families; from which, however, it gradually extends its influence, like the undulations of a pebble thrown into a pool, over the whole community throughout all its departments.

Let us fuppofe a married couple in the middle ranks of life (and I felect my inftances from the middle ranks because they are the moft numerous and important). Let us fuppofe them juft setting out, as it is called, in the world. The firfl object is to form and extend connexions. The oftenfible motive is the advancement of the family intereft; the real and moft powerful motive, the love of various company, in a continual fucceffion. Dinners and fuppers, dancing and card-playing, leave little time, and no inclination, for the fober bufinefs of the trade or profeffion. A neglected trade or profeffion cannot fucceed; and the poor young people, after having spent the little and hard-earned patrimony which, it may be, their affectionate parents beftowed on them, live the reft of their lives in fome poor lodging in penury or fervitude, or die of difappointment.

But if, by uncommonly good fortune, they avoid bankruptcy or ruin, yet their love of diffipation never fails to poifon that happiness which it pretends to fweeten. It prevents them from performing the most indifpenfable duties, and living the life of rational creatures. All heads of families are prefidents of little focieties, which they are bound to regulate by precept and example. But how fhall they be qualified to do this, who are feldom at home, and who, when they are there, are conftantly engaged in vanity? Their own. corruption defcends, with additional malignity of influence, to the loweft menial, who has fought protection beneath their roof.

But let us confider them in the relation of parents. Nothing can be more inconfiftent with the life of a lady, who delights in the fafhionable amufements, than the care of her new-born child. Her drefs would be difconcerted, and her fhape fpoiled, were fhe to attempt to feed it herself with the food which nature has made convenient for it. She could not be abfent from home. She must be liable to interruption at all hours. Her health alfo muft fail under fo conftant a fatigue, added

to

to the neceffary toils of the ball and card table. Her phyfician, for he takes care to keep the doctor on her fide, declares, that from the delicate imbecility of her conftitution, it would be highly improper for her to fubmit to the exhaufting task of fuckling an infant. The little one, therefore, whofe heavenly fimiles would repay every maternal care, is fent to the cottage, or the garret, of fome hireling nurfe. There, amidst poverty, hunger, and naftiness, it drags a precarious existence, with no attention, but the cold charity of a mercenary woman, who has often, at the fame time, a child of her own to engrofs her maternal endearments. The mother, in the mean time, is engaged in the gay circle of an affembly, lofing that money at cards, or spending it in dress and pleafures, which ought to pay her hufband's creditors. Ah! little thinks fhe how her poor infant, which ought to be fostered in her bosom, is bewailing, in the expreffive language of tears, the neglect, and the harsh treatment it undergoes, in the dreary haunts of want and mifery. Many a fevere menace, and many a hard blow, does the fweet babe receive from the paffionate and ignorant nurse, at which a mother's heart would bleed, if it were not loft to fenfibility. Poor innocents, unhappy orphans, deferted in your helpless state, by those who have brought you into a wretched world; may he who took the children up in his arms, put his hands on them, and bleffed them, have pity on your woes-on thofe injuries which ye forely fuffer, but cannot have deferved.

Life, however, is not eafily extinguished; and notwithstanding all the pains and inconveniences which the child undergoes from want of food, from want of cleanlinefs, from want of thofe tender attentions which a mother only can pay, it does indeed furvive; but what remains of its lot is even more miferable than that which has already passed. As it has always been absent from home, it is a ftranger there. Its parents feel but little natural affection for it; for natural affection fixes itself in the heart moft deeply at that period when the infant is hanging at the breaft, and fmiling, as it were, with gratitude, in the face of her who fupplies it with delicious nourishment from her own vital current. It

takes

takes ftill firmer poffeffion of the heart when the child begins to prattle, and to play thofe little tricks which none but a callous mind can behold without delight. But, alas! the little boy or girl are ftill confidered as obftacles to pleasure at home. They pay a fhort and formal visit there, and are again difmiffed to a nurse, locked up with fervants in the garret, or transferred to their grandmother. The laft is a moft enviable lot, in comparison with the former; in which they not only experience harsh words and hard blows, but learn vulgar ideas, vulgar language and habits of every kind, which muft one day be unlearned.

