Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-06-12

/ tor the human mind to lhudder at thl
view is not exaggerated and many are
the inaances Icould give you OF It's truth ;
of.the women the abandoned are truly loft
TO all lhame, and thoie who affect to re-
ferye tone claim TO character, by The i'm
uodeify of their dsefs, flock the mind Of
thcie who are uaaccueomsd to fnch falhi.
ons The gallantry las it is faliely called
Of the men, feryes TO feed this fpirit G. de-
pravity, and with very few is this courie
thought dilgraceful indeed the infdiljty
Of married woman is not any bar 10 Der
asimifion into the fsf focieties lbe IS
called amiable-t there appears TO be very
llttle, itany, diainaion of time, if at any
enc period more than another, their diff
patton appears at greater height, il IS on
the LORD day: il is on the evening OF
that day that tsey have their balls, mat
querades. and gaming tables; and nigkss
is turned into day during our fay here,
which has been near FIVE months, there has
been no end to this difgraceful rout.
Hard indeed would it be if there were
not exceptions to this multiplied icene Of
inquiry. There are 10 me families who
fill keep up, at leaf the outward oblerv-
ance of religious duties amonga the ma
ny perions with whom | dined, there was
onle oue man who ever aked bleGing on
his food, and he was an Irifh Catholic ?
amonga all others attentive to their chill
dren, | found one who made her little girl
fay her prayers on going to bed, and ano-
ther who engaged the miniAcr to viht her
two daughters grown up, 10 infrutf them
in the paths Of piety and virtue. But
were TO unfold the oppoGte fcenes have
witneGed, fcarcely would the recital obtain
credit,
Every thing is reduced to the level Ct
fenfuality, and this fyttem has introduced
with it prevailing belief in the alateria.
lily only Of our exifence- and what with
the faith Of the one, and the practice Of the
other, their effects are direful. Marriage,
the firG and beR of all focal contracts,
has little ellie but the exterior OF the per-
ION to hold the bond, and when the mind
is fatiated, the attachment is di!1olved,
even men who have long lived in donef-
tic harmony, coolly talk of a period when
love is dead, and when efeem takes its
place. With {uch a fyfem, I trult, my
dear friend, we lhall never be acquainted.
In this large and populous city there are
yet fome places Of worhip open, amongd
which there is one belonging to the prot
eaanrs, which is we'll attended - The mode
of worfhipis formed partly upon the plan
Of the Anglican and partly on that OF the
Presbyterian churches. There is no far
plice uied, ineead of which one of the ell
ders begins the fervice with reading pray.
err, then the confeilion of fins, both from the
church OF England fervice- then two chap
tiers, one from the Old, the other from the
New Teffament, upon both of which he
reads the Genevan Commentary. After
which they fling the miniaer then Attends
the pulpit, taking the book from the elder;
he reads another formular, and then they
fng again; after which he makes another
prayer, msmositsy not an <-rtsmbore fraysr,
for it is always the fame, concluding with
our Lords words g Our father, &C." he
then takes the bible, having deliberately
| read the text twice, he lays the book by &
| delivers generally an animated diicourie
from memory of from 40 TO So minutes ;
they then fng; after which the miniaer
continues the reading of fome forms Of
prayer, concluding with the creed, the fame
as in the Church of England; they then
fng verfe, and the miniaer concludes
with pronouncing the beneditfion; when
the congregation feperate. All is conduct
ed with comfortable outward decorum =
you may ak me, my dear friend, what
| l3int accompanies this outward fervice
All, my dear fir, / dare not judge! when
| Zee you, will relate fome conversations