Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1855-10-24
For the Spirit of the Age.
New York City.

They say this town is full of cozenage;
AS nimble jugglers that deceive the eye,
Dark working sorcerers, that change the mind,
Soul-kining witches, that deform the body,
Disguised cheaters, prating mountebanks,
And many such like liberties of sin"
In a large city like this, there is a great
field for rogues and ~rascals. to practice their
deception and slight of hand, and consequent
ly they congregate in and about It and are
always ready to operate whenever a subject
offers hence we see, hear and read of so
many operations of a dark character, that
we are ready to regard it as given over to all
the evils enumerated by the poet. And they
are all praeticed to an alarming extent, but
we find much on the other side of the pic
ture to counterbalanee. AS the field is great
for evil, so is it great for good. It is a field
in which the efforts of the man tell largely
either for good or for eyil-for his individual
advancement or the advancement of the pub
lie good. The increase Of charitable and
benevolent undertakings, however, are not
in proportion to the increase ofits population
and the efforts, though great, to disseminate
knowledge and truth among the masses are
not adequate to the immense amount OF I'M
ported ignorance and error that weekly rush
In. This city is the reservoir of the Repub-
lie into which the foreign migration pours,
and overiows, and this influence upon its
executive power is so great that if it contin-
ues to increase as it has for a few years, no
law not framed with a view to please the
foreign population can be enforced. It's ex-
e%cutive power is certainly defunct and weak,
and as the population increases, it seems to
increase in weakness. The influence which
it has, in this respect, and will have upon
the destinies of our Republic as its greatness
increases, is far from being small. At the
commencement of the present century, the
population of the whole island was but sixty
thousand, and according to the census re-
Gently taken the population of the city alone
is nearly seven hundred thousand. the GEN.
sns being taken too in midsummer, when
large numbers are usually absent. Ifit con-
tinues to increase in the same proportion in
every respect, what will be its character and
it's influence at the commencement of the
next century?
There are but few places, but have some
peculiar phrase which attracts the notice of
visitors. Persons going from north to south
are apt to notice the phrase of "r1ght smart
chance, I reckon," and some others peculiar
to the south while those visiting the north
will notice the phrase Of I" .fussing about, aceU
Iguess," and others, the use of which are
somewhat general, and hardly escape the
notice of any. But there are peculiar phra-
ses in almost all the cities, towns and ham
lets of our country, which are no small help
to an observing stranger in forming a correct
opinion of the inhabitants of those places
which it may be his lot to visit. In this city
the phrase all right falls upon the ear of
the stranger at every corner at his going
in and his coming out" When the mer-
chants bill is paid, "aU right, thank you
sir" falls upon the ear. You ring for a SER
want and give YOUR orders and he responds,
all right SIR" When you pay the hack
man, if it is all he demands, it is all right
SIR" There is evidently a disposition to
have things all right, and so far as effort and
e~xertion, both mental and physical, are con-
cerned, neither are spared, by the benevolent
and those who labor for the welfare of man.
kind, to have them so but they no doubt are
often doomed to disappointment. This has
been the case with regard to the prohibitory
law, but we incline to~the belief that it is
all right" It is obvious the law is a dead
letter in the city, and that it was intended
by its trainers to be so, but nevertheless it is
working for the good and the advancement
of the temperance cause, though it was evil
IDENTIFY the desire and expectation of many
that it's failure would be the overthrow o.
the cause and the defeat and dispersion of its
supporters. The law not being enforced il
the same as no laao, and the low ~groggerie'
are open at every convenient place, on Sab
bath as we'll as week days, and bipeds undel
the influence of the criter are seen mucl
more frequently, more numerous and NOR
disgusting than ever, which is the stronges
evidence that can be produced of the neces
sity Of the most stringest law that can b
enforced to restrain the sale of an article s
injurious to the individual and the commu
nifty. It's necessity is made more apparen
~ tho Inv Of &ha Nnaconf on ond i he
coming daily more obvious to all thinkin
men, and efforts are being made by the ii
t~elligent and influential to present tn
subject to the next Legislature Ia such
manner as to insure the passage of a la
/ that will meet the demands of the times
The attempt to persuade men to abandon tn
sale of alcohol, has been found, years ag'
to be utterly useless and hopeless.
You may as well go stand upon the beach
And bid the main flood bate his usual height;
You may as well use questions with the wolf
Why he hath made the eve bleat for the lamb,
You may as we'll forbid the mountain pines
To wag their high tops, and make no noise,
When they are fretted with the gusts of heave
You may as well do any thing most hard,
7 AS seek to soften that, than which what's harder
These RumseHers heart.
8 Broadway is a fine street, or rather will
when finished. It is a vast museum of h
man life, and the last fashions. 1t is t
e world in miniature. You meet the mi
whose co%untenance is all smiles and bene
olence-you meet another who has an air
t fopish Importance. The countenance of t
o next is like an interest table or a sort of i
fnitisimal calculus. The next will seem
be urged rapidly onward by some importa
e business that needs his presence at a part
ular time and should he not reach there att
time appointed the world would end. Othe
are urged on by desire or pleasure and ma
n apparently have no other object in view
8 to look in the shop windows or at the pre-
ID women. Broadway of a sunshiny day is
kingdom of beautiful women, mighty in nu
u beers as an army going forth to battle and
O. conquest. Many of them hut recently
es turned from some watering place campais
the acknowledged conjurors and veterans
OF the triumphs of beauty. Among the livl
tn curiosities to be seen on Broadway, is
n "3lue mar" holding up for sale The
capped Num-"
at The increase of capital, judging from
ed number of banks in the city, has been gre
ly er than the increase of population. In Il
ii. the New York bank, the Merchants and
Manhattan bank, and a branch of the Uni
ms States bank were oil. Now there are 81,
,g- each one having a large amount of cap
Ill under its control. T~heinfuence which th
M monied monopolies have upon trade are
= queRtly great and often ~ruinous. When t
J a shut dozen, the wheels of trade are clogs
and when they open the food gates of Il
ed reservoirs and let out the accumulated
IN ital, an accelerated motion is given to II
SO that it reaches every section of the ct