The Adjournment.-Love of Bome.

MRS. JORDAN.

S it is now almost time to separate, I take the liberty of moving that we adjourn our

meeting until another evening; and this motion being very much in keeping with my own views, I beg to preface it by a few remarks. The eloquent speeches I have listened to against intemperance have forcibly reminded me of a passage I read when a girl, in a curious book called "Macgowan's Dialogues of Devils." The author in his introduction to the work asserted that the poor Devil was accused of many faults with which he had no concern, and of which the parties committing them were alone guilty. This was quite a new idea to me at the time; for I had been led to believe that the arch-fiend Lucifer was the only instigator of everything that was bad. Now I am sure there is no person in the world could have a greater horror of intemperance than I have. I have witnessed its melancholy results; I have observed its prevalence; I have attentively and painfully watched its desolating progress. It is an evil of gigantic magnitude. But, bad as it is,

we may impute to it evils, and ascribe to it consequences with which it has no possible connexion. After considering the subject maturely, I believe our own conduct as wives has more to do with the habitual absence of our husbands than any other influence we could name.

You very appropriately stated in the opening address that home is woman's sphere, and you enunciated a beautiful theory which, if reduced to practice and universally adopted, would have rendered our meeting this evening uncalled for and unnecessary. If we so much deplore the absence of our lords and masters, the very least we can do is to set them a good exampleto stay at home ourselves. Though I must congratulate many of the ladies present upon their retiring dispositions and domesticated habits who, except upon rare and unavoidable occasions, are seldom seen without the precincts of their own dwellings; we cannot look over the town of Brandiport without being furnished with overwhelming proofs that, in the great majority of families in which this evil prevails, the women are in the habit of being frequently absent themselves.

It would be invidious to mention names; yet I cannot help referring to Mrs. Hopper as an instance. I visited her the week before last. What a neglected family was there! The children were almost entirely managed by servants. Household arrangements seemed to be beneath her attention. Her conversation was of the last assembly, or concert, or theatrical performance. I verily believe she is never happy except in a crowd. Unless she be the "observed of all ob

servers" she considers herself slighted. She is most polite and affable certainly; but she retains little of that hearty good feeling which she possessed before she began to mingle with the gay and the fashionable. She is all cheerfulness and good-nature amid the giddy throng of pleasurelovers, upon whom she lavishes her smiles, and with whom she is so fond of associating; but in the quiet circle of home she is often reserved, and sometimes gets into a passion and treats her children and domestics with unnecessary harshness. Like most others who frequent the "fairy haunts of dissipation," she prefers the evanescent delights of a theatre, or a ball-room, or a music-hall, to the rational enjoyments and tranquil amusements of her own fireside. When I first became acquainted with her she was a most amiable young lady. Her artless simplicity and genuine affection secured to her the love of all she knew.

There was a sweet innocence in her manner, a winning timidity in her disposition which made her shrink from the public gaze. But what a change has come over this poor woman! and all from that pernicious habit of attending these alluring places of amusement She has lost all relish for domestic life. There is nothing left of her sweet manners but a formal politeness-a cold, insipid etiquette-a semblance of friendship without the reality. Formerly she read works of solid usefulness, and her society was as instructive as it was pleasing. Now, if she read at all-but to say the truth, she is up so late at night, rises so late in the morning, spends so much time dressing and preparing for parties and balls, that she has

very little spare time on her hands-but if she ever do read, it is such works of fiction and imagination as chime in with her sentiments. She loves to soar away above the world of realities, and home-poor, vulgar home-is to her shorn of all its charms. Now what inducement has a husband to spend his leisure hours at home with a wife like this?

There is another sort of women in Brandiport not a whit better. We may just take as a specimen, Mrs. Davies. Though seldom or never seen at such fashionable resorts as Mrs. H. frequents; yet she can scarcely ever be found at home. She is a great lover of news. And knowing her propensity many of her neighbours are obligingly ready to cater for her gratification. Whatever be the hurry of business at home she will not deny herself the pleasure of investigating every little local occurrence. She is one of those who mind every body's business but their own. An elopement, a breach of promise of marriage, or the slightest circumstance that affects the character of a person with whom she has no acquaintance, greatly excites her feelings, and affords delicious food for gossip and inquiry, while the little incidents of home awaken very little interest. Her poor husband, when he returns from his avocations, either finds her absent or is teased with her talkativeness about affairs of no moment. If he be a sober, thinking man, he will be glad to get into more rational society. Like the Earl of Surrey when he escaped from his prison at Windsor, her unfortunate spouse will be ready to exclaim

"And when I felt the air and all so pleasant round about, Ah! to myself, how glad I was that I had gotten out."

Others of our Brandiport women who are no newsmongers, nor frequenters of gay assemblies, although fond of attending small parties now and then, have other motives for absenting themselves from their domestic duties. Our little Regentstreets and Oxford-streets, on a fine day, will bear witness to the numbers that unnecessarily go out a shopping. The poor draper's assistants who have to exhibit shawl after shawl, gownpiece after gownpiece, ribbon after ribbon, and to expatiate with their wonted eloquence on the superior quality of the different articles before they can effect the most trifling sale, will also bear witness. Even the public auctions of jewellery, furniture, fancy.goods, and other commodities of which they stand in no essential need are regularly attended by these female wanderers from home, and sometimes their husbands have to pay dearly for the bargains made on such occasions. With one of such ladies at its head what domestic establishment could be comfortable!

Their

There is one other class of ladies for whom I entertain the deepest respect. Perhaps I am culpable in placing them in the category. They are the ornaments of every town. whole energies are employed in the promotion of schemes of christian philanthropy. To their benevolent exertions much of the moral prosperity of the place is owing. I cordially appreciate their untiring endeavours in the advancement of objects with which we might all be proud to be identified.