The New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

For the GAZETTE.

On LASCIVIOUSNESS.

The increasing practice and boldness of adultery, and those other crimes that are opposed to the laws of purity and chastity; call upon every friend to religion and his country, to rouze to that thoughtfulness and vigilance; which will check evils that are always and most truly declared to sap the foundation of society; that enervate the body--weaken the mind, bring the highest office down to a familiarity with, and puts the character, and very often the decision of men in trust in the power of the dirtiest strumpet that prowls the streets, or of the most drunken or debased parent, whose necessities lead him to traffick with his daughter's crime, and to lay her seducer under contribution for her, and her children's support.

By these practices elevated office is brought to a level with the dust. Jealousy and torture is produced in the breast of the most amiable of women, a lovely daughter may be doomed to shame and sorrow, or hardened in it, and a promising son assigned to poverty and dishonor, or more ripened in debauchery.

These votaries to lasciviousness have, and generally will prostitute character and property to the indulgence of vile passions, thereby filling the world with a vicious, disgraced and debased offspring, who have no protector to guide or support them in the road to honor or business. and placing virtue and merit on an equality with vice and criminality, by the influence of wealth or office. while the descendant of the honest patriot who lost his life in support of his country's cause, is doomed to drudge it through the world, friendless and alone.

It is the common cause of all mankind, in which all ought to unite, and to combine every possible force to hunt these crimes and their perpetrators from every trust: because men of this description, are almost invariably destitute of every virtue; and only wear the semblance, and put on the hypocrite's mask, in order to deceive with more ease, and to sin more boldly and securely. They have oppressed the mechanic in business--ground the face of the poor--brought a thousand ills upon the widow and the fatherless. and reduced virtuous women to prostitute their bodies to earn bread to keep them from starving.

It is high time to awake--silence is a crime, the indignation of every virtuous person rouzes at the hearing of the continuation and repetition of these practices. Every man ought to endeavour in his sphere, and use his utmost influence, to stem this torrent; these practices of old countries, become fashionable in these States: and should these crimes be charged upon any one of those, whom the public confidence may incautiously elevate to places of trust, and they may abuse the public by elevating their illegitimate breed, into the various offices in their gift, and our sons be hewers of wood and drawers of water to bastards. or our daughters be mistresses, or common prostitutes around the federal city: and the chariot of the courtezan roll in state, upon the monies contributed for the support of the honor and dignity of government--for the relief of the public creditor--for the use of the maimed soldier, or unfortunate citizen--the wronged widow, or oppressed orphan--and sacred property be wrested from the support of religion, to the fostering of vice and lust.

Every one in society ought to take good heed, that debauchery does not gain a place in government--innocence be oppressed--right trampled under foot, and religion and virtue banished off the face of the earth by any of those means, or by men whose crimes almost exclude them from a share in human nature, and assign them their rank amongst the brutes.

A TRAVELLER.