, 1853-09-17
Fashionable Sins

Among the most fashionable, and far from
the least Of crimes or piccadilloes, which
are daily committed in society-and by
those too, wh0are in other respects free
from spot or bcn:i5h-is of talking, and
talking about other peoples affairs. In this
dis5racelul and mischievous employment,
some seem to he more earnestly engaged
than in any other pursuit of life-that of
laying up treasure in another and better
world not excepted. Among these, do
not mean 10 include those Wholesale dealers
in scandal and vice, whose breath passes
over the face Of society like a sweeping tor
nado, prostrating everything which happens
to be in its progress but l mean those pet
~ retailers who DIAL out marvellous stories,
conjcclures, and surmises, in small quanti-
tes-like the pedlarS who, too poor 10 pay
rent for a shop, travel around The town, and
bring their sixpenny commodities to your
own doors, | mean those people who seem
to have a mint in their own Imagination,
where they can coin such small change as
best suits their purpose aud manufacture
such tales as they think may create little
wonder in the hcRrcr and enlitle them to
the praise of being their first propagator.
By such folly and reprehcnsible Indulgence,
they often wound the character and feelings
of those persons in whose welfare they are
so busily engaged Reader! what would
you say were you told that from the single
circumstance of gentleman changing his
place in private circle OF friends, in order
10 converse few moments with a lady,
whom he saw, perhaps for the first time, it
should be reported in four days that he was
positively engaged 10 marry, that every
preparation was making for the ceremony,
that hundreds were already anticipating the
delights of the marriage' But you will say
that this is incredible; no human being
could be so foolish, so base, as thus 10 triAe
with the feelings and happiness of another
10 one could be so inconsistent and so indif-
ferent to truth and his own reputation, as 10
utter such falsehood and improbabiity.-
Stop moment. agree with you in part.
Perhaps if such an occurrence as the above
should happen, no individual or person
should be entitled to the HONOR Of being its
sole author. If such a thing should take
place, tell you how it might be brought
about and it is not possible but that SINH
lar process may have been carried on. Sup
pose | should sec a gentleman speak 10 a
lady-this is perfectly naiural-and suppose
tell my friend that saw Mr. A., speak to
Miss b., and suppose, with a sort of inuen-
do, | add that Mr.. A. and Miss B. would
make an excellent match--now this is moth
ing very wicked if it is stopped here. But
my friend thinks that ! cannot tell a story
half so well as he can, therefore in repeat
ing he embellishes little TO make it more
pleasing to himself, and more marvellous 10
the listener. My friend tells his friend that
MIR. A. and Miss b. talk, walk, and ride to-
geiher very frequently and if he is moi
very much mistaken, they will ultimately
be match. To make things 60 on better,
the last mentioned person dashes away 10
Mrs. Busybody, and cries out "great news"
Mr.. A. is engaged 10 Miss D. One Of Mrs.
Busybody's domestics hearing this excla-
nation, and thinking that a secret is not
worth hearing, unless itmay be told 10 about
dozen of her particular friends, therefore,
tells dozen of her fellow crafts, that Mr..
A. is going 10 lie married TO Miss b. on the
first Sabbath in next month ! Reader, you
will say this is but 'fancy sketch" Be il
so but if have only fancicd what may
come TO pass-or if my sketch should pre-
vent what might otherwise come 10 pass,
my fancy will have been busy to some good
purpose, and shall be al least entitled to
the thanks of those who may be saved from
the commission of very fashionable sin.