The Republican journal., 1876-05-04
The Good Old Times.
People talk of these times being bad; of IL
noe as hninn lanonnrnLn e -

ulssoluteness OF the Restoration. was the home
OF moral barbarism 1t was the Utopia of gai-
| iantfy. 1T was the land of cuckoldom. 1t was
| the chosen rendezvous of gambling and duel
ling, drunkenness, profanity, obscenity theft
and murder. Men were hanged by the score
| Iof picking pockets, stealing sheep, cutting
down apple-trees. Duelling was common, and
| young ladies were invited to witness them as a
| pleasant and harmless amusement Even the
| gentle Dick Steele was drawn and badoered
| into one, and accidentally he killed his man.
| Clergymen fought and served as seconds. La
| dies went with Il dagger in the belt for they
were liable to be insulted whenever they ap-
| pcared alone in the streets Coaches were at
| tackled by highwaymen in the streets of Lon
don, and their occupants robbed or slain
| Travellers went armed with bunderbusses
| and some OF the less beligerent carried purses
| full Of bad money, wherewith to cheat the mer-
| ry highwayman. Horace Walpoie, q minister
! OF the Government, was boldly stopped and
robbed in 1852, near Wickenham PARK, in Lon
don, and he writes Of it: 1T il shocking 10
think what a shameless country this has grown
to be. One is forced to travel, even at noon, a.
if going to battle"
DRUNKENNESS.
The vice was almost universal 1t was re-
garded as genteman's first accomplishment
not merely to drink always and much, but to be
frequently drunk. The habit so won its way
by familiarity that even the ladies' ceased to re-
Duke OF apparently TO loathe it. Lady Cooper
wrote, in Ills, in her diary, "Dined with Mrs.
Clayton. Was left by chairman and seryant,-
all drunk. Could hardly get to the Princess"
Ladies and ciergymen were often Intoxicated
IN public; judges got drunk on circuit; and
Mackenzie records that his host at Castle
Grant kept TWO Hghanders whose business 1t
was to loose the crayats Of he gentlemen wheG
they fell under the table so that they would rot
choke TO death.
PROFANITY.
The habit of hard swearing and loose cOnN er-
sation was no nearly universal that it seems to
have excited little comment, and it is scarcely
noticed by the essaylst except As an absurd fol
lY. Even the best OF the nOvelists, Miss Maria
Edgeworth and Miss Jane Austin, seldom per
NIT their male characters to speak without AN
oath. SO thckly are the oaibs scattered in the
eighteenth century novel that it seems to u, vi
this mlder age gross eXag@cratiOn of thu
writer Even the female sex, wrote Canning
i'll 1855, caught the contasion.
GAMBLING.
Gambling was quite as common a, drinking
and swearing. Lady Cooper wrote My mi.-
treSs the Princess Of Wales and the Duchess
of Montagu went halves at hazard and won
$500 On one occasion large sums were LOST
, and won to the nobility on race between TWO
maggOt5 crawling across the table. WapOle
wrote: "DissipatiOn, without object, pleasure
| or genius, is the only color Of the times" A.
most all OF the ladies of 'qualit, gained.
THE CLERGY IN CONTEMPT.
During this unparalleled reign Of dcbauahery
the clergy We're i'll contempt everywhere, and
their characters generally matched their repu-
| tationS. The chaplain Of great house was
compelled to leave table before the desert wA>
| brought in. Swift Saws that in the time Of
| good George II !" I'm Il great household the
| chaplain WAS the resource OF the lady, maid
| whose character had been blown upon, and
who was forced. therefore. to give up her
| hopes of catching the steward" They were
| dcspiSed by the rich and respected by none.
They drank ale and smoked tobacco with the
servants in the kitchen, and married the cast
/ OH AbigailS OF the hOuSekeeper's room. Mis-
| Edgeworth saws of 4 buck pAr>on of her time
at WAS the common practice of this man t0
leap from his horse at the church door on sun
| day after following pack OF hounds, huddle
| ON his surpiice, and gabDle over the service in
| the most indecent mockery of religion. DO
| speak with acrimony: | have reason, IT wa-
| he who first taught my lord to drink
MARRYING MADE EASY.
