Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-12-04
From the Eoston Evening Journal.
IMMORTALITY IN LONDON,

But few people can conceive OF the I'M
mense amount of vice Of! various descriptions
and of misery, of human degradation which
exists in the capital OF the British empire.
A sermon preached in London few years
since, in aid of the London City Mission,
by Rev. John Harris, presents us with some
startling statistical facts, and shows the i'm
portancc Of wcl-dircctcd efforts TO root out,
or at least diminish to some extent, the scenes
Of vice and infnmy which abound in that CT
". or its million and half of inhabitants.
it is believed that from 800 900 to 500 900
live in utter disregard of all religious cere-
monies or duties. OF this class, it is COM
pntcd from facts collected with great care,
that there are 1000 ch ldrcn always train
ing in crime, graduating in vice, to reinforce
and pcrpcuatc the great system Of iniquity
5000 persons are receivers Of stolen proper
~, spectators and dealers in human Icprav-
ity; 1000 are annually committed for Grim
inal offences; 10000, are addicted to gamb-
ling; above 10000 to street bcrgary; and
10000 are living by theft and and fraud
And, adds Mr.. Harris, that this dreadful en-
crgy of evil may not flag from exhaustion
1t is supplied and fed with 100000 pound,
sterling worth Of spritnous liquors annual,
-15,OO0 are habual Gin dnnkcrs-23, OO(
arc annually found hcplcssly drunk in the
streets. The number of person Of botl
sexes who have abandoned thcmsclvc,
to systematic dcbauchcry and pronigacy j,
not less than $50, O00-SO,OOO females re.
ceivo the wages Of prosllution-of whom
5000 die every year! Gambling houses
dcns Of InCamy and guilt, and public houses
gin palaces, and beer shops, abound through
out the city. A fearful picture is prcsnntc,
TO the Imagination in the following cxtrac
from this powerful discourse.
"Wherc are the colors dark enough, AM
the Imagination sufficiently daring, to por
tray the guilty reality! There must be seer
groups of demons in human shape. teachn
crime professionally and encouraging tIlci
first steps towards destruction. There mus
trains of wretchcd females holding thousand
Of guilty victims in chains-and leading the,
THROUGH fearful array Of spcctrcs of dis
ease, rcmorsc and misery, ready to dart O
them. There must be tleatrcs-with n,
mcrous priesthood pandering to impurit,
and Offering up the youth of both sexes
the shrincs of sonsually. There must |
splendid porticos, the entrances to whic
must be inscribod-UeNs; and on the hrca
Of each of those entering must be write
in letters, of fire, HcH. There must be
busy Sunday press, worked by the great cu
envy himself, in the guise of an angel Of liz
and despatching myrads Of winged mcssc
gers in all directions, on crrands of evil
There must be inidel dcmagogucs 'mout
ing the heavens" and gaping crowds admi
ing the skill that bliudfolds them for destru
ton. There must be gorgeous palaces,
which death and disease shall appear hold
thor court; in which busy hands shall
seen distributing liquid fire to crowds of w
and sq,lalid forms; and each of those paac
must be shown standing IN the midst of
Jail, a poor-house, "A hna'ic asylum, and
eemotry, all crowded and leaning over t
mouth of the bottomloss PIT. And over t