A Sober Village. 37 visits the sins of the fathers upon the children for a limited time, to a comparatively few persons, the third and fourth generation of them that hate him: -but He shews mercy unto THOUSANDS in them that love him and keep his commandments. V. A SOBER VILLAGE. In the last Number*, I alluded to a Temperance Society established in America, remarking, at the same time, the rebellious spirit that would be excited in England by any such attempt to prevent people from going to their own ruin. I do know, however, a village, or at least, I did know such a village, a few years ago, where, though there was no Temperance Society established, yet something very like it existed, and all the good effect of it was produced, by the good sense and right feeling of the principal land-owners and farmers of the place. I had lived a short time in the parish, and I thought I never before saw a set of people so neat in their appearance, so orderly in their habits, so prosperous in their circumstances, so contented, so cheerful, and so happy. There appeared to be only two ragged wretched-looking families in the place, and the men, in both these families, were idle drunkards. I think there was not another man in the parish given to drinking! And, what a saving of money this was! Here was a fund, at once, in every industrious family, for clothing them and supplying them with a sufficiency of good, wholesome, and nourishing food. As to the Sunday,-it was a delight to see how it was passed ;-every family was at Church-excepting the two ragged ones; and there was a devout * Page 361. manner during prayers, and an attention during the sermon, which shewed that the people were in earnest; and, if any single person, through ignorance, was in a wrong attitude, sitting when he should be kneeling, repeating after the minister where he ought not, or neglecting to repeat where he ought, a word of advice the next day would be thankfully received, and the error would be amended. I would not presume to say that every person in the village was a religious character, this would be too much to assert of any parish, when we know how much easier it is to be orderly and decorous, than to be truly devout, and pure, and holy in heart-but there certainly was that decency of behaviour, and that soberness of manner which are excellent preparations for the reception of every thing that is good. I was one day attending a parish meeting, and I was much gratified to see, among the leading farmers of the place, a wish to uphold, by their protection and encouragement, that sober and orderly conduct which was seen to prevail in the village, and which was indeed produced, in a great measure, by their attentive care and good management. They shewed great readiness to assist, from the parish funds, the sick, and aged, and infirm; and I saw none else (except the ragged two) applying for help. When I asked one of the farmers how it was that the labourers of the place appeared so respectable, and prosperous, and sober?-He said it was because they were sober, that they were so respectable and prosperous. But, how, said I, do you keep your men from habits of drunkenness? He replied," why, Sir, I, for my part, give them plainly to understand that I never employ a drunken man.' I say to them, "I cannot command you, and I do not wish it. Get drunk, if you please; all I have to say is, that if you do get drunk, you do not work with me:"-and I believe, Sir, every farmer in the Letter from Paris, on Gambling. 39 place says the same; so that they now quite understand us; we have only two drunken men amongst us, and we can make nothing of them; they get a job of work here and there, just where they can, but commonly at a distance from home; and what they earn they spend in drink, and so you see their misery. Their appearance is so bad, that they serve as a sort of warning to the others. I think, Sir, ours is a sober village, and the poor seem very comfortable, and our rates are very low."-And I think, said I, you have accounted for it; and I wish your example were imitated by the land-holders in every village in the kingdom. From the circumstances of this village, it is evident that a great deal of good may be done, if those who have the power will shew a right spirit of exer tion. There had been, besides, a school in the parish for many years, and children had an opportunity of getting instruction, and learning good habits from the very earliest age; then the princi pal people in and about the village, were in the habit of calling frequently upon their poor neighbours, and thus keeping up a spirit of kind and charitable intercourse. These, and other causes, combined to make the parish what it was; it is not by using one means alone, but by combining all practical means, that much good can be produced. But if there is an earnest desire, and a consistent exertion, to do good, some effect will assuredly be produced, and we should see many villages like that which I have described. V. LETTER FROM PARIS, ON GAMBLING. "It has been our painful duty, on various occasions, to transmit to you an account of the woeful effects produced by gambling; and we have to add another tale of misery to the dreadful list. t "Mr., an English gentleman, belonging to a very respectable, and highly connected family, married, about six years ago, a young lady of considerable personal attractions, and a fortune of thirty thousand pounds. It was what is generally termed a love match. The gentleman's fortune was very small. The money of the lady had been left to her by a distant relation, and it was required, by the will, that she should not come into possession of her fortune until a certain age,-and, at the time of her marriage, she wanted five years of that age. They had lived during that time, in a very private manner, near B-, but, when the time came for the lady to take possession of her money, they went to London to enjoy what are called the pleasures of that great town. Their expenses increased, and they soon found that their income was not sufficient for them; their family consisted of four children: they came to the resolution of leaving England, and spending a few years on the continent, and it was thought that the mild and delightful climate of Piedmont would benefit the declining health of the lady. "They set out, on their journey, and arrived a few weeks ago, at Paris, where they proposed remaining only a short time. The husband had seen very little of the gaieties of a town life, but he had not been here many days before his mind was quite given up to the pleasures and dissipations of the society of Paris. He received a great number of foreigners at his house; and many English people of suspicious character were his daily companions. Before he left England, he had been advised, by some over-officious friends, to sell his money out of the English funds, and transfer it to the French funds, where he might get better interest. The money was put into a banker's hands at Paris, but the order to purchase in the funds was delayed, in hopes that the price might be lower. Day after day, the banker recom Letter from Paris, on Gambling. 41 mended the gentleman to invest his money in the funds, but he continued to delay, till at length the worthy banker, being much interested for the welfare of this family, that had been strongly recommended to him, urged him, in stronger terms than he liked, to put out his money for the advantage of his family. The imprudent husband then, in a moment of irritation, drew all the money out of the hands of this banker, and sent it to another. Mr.-was persuaded by some bad acquaintances (one of whom is well known in London) to visit a private gaming house, kept by a female who calls herself a Countess this abode of infamy is frequented by numerous sharks, both English and French; and here the ruin of the unfortunate Mr. : was ef fected. The whole amount of his thirty thousand pounds was lost! Hundreds of individuals were acquainted with the fact; the only person who knew nothing of the dreadful event was the hapless wife; and, when the dreadful news was told to her, we may judge how great was her misery. This poor lady was in a declining state of health, in a state of pregnancy, having four infant children with her, and in a foreign country. Such is the situation to which this horrible vice of gaming has reduced her. A few charitable persons entered into a subscription to defray the expenses incurred at the hotel where she resided, and supplied her with sufficient money to enable her to return to England,— where she has now arrived. Her worthless partner has disappeared, and it is thought that he has put an end to his guilty career by destroying himself." The above narrative is extracted from a London newspaper; and, though the melancholy story is taken from a class of life above that of our Cottage readers, still we think it right to publish an account which shews the horrible consequences of indulging in the wicked practice of gambling. Many a poor man is kept in wretchedness and poverty all his life |