The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-02-12
miscellaneous department.
INFLUENCE or A BAD BOOK.

lfsomc purifying censor would z" through
the whole range Of the vast compass OF
English literature. armed with authority and
power To cxpunge al pleasure whatever may
be found injurious 10 Christian morals, or
contrary to The claims and the progress OF
evangelical picty. the fires of the ca!'ph y.
mar would hardly he more sweeping. II
any part Of such work be done with sue
cess, the performance con!crs favor on the
whole multitude to whom the English is a
vcrnacuIarJorguc. Such ta>k Of literary
purificalion fnr many book, would DC
greater miracle and greater mercy. than
lhc swcclning Of the bitter waters of Marah
il the desert for the furnishing Hebrews
The poisonous Influences ni moral lmpurty
and error 90 from book into The soul: they
are pul exhausted, Ike arsenic, on tic out
ward frame, nor corfincd 10 a limited pc
rd Of linc. They burn III Tic mind through
eternity. They out'asi tho fame Of the au-
thor. Some mems sins arc open beforehand.
.ning before to udgcmCnt, and sC3'", h'y
foVom nCier. The accI:rscd evils o! lic"n-
li,,is book, OF OF l'rnfane AMI ;HliiaI pub
lIcainn. especially if there I'a c'inn%n %! the
srmbIancc or reality OF g'1l;uS III Ia make
it immortal ,hrnugi, lifetime. f,iinw the au
thor into the eternal world as his most dam
mag sans, having thrust ",hrr sons n'n per.
dilnH bv cngcndcr:n1 III iilcm brood "i
other iniqIlics as Mrir SiliS. EEt III such \
case, theirs and his own arc alike the an
lhor's aud VIC can conceive no dn"m more
horrible than thai TO whI b those miserable
beings must be reserved, that into which
lhcv must be ushcIcd on dymg. VIII" lave
expended the powers Of genius God has
lavishcd upon them. in providing prrcnnai
and perpetual fountains Of sin IN lis most
allurDg forms for all who come ailcr.-
l:rcadlu in the eternal World must he tho
meeting of the author Of an infamous, evil,
vlnc book, with the souls that have b@cn
helped onward To ruin by tic words he left
behind him.
Aud next to tho responsibility and guilt Of
tho author is that "I tic publisher. Al hail,
we say, to every good book. 1t is no, on
Is so much space in the world of mind and
heart well occupied. bat it is an aggressive
move against the kingdom Of Satan: II is 4
counter influence and effort against tho lc-
gions of immoral publications of various
hucs and banners pcrpclual!y issuing iroG
tho press. DR. CHEEvER.
WEDDlyGs.-Wc have moi "lhe papers"
to show the fact, but from the general in.
formation which memory has III Ecr libra
ry on tho subject, we believe we arc antl,nr-
ized N saying. that ii greater nnnbcr oi un-
happy marriages arc contracted in these lat
ter days than formerly; and that in consc-
qucncc, more applications arc made and
granted for divorce. The principal reason
for this is, that lhc old fashioned weddings
have in great measure given way TO mo-
dcrn method, destitute of fnrm, soIcmnltv
and religion. The squIrc's Office has been
substituted for the church and the altar, the
statute for the PRAYER book and The Justice
of the district for the Pastor. 1t requires
no nerve now to "iakc solemn VOW for
the man who can make affidavit to an scar
mark" can stand up before his "llonor' and
take woman for "beiter or worse Malrl-
monal alliances are thus easily made, and
quite as easily broken. The limbs Of the
law have found out that the whole matter is
merely a legal contract, like the buying and
selling of prodace, and it has been decided
in the good old keystone Stale. so the pa
pers inform us. that a wedding on Sunday
is not binding, because contrary TO the pro-
vision Of law in relation to trading Oh the