In such an age marrying was not difficult.
| FOrmalties We're dispensed with. The IN ini-
ters were so poor that they Were glad to carry
| on a lucrative business by performing Illegal
| and clandestine marriages. They stopped per
sons in the street and hesJught the privilege Of
marrying them, as bootblack> now do to ''shne
'em up Tavcrn-keepers near the Fleet kept
ministers like hostlcrs, is Il part of the estab-
| lShment The Grab Street journal of January
u. 1734 says: These ministers Of wickedne>>
| ply about Ludgate Hill pulling and forcing peo-
| pie TO some ale-hOu>e or brandyShop 10 be mar
| ried; even on SUNDAY stopping them as they 90
| to church and almost tearing their clothes from
their backs" On many houses signs (,Ome OF
them still preScrvcd) were hung out" Marrying
done here" and the clergynen sent out drum.
merS, or, as they We're called, touter~, through
| the town. as hotels now send drumlners to the
| depot, crying, "pO vOu want pars0n: Do
| you want 4 par>ou: VIII you be married
| cheap"
THE LITEEATURE.
| The characteristics Of an age are rmbalmru
in its literature, like flies in amber. The novels
| OF the eighteenth century indicate period Of
| amazing loosene>,, pertdy, and RIGHTEOUSNESS,
| Mrs. phra Behn wrote the first English novel
in its present form, and her books are saiaclOu,
| beyond description, even as they are vigorous
| and passionate. Personally she was dis>OluIe.
! She deserted her husband, went rs u spy liz the
| army, and then, being bright and captivating
| formed the acquaintance Of the wits and li4sG
lutte fellows of the realm, and began that career
, aS Il progate lUteF4teur for which she became
| 50 notorious. She turned Oft with the greatest
! facility and QGQlGOU a great number OF plays.
| novels, poems letters, sketches, &C., distigured
| BY an mpurty Of conception and an indecency
| OF language quite beyond parallel, even III that
middle oil the .lcentlous renaissance. Dryden
bestowed upon her writings the highest and
| warmest eulOgies, but they are so outrageous
| in tone that they could scarcely be read in this
! age, except in the most abandoned circles,
| Even Pope, who was not prude, said OF her
| "The stage how loosely does Astrea tread
| Who fairly puts ali characters to bed
| 1t may have been 10 her book that George
| Coleman al!ude9 in the prologue tU Polly
Honeycomb' -
plot and elopemelt passion rape end raptare
! Tie total sun. OF e.ery DEAR dear chap.eE'
| 1t IS perhaps " little queer that some Of the
most immoral novels in the language should
| hu,-A lapO written hV Mrs Isplu
| Mrs. Manley. and Mrs. Haywood Mrs. Behn'S
novels have recently been repubished i'll Eng
| land-lOr what it is impossible to divine, for
| they eau 10 more be "eXpurgated" than 81
much asafcetida. They ought To be suppress
| ed, without hesitation under the common taw
against the dissemination OF vile literature.
Then came Richardson, the pou, Dean
Swift. Fielding and SmOllett, all except the
first OutragcOu>iy indcCent-aS indecent rs the
women The fact is that in almost all the nov
els of the eighteenth century, which must be
taken As a reflection of the age. Love degcn-
Grated into a mere animal passion, aad every
woman is compelled to guard her chastity, il,
indeed, she cares To regard it ut all, against
man who is always the sworn enemy oI
her virtue" The language of the characters
abouudS in Oaths and vugarity and to swear
loudly and drink deeply were the common at
tributes of fashionable rs we'll As vulgar life.
The hcrones take part in conversations which
no modest woman could have heard without
blush.
Is the world "wor-e than it was" O cynical
preacher:
THE VOWEL FLAME. Dir. Tyndall's sen
sitve or rowcl flame is most curious. Out
of particular kind of gas. with burner
of peculiar construction. the learned pro
fessor produces lighted Jet of flame
al