As foon as they can walk firmly, and talk plainly, they are removed to one of thofe convenient fchools or academies, as they are called, where children, at a very early age, are received as into nurferies. In the fubfequent courfe of their education they are conftantly kept from home; or if they are indulged in a vifit of a few days, they fee nothing but what tends to mislead them. They receive no fatherly advice, and whatever learning they may acquire at their fchools, they ufually enter on the ftage to act their part in the drama of life, without judgment, and without principles to regulate their conduct. There is ufually added to their miffortune of being neglected and mifled, that of being deprived all share of their parent's poffeffions; who, in the gay circles of pleasure, not only fpend their own, but involve themselves and their eftates in debt, and in every fpecies of diftreffing and difgraceful embarraffment. There is no part of the family and affairs of the diffipated which has not a tendency to ruin. They are themselves in a conftant ftate of mortification and difappointment. Their object in purfuing a perpetual round of amufements, is to obtain perpetual pleasure ; an object which human nature could never yet accomplifh. They, of all others, are leaft likely to obtain it who make pleasure a bufinefs, and, in profecution of it, neglect their moft important and their daily duties. Indeed, there is nothing more mifapprehended than the nature of pleasure. Men are deluded by a name, and, catching at a phantom, lofe reality. The trueft plea VOL. II.

C

fure

, fure refults from calm and moderate emotions. Noise, tumult, violence, diforder, take off the fine spirit from that which is otherwife formed to pleafe, and leave little behind but dregs or difagreeable ingredients. Balls, affemblies, feafts, public diverfions, cards, drefs, various company, fhould be purfued only as what they are, temporary amusements. Afk those who are whirled in the vortex of fashion, whether they are happy, notwithstanding they are engaged, without ceafing, in what the world calls pleafure; they are as ready to complain of languor and of mifery as any other part of mankind. Pride and vanity compel them to move with others of their rank or fortune; but their countenances and words abundantly teftify that they have, at leaft, their share of human uneafinefs. They feel, indeed, the fatiffaction of being diftinguished from the poor, because their fortunes enable them to pay for the diftinction; but that happiness is but flenderly fupported, which is founded only on the gratification of a weak and womanith vanity.

With respect to that particular part of the evil refulting from diflipation, the neglect and confequent mifery of families, it is, certainly, very extenfive and important. Single men, and fingle women, however led aftray by the falfe lights of their own vain imagination, fuffer by themfelves, or at leaft draw but a few in their train. But the whole rifing generation must be endangered, when diffipation is become univerfal among parents and the heads of families.

Selfish arguments may fucceed when others fail; and I therefore wish I could convince the generality of a certain truth; that there is really more pleafure to be found at the family fire-fide, and in the regular performance of domeftic duties, than in the neverceafing purfuit after fashionable amusements. What is the delight of feeing an Italian or French dancer ftand upon one leg, compared to that of beholding one's own fmiling babes in the raptures of a game at play? What is the delight of glittering at a ball, a play, a masquerade, compared to that of a home, in which are found plenty, tranquillity, and love, uninterrupted by

the

the extravagance, the folly, the pride, the reftlefinefs of that ignorant, empty, weak, and fickle, yet arbitrary tyrant, Fashion?

Not that the moralift is fevere. He prohibits no moderate and reasonable enjoyments. He is too well acquainted with human nature, and with life, fo to moralize. He maintains only, that though diffipating pleafures may be allowed as a temporary relief, they are fatal to happiness and virtue, when they are fuffered to engage the whole attention, or to become the chief employment.

No. LXXXVIII.

ON FORMING CON

NECTIONS.

O

NE can never fufficiently admire the liberal fpirit of the great philofopher and orator of Rome, who, in his fine treatife on friendship, has exploded the idea, that the prospect of advantage is the foundation of this virtuous union, and afferted, that it owes its origin to a conviction in the parties of the mutual excellence of their morals and difpofition.

This generous opinion appears ftill greater and more amiable when it is compared with the precepts and the practices of latter ages, and particularly of the present. It is now one of the firft admonitions given to a young man, who is entering on the career of life, that he muft, at all events, make connections. And instead of informing him, that he is to be directed in his choice of them by the appearance of moral and mental excellence, according to the fublime ideas of the noble Roman, his fagacious monitors fuggeft to him, that he is to be folely guided by the profpect of his interest and advancement in the road of ambition. Let a poor man of approved character, learning, and genius, and a rich man of fashion, with no pretenfions to either, be introduced to a fenfible and prudent young man of the world; and, while the rich man is viewed with fubmiffion, compla cence, and treated with almoft idolatrous attention, the