of testimo
ny ; not that they needed any ev
|^||ce to satisfy their own minds,
for, like true and experienced judges
their minds were perfectly made up,
and they were thoroughly satisfied of
the guilt of the prisoners before they
proceeded to try them ; but still some
thing was necessary to convince the
community at large— to quiet those
prying quid nuncs who should come
after thero —in short, the World must
be satisfied. Oh theworld—the world !
—all the world knows the world of
trouble the world is eternally-occasion
ing !—The worthy judges therefore,
like myself in this most authentic,
minute and satisfactory of all histories,
were driven to the necessity of shift
ing, detecting and making evident as
noon day, matters which were at the
commencement all clearly understood
and,firmly decided upon in their
own pericraniums—so that it may
truly be said, that the witches were
burnt, to gratify the populace of the
day —but were tried for the satisfac
tion of the whole world that should
come after them !
Finding therefore that neither exhor
tation, sound reason, nor friendly en
treaty had any avail on these hardened
offenders, they resorted to the more
urgent arguments nf torture, and hav
ing thus absolutely wrung the' truth
from their stubborn lips—they con
demned them to undergo the roasting
due uuto the heinous crimes they had
confessed. Some even carried their
perverseness so far, as to expire under
the torture, protesting their innocence
to the l^st; but these were looked
upon as thoroughly and absolutely
porsesed, and governed by the devil,
and the pious bye-standerty only, la-
POETRY. [
-=OOO^ —'
From a late London Ptyer.
THE DEATH QF THE RIGHTEOUS.
[From " Leisure Hours improved."]
SWEET is the scene when virtue dies,
When sinks a righteous soul to rest:
How mildly beam the closing eycf
How gently heave! th' expiring breast !
So fades a summer-cloud away;
So sinks the gale, when storms are o'er;
So gently shuts the eye of day;
So dies the wave along the shofe.
Triumphant, smiles the victor-brow,
Fann'd by some angel's purple wing;
O Grave ! where is thy vict'ry ndw?
Invidious Death ! where is thy sting?
A holy quiet reigns around;
A calm which nothing can destroy ;
Nought can disturb that peace profound,
Which their unfetter'd souls enjoy.
Farewel, conflicting hope and fears,
Where lights and shades alternate dwell.
How bright the unchanging more appears!
Farewel, inconstant world ! Farewel !
Its duty done, as sinks the clay,
Light, from its load, the spirit flies ;
While heaven and earth combine to say,
" Sweet is the scene when Virtue dies."
sisccllan, +
BY inserting in your paper the
following extracts from " an Essay on
Music pronounced before the Middle
sex Musical Society," by the late pro
fessor Hubbard, you will oblige one
of your readers and perhaps contribute
to a more general diffusion and accep
tation of the sentiments contained in
that excellent performance.
Passing over other styles, a discussion
of which would afford very little amuse
ment, we come to the bombastic. This
style, in poetry and in prose, consists
in attempting to magnify those subjects
which are trifling or indifferent; or in
using high sounding words and epithets
without any great or noble ideas. In
music it consists in laboured notes and
strains, disconnected from any exalted
ideas; or in attempting to communi
cate some low idea which cannot be
expressed by notes. In this style, our
unfortunate country has been pecu
liarly faithful. Almost every pedant,
after learning his eight notes, has com
menced author. With a genius, ster
ile as the departs of Arabia, he has at
tempted to rival the great masters of
music. On the leaden wings of dull
ness, he has attempted to soar into
those regions of science, never pene
trated but by real genius. From such
distempered imaginations, no regular
productions can be expected. The
unhappy writers, after torturing every
note in the octave, have fallen into
oblivion, and have generally outlived
their insignificant works. To the
great injury of true religion, this kind
of music has been introduced into our
places of public worship. Devotion,
appalled by its destructive presence,
has fled from the unhallowed sound.
Among the most prominent faults
of thi§ style, we may reckon the com
mon fuge. As the intention of vocal
music is to communicate ideas, what
ever renders those ideas indistinct or
obscure, must be a perversion. Let
us now examine music of the style last
mentioned. We shall here find- four
parts, in harmonic order, each, at
the same time, pronouncing different
words. As a striking instance of this
impropriety, we will mention a fuge
in a piece of music called " Montague."
Beginning at the Bass, and proceeding
up to Treble, the bar, in thefour parts,
pronounced at the same time, will read
thus; " of brillaint light ;" " Those
spacious fields , " Let the high
heav'ns , and " your songs invite."
