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Mysteries of city life; or, Stray leaves from the world's book
Mysteries of city life or Stray leaves from the world's book Author:James Rees Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Such are a few of the blessings, which have fallen upon the dark and the sorrowing portions of our earth, and have we not cause to exclaim:— Salvation ! oh. S... more »alvation ! The joyful sound proclaim, Till each remotest nation Has learn'd Messiahrs name ! LEAF THIRD. IMMORAL WORKS. ROMANCE AND REALITY. So much has been written about the crimes and mysteries of great cities, with appalling descriptions of vice ; and the localities of her votaries painted in such horrific colors, that the mind starts back from the mere contemplation of the scene, and is at last led to doubt a description, which does not bear upon its front the least tint and shadow of truth. Many of these works, the origin of which can be traced to the licentiousness of the French press, have been got up in our midst for no other reason than to cater for, and pander to a depraved appetite. Rich and poor are commingled together, vice and virtue dished up as delicate morsels for the gourmand, and the human passions played upon as if they were a part and portion of the entertainment. Youth, that season of life, on whose sacred ground even vice is fearful to tread, becomes the medium through which these monstrosities are made to sell, and the publisher is at times, an innocent accessory to the promulgation of viee in its most attractive form. Indecent words, and exciting descriptions of life, socalled, are nothing compared to the plates which accompany them, and not unfrequently the latter are introduced throughout a work, to which the reading has no connection or allusion. If it were not to insult the reader, the names of these books would be given. The chaste and beautiful productions of our gifted writers, are set aside for such works as we have alluded to. We must have some standard whereby our literar...« less