Jenks's Portland gazette. [volume] (Portland [Me.]) 1799-1802, 1801-09-28
THE STRANGER.

The STRANGER, and other attempts to dciroy
the moral iente OF mankind -
IN this piece tile character OF an a9glr5jJ,
which, in all periods If the world, ancient as
vel Is modern, in al countries, heather AS
well as chr,tiar, has hthe.to been held IN &c
teUat,on, and has never been introduced but to
be reprohated, is Tor he fla time Pref.Dted
10 our view in the mot PleaGnG and faicinating
co'ors. The heroine is woman who fo1ook
huiband The mcR afedioustc and the moi a
mi,b.r. snd lived tor me time in he mott
criminal commerce with her (edu or. Repent
ing at length Of her crime, fhe bur'es herei m
retirement. The talents OF thy poet during the
whole piece are exerted il attem pting to render
this womanthe Oh ed not only If the comPeli n
and forgiveness, but If the eAeem and Affection,
Of tie audience. The inbred hui5and, convin.
Ced Of Lis wife's repentance, forms arelrIutien,
which every man Of true feeling and chriLtan
Piety will Prob1b,v approve. he f0r5ives her
offence, and pronifes Ter through lie lis al
vice, proteSior, and fortune,togeIher win eve
~ thing, which can alleviate the mfery OF her
fi.uation, but reufes to replace her inthe GuA
tiun Of his wife. But this is not futfici,nt fer
tie German author His efforts are employed,
arc x IS Il te feared but TO iuccetiul.y, IN
maki-g the audience c7n61er the huibtud An
urrelenrng iavage.wnilt tAey are isd ny-he arJat
The poe; arxiouA, tow.th p teeaa adalueis "
flo cd To that IA < of women who have not vi
oil ted the mot f)lemn cnven nj that can he
made WI man, nor diiob- ytd one ST the mott
poGtye laws which has been eriui 81 By God.
About the lame time that THE Il. z alemPt
~ reprlfcntirg sn aduirets in 40 exemplary
light was made by O man lr4nari.t which
forms an era OF m4nuers; t-er vlrdlS alton
Of adJlJry va io- the fT.t time attempted 10y
yysmaa, p,oieded adri.er and imi ttCr oI
&c Gem 2 lui-,d@ WerJer. IT. EE9i. Water.
as he /, ltvted 81 her b'oGr lgher, ,H-rs "
work entitled "The Wrongs n Wamc7," that
adulgry IS jutiitble, mi ih4t The rst ia,
ions placed on il ,, th3 laws M Ing and en-
hitut5 one Of the Wronsr gf Homer
And this leads me 10 dwell a little longer on
tbs nat dei,utti,1 clIs In the whole d.
range ormoIen corFuPtors, Who eife6t the mott
desperate wo X Vt the pabons, without "a mu h
As prete u n to . ge her VioLsaes in eztenua
ton Of the guilt cf i"dulg'ng them. They
fJlicit this very indulgence with loTr Of 60 4
booIed fpecul4t'oa, and lnv'a The reader TO
The moa q. B unIed g-atihcatioas, with All th-
f+turnin= coolneis Of Eeumetrica' ejaculation.
Ihers is an On quiy rather IF Phlegm than Of
fpirit: and IN -h- p-til-n atm iPhere they raiie
abou, thcm, as in III inf-rna, china delcIi1ed
BY Milton.
The 77rching all
Burns frorc, and :rot performs oh ell of frs
This cool caE-ul-ting, iatel e4ua' w;~.- ircf
eats out tie ve-y heart and core w vj,sue, aad
Ike a deadly niIJew bjghrs and ia,iv-.s tie
blooming prom Of the human l,rint u,
benumbia1 touch communicates a torpid aug
Ciihne5, which P4ralyzes rhe foul. X d-,ca Il
o. dsprapi;v, and details its groHet atis, As
figidiy a If its obj.a were to ailay the tnmnt
at tie paGiors while it's Lifting taem iote On
mankind, by " pluckng IF the muzzl-," If
pref nj re0r4irt and future accoun ablenes.-
The lyaem IS a dire atuion, compounded OF
bold impiety, bruyih feniuairy, and e'quGtc
folly, which creeping fatally about The heart
checks the moral circulation, and ta'aily Hops
the pu.lc Of goojnets BY he ertu1.oa Of The
vital pricIple. Thus not only clio KING the
Rream ef a6tual virtue, but drying uP the very
fountain of future remorie and remote repent
ance.
The ravaees which fome Of the old often Iers
againR purity made in the youthful heart, by
the exercle Of fervid bur hcentious imagina
ti1n on the palliOns, was like The mif hiel eff Il
ed BY hoois catarads. and vo canoes. The
de!olation indeed VA, terrible, and the Iuin was
tremendous yet II was ruin which did not
irtaAigJly preclude the poliibility OF recovery.
The country, though deluged and devaaated,
was not utterly Fut beyond the power Of relto
ration. The harve1s Indeed were dedroyed,
and all was wide aerHity. But, though the
crops were lof, the jsedf Of vegetation were not
abfolutely eradicaed fo that, af'er a long and
barren blank, fertility might 6n4ly return.
But the heart once infe6ed with this newly
medicated venom, fubtl though 1ugg ilh IN lis
operation, ref-mbes what travellers relate Of
that blaGed lpot The dead EA, where thol- de
voted cities once foo which for their Poiu
lions were burnt with fire from heaven. II
continues ltsgnaut lake Of purifying waters.
No wholelaie blade ever more lhoots up the
air IS 70 tainted that no living thing lubGas
within its Influence. Near the tulPhorous pool
me very principle Of lie is annihiiated. All is
Deael,
D5ath, unrepparabIs, death
II" When the north wan1 bIoweth i devoureth
he mountains, aad burneih the wildernels, and
onfumeth the grals As fire." EccleL x. 20.