Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1840-11-05
IMMORTALITY IN LONDON.
From tie Boston Ereniin,. .Lou,nni

But few people can conceive ofthe immense
amount of vice ofvarious descriptions, and o.
misery, of human degradation, which exists
III the capital of the British empire. 4 ser
mon preached III London a few years since, in
aid OF the London City Mission, by Rev. John
Harris, presents us with some startling statis-
teal facts, and shows the importance of we'll
directed efforts to root out, or at least diminish
to some extent, the scenes Of vice and infamy
which abound in the city. Of its million and
half OF inhabitants, it is believed that from
800, 900 to 100000 live in utter disregard of
all religious ceremonies or duties. Of this
class, ~ Is computed from facts collected with
great care, that there are $4,000 children al
ways training in crime, gradu ting in vice, to
reinforce and perpetuate the great system Of
iniqulty; 5000 persons are receivers of stolen
property; spectators and dealers in human
depravlty; 1000 are annually committed for
criminal offences; 10000 are addicted to gam
bling; above 10000 to street beggary; and 3d.
600 are living by theft and fraud. q, And, adds
Mr.. Harris, that this dreadful energy of evil
may not flag from exhaustion, it is supplied
and fed with 100000 pounds sterling worth
OF sPirituous liquors annually-l5 900 are ha-
bitual gin drinkers-2O, 900 persons are annu-
ally found heiplessly drunk in the Streets
The number Of persons of both sexes who
have abandoned themselves to systematic de-
bauchery and profligacy is not less than $780,
600; $4,000 females receive the wages ofpros-
ttution-of whom 5000 die every year! Ga
ming houses, dens of infamy and guilt, and
public houses, gin palaces, and beer shops, a.
bound throughout the city. A fearful picture
Is presented to the imagination in the follow
ing extract from this powerful discourse
~ here are the cooTs dark enough, and
the imagination sufficiently daring, to portray
the guilty reality! There must be seen
groups Of demons in human shape, teaching
crime professionally; initiating the young in
the science of guilt; and encouraging their
first steps towards destruction. There must
be trains of writched females leading thou
sands of guilty victims in chains-and lead
ing them through fearful array of all the
spectres OF disease, remorse, and misery, rea-
dy to dart on them. There must be theatres
with numerous priesthood pandering to
impurity, and Offering up the youth of both
sexes at the shrnes of sensuaiiy. There
must be splendid porticos, the entrances to
which must be inscribed-JIeAS; and on the
breast of each of those entering must be writ
ten, in letters Of fire, Hell. There must be d
busy Sunday press, worked by the great ene-
my himself III the guise of an angel of light.
and dcspatching myriads of winged messen-
gers III all directions, on brands of evil
There must be lnfidel demagogues .mouthing
the heavens and gaping crowds admiring the
skill that blindfolds them for destruction
There must be gorgeous palaces, in which
death and disease shall appear holding their
court: In which busy hands shall be seen
distributing liquid fire to crowds Of wan and
squaiid forms; and each of those palaces must
be shown standing in the midst of a Jail, a
poor house, a lunatic asylum, and cemetery
all crowded-and leaning over the mouth of
the bottomless pit. And over the whole must
be casta spcii-an all-encompassing network
OF satanic Influence, prepared, and held down,
and guarded by satanic agency. And, to
complete the picture, three hundred thousand
Christians passing by without scarcely lifting
a hand to remove it,