The Wilmingtonian, and Delaware advertiser., 1826-07-20
From the Emporium.
THIf REGEIr WAY.

There is one right way and a great many
wrong WAYS of living, acting and speaking;
Of doing every thing, and the right way is al
ways the best, because it is the easiest, the
safest, the most profitable, and most pleas
ant. And it is much easier to show that the
great mass of mankind mistake this way,
than to give the reason why they do so. 1t
is plain road-there are pointers up at ev-
cry corner--and he who runs may read. And
yet compared with the scattered crowd, but
| few solitary travellers can be found that
| are journeying on through life in the righf
! gaay.
| Most people who so wrong, know very
well what they are about--and where they
are The prodigal, the grossly criminal. do
not generally pretend that they are in the
rbt way-they can give you many excuses
ior leaving it, aud perhaps as seem reasona-
Bile to themselves--I don't say satisfactorily
for he who misses the way, never misses
the forfeit-and all who travel the wrong
road, must pay the toll gatherer, however
plausible the reason that brought them there
may be.
Among these excuses one of the foremost
and most frequent is. that the wanderngs
were unintentional and to them impercepti,
ble-and that they have now gone so far es-
tray that the force OF habit prevents theii
return. This is just as reasonable as 1t would
be for man whose busncs lay in Boston
to persist in travelling to N. Orleans, because
by a mistake he had gone "a days journey
south instead of east.
The truth is, the wrong way has strange
fascination about it, the force and operation
of which we see without being able to ac
count for tit is the same nameless ant
mysterious charm with which the serpen
! ,bnir, ,oa tIen nd II {
is of disappointments and sorrows, few, wh'
have gone far in it, ever return. There arr
series of progressive steps from bad t.
worse, and each of which, when taken
renders the task of getting back more diff
cult.
A great many men have spice of idlenes
in their composition, that often tempts then
into indulgence-those who are idle wan
| to dress little better than others-the
musl keep company like themselves; ant
these vices, all sit like the publican, at tn
receipt of fcustoms-every one who has to d
with them must pay the quota OF their taa
1t often happens too, that something is los
in this society from the common stock
charaeter--a thing that sticks by a man nc
according to his want but his merit.
If the man who leaves the right road thu
far, does not fall into the hands of heavie
nate. Many pay heavily to intemperance-
and disease keeps the next gate.
Some men reserve all their economics
spirit for charitable occasions-they di
course largely OH the subject when lit
money is wanted for the relief OF the poor
when the church calls for aid--or the colle'
= tor comes for the road or pauper tax--ye
would think, to hear their stories, that the'
were the things that threatened men VII
poverty and ruin. But it is great mistak
tits neither the government tax, the chlre
Irs tax, or the tax which Astounding misery IN
poses on the humane, that causes SO mar
estates to fall to pieces-so many men to D.
come insoleents.
'ul How much better would it be then fol
to, of US to choose the right way-the chol'
m requires, simply, the exercise OF reason:
te, plain common sense, wherever it IS PERM
1T, ted to predominant over the passions, W
st, be sufficient guide--for the reason why v