noses at Washington; and if we believe one of their own number, one half of them, more or less, idle away within its walls, and its infamous purlieus, that precious time which ought to be spent faithfully in the service of their country, whose money they pocket as a reward for their laziness and profligacy. Oh! what a falling off from the paths of public and private virtue, has there been among us, since the wise and patriotic resolutions, which we have quoted, and which deserve to be written in letters of gold upon every door-post in our country, were promulgated by the noble-spirited Congress of "78! We have indeed degenerated; but is it too late to retrace our steps? Is it too late to say to the deluge of vice, which has nearly overwhelmed us, thus far shalt thou go, and no farther? It may, perhaps, be too late for the old men to put a stop to this deluge; but the rising generation, if so disposed, have it in their power, to turn back the current upon its foul sources, and redeem their country from its desolating and deadly influence. Put your shoulders to the wheel, then, young men, and let the world see that the youth of America are worthy of their pious and gallant ancestors. You You may be told with a sneer, that the noble resolutions we have quoted from the Journals of the Congress of "78, smell of puri tanism, and the blue-laws. Be it so for then indeed was there a sweet savour in puritanism and the blue-laws: And all sneering of impious foplings, and shallow witlings, to the contrary notwithstanding, we do not hesitate boldly to affirm, that until the sound moral and religious spirit which breathes in these resolutions, shall pervade a vast majority of this people, they cannot expect to have, nor will they have, a truly wise and just administration of their federal or state governments. But let us, my young readers, turn from the doubtful morality of the Theatre, as well as the positive vices of it, to its effects upon your purses; for although I deprecate a miserly spirit, I admire an economical one. We will say that the Theatre is kept open, for six months in the year at least, three times a week. Seventy-two nights, at $1 per night,. If you take a young lady with you, it adds.. $72 72 36 For refreshments, per night, if very temperate, 50 cents,. 36 .... $216 Thus you see in figures, which never lie, that the Theatre is your debtor, if you go every night, as very many, if not most young men do, the small sum of two hundred and sixteen dollars, more or less, according to the number of nights you go, and the number of young ladies or other . boon companions, you invite to go with you, and whose expenses you are bound to pay: And for this extravagant expenditure, all you have to set down on the creditor side are, a few silly songs; a few broad grins; a few solemn mockeries in tragedy, such as fighting duels with sword and pistol, for the love of woman, or stabbing tyrants for the love of freedom! an immense quantity of froth, scum and nonsense in comedy and farce; the loss of seventy-two nights of precious time; and many other items, if not "too tedious to enumerate," as merchants say in their advertisements, at least too nauseous and disgusting to be dwelt upon. We have said nothing on the impropriety, in our estimation a very glaring one, of exhibiting on the stage, for the amusement or instruction of a republican people, the personifications of kings, dukes, lords, knights, queens, duchesses, &c., as they exist and form legal and essential branches of the European monarchies. If it be wise, virtuous and patriotic, thus to poison the minds of our youth with such trumpery, which has a tendency to inspire them with false and foul ambition, with disgust for plain, frank and simple manners and habits, with a distaste for that civil, legal and political equality, without which no republic can exist: If, we say, all this be wise, then the Theatre is a very appropriate appendage to our free and equal republican constitutions: For your Majesty, your Royal and Serene Highness, my Lord, and your Ladyship, are bandied on the stage in British tragedy and comedy, till the actors are almost led to believe themselves in reality what they only seem to be-and not a few among their auditors, judging from what we have seen, are silly enough to admire and imitate the pageantry, and, we presume, to sigh for the titles, ribbons, stars and garters, which decorate, if they do not dignify, the short-lived kings, and other grandees they see strutting, in mock dignity, "their brief hour upon the stage," as a Peacock, or an old Rooster of the turkey tribe, struts among his dames in a barn-yard. But again, methinks I hear you ask-Would you, Mr. Man of Sixty, cut us off from all dramatic instruction? To this I answer, that I should think it no very great loss; but still, I would not cut you off from studying the drama more or less in your closets; and for this purpose one-fifth part, or thereabouts, of your $216, expended in one year on the Theatre, will purchase every tragedy, comedy and farce now extant, which is worth being read by any rational man or woman. Take, for example, of the ancients, Euripides and Terence; the one in tragedy, the other in comedy; of the moderns, Shakspeare, Home and Addison, in tragedy; and Shakspeare again, with Goldsmith and Sheridan, in comedy; and you will, believe me, have enough of the drama, to know all about what it has been, what it is, and what it might be. Study these in your closets, where you will be able to compare the historical tragedies with the real history on which they are founded, have time to understand and criticise the whole fairly, and draw the proper conclusions, which you would not be able to do, were you to live to the age of Methusela, by attending the Theatre. To show you briefly what you will gain by reading such plays as are worth reading, if there be any such, instead of hearing and seeing them acted, I will barely state that of Shakspeare, who as yet stands unrivalled as a dramatic writer, there are still extant thirty-five plays, including tragedies and comedies. To witness the exhibition of these, at ONE DOLLAR per night, will cost you THIRTY-FIVE DOLLARS at least ; that is, if you go into a box among the "good society." Now it is a fact, that I saw sold, not long since, for one dollar, a beautiful volume, containing the whole thirty-five plays of Shakspeare. It is true the volume was sold at auction price; but you may at any time for three, four, or five dollars at the most, get as good an edition as need be placed in any library; and of |