It leads, for its own gratification, to the various places of public resort.  Now this tendency of leading into public is considered by the Quakers as a tendency big with the dissolution of their society.  For they have many customs to keep up, which are quite at variance with those of the world.  The former appear to be steep and difficult as common paths.  Those of the world to be smooth and easy.  The natural inclination of youth, more prone to self-gratification than to self-denial, would prefer to walk in the latter.  And the influence of fashion would point to the same choice.  The liberty too, which is allowed in the one case, seems more agreeable than the discipline imposed in the other.  Hence it has been found, that in proportion as young Quakers mix with the world, they generally imbibe its spirit, and weaken themselves as members of their own body.

The Quakers again, have an objection to the learning of instrumental music on account of its almost inseparable connection with vocal, in consequence of which, it leads often to the impurity, which the latter has been shewn to be capable of conveying to the mind.

This connection does not arise so much from the circumstance, that those, who learn to play, generally learn to sing, as from another consideration.  Musical people, who have acquired skill and taste, are desirous of obtaining every new musical publication, as it comes out.  This desire is produced where there is an aim at perfection in this science.  The professed novel reader, we know, waits with impatience for a new novel.  The politician discovers anxiety for his morning paper.  Just so it is with the musical amateur with respect to a new tune.  Now, though many of the new compositions come out for instrumental music only, yet others come out entirely as vocal.  These consist of songs sung at our theatres, or at our public gardens, or at our other places of public resort, and are afterwards printed with their music, and exposed to sale.  The words therefore, of these songs, as well as the music that is attached to them, fall into the hands of the young amateur.  Now as such songs are not always chaste, or delicate, and as they frequently contain such sentiments, as I have shewn the Quakers to disapprove, the young musician, if a Quaker, might have his modestey frequently put to the blush, or his delicacy frequently wounded, or his morality often broken in upon, by their perusal.  Hence, though instrumental music might have no immoral tendency in itself, the Quakers have rejected it, among other reasons, on account of its almost inseparable connection with vocal.

SECT.  V.

Objection anticipated, that though the arguments, used by the Quakers in the preceding chapters, are generally fair and positive, yet an exceptionable one seems to have been introduced, by which it appears to be inculcated, that the use of a thing ought to be abandoned on account of its abuse—­explanation of the distinction, made by the Quakers, in the use of this argument.