Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-05-03
FROM tn. Boston Correspondent of the A. S. Standard.
FAST DAY.

The correspondent on the recreation Of Fasting-He
philosophical and generalizeth-He hath a turn
Of the PardnomaSiasis-Bm soon recorereh him.
SETTLE indu'geh in conference.-the teieh of
The happy days Of youM-He compareth the Form
er Days Nth these and fndeh them not so good
lie Su7gcStcM a ne,o Chair for a neglected SCI
ence-W the Minister'S SatUrnalia-hS uses
Theodore Iarker'S Discourse Of RifeS-The Cor.
respondent iameateM tie state eff Religion.
BosroN, April II, 1856.
Is Fasting one Of your public amusements in
New York? / don't remember how that is; but it
is one of the few recreations we have in New Eng.
land. And we make the most of it. | am not
sure that our Puritan ancestors, when they ap-
pointed the institution and made it an heirloom to
us, meant it should be kept in the way it is now;
but it is KEEP very religiously-or, at least heartily.
ltis my impression that the Gospel injunction is OBJ.
served very strictly as to the actulity of the macera.
ton Of the fosh-yery few, indeed, seeming unto
men to fast" either from meat or drink-andd drink
particularly. II they do, they conceal their good
works in q commendable and efectual manner.
1t was observed certainly Of many, as q friend of
ours who is afflicted with the PdrdnomaSidSis or
p~un-fever IA disease Of which l have had no re.
lapse since | had it with the measles and the chick
en-pOx in childhood) might say, that they spent
the day in a fast manner, with whatever help fast
men and fast horses could give them, and many of
them finding themselves fast locked up in the
watch house the next morning. But these acct
dents, perhaps, arise from our having so few holi-
days that people do not know what to do with them
when they get one.
wcnder whether there is any pretence at fast
ing on this day in any dovout families. 1t would
do many pious people, | know, a world of good. if
they could be prevailed upon TO forego the flesh
pots, were it only for one day in the three hundred
and s~ixty.fve. | remembered that in the solemn
community where | spent my youth where | con-
tracted that s~olemnity Of demeanor and discourse
which have ever characterized me-, under the very
droppings OF the sanctuary at AndOver, VIC have
no regular dinner, at least in the family where |
:. staid. But then we had dough-nuts and cider flor
the heresy of the Main Law had not yet developed
ITSELF a discretion, as the French say, to enable us
to get through the day till tea-time, when an op.
portunity for an ana pie revenge on the Governor
was afforded us, Of which the entire household,
saints as well as sinners, wele not slack to avail
themselves. 1t was II terrible day for US boys, l
{ we'll remember, in spite of the mitigating dough-
. nuts and cider, not SC much because of the dinner
!, we lacked as the three sermons, besides domestic
II doses in the intervals, which were crammed into
our ears against the stomach of the sense. l have
J an impression tina" it was the theological students
c that used to be let loose upon us ON those days, like
e young lions kept hungry for the purpose. But
u will not make oath of it. | only remember they
y were terrible fellows, whatever they were.
! ldon't know how it may be at Andover now, but
) here the ringing Of the Church bells is all thai
there is to remind one of any religious character
, appertaining to the day. 1t is n holiday rather thar
=, a holy day and is thoroughly enjoyed by multitude'
IL wto are tied down to workshops or counting house.
on all common days. The Railway trains for thu
q country go out loaded with plcasure-seekers ant
every living horse is put to his natural use. The thea
u tres are opQn and crowded, some of them running
n a daylight service in opposition to the churches
and, it is said, they generally come out severa
At abuses to which they are liable, it would be hare
" to abolish this little government Sunday" o.
some scrupulous persons have suggested. Jacl
has so much work and so little play in this coun
try that it is no wonder he should SO often turn GU
y a dull boy, and it were a pity to take away from
him one of his few play-days. But it might bc
called by some other pane more expressive of thu
y actual uses to which it is put. The science Of en-
:" %joyment is one that needs encouragement more
than any other in America. When a man gets e
u little money or time beforehand he is very apt moi
. to know what to GO with it, and to put tito some
foolish use out of mere want of knowing better
A lady, awhile ago, founded q Prosessorship of the
Heart at Cambridge; why will not some philan
t~hrophist established one of the Risibles? These
:. muscles ought to receive their share of attention in
~ every scheme of general education.
Fast Day is also remarkable in these parts as
y the Saturnalia Of ministers. On that day they
! are regarded, by common consent, as free to say
Il what they like on subjects which might disturb the
normal slumbers of the pews if agitated on the
day set apart for rest. As a general rule, no no
tee is taken of any freaks they may indulge in oil
pranks they may play. They may even remember
the fact that there are three CT four millions o
slaves in the country, without being twitted viii
dragging politics into the pulpit and, perhaps
served With a notice to quit, into the bargain. /
is a great relief to them and i very judicious in
diligence on the part Of the pews. Every house
keeper knows the Importance of having vent 70
the escape of steam in the covers af their teapots
if it be no bigger than a pins head, to secure then
against explosion. 1t has now become so much
matter Of course that il attracts no attention and
have heard nothing on the subject this year-so
suppose the usual privilege was accorded and en-
joyed. / did hear that the Rev. Theodore Parke
gave a Discourse of Rifles at the Music Hall to
crowded audience, which kept its attention awak
10 for more than an hour and a half, and was inter
OF rupted by repeated rounds of applause. But thel
i'd he is not exactly in the category of the minister
as Just alluded to inasmuch as he does not conine hi
structures on public wickedness to any particula
Il day of the year, but distributes them with lauda
Id HE impartiality over the whole ~ffty-two Sundays
IN 1t is a mournful sign of the religious state of Bos
ee ton, that the largest room in the city, if no
; in the United States, should be filled to overflow
ing 10 hear this mischievous dispenser of heres
and sedition, whilo the regular churches mini:
ne tered unto by godly, conservative, patriotic ME
at but too often present a dreary expanse OF walls.
d. Y.
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