man was an
exception to the general rule. Perhaps so, for one taking such an extreme
view; but we must all know cases somewhat similar. A careful inquiry will
show that if we look around among the clergy even, we shall find that the
most radical preachers of the day were brought up in the Orthodox ranks.
Who would wish to re-establish the gloomy Puritan Sabbath, with its barren
meeting-house, without fires or music, and its tedious, uninteresting
sermon, running on to "fifteenthly," gauged by an hour-glass turned over
perhaps once or twice during the discourse?

Speaking of the change of habits in New England, even, it is noticeable
how much more prevalent colds and other slight indispositions are now to
what they used to be on Sunday. The very thought of going to church makes
some people cough or have a headache. Theatres or concerts never seem to
affect these people in the same way. Even the weather, which keeps people
in-doors on Sunday, never keeps them in on other days.

Our own view of the subject is that while we should be glad to see more
interest taken in public worship than there is at present, we think people
should have the right of spending their Sundays in their own way,--always,
of course, provided they do not interfere with the rights and feelings of
others. It seems to us that the only way to have Sunday properly observed
is for those who are influential to make some little personal sacrifices,
if need be, to attend the Sunday services, and do all they can to promote
the most cheerful views of religion and make the services interesting.

Let those people who lament the decay of religious observances read the
following quotation from the "Salem Gazette" of 1830. Those who can
recollect how it was at that date must see that notwithstanding a perhaps
much smaller attendance now upon public worship, there is every reason to
believe that, at least as far as the native population is concerned, Sunday
is really more quiet than it was then. After reading this article we shall
perhaps be prepared to say that "tythingmen" may have been needed just
after the Revolution.

THE TIMES WE LIVE IN. The dreadful tragedy performed in this town
last April, and the subsequent arrests, developments,
confessions, trials, &c., by keeping the thoughts and
conversation of the community continually directed to that
enormity, have led to the general but very erroneous notion, that
there must have b