of religion, and engaged
in other cares and pursuits. Just after my grandfather's death, it
seemed to be a time of extraordinary dullness in religion.
Licentiousness for some years prevailed among the youth of the town;
there were many of them very much addicted to night-walking, and
frequenting the tavern, and lewd practices, wherein some, by their
example, exceedingly corrupted others. It was their manner very
frequently to get together, in conventions of both sexes for mirth and
jollity, which they called frolics; and they would often spend the
greater part of the night in them, without regard to any order in the
families they belonged to: and indeed family government did too much
fail in the town. It was become very customary with many of our young
people to be indecent in their carriage at meeting, which doubtless
would not have prevailed in such a degree, had it not been that my
grandfather, through his great age (though he retained his powers
surprisingly to the last), was not so able to observe them. There had
also long prevailed in the town a spirit of contention between two
parties, into which they had for many years been divided; by which they
maintained a jealousy one of the other, and were prepared to oppose one
another in all public affairs.

But in two or three years after Mr. Stoddard's death, there began to be
a sensible amendment to these evils. The young people showed more of a
disposition to hearken to counsel, and by degrees left off their
frolics; they grew observably more decent in their attendance on the
public worship, and there were more who manifested a religious concern
than there used to be.

At the latter end of the year 1733, there appeared a very unusual
flexibleness, and yielding to advice, in our young people. It had been
too long their manner to make the evening after the sabbath, [It must be
noted, that it has never been our manner, to observe the evening that
follows the sabbath, but that w