The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-08-16
LIKE A STAR in ENGLAND'S
WILD BLACK NIGHT OF SIN
John Wesley Came, a Voice i'm the Wilderness Cry
ing, Prepare We the Way of
the Lord
the Lord.

graphies, letters and histories of TIN
eighteenth century can have no propc
idea of the condition of the people, an,
the woeful character of society in the day
of the Georges. 1 might fill columns il
accommodating evidence on this line. De
pravity, debauchery, drunkenness, inf1deli
ty, corruption, rowdyism and scoundrelisn
ran riot without fear of human law OF
Gods power to punish. You can get al
needed information from Lecky's eigh,
large volumes, Trevelyan's Early Life Of
Charles James Fox, Walpole's letters and
Thackeray's Lectures on the Four Georges
Prostitution, uncleanness, thieving, muir
ders abounded, and particularly in London
and much of it among the nobility and
the rich. When Fox first became Of age
the head of the law In England, and the
head of the Church in Ireland, were hard
drinkers and thoroughly debauched. Sir
Philip Francis, the author of the greatest
volume of political papers in the world,
under the name of "Junius," tells of two
of his friends easily consuming a gallon
and half OF champagne and burgundy in
one debauch. The records are full of
drunkenness among officials. and the no.
charming masterpiece of biography, Life
of Lord Macaulay," in his very instructive
work on Fox, says: "a statesman of the
Georgian era was sailing on a sea OF
claret from one comfortable official haven
to another at period of life when a POI
htical apprentice in the reign OF Victoria
is not yet out of his indentures. No one
can study the public or personal history
of the eighteenth century without being
impressed by the truly immense space
which drinking occupied in the mental no.
rizon OF the young, and the consequences
of drinking i'll that of the old" 1t was in
this age of extreme vice and debaucheTy
that the great John Wesley began and
carried on his extraordinary work to such
noble and imperishable results. Lecky
says in his sixth volume that but for the
preaching of Wesley and his coadjutors
the French Revolution would have crossed
the narrow British Channel-some twenty
six miles. perhaps-and invaded England
with results like those in France. He says
that when agents and emissaries from
France went among her laboring classes
to disseminate their doctrines and plead
ings that they were told that they knew
Of better thing-relgion and Heaven
that they had learned from Wesley. Vol
taire misread England. He thought the
people at large were sceptics and enemies
of God and His laws. Macaulay has
pointed out his error saying that "he had
lived with men OF wit and fashion during
his visit to England, and knew nothing of
the feeling of the grave part of mankind
or Of the middle classes" Voltaire says
In one of his ten thousand tracts that no
shopkeeper merchant as they would be
called In the United States, may explain)
in London believes there is a hell" To
this statement of the brilliant versatile
French infdel, Trevelyan replies: shop
keepers who had listened to Whitfield and
the Wesleys for thirty years were pot very
likely to be scepties on the question of
future punishment" Sir George adds
'There is just as much and as little trace
OF Christianity in Horace Walpole as in
Pliny the Younger" This wonderful let
ter writer-this prostituted sceptic and
derider of the good, Walpole, once through
curiosity, went TO hear John Wesley
preach. He called it going to the opera,
because of the charming voices that sing
hymns" he said, and of both sexes. He
describes in his graphic way the great di
vine and worker and scholar / reproduce
it here: Wesley is a clean, elderly man,
fresh colored, his hair smoothly combed,
but with a soupcon of curl at the ends.
Wondrous clean, but as evidently an actor
as Garrick." The latter was the greatest
living actor in Great Britain then, and
perhaps was never surpassed since. Wes-
ley never heard him. He spoke his SER
mon, but so fast, and with so little accent,
that l am sure he has often uttered it.
There were parts'-he means ability, force
-"and eloquence in it; but toward the
end he exalted his voice, and acted very
ugly enthusiasm. You see the great
preacher had warmed up to his work, and
he made it warm and unpleasant for the
society sceptic and flippant gainsayer.
Wesley scorched many a sinner with his
boldness and fervency of speech and made
them worry and worn under the clarity
and vigor of his presentation Of the SOL
emn and blessed truths of the glorious
Gospel of the Son of God. Trevelyan says
that at that very time Wesley twas guild
ing revolution in creed and practice
which has deeply and permanently modi-
fed the religion of the English-speaking
race" Of the conditions then, the fol-
lowing from Sir George Trevelyan will
help to clearer understanding: "Pri-
vate vices were reflected in the conduct
of public affairs; and the English people
a
great crisis in our history large proper
ton among our rulers and counsellors had
been too dissolute and prodigal to be able
to afford a conscience" How is it now in
our own land among the men in Office
from Roosevelt down? Sir George Otto
Trevelyan is the able, accomplished ne.
phew of Lord Macaulay, and he has no
little of the accomplishments and the gift
of writing that so distinguished his emin-
ent uncle. He is not a Methodist, but is
of the Church of England, think.
Having written at length lately of Lord
Byron, 1 must nevertheless refer to HIM
once more. Since / concluded the series,
have read an interesting article-not long
ON him in 1.-The Book Lover" but the
writer's name is rot given. 1t contains
good criticism in excellent style. I must
take leave to reproduce some remarks
from this clever critic. He writes of
Don juan; The poem is alone
among all English books. Many
DOefG otxra 81 "