Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-09-10
OBSERVATIONS PENrrENCE.-"L niggas, u

all Of We: and Topsy's standard of excellence
seems to have been cordially adopted by many
popular leaders in the religious agitations OF our
time. The chiet seats in their revival meetings,
the places of sage counsel and plOuS cxhorta
ton, are given to those who Werc-at least until
within few hourS-thc greatest villains OF the
community. He is Of little account IN these
convocation5 who has no daring atrOclty, no
course Of dcbasing vice to tell or; and lie OF
outward morality from earliest youth, II 1t does
not give them strong ground Tor Suspcctlns 4
carnal mind that has never felt the redeemlng
touch, at least furnishes little to interest them
in their work.
Beyond the bounds Of these enchanted fields
where the last are so suddenly made first, our
judgments 20 on quite different principle. -
We are in the habit of regarding long course
of years not only as proof Of character, but
also as the necessary means of its nurture. 1t
| is true that wrong course may be abandoned
| at once, but when We consult sober and az.
| proved divincs Of almost any school, we learn
| that the birth and growth OF the religious HE
| in the human spirit presents no such startling
anomaly to the laws Of mind and character Is
| the sentiments and practices to which we have
alluded would imply. 1t is By slow degrees,
they tell US, that the divine grace, once lodged,
| advances to entire mastery OF ;hc SOUL and the
probability OF its gaining lod gmcnt at all grows
less with each additional year OF its exclusion:
We have no disposition to dwell on 4 certain
notorious case, of which he had heard altogcth-
| or too much some time ago, but OF when 1t
| seems we had not heard the last. 10 apply to
its subject the title OF the W!ckcdest Man III
| New York, would seem to US silly, had we not
seen how completely it attained the notorlety II
was evidently set to catch. But for its strlk-
& 4 l,On lnrt IDr
| TO which we have adverted, the union Of shame.
less brutatyand maudn moralizing which the
| Bohemian missionary has sriyen to immortal
ize-for it is that, and not the recently adycr-
tised repentance, which constitutes the hero =
should have had no notice here. We have no
wish to deny the genulneness Of the repentance
in this or in the thousand other cases that re-
semblc it in all but making tine fortune Of new
! magazine But we could indulge a less tlmd
hone of these pentcnts it to their newly ac-
uuired gifts and graccs we're added the grace to
| be lust little ashamed, the gilt Of keeping Tor
awhile in the back ground A soul made sen
sible of it's own pollution and longing to be clean
is not apt to press forward into the front rank
of moral physicians; it ''begins with shame to
take the lowest room" among those who silent
~ wait to be healed. Anxious undoubtedly to
enter upon the service Of the Supreme Good
ness is anxious also to find its service IN those
| unconsDicuouS walks where men who are look
| ing for work and not for ostentatlon can ways
find plenty to do Justly distrustu! Of ITSELF
! there is hardly anything 1t breads more than to
| be prominent feature IN that congregation OF
| faithful men whose honor and efficiency 1t SO
ardently desires Such is the spirit OF true
penitence IN T. J0unWalCt Commerce.
BALTIMORE AT NIGHT. -The principal prom
enadcs OF Baltimore, Oh pleasant day, present
attractions uncquaiied by any other city. Chur-
| ches meet the gaze OF the pedestrian every
where, aud on the Sabbath they are all well
flied with wor>hippGrS. But Baltimore is very
| different in the daytime from what 1t IS at
night TO say that no city can show greater
depth OF degradation is simple truth. On
| Moth street, near Bath, IS 4 place known to
the police as ''Duz2ard's Roost." 1t is long,
old building standing, about thirty feet from
the street, and is reached through narrow al
ley, the remainder OF the ground IN front be-
| ing built up with small onc-st0ry structures. 1t
| is sort of tenement house, occupied chiefly
| by blacks but every night it presents scenes at
| once shocking to humanity and good morals.
| a nnmbcr OF white women, and some OF them
of very tender years, assemble nightly rs the
associates of the depraved and abandoned ne
| gro men and women, and participate in then
| orgies until the morning White women dance
and drink together as freely as, in the 0ldcn
time, the races mixed in the celebrated Cow
| Bay OF the Five Points in New York, In
| deed some Of the white women live IS wives TO
the coorad men, and abide permanently at the
| "Roost" Some OF the younger OF the white
women give positive Indications that some care
has been taken in their rearing, but they have
been led off, until at the age Of fifteen years
they have fallen to the lowest depths OF de-
pravity. Here, of course, only q faint idea
can be given Of the horrors Of this earthly hell
The 'BuZzard's R0ost" though the most
extensive OF its kind, docs not exceed III de-
| pravity and wickedncss others Of lesser size.
| Another Of the same sort Is to be found IN
Short street, where children OF tender age arc
deceived, before they attain to W0manh0Od.
| The miserable den is conducted with c0mpara
| tive quiet, but it is the rendezvous of whites
| and blacks, males and females, Of the lowest
| order. Another place of the same sort is loca
ted on an alley running into Douglass street:
| an alley running out OF Pleasant street known
as Chcstcrs court, is little better than those
spoken of. A short time since 4 policeman had
| occasion to enter one OF the houses IN the last
named place in search OF the daughter OF
worthy man In Saratoga street, and gong to an
| upper room, was refused admission. lie for
| ced bis way By the old bag who keeps the
house, and on reaching the room which he
sought found lying on filthy bed a white girl
| OF some fifteen or sixteen years, OF comcIy ap-
| pearance, on the eve of becoming a mother.
No medical man is permitted to enter, and il
death follows vice, the body is hurried to the
Potter's Field, and the lost one is forgotten.
These are plain facts, though few are pre-
pared to believe go much Of depravity exists
in the city of Baltimore. -Ba7t. Gazette.
VIRGINIA NEWS.