The four emphases will fall on the
words, " brilliant," " spacious,"
" the," and " songs." To catch any
idea from such a chaos of words, ut
tered at the same instant of time, a
hearer must be furnished with ears as
numerous as the eyes of Argus. Such
fuges must be a perversion. They
cannot affect the heart, nor inform the
understanding. Though the perform
ers may be admired for their dexterity,
they can never excite any devout feel
ings in their hearers. Such music can
never,be of more consequence than an
oration well pronounced in an unknown
language.
But modern innovators haver not
stopped here. From the midnight re
vel, from the staggering bachanal, from
the profane altar of Comus they have
stolen the postituted air, and, with sa
crilegious hands, have offered it in the
temple of Jehovah. Such profana
tion must Wound every feeling heart.
Devotion ever assumes a dignity. It
cannot delight in the tinkling bustle of
unmeaning sounds. Theair of a catch,
a glee, a dance, a march, or a com
mon ballad is very improper for the
worship of the Most High.
As the taste and practice of music
have a great influence on our religion
and morals, every person is under the
most solemn obligations to use all his
exertions for the suppression of that
which is improper. " Let me," said
Voltaire, " write the common ballads
for any nation, and I will make their
religion what I please." If the com
mon songs of a nation can thus influ
ence their religion, how much more
their sacred music? Many respecta
ble clergymen in New-England, have
been almost determined to. omit music
in public worship. To theirgreat sor
row, they have observed, that the ef
fects of a most solemn discourse were
often obliterated, by closing with im
proper music. We cannot doubt the
correctness of this idea. Let every
friend of religion use his utmost exes.
tions to remove this Achan from the
sacred camp. Let not this Dagon of
impiety be permitted to stand in the
presence of the holy ark.
The Jack with the Lanthorn.
The following fact, related by Mr.
C— —of this placd renders it not im
MR. beAls,
minted that they had hot lived ^little
longer, to have perished in the fiames.
SACRED MUSIC.
To judge of love by the most of its
effects, one would think it more like
hatred than kindness.
I think the greatest fault in conver
sation is Obscurity, since the intention
with which we speak, is to make our
selves understood. Nevertheless, there
are no defects, which do not find sup
porters ; and we are told, that in the
time of Titus Livius, there was a rhet
orician so great a partisan for obscuri
ty, that he made his scholars correct
those passages in their works which
appeared intelligible. The greatest
praise that could be bestowed on the
eloquence of that school, was to say,
" Ido not comprehend the smallest
portion of it."
Men are not only apt to forget ben
efits and injuries, but even to hate
those who have obliged them, and to
cease to hate those who have injured
them. The very attention to requite
kindness, and revenge wrongs, seems
to be an insupportable slavery.
We love nothing but on our own
account, and only follow our taste and
inclination when we prefer our friends
to ourselves ; and yet it is this pref
erance that alone constitutes true
Friendship.l
probable thkt this ignited vapour of
philosophy, and sportive bugbear of
credulous folly, is a small insect.
One night, in the beginning of this
summer, this supposed meteor was seen
near his house, meandering about, till
it approached his door. Mr. C. in
an attempt to seize it, forced it against
the side of his doorstep, when, to dse
his own expression, 'it seemed sud
denly condensed into a little spot on
the side of the step.' This he grasped
in his hand —and on examining it be
fore a candle, found it to be a small
insect of a triangular form, resembling
the common lightning bug in color, but
in size not over a fourth as large.
From the base or posterior part of this
triangular insect, there still issued light
as from the common lightning bug. It
was unfortunately lost in the passage
from one room to another, and must
have escaped without again emitting
that light which it so readily extin
guished on its first interruption.
Mr. C. represents its appearance
when first observed by him as 'a bunch
of fog or white smoke, of 10 or 12 in
ches in circumference.' This phenom
enon, if brought to this explanation
(and the fact as far as it goes, may be
relied on) seems a little unique: Yet
the electric property of one species of
fish, and the peculiar emission of an
other, by means, of which it eludes
pursuit, are equally unique. In the
former the Glow-worm and Light
bug afford the aids of analogy to arrive
at a conception of the extraordinary
endowment of this insect.
A Hint to Farmers.—ln order to
have good Potatoes and White Beans
well saved, it is necessary to harvest
the Potatoes before the vines are fully
dead. The writer of this Hint has
harvested early potatoes in August,
and have them kept equally well with
the late sort, harvested in October;
and it is noW high time that all the
Beans should be harvested, when a
part is ripe, and a part not ripe.—
Pull up the Beans and let them lay
from one to three days on the ground
for drying, as the weather will admit,
and if possible, let there be no rain on
them ; for I have frequently known a
long rain to sprout the beans before
harvest, and even the swelling of the
beans by means of wet weather, fre
quently preventing them from boiling
tender. I would reccommend to all
those who have orchards on grass land
to have the grass dug up round the trees
this fall, to make them grow well, and
to destroy the vermin, and in the spring
put some chip or light yard manure
round them.
