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NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



For the New England FarmeT. 

 DANGERS OF THE CITY. 



Mr. Editor: — I again avail myself of tlie op- 

 portunity which your useful publication affords, to 

 express some views upon a subject which strongly 

 interests many of your subscribers. It is this: — 

 The desertion of their homes, by farmers' sons and 

 daughters. Youths resident distant from cities, 

 are, for the most part, ignorant of the snares and 

 toils which are set for them, by numbers of de- 

 praved and unprincipled men and women, who 

 stand ready to make the unwary youths their prey. 



The young man departs from his father's house 

 to seek his fortune in the city. With his father's 

 sage advice yet sounding in his ears, and to him 

 seemingly impossible to be forgotten; with his 

 mother's warnings and affectionate admonitions 

 still fresh in his memory, and the picture of his 

 mother's streaming eyes yet before him, he arrives 

 at his journey's end. There is generally some one 

 anxious to make the unsuspecting youth his vie 

 tim. As the young man stands undecided, doubt- 

 ful whither to turn his steps, this tempter advanc- 

 es to him, and is, in a few moments, on the foot- 

 ing of an old acquaintance. He inquires if the 

 young gentleman wishes a quiet boarding place, 

 and is answered, yes. The stranger disinterested- 

 ly volunteers to conduct him to one; his offer is 

 thankfully accepted. They arrive at the boarding- 

 house, which is kept by some one of the decoy's 

 associates; he is smilingly received by the obse- 

 quious landlord, and treated with the greatest re- 

 spect. Leaving his baggage at the hotel, he goes 

 out under charge of his protector to see the sights. 

 His friend is very assiduous in showing him every 

 thing that can be seen; the innocent youth willing- 

 ly paying all expenses, as the other had unfortu- 

 nately left his change at home, but will make it 

 all right. Thus two or three weeks, both days 

 and nights, are spent, begetting a distaste for hon- 

 est industry. His money is now all squandered; 

 weakened and enervated by dissipation, away be- 

 yond reach of his father's counsel, far distant from 

 his mother's watchful eye, can any marvel that he 

 falls into the pit prepared for him? By degrees 

 he becomes a thief or burglar or highwayman, or, 

 it may be, takes the last degree, and becomes a 

 — murderer! 



But, it may be asked, does he never sigh for the 

 innocent days of his boyhood? Yes, full often, 

 does his not yet entirely insensible conscience 

 awakes him to see the path down which he is rush- 

 ing headlong. Then he madly flies to the intoxi- 

 cating bowl, and seeks to drown all lemorseful 

 thoughts; he smothers them for the time, only to 

 make them burn yet fiercer when he shall revive 

 from liis stupor. 



Should he attempt reformation, who is there to 

 employ iiim ! Who will give him a helping hand 

 to assist him from his low position? It is much 

 to be regretted that there are so few who stand 

 eager to assist and encourage those among the 

 downfallen who may attempt to regain their for- 

 mer position in society, while there are numbers 

 who freely give both time and money in aid of 

 some foreign cause. The result is, the man who 

 would willingly change his mode of lafe is com- 

 pelled to continue in his abandoned course, be- 

 cause there are none to whom he can applv; or, if 

 there are any, they are so few, that he knows not 

 where to seek them. 



A young man was recently brought before one 

 of our courts, charged witli breaking open a store. 

 He was convicted, and sentenced to two years in 

 the State prison. His story was a melancholy 

 one, though by no means uncominon. He stated 

 that he came to the city within a year ago, fell in- 

 to dissipated habits, working occasionally as the 

 opportunity presented itself, and his necessities 

 urged him. At last, finding himself moneyless, 

 and with such a character as prevented his getting 

 any employment whatever, he was induced to com- 

 mit the offence for which he was to be sent to 

 prison, to pass two long and gloomy years. Such 

 are some of the dangers which beset the incautious 

 youth. 



What must have been the anguish of the pa- 

 rents of the above unfortunate youth, upon the re- 

 ceipt of these, perhaps the first tidings from that 

 son? This deed of his son's will surely bring 

 old age prematurely upon the sire; his step will 

 lose its vigor; grief and shame will scatter the 

 snows of age thickly among his locks; no more 

 can he meet and speak to his neighbors as an equal; 

 no, he can never again walk erect with the steady 

 eye of an honest man. He reads his shame in ev- 

 ery eye, and thinks that he c;irries the record of 

 his son's guilt impressed upon his countenance. 

 No man would wish to endure such a life. 



But the mother, who can tell her grief? What 

 can equal the poignancy of her sorrow? It may 

 be that the first intelligence is conveyed to her 

 through the newspaper. All can think what the 

 shock of such unexpected news would be. Better 

 would it have been, for her and for her cliild. if 

 she had not bore him. 



When his sentence has expired, if his parents 

 have not sunk under the burden of his ignominy, 

 he can return to his bitth-place and live an lumest 

 man. But, should they have fought the battle of 

 life, and sought rest in the quiet grave, what will 

 he do? Will any help him ? Alas! I fear there 

 will be none. 



Though the danger to young men is imminent, 

 it by no means equals that of young women. I 

 think I do not go beyond the truth when I say, that 

 it is almost suie destruction for a country girl, an 

 utter stranger to the city, to enter it unprotected. 

 There are wretches, male and female, always on 

 the lookout for them. People in the employ of 

 fashionable young men; young men, too, of good 

 standing and respectability, as the world goes. 

 These young men, and also keepers of brothels, 

 are in league with the proprietors of low dens of 

 infamy, called "intelligence offices," who, upon 

 the pretence of procuring the young girl a place, 

 put them in the possession of these fiends, from 

 whom there is no escape undefiled. The common 

 end of those who are thus entrapped may be seen 

 by the following fact: — A body was fiiund recently 

 in one of the docks^ which was recognized to be 

 that of a young woman of the town, who had been 

 missing several weeks. She was from the country, 

 and was supposed to have jumped overboard during 

 a fit of insanity. 



How very few girls who come to the city with 

 the intention of learning trades, and when learnt, 

 of retiring to their homes, to prosecute them, real- 

 ize their hopes! Young woman, would you bo ad- 

 vised? Stay at home, live unmolested, do for 

 your parents in their old days what they did for 

 you in your young years, and you will be happy. 



