THE TEA PARTY.
{"newspaper_name": "The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware register.", "edition": "01", "page": "p1", "byline": ""}
When the party commences, all starch'd and all


glum,


They talk of the weather, their corns, or sit


mum;


They will tell ofrbbona, of cambric, oflace;
How cheap they were sold-and will tell you the


place.


They discourse of their colds, and they hem and


they cough,


And complain of their servants, to pass the time


off.


But Tea, that enlvcner Of wit and of soul,
More loquacious by far than the draughts of the


bowl


Soon loosens the tongue and enlivens the mind,
And enlightcns their eyes to .fauhS of mankind.
1t brings on the tapis their neighbor's defects,
The faults of their friends their wilful neglccts;
Reminds them of many good naturd tale
About those who arc stylish, and those who are


frail,
Till the sweet tempered danes are converted by


tea,


Into character manglcrs-Gun4kophag
In harmless chit chat an acquaintance they roast,
And serve up friend as they serve up a toast.
Some gentle fuuC pas, or some female mistake,
Is like sweetmeats delicious, or seryd up rs cake,
a bit of broad scandal is like dry crust
1t would stick in the throat 50 they butter it first,
With little affected good nature, they CRY,
" Ao6ody 'egaAiS lie thing deeper Mut Il"
All, ladies and was it by Heaven dcsignd
That you should be mcrci.ul, loving and kind:
did it form you like angels, and send you below,
10 prophecy pcace-bid charity flow
And have you thus left your primcyal cstateN' :
and WANDERED so widely-so strangely of latci
Alas! the sad cause too plainly can see; -.
The GYMS haze Ill come upon you through tea.
Ours rweed, that can make our fair sp}&ts re-


sign


The character mild of their mission siSlne. III. ae
nat can blot from their bosom that t<a ETness


true
Which from female to female forever is due.
oh how nice is their texture, how fragile the


trame


VI that delicate fabric, females fair fame!
lis the sensitive plant, it recols fron the breath,
And shrinks from the touch as if pregnant with


death.


iow oftcn--how often has innocence sigh'd
mas beauty been reit of its honor, its pride,
II mas virtue, though pure as an angel OF light,
neen painted as dark as demon ofnight!
AL offered up victims-an auto de fe,
At 'he gloomy CADETS, the dark orgies OF tea.


I'll in thercmnant that's left me oflife
am to suffer the torments of slanderous strife,
,et n. me tall, implore, in slang-whangers claw,
"heFe the evil is open, and subject to law;