Notwithstanding all the discoveries
that have been made in the regions of
self-love, there still remains much
terra incognita.
The passions are the only orators
that always succeed. They are, as it
were, Nature's art of eloquence, fraught
with infallible rules Simplicity, with
the aid of the passions, persuades more
than the utmost eloquence without it.
Strength and weakness of mind are
improper terms; they are in reality
only the good or ill disposition of the
organs of the body.
Obscurity in Speaking and Writing.
There are many who suppose the
more unintelligible an author's writings
are, the more evidence of his knowl
edge. lam not of that opinion,
Erit ergo etiam obscurior, quo quisque de-
A FRIEND TO FARMERS.
Amherst, Sept. 1810.
terior.
From the Farmer's Cabinet.
MAXIMS.
Suttaby's and Walker's ele
gant Miniature editions oj the
following Works.
Pope's Homer's Iliad ; do. Odyssey ;
Dryden's Virgil; Francis' -Horace ;
Ovid's Metamorphoses ; do. Epistles ;
Cicero's Letters, 2 vols. ; Junius'
Letters ; Chapone's Letters & Grego
ry's Legacy ; Johnson's Rasselas ;
Death of Abel ; The Wreath, contain
ing the Minstrel and other favourite
Poems, with the Life of Dr. Beattie ;
The Laurel, containing the Poetical
works of Collins, Dr. Johnson, Pom
fret, and Hammond ; Akenside's Poet
ical Works ; Calliope, a selection of
Bal Sids legendary and pathetic; Mil
ton's Paradise Lost; Bunyan's Holy
Wat; Sturm's Reflections, 3 vpls. ;
Spectator, 2 vols. ; Ossian's Poems ;
Thomson's Seasons.
©° Letter-Press Print-
Boswell's Life of Dr.
Johnson, in plain and elegant bind
ing ; Letters of Mrs. Elizabeth Mon
tagu ; Poems of Ossian, in 2 vols. oc
tavo, with wood cuts, by Anderson ;
Calebs in Search of a Wife, sth Amer
ican edition ; Miscellaneous Works of
Eliphalet Nott, D. D. President of U
nian College; Scott's Marmion ; Do.
Lay of the Last Minstrel ; an elegant
miniature edition of the Valedictory
Address of Washington, to the people
of the United States, with engraved
Frontispiece and vignette Title Page ;
Rev. J. Goldsmith's General view of
the Manners, Customs and Curiosities
of Nations, including a geographical
description of the Earth, the uphole
illustrated with fifty four map^and
other Engravings; Swift's Digest of
the Law of Evidence ;, Works of the
late President Edwards in 8 vols. oc
tavo; American Register of History,
Politics, and Science, in 5 vols. octa
vo; Macknight on the Epistles ; Rol
lin's Ancient History in 8 vols. octavo ;
do. do. in eight vols. duodecimo;
Heron's Junius in 2 vols. octavo, with
plates p Sydney on Government ;
Burke's Works in 4 vols. octavo ;
Marshal's Washington in plain and
elegant binding; Tooke's Pantheon ;
Butler's Hudibras ; Cowper's Poems;
Burns' Poems ; Moore's Anacreon ;
Pindar's Poems ; Pope's Works in 5
vols. ; Hoole's Tasso, 2 vols. octavo,
with jive elegant Historical Engrav
ings ; Hoole's Ariosto in 6 vols. with
elegant plates ; Gifford's Juvenal ;
Imitation of Christ, translated from
the Latin of Thomas A. Kern pis ;
Johnson's Tour to the Western Islands
of Scotland ; Memoirs of Frederick
& Margaret Klopstock ; Fisher Aides'
Works; Improved Version of the
New-Testament ; Milner's Church His
tory ; Pennington's Memoirs of Mrs-
Carter ; Memoirs of Richard Cumber
land ; Duke of York's Trial, and Mrs.
Clark's Memoirs ; Walsh's Letter on
the genius and dispositions of the
French Government; Hardie's Bio
graphical Dictionary, in 4 vols.octavo,
with plates ; Allen's do. do. in onevol.
oct. ; Robertson's History of Charles
sth ; do. History of America ; Wil
liam's History of Vermont; Molina's
History of Chili ; Horn on the Psalms ;
Beauties of the Evangelical Magazine,
(a work printing in England) in 2
vols. octavo; Johnson's Lives of the
Poets ; Life of William Pitt ; Orton's
Exposition of the Old Testament 6
vols. Octavo.
ing executed in a style of elegance, and
on reasonable terms, by C. NORRIS
§ -Co. August, 20.
Village Sermons, or
plain and short Discourses, on the
principal doctrines of the Gospel ; in
tended for the use of Families, Sunday
Schools, or companies assembled for
Religious instruction in Country villa
ges—By George Border;
C. NORRIS & Co.
Have just received, and now offer for
Sale at their Book-Store, on the most
liberal terms, the following
Valuable Publications,
viz./
MEMOIRS of Eminently Pious
Women, who were Ornaments
to their Sex—Blessings to their Fami
lies—and Edifying Examples to the
Church and World, in one volume.
By the Rev. Daniel Dana, of New
buryport. [q^ This volume will be
peculiarly acceptable to those who de
light in Memorials of Piety and Devo
tion. Many of the characters exhibited
are of the first order in genius, learning
& rank. A general circulation of this
book through the country, would,
with the blessing of Heaven, greatly
conduce to the increase of religion and
virtue.]
The Mourner ; or
the Afflicted relieved. By Dr. Giiove
snor. [(^ This is an invaluable lit
tle work. It is warmly recommended
by the late Rev. James Hervey, and
by Dr. Stonhouse.]
Also :
RAGS.
Cash given for CLEAN
RAGS, at the Exe
ter Bookstore.
r OST in Kensington or Exeter,
JLi on Tuesday, the 4th inst. adou
ble cased SILVER WATCH, with a
steel chain, whoever has found the
same and will return it to the subscri
ber, shall be handsomely rewarded.
NATHAN DOW, Jun.
Kensington, Sept. sth, 1810.
CONDITIONS.
g 2 per annum, $ 1 in advance on Subscrib
ing 6 cents single.
No subscription received for a less term
than six months.#
Advertisements inserted in a conspicu
ous manner at $ 1 per square, in three
successive papers.
Is published every Monday morning by
E. C. BEALS,
at the Office ofC. Norris & Co. Exeter, N.H.
STRAYED from the Subscriber in
June last, seven EWES and six
LAMBS, marked with a crop of the
right ear and a hole through the left.
Any person who may have seen, or
can give information of them, shall be
suitably rewarded.
JOSIAH COFFIN SMITH.
Exeter, Sept. 10th 1810.
20,000 Sheep § Lamb Skins,
Tanned in a manner suitable for Bind
ing Books and covering Trunks, if de
livered at his Bookstore, in Portsmouth,
any time previous to next November.
Sept. 3.
Grist Mil!—For Sale.
FOR Sale by the Subscriber, an ex
cellent GRIST MILL, situated
in Brentwood, generally called Coppy
Hold Mill ; —Also five or six acres of
LAND adjoining. For terms, which
will be liberal, apply to
JOSIAH COFFIN SMITH.
Exeter, Sept. 10th. 1810.
Sheep and Lamb Skins.
C PIERCE will give a fair price,
• one half in Cash and the other
half in Books, for
SACRED MUSIC.
Containing a concise Introduction to
the Grounds of Music, with such a
collection of Psalm Tones, Anthems,
and other Pieces as arc most suitable
for Divine worship. Designed prin
cipally for the use of Schools and
Singing Societies. Tenth Edition—
improved, corrected, and enlarged,
by the addition of forty-eight
pages of Music, from the works of
,the most celebrated authors in that
^-science. Sept. 10.
They also keep constantly for sale,
a general assortment of
Just Published by Charles Norris
$ Co. and for sale, at their Book
store, Exeter, and by E. Little
$ Co. Newburyport.
THE
VILLAGE HARMONY,
OR
The above will be sold by the bundle
at the Manufactory prices for Cash—
warranted to be of a superior qual
ity to any manufactured in the United
States. In October they will receive
a complete assortment of all kinds of
Leather, Chaise Carpets, Laces, &c.
which will be sold by wholesale or re
tail at the lowest Cash prices.
Newburyport, Sept. 26.
No. 3, CogxniLL, Newburyport,
AGENTS for the Hampshire Leath
er Manufactory,
HAVE received an invoice of sun
dry kinds of LEATHER— viz.
Soal Leather,
Grain Upper Leather,
Chaise Top do.
Harness do.
Hog Skins,
Black Morocco Skins,
Black and red roan Skins.
PEABODY & KENT,
The Constitutionalist:
POLITICAL AND MISCELLANEOUS.
European and India
YOUTH'S ASSISTANT
TO
NEW MUSIC.
Watch Lost.
Stray Sheep.
GOODS,