Elizabeth-Town gazette. [volume] (Elizabeth-Town, N.J.) 1818-1821, 1819-06-01


residence; anxious only TO obtain the ap.
plause of his Maker, he devotes his life
TO his service, uBawed by the frowns, uu-
seduced by the smiles of the worid--he
casts his eyes towards the starry firma-
ment, aud awaits The arrival of the hour,
when his existence shall surpass in dura.
tion those glittering spheres. Death comes
at last, not robed in darkness and in tenn
pest-he appears an angel of light--bright
with celestial beauty, he stands beside the
couch of the Christian, and whispers in
bis ear these consoling tidings-.' Well
done thou good and faithful servant, enter
thou into thy masters joy. "
Extracts from a pedeStrious Tour Of four
thousand miles through the westers
States and Territories, by Estwick E.
vans.
PROFANITY AND INTEMPERANcE.
The boatmen of the west are conspicu.
GUS for. their habits Of intenperance, and
swearing. Whilst on the western rivers
my ears were shocked with their oaths
and curses. / endeavored to lessen this
practice. To effect my object, occa-
sionally associated with them and by
kind, free, and vet grave manner. pre-
pared the way for some friendly counsel
upon the subject. They saw that | did
not feel above their labors, or their modes
of liying.--I fully participated in their
hard fate; slept across flour barrels, With
out bed or covering, drank water from the
river, and sometimes laboured at their
oars. Thus gained their confidence
and their good will.
AT one time, during the silence of eve-
ming, | addressed about twenty boatmen
upon the subject Of swearing. l repre-
sented the practice as moi only wicked,
but idle, low, and unmanly. They heard
me with attention, some of them made
many acknowledgements, aud whilst 1
continued with them, they swore little or
none. Upon many other occasions /
spake to boatmen upon the subject; aud
IRON their manner, 1 have 10 doubt that
the practice of swearing among them
might be rendered less common. But
perhaps, there is 90 habit, the control Of
which depends less upon the will than
that of swearing. The tongue is a little
member, and often moves ere the judg-
ment can control the impulses Of the
heart. A pretty lad, in Que of the west
era boats, attracted my attention, both by
his beauty and his proianeness. After
speaking to him upon the subject, | of
fered him dollar upon the condition of
bis not swearing for the remainder of the
day. He was much pleased with the
proposition; but after controlling him
self with much watchfulness, for about an
hour, he became discouraged, and par
TALLY returned to his long established
practice. Let those, who are so happy
as to be free from this vice, guard against
the subtle influences of its example.
AS to intemperance, / think it by no
means peculiar, even in degree, to this
part of the country. But l am happy in
being able to add, that during a tour
which took through the middle and
southern states in 1915 and also during
that, on account Of which am now wri-
ting, Witnessed much less intemperance
thaa information previously obtained had
led me to anticipate. Still, there is, in
the United States much inebriation, and a
great want Of economy 10 the use of spirit
Gus liquors. BY the distiIlery of grain
among us, the community are, sometimes
deprived of the necessary quantity of
bread; and substitute is furoished which
tends, at once, to beggar, and depopulate
the country.
Before | dismiss these topics, l may
add, that have often heard of the low
which is said to prevail a-
mong the boatmen of the west and also
Of their quarresome and fighting habits.
All these practices are much less than
they are represented to be.
Here l may be permitted to observe,
that with respect to low conversation,
many who call themselves gentlemen, and
pass for such in the world, are highly
cuIpable. Indecency is vice committed
without temptation. 1t corrupts the
moral sense. and -deprives the human
heart Of all those ETHEREAL visitations, which
remind man Of his original innocence, and
persuade him that there are
pleasures far above those Of sense. In
deed, how evident is it, that when we
cultivate pure and upright affections, the
blessed spirits of truth and peace visit our
hearts, enlarge our views Of moral nature,
and tell us Of nameless hopes. The in
firmities Of man would add an interest to
human natlre, il they were not volanta-
rily displayed. When covered with the
mantle Of an amiable and sensible